In professional education literature, the American community college is referred to as "democracy's college" (Diekhoff, 1950, Griffith & Connor, 1994). Yet, what it means to be democracy's college is cloudy and uncertain. In the literature on community colleges, there is a great deal of ambiguity with respect to the schools' social and political goals. This study was designed to generate theoretical concepts that describe the processes involved in the structuring of a particular college's social and political purpose. This is a case study of Cactus Community College. In this study I used a variety of qualitative methods to explore and document some of the institution's basic social processes. The techniques I used include participant observation, interviews, a survey, and content analysis. Through each of these means, I gathered data that describe the public role of the college as it is enacted by the students and personnel who live and work there. I used Glaser and Strauss' "grounded theory method" to organize the sampling and analysis of data (Glaser & Strauss, 1967), and I used Anthony Giddens' "structuration" theory as an interpretive framework (Giddens, 1976, 1984, 1992). Together, the method and framework allowed me to develop a model of theoretical concepts that describe some of the basic social processes at Cactus Community College.

Why do different kinds of people like different kinds of culture? I examine two answers to this question: the homophily model and the distinction model. These models are alternative explanations for the finding that different cultural tastes and practices are concentrated within different sociodemographic segments of society. To determine which model is the preferred explanation, I identify conflicting predictions generated by the models. The models imply different ecological processes. The homophily model predicts that cultural forms compete with each other for people: People are a scarce resource on which cultural forms depend; cultural forms are not a scarce resource for people. The distinction model predicts a dual ecology: Cultural forms compete with each other for people, and people compete with each other for cultural forms. Empirical tests with 1993 General Social Survey data support the homophily model and disconfirm the distinction model.

While there is a large amount of research on positive social relationships and their potential benefits and opportunities (social capital), negative social relationships and their potential social liabilities have been virtually ignored in the sociological and organizational literatures. Several researchers have identified this gap and made the call for research to examine both sides of social relationships to balance the "social ledger" (e.g., Brass & Labianca, 1999). This dissertation was designed as a first step into the investigation of negative social ties. Two studies were conducted to examine characteristics that might affect the valence of social relationships as well as the influence of these types of social ties on various outcomes. Homophily, or interactions with similar individuals, has been shown to positively influence social relationships in a variety of areas (McPherson, Smith-Lovin, & Cook, 2001) and heterophily, or interactions with dissimilar others, has been proposed to influence negative social relationships (Brass & Labianca. 1999; Labianca & Brass, 1997). Furthermore, Brass and Labianca theorized that there would be an asymmetric effect between these two types of social ties and that negative ties would have more of an impact on outcomes than positive ties. I test hypotheses about heterophily and negative asymmetry, yet go beyond Brass and Labianca to also test for differences between forms of negative ties. Data from three samples of undergraduate students in a male-dominated field of study were examined. Dissimilarities in age and differences in leadership preferences between dyad members were significantly related to negative ties. Older participants were more likely to have negative ties than younger participants, as older participants rated others negatively more often and were rated negatively more often. Participants who preferred to be leaders in their small groups did not want to work again with others who did not care who led the small group or others who definitely preferred someone else lead. There was little evidence to support Brass and Labianca's negative asymmetry theory. An expansion of this theory that includes distinguishing between self-directed and other-directed outcomes, as well as when to apply the different forms of negative ties is presented.

This document presents a holistic view of the saxophone in Germany from 1924 to 1935. A "wide field" view is presented in order to examine the saxophone within its social and historical contexts. Chapter One contains a general political and cultural history of Germany and a description of the saxophone in Germany before 1924. Chapter Two offers a definition of jazz in Germany and surveys the music's prominent saxophonists. Chapter Three documents and interprets portrayals of the saxophone in literature, art, and the press that might clarify its position within German society at the time. The instrument's journey through the turbulent period of Hitler's early government is followed. Chapter Three ends with a discussion of the references to the saxophone in the writings of philosopher Theodor W. Adorno. Finally, Chapter Four examines the role of the saxophone in the medium of serious concert music in Germany between the two World Wars.

I argue in this dissertation, that alternative agriculture offers an epistemological challenge to the conventional approach to food production. To put it succinctly: alternative agriculture is not just about another way to grow; it's about another way to know. I test this hypothesis through an examination of the discourses of three of the more organized networks in U.S. alternative agriculture: biodynamics, organics and ecoagriculture. These networks have supported research, education and outreach activities around alternative agriculture for decades. I focus on people and institutions of the U.S. Midwest. Bruno Latour's actor-networks and his "circulatory" model of the process of "science-making" provide me with a method for analyzing the creation of alternative knowledge by these groups, from their founders to the present. This research relies on writing by Foucault and Latour as well as by agricultural geographers to inform an investigation into the alternative knowledge networks, with a focus on the discourse of soil fertility. The definition and use of science in core texts provides a central thread for the analysis, which sheds light on how different groups claim and defend territories of agricultural knowledge, and construct their arguments about soil in alternative production. I analyze the identification and labeling of material nature, as well as specific technologies developed to do this work. I also examine criteria for, and evaluation of, experts as well as how people build alliances with other scientists and with a larger public, and how they argue for the importance of their scientific contributions. Although these networks all produce arguments for "following nature," they offer radically different perspectives on what nature consists of, and different frameworks and technologies for working with it. I also juxtapose this discourse analysis with an analysis of the public discourse and regulatory language of the federal standard regulating organic production---the Organic Farm Production Act of 1990, controversy around which prevented it from being implemented until 2002. This comparison sheds light on some of the specific challenges presented to mainstream production and conventional agricultural science by alternative agriculture, and on the process by which some alternative ideas become mainstream.

This dissertation develops a local-global theoretical perspective based on principles from cultural-cognitive institutional theory. Within this framework, the primary focus is the social construction of institutional logics and organizational forms in Sichuan, China's broader global environment. Institutional logics are defined as the taken-for-granted organizing principles that shape strategic action. It is asserted that these logics interact and become embedded in organizational forms centered on ownership structure and core technologies. During the fall of 2002, over one hundred interviews were conducted at the furniture, food processing, and pharmaceutical trade fairs in Chengdu. This data was used to examine China's societal logics in the context of the furniture industry and Chinese firms' diversification strategy. In addition, a case study of a textile firm is used to explore how China's societal logics have changed since the economic reforms began in the 1970s. Finally, correspondence analysis is used to map out the relationships between the institutional logics and the organizational forms.

<p> This research examines the determinants of global market formation and expansion using the case of fair trade from its origins as a market based on idiosyncratic and informal direct sales networks to its formalization as a rationalized governance system. Fair trade is a central component of a growing field of markets based on the social and environmental conditions of production. Fair trade organizations establish and enforce alternative standards of production and distribution processes globally and provide the infrastructure for a market in which value lies in a product's utility and conditions of production. The market spans the globe with producer organizations located in the global South and consumer organizations located in the global North. In three empirical chapters, I test which social forces enable and constrain the formation and expansion of the fair trade market and how the effects of those forces change with changes in the organizational structure of the market. Using an original dataset of all fair trade organizations, I examine (1) the expansion of the global fair trade market from 1961 to 2006, (2) the uneven formation and expansion of fair trade production across the global South from 1970 to 2010, and (3) the spread of consumer markets for fair trade goods across the global North from 1970 to 2010. I employ time series and panel multivariate regression techniques along with qualitative comparative analyses. Overall, I find strong evidence for the institutional foundations of global markets where national connections to global institutions and the reorganization of market relations enable global markets.</p>

<p> This project is the first approach to address the problem of the image through a discussion between science, philosophy, art history, art theory, and fine arts based on one body of specific art work designed especially to explain the role of the image in producing future reality models.</p><p> This study is a continuation of the dialogue between important philosophers and thinkers about the image and its place in the contemporary scene.</p><p> The technical fossil medium used in painting this project crosses the boundary between scientific research with its data sheets to art theory and fine arts with their aesthetic rhetoric thus bringing many disciplines together. Seven images were created to discuss the problem.</p><p> The artwork and the academic research are both interacting in this paper in a multidiscipline discussion to uncover the role of the images in creating a new reality and in forging the hyperreal culture.</p>

<p> For the past 200 years, Latinos have comprised the largest, consistent category of immigrants in the United States. This influx has created a need for culturally competent psychological treatment of a population that suffers from acculturative stress, defined as the stress a minority member experiences while trying to adjust to the culture of the majority. Researchers have studied Latino immigrants' enduring trials as they adjust to life in the United States. Nevertheless, there is limited research on the quantification of factors contributing to acculturative stress. Based on the conceptual framework of bidimensional acculturation and Latina/o critical race theory, predictors of acculturative stress among Latino immigrants (<i>N</i> = 172) were examined in this quantitative cross-sectional study. Data were collected using a convenience sample from several public areas located in Miami, Florida. Forced entry regression analysis weighed factors such as: documentation status, experiencing prejudice, gender, income, the number of family members present, confidence in English, age, and number of years in the United States. The results demonstrated only experienced prejudice weighed significantly in the regression model (&beta; = .43, <i>p</i> &lt; .05), and was therefore correlated with acculturative stress scores. The results of this study may help to increase mental health professionals' awareness of how experiences of discrimination can impact the acculturative stress of their immigrant clients. To improve service to this community, mental health professionals and their institutions can take steps to counteract the biases associated with the acculturative stress of Latino immigrants, thereby establishing themselves as an ally to this population.</p>

<p> This study qualitatively explores women survivors of intimate partner violence and their perceptions of experiences with social institutions when seeking support. Specifically, this study explored their experiences with a) social service organizations, b) health care providers, c) law enforcement, and d) the judicial system, examining the differences between ethnic minorities and the dominant culture. While individual themes for helpful and unhelpful practices for service providers were identified for each institution, across all social institutions, common helpful practices included being resourceful and using an empowerment approach. Services that were considered unhelpful or influenced disclosure of abuse included lack of knowledge and understanding of how to serve survivors of intimate partner violence, victim-blaming, the fear of children being taken away, immigration status, indifference, and difficulty obtaining services. African American women reported being treated unfairly and community distrust.</p>