Publication Type: Informal Discussion Roundtable
Abstract: Incarceration rates are higher in the U.S. than any other country. Recividism rates remain very high. Ex-cons leave prison with stigmas which affect their employment rates. The U.S. has an economic policy which does not tolerate full employment. If ex-convicts tend to fall in the less-desirable segment of the workforce, the last-hired and first fired, what types of employment might give them some advantage to offset their stigma? What is the relationship of work to recidivism?

Publication Type: Poster
Abstract: 481 New England undergraduates were surveyed on their attitudes regarding social values and civic society. Using K-cluster, respondents were sorted into one of four groups based on their responses to Inglehart’s postmaterialist-materialist scale. Key findings suggest that although female students are more supportive of post-materialist values and generally more liberal on social issues than male students, they are also highly concerned about issues regarding physical and economic security. Male students are generally more conservative on social issues and are equally concerned with security. Analysis also examines response by school: School of Business, School of Arts and Sciences, and School of Engineering.

Publication Type: Informal Discussion Roundtable
Abstract: I write to propose a roundtable based upon analysis of exploratory interviews with a snowball sample of sociologists who have had the experience of becoming what I term "all teached out." Since my research is in a very early stage of development, my questions to interviewees are quite broad including for example:

1. Describe the process of becoming all teached out.
2. What does being/feeling all teached out mean to you?
3. Were there defining moments in the process of becoming all teached out?

To date, I have completed six interviews. Two were conducted face-to-face, three by phone and one via email. Two sociologists began the interview process but dropped out. Three more folks are in the pipeline to be interviewed. My goal is to complete fifteen interviews prior to the ASA annual meeting.

What have I discovered so far? First, length of teaching career, number of courses taught and size of institution have not emerged as important factors for interviewees. Second, "needy students" and "privileged students" seem to be a critical issue for interviewees. Third, there is a tendency for interviewees to blame themselves to a greater or lesser extent. Blaming the self includes, for example, defining oneself as a perfectionist and viewing onself as a non-charismatic teacher. Of course, these "findings" are quite preliminary.

I view my "presentation" as an opportunity to share research with colleagues who have similar interests and with whom I might discuss the next phase of my research.

Publication Type: Poster
Abstract: By performing a content analysis of 246 Japanese comic strips published on Mother’s Day (MD) and Father’s Day (FD) from 1950 to 2004, this study replicated the research of LaRossa, Jaret, Gadgil, and Wynn (2001) who examined gender disparities in American comic strips published on the same holidays from 1945 to 1999. Each comic strip was examined with the following questions in mind: 1) How often were females and males portrayed? 2) How often were fathers and mothers portrayed as being outside? 3) How often were fathers and mothers portrayed reading? 4) How often were fathers and mothers portrayed sleeping? 5) How often were fathers and mothers portrayed wearing an apron? 6) How often were fathers and mothers portrayed performing household chores? A combination of the different measures was used to calculate a gender disparity score for each half-decade. Ultimately this study, alongside the work of LaRossa et al., reinforces the values of comparatively examining comic strips in cross-cultural research. By comparing and contrasting the findings between Japan and the United States, this research presents how gender disparities were produced and altered over time in Japan. In addition, it demonstrates the role of comic strips in cross-cultural studies.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This paper identifies specific research streams in the academic media-planning literature from the Journal of Advertising Research, which had the largest number of articles on media-planning research studies. An exploration of the existing literature also provides an understanding of the contributions of academic research, as well as insight into the practical implications of the research applications represented in the literature. A review of the research literature on media planning will indicate that some attention has been paid to the issues connected to the media-planning research itself. The present paper has aspired to suggest the most current view of the media planning literature, based on the Journal of Advertising Research. This paper will cover a 5-year period, 1999-2003.
There are two approaches to the planning of media, namely the “Media Approach” and the “Consumer and Audience Approach.” The most recent topics which were published in the Journal of Advertising Research can be categorized under three headings: the “Quantitative Method of Media Selection,” the “Qualitative Method of Media Selection,” and “Strategic Issues.” These three groups of topics can be broadly divided into the “Media Approach” and the “Consumer and Audience Approach.”