Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Of the over 500,000 youth currently in foster care in the United States, less than fifteen percent enroll in college and less than five percent ever graduate. Compared to their peers, foster youth draw from less stable social networks when seeking support for college aspirations due to the many times youth in care tend to change residences and schools. Since valuable college-related information, skills and support tend to be accessed through social relationships, lack of sustained support can be particularly detrimental. This dissertation explores how the transient nature of foster care affects students’ abilities to gain and utilize social capital and navigate college-conducive social networks. Data from ethnographic interviews conducted with six foster youth as they prepared for and during their first year of college shed light on how foster youth evaluate the resources they have at their disposal given institutional and social contexts that hinder college going. Extensive interviews with local and national practitioners supplement student data by describing the context of educational and social development for foster youth. The two central objectives of the paper are to: (1) further theoretical knowledge of social support networks, and (2) advance knowledge on college access for an understudied, high-risk student population.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The transition between childhood and adolescence poses multiple challenges to the adolescent in terms of identity-building and gaining autonomy from his or her parents, as well as developing a multitude of new relationships with his or her peers. One of the critical developmental tasks that needs to be mastered is the successful acquisition of academic credentials. The degree to which this specific challenge is met can be crucial in determining future success in the labor market as well as influencing one’s psychological well-being. Empirical studies on the determinants of academic performance have identified a wide range of predictors of academic achievement, one of the strongest being self-esteem. In a recent attempt to enhance the predictive value of self-esteem theory, Ervin and Stryker (2001) have attempted to integrate the fundamental concepts of identity theory (i.e. social network commitments, identity salience and role performance) in a general model of self-esteem and identity processes. After a short review of the literature on the role of academic achievement in adolescence, this paper presents the theoretical foundations of the model and illustrates how the latter could be tested by predicting school performance of foster children in Indiana, a group considered to be at a high risk for both low academic achievement and a wide array of psychological and mental health problems.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: This study utilized a feminist perspective to examine how communication teachers talked about gender issues in their introductory communication classes and displayed gender equity and equality in their pedagogical practices. The two primary methods of data collection were in-depth interviews and participant observation. Participants were recruited from seven academic institutions located in midwestern communities. Fifteen in-depth interviews were conducted and three hours of classroom time were observed for each study participant. The following six themes emerged through the data analysis process: (1) historical traditions, (2) course standardization, (3) patriarchal language, (4) neutral positioning, (5) authority, and (6) technological prowess. These themes revealed how gender was marginalized and minimized in the talk and teaching practices of many of my research participants who instructed basic courses. Such marginalization may perpetuate disparities in the academic experiences of male and female students taking introductory communication courses. Even though the preservation of white patriarchy was common in many research participants' talk and teaching practices, data were reported from two critically reflective teachers who disrupted patriarchal ideologies in their basic courses and as a consequence achieved greater gender equity and equality.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The growth and youth of the U.S. Latino population at the close of the twentieth century makes them a desired constituency for both major political parties. Intriguingly, the party organization which has long resisted the recognition of internal voting blocs—the GOP——has allocated unprecedented resources between 1980 and 2000 to inspire identification from Latinos. This study investigates the nature of these invitations. Specifically, it reveals how a party, whose organizational identity opposes acknowledging individuals as ethnic group members, appeals to an ethnic group. By examining (1) English and Spanish language television advertisements and (2) elite interview data with Republican Latino strategists, we argue that these ads depict satisfied Latino citizens, emphasize Latino family connections, and eschew traditional political issues. These identification strategies are notable for they may have considerable effects on the American polity at the dawn of, and well into, the twenty-first century.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: There is near unanimity among scholars and practitioners that, in order to move forward, societies coming out of periods of violence must in some way examine, acknowledge, and account for past violence committed by various groups. One mechanism for producing and delivering this truth is a truth commission. Truth commissions have become a near-global phenomenon for delivering transitional justice to individual victims and for providing a common truth to society as a whole. At least twenty-five truth commissions have existed or currently exist in Latin America, Africa, Europe, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, and the Far East. This examines whether truth-telling mechanisms can contribute to sustainable peace, and, if so, how and under what conditions. It does so by examining whether truth telling contributes to the following elements, all of which are deemed to be constitutive of sustainable peace: reconciliation, human rights, gender equity, restorative justice, the rule of law, the mitigation of violence, and the healing of trauma.