This study described a subculture of Muslim women who live and study in Middle Town, Indiana and who actively participate in the religious and social activities conducted by the Middle Town Islamic Center. Acting in response to negative stereotyping of this population, this study shines a light on the lives and learning of female Muslim adults in a small Midwestern city. The results of this particular study promoted understanding about female Muslim learners in the United States. Ethnographic techniques of in-depth, semi-structured interviews and participant observation techniques were used to gather the data, and member checking was also performed to ensure consistency. Doman analysis, as described by Spradley (1979), was the technique used to analyze the data. The data and analysis suggested some fundamental characteristics of this subculture, Middle Town Islamic Ladies. One major finding that could be inferred was the inconsistency between the experiences of the participants with negative stereotyping propagated by some U.S. media and some people in general. Women in this study tended to be very deliberate in defining their status as women and as learners by examining and referring to the most legitimate resources of Islam: The Qur’an and Hadith. The participants also understood that many interpretations of the Qur’an and Hadith about women are influenced by a patriarchal mindset to preserve cultural beliefs that men are superior to women. Such beliefs are inconsistent with what the Qur’an and Hadith prescribe. As most of the informants came from different countries, they reported that their cultural expectations influenced their learning styles and their lives in this city. This expectation generated some problems with their comfort in living and studying. However, their faith, their association with the Middle Town Islamic community, especially the Muslim women, family support (especially from their husbands), and harmonious relationships with professors facilitated smooth adjustments to the challenges. Finally, the findings in this study also introduced teaching strategies and training styles in higher education that would accommodate and emphasize students’ cross-cultural differences / Department of Educational Studies

The purpose of this research was to describe how eight selected women administrators employed in student affairs at Ball State University utilized five leadership practices of challenging the process, inspiring a shared vision, enabling others to act, modeling the way, and encouraging the heart. There is an abundance of research on leadership, however very few studies have identified the leadership actions of women in student affairs administration in higher education.A case study methodology was used for this current research. Eight informants were purposively selected from a population of 26 women administrators employed in student affairs at Ball State University. Three interviews were conducted with each of the eight informants. Retrospective, structured, and semi-structured interviews, as described by Fraenkel and Wallen (1996) were utilized. There was not an available interview guide for use in this study, therefore one was constructed.Four conclusions were drawn from the results of this study. These included the following:1. There were a number of themes found that indicated these eight informants are relational leaders.2. The evidence collected suggested that leadership is situational, contextual, and influenced by the people involved.3. Experience was identified most often as a way these eight informants tested their own leadership skills, the skills of others, and helped others learn leadership skills.4. Learning from mentors was an important way these informants developed their leadership skills.Results of this study were not generalized beyond these eight informants. However, this study contributed new information to the field of leadership studies by describing the leadership practices of eight women administrators employed in student affairs. This study provided insights on the actions and behaviors that these informants used when exercising leadership. / Department of Educational Leadership

This study examines the lives of fifteen women from five families of Muncie, Indiana, women.. Each participating family has represented (in maternal decension), a grandmother, a mother, and a daughter. With one exception, all were born, raised, and are still living in Muncie, the "Middletown" of 1929, Robert S. and Helen M. Lynd's seminal study.The data determined what the persistent challenges were in the lives of these three generations of women, and what approaches they used to respond to them. Family relationships, attitudes toward women in the workplace, relationships between men and women, and an understanding and comparison of the attitudes of each generation are included in the study. Data were largely obtained by means of the ethnographic interview technique.Data indicated similar approaches to meeting challenges were used within a family, and approaches varied from family to family.A variety of approaches were used situationallyby all the women of all generations.The study supported prior research showing that religiosity strongly transfers from generation to generation. / Department of Educational Leadership

This study focuses on the Moore-Youse family in Muncie, Indiana, a medium size city in Delaware County, Indiana, as a microcosm of Victorian ideology and material culture using the methods of historical archaeology and social history. The following thesis examines material conditions among this middle-class, female-centered, lineal family during the Victorian period using gender theory. In this study, archaeological materials and historical documents are used to explore the priorities and choices that influenced Muncie's middle class in making material decisions during the Victorian period.The Victorian Period in America was marked by rapid social change, growing industrialization and the transformation of gender roles. These changes created an expanded middle-class in communities across America. For the middle class the home was a sanctuary and Victorian women were expected to devote themselves to the home and family. Thus began the "cult of domesticity". This thesis explores the influence of gender roles in 19th century Indiana. / Department of Anthropology