Department of Sociology & Anthropology

A list of recent student presentations at sociology conferences:

2008 Southern Sociological Society, Richmond, VA

(Although airline cancellations prevented us from attending, the following students were scheduled to present:)

Tristine Baccam, “Rebuilding the House that Jack Built: Comparative Analysis of Immigration and Residential Crowding in the US”
Phillip A. Cantu, “Activists on the Margin: High Risk Activism in a Needle Exchange Program”
Megan Collins, “Bureaucratic Traditions, Consensus and the Role of the Media in the American Civil Liberties Union Central Texas Chapter”
Lauren Cox, “"¡Trabajadores Unan!: Leaders, Collective Identity, and Conflict Resolution among Latino Immigrant Workers”
Rachael Die, “Communities of Color Fighting Toxic Contamination: A Case Study of Grassroots Environmental Justice and Community Advocacy”
Sarah Fankhauser, “Guardian Angels at the Grassroots: A Study of the Factors That Shape Individuals Into Activists ”
William A. Faulk, “Fighting the Religious Right in Texas: How Political Activist Organizations Recruit and Maintain Members in the Fight for a Division Between Church and State”
Erin Kamin, "The SARAH Project and the Hidden Homeless"
Anne Olson, "Which Side Are You On? An Examination of the Recruitment Tactics Used by a Local Education Union"
Nicole Powell, “Examining Social Class; Comparisons Between Attitudes and Composition of a College Campus and the United States”

2007 Southern Demographic Association, Birmingham, AL

Phillip A. Cantu, "Growing Pains: Trends in Diabetes and Obesity from 1976 to 2005”

2007 American Sociological Association, New York City, NY

Lauren Cox, “What's Class Got To Do With It? The Effects of Social Class on Dating Activities ”
Meagan Elliott, "Locating Jewish Identity in Poland: Thoughts and Photographs"

2007 Southern Sociological Society, Atlanta, GA

Alice May Berthelsen, “From Romance to Self-Realization: How College Women Construct a Self Through Romantic Relationships”
Megan Collins, “Liberalism and Cohabitation in the United States”
Meagan Elliott, “Locating Jewish Identity in Poland: Thoughts and Photographs”
Sarah Fankhauser, “Americans' Perceptions of Blacks, Hispanics and Jews: A Study of the Effects of Education and Age on Attitudes toward Minority Groups”
Cody Faulk, “T.V. and Our U.S. Pride”
Jenna Hardy, “Retired and Refreshed: Women's Collective Identity in a Retirement Community”
Mary Kierst, “Religiosity and Attitudes toward the Civil Liberties of Nonconformists”
Carly Morris, “Racial Integration within a Church Setting and Feelings towards Homosexuality”

2006 American Sociological Association, Montreal Quebec

Lauren R. Contreras, “Fitting in at College: How Social Class affects Friendships”
Meagan Elliott, “Listening to Silence: Social Class Dialogue on the University Campus,”
Alexandra O. Hendley, “Barreras del Lenguage: Children’s Negotiation of Adult-Created Exclusionary Structures”

2006 Southern Sociological Society, New Orleans, LA

Kelsie Alstead, “‘You Must Be a Very Special Person’: Special Education and Identity Work”
Alice May Berthelsen, “Religiosity and Income: Do They Have an Impact on Attitudes Toward Marijuana?”
Phillip A. Cantu, “Income, Income Inequalities and Education and Their Effect on Healthcare: A Cross-National Approach”
Lauren A. Cox, “Factors that Predict Attitudes Towards Immigration: Income and Socioeconomic Status”
Annie Garcia, “How Different Are They? Friendships in a Home School Support Group”
Jenna C. Hardy, “Reading into Contraceptives: How Female Literacy Rates Affect the Prevalence of Contraceptive Use in an International Study”
Ashley Heck, “‘We’re Not Special Anymore’: Identity Creation, Identity Loss, and Coping Strategies among Gifted/Talented Students”
Alexandra O. Hendley, “Barreras del Lenguage: Children’s Negotiation of Adult-Created Exclusionary Structures”
Jacqueline R. Holden, “Religion, Politics, and Why No One Watches the News: How Religiosity and Extremity of Political Views Affects Confidence in the Media”
Brian A. Kasper, “Money and Alcohol Abuse: An In-depth Analysis of Income Level’s Effect on Alcohol Abuse in Wet and Dry Counties”
Andrew J. Morrison, “Bitters and Cheers: An Ethnography of Pub Culture at the Churchill Arms”
Lydia M. Rudy, “What Lies Within: Constructing Beauty Through Advertising in Women’s Fashion Magazines”
Nathan Turner, “Minding the Gaps: Cultural Patterns on the London Underground”
Krys Wyatt, “Finding Friends Like Me: The First-Year Student Struggle to Create and Maintain Identity and Friendship”

2005 American Sociological Association, Philadelphia, PA

Ali Hendley, "Predictors of Rape Myth Acceptance: An Examination of Sexual Permissiveness, Religiosity and Gender"
Narda Hernandez, "Supporting Ourselves: Exploring an HIV/AIDS Support Group in Rural South Africa"
Krys Wyatt, "Pornography Use and Rape Myth Acceptance: Different Effects for Different Groups"

2005 Southern Sociological Society, Charlotte, NC

Ray Altman, "Coalition Crisis: Mobilizing Diverse Interests for Political Action"
Lauren Contreras, "Who do you Believe?: How a Rape Victim's Gender and Sexuality Affect Their Credibility?"
Dene Granger, "Power of the Rhizome: Intentional Living and Activism"
Annie Garcia, "Use of Pornography as an Indicator of Rape Myth Acceptance"
Bethany Gregg, "Texas Moratorium Network: Private Motives, Public Activism"
Ashley Heck, "Belief in God, Self-reported Religiosity, and Rejection of Rape Myths"
Melanie Kurtz, "Rich Man’s War, Poor People’s Fight: An Exploratory Study of the Activist Group, Austin Against War"
Ariel Reynolds, "The Facilitative Foyer: Frames, Free Spaces, and Collective Identity in Non-membership Organizations"
Robin Schwartz, "Fighting Broken Windows: Radical Activism Through Collective Facilitation of Networks"
Jessica Story, "Peace Train: Religion and Spirituality in a Local Peace Movement"
Jessica Tonahill, "Marriage Equality: A Pursuit for Social Justice"