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open access

Culture Exploration and Youth Identity: Exploring Identity and the Role of a Youth Program in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia

Description: Young people in regional areas of Indonesia are attending school longer, aspiring for degrees and jobs outside of their home community, and learning less about their cultural traditions. In Poso, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, a youth program called Jelajah Budaya, or Culture Exploration, aims to reconnect young people with regional cultural values, motivating them to become actors in preserving their traditions and for positive development. This paper examines the impacts of this program, along … more
Date: July 2024
Creator: Ellis, Steven Douglas
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Fair Housing: An Ethnographic Evaluation of Fair Housing through Civil Rights Testing

Description: Despite the existence of fair housing-based legislation that renders nearly all forms of housing discrimination in the U.S. illegal, discrimination in housing persists. This applied thesis examines housing inequality through the lens of a fair housing center based in Flint, Michigan. I designed and conducted ethnographic research on the fair housing center and its role in the enforcement of the Fair Housing Act (FHA) and related legislation through systemic, routine, and complaint-based investi… more
Date: July 2024
Creator: Fletcher, Ebone Ayonna
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Queering Space and Time: Urban Radical Faerie Placemaking in North Central Texas

Description: Radical faeries in the city must contend with changing urban policies, social shame and stigma, policing, inaccessibility, materiality, and economic survival; in the face of these discontents, urban faeries still actively choose the city as their identity and as their home. Through placemaking practices which access the imaginative and experimental spatiality and temporality of queer sacredness, this thesis testifies urban radical faeries transform dimensionally discrete spaces within the city … more
Date: May 2024
Creator: Goebel, James Carl
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Soaring to New Heights: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) within the Collections and Exhibits at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington

Description: This thesis investigates how the Museum of Flight in Seattle, WA can strive to be more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible within its collections and exhibits. By understanding the cultural insights of visitors, potential visitors, staff, and one member of the board of trustees through anthropological inquiry, museum leaders can utilize this information to better serve the stakeholders within the greater community that the museum aims to represent. The results of this research provide… more
Date: May 2024
Creator: Hancock, Kyle Scott
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

University-Community Learning Spaces as Empathy Case Study: An Applied Analysis of Methods and Student Success

Description: Through both a theoretical analysis of the framework itself, as well as ethnographic research of one particular university-community engagement project underway in Provo, UT, this thesis explores both the process of training students for this type of community engagement as well as the malleability of the program format for potential application across other schools and communities. The research findings highlight how the program itself, taking the form of an offered undergraduate course at a l… more
Date: May 2024
Creator: Fleck, Micah J.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

"It takes a lot for people to come forward": An Investigative Analysis of OSHA's Certification Expansion into the U Nonimmigrant Visa

Description: Occurring across all professions and industries, noncitizen workers experience unfair and dangerous working conditions and are discouraged from seeking legal aid because of the fear of retaliation and deportation. In addressing these concerns, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued a new certification expansion in support of U nonimmigrant status and T nonimmigrant status visa applications for noncitizen workers who comply with OSHA investigations. This research pro… more
Date: May 2024
Creator: Marsh, Fallon Christine
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Community and Health in Central Fort Worth: Understanding the Community's Perspectives on Health towards Informing Community-Based Interventions

Description: In 2019, a major academic medical center released a public health research report on life expectancies in Texas organized by zip code. The study revealed that the 76104-zip code, part of the central area of the city of Fort Worth, has the lowest life expectancy in the entire state. Concerned about the life expectancy study statistics, New Mount Rose Baptist Church, affiliated churches, and other community members sought to understand better why the life expectancy in their area was so low. This… more
Date: May 2024
Creator: Giamarqo, Giamarqo
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

"I was in a horror movie": Exploring the Lived Experience of HIV Stigma

Description: This thesis explores the lived experiences of individuals living with HIV in Tarrant County through an ethnographic research design. This study highlights four emergent themes: the beginning of one's healthcare journey, stigma within a medical care setting, the lasting provider-patient relationships that can form, and shifting relationship dynamics. Participants' experiences reveal their challenges, from discomfort in a healthcare setting to disclosing their status to their support system. Insi… more
Date: May 2024
Creator: Torres, Mitchell Brynn
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

"Google is my friend": An Exploration of Older Adult Media Literacy

Description: The advancement and incorporation of media in daily life continue to grow exponentially as the median age of humanity continues to rise. While there are media literacy education programs targeted toward children and adolescents, older adults are often left out of these initiatives. Based on ethnographic research conducted at two senior centers in Denton, TX, this thesis explores the way older adults analyze and interact with media. Data collection methods include participant observation and sem… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Williams, Mikaela Anne
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Returning to Our Roots: An Anthropological Evaluation of the Farm to Keiki Program

Description: Farm to school programs are becoming a popular intervention to address childhood obesity. The hope is to prevent later chronic illnesses such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease that can result from eating high-fat/high-calorie diets that are low in consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. This study explores the impacts of one such program, Farm to Keiki, on students, their families, and teachers at two Native Hawaiian preschools on the island of Kauaʽi, Hawaiʽi. This program combined le… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Migdol, Steven Jeffrey
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Saving the Golden Goose: A Dual Exploration into the Organizational Culture of a Family-Owned Firm and the Impacted DIY Customer Experience

Description: This thesis investigates the influence of organizational culture on customer experience through a comprehensive study of a global supplier of home repair products. By combining organizational analysis and consumer research, this research draws on anthropological principles to explore the nuances of family governance and their effects on behavior, customer experience, and product design. The results of this study present insightful information on product perception and actionable strategies to i… more
Date: July 2023
Creator: Holland, Elizabeth Anglin
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Exploring Asian American and Pacific Islander Youth Identity Development in a Community Based Youth Program

Description: Community based youth programs play a significant role in promoting positive youth identity development outside of the classroom. This can be particularly important for racialized groups such as Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). Based on ethnographic research conducted at Asian American LEAD, this thesis explores the effect of a five week summer program on AAPI youth identity development. Data collection methods include participant observation, a pre- and post- survey, and semi-stru… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Pham, Lena Trang
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Applying User-Centered Design to Build Trust and Enable Cross-Agency Data Sharing to Better Understand the Prevalence and Context of Human Trafficking in Alberta, Canada

Description: This thesis describes a research study to understand the current state of human trafficking data collection practices and reporting in the province of Alberta, Canada, and gather end-user design considerations for cyberinfrastructure that will enable data sharing between multiple and diverse stakeholders. The research also examines the barriers to change and the needs of stakeholders to improve the collective understanding of human trafficking in the province. Virtual semi-structured interviews… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Muyres, Natalie Suzanne
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Using Ethics to Teach Social Emotional Learning to At-Risk Youth: Recontextualizing Content and Determining Efficacy

Description: At the Northwest Regional Learning Center (NRLC), an alternative high school in Arlington, Washington serving only at-risk youth, a new ethics course was conducted to assist students with their social-emotional learning development (SEL) and provide NRLC staff with greater insight into the lived experiences of students. Through semi-structured interviews, longitudinal ethical position surveys, and in-class observational ethnographic notes, this study presents shifts in student ethical positions… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Stodola, Tyler James
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Bridging the Gap between a Healthy Diet and Agroecology in General Pacheco, Argentina

Description: This study explores the role Comunidad Milpa (Milpa) plays in implementing agroecology food systems in Comunidad Pacheco, Argentina. From teaching residents about food cultivation practices, to the importance of a healthy diet and developing relationship with local agroecology producers, the method builds upon the idea of food sovereignty and self-governance. Research conducted for this study focused on obstacles residents encountered while seeking to incorporate local agroecology foods into th… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Meave, Anya Yvonne
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Sowing the Seeds of Stewardship in Texas: An Ethnographic Study of Nature and Visitor Experience at Texas State Parks

Description: This study uses a mixed methods approach to investigate how individuals perceive nature and engage with Texas state park (TSP) programs and resources while also identifying major barriers that visitors perceive/encounter when visiting TSPs. This study looks through the anthropological lens by using theoretical frameworks such as habitus, presentation of the social self, space and place, as well as communities of practice (CoP), to better understand the factors that influence the establishment a… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Saintonge, Kenneth C.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Onward and Outward: The Social and Emotional Experience of Advanced High School Upperclassmen

Description: This study analyzed the social and emotional wellbeing of International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IB DP) students in a North Texas school district. Students were asked about their feelings toward mental health through a short-answer questionnaire and a survey. Teachers were also able to give input about how they handle mental health in their classroom and where they would like to see their students grow in terms of understanding mental health. The data shows that while students in the IB D… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Scott, Lauren C.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Red Hat Recruits

Description: This study was conducted to understand the motivations that drive participants to join user experience (UX) research studies at Red Hat (software company). Mixed methods of qualitative and quantitative nature were used to gather data and determine key insights that were supported by multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks. The findings were used to inform the client (Red Hat) on how to improve their UX research recruitment practices.
Date: May 2023
Creator: Forno Gamonal, Florencia
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Social Distancing and Social Barriers: The Impact of the Pandemic on Dallas Youth

Description: As stay-at-home mandates were put in place to curtail the spread of COVID-19, the extent to which today's youth has been affected by such efforts has gone largely under examined. Through a collaborative qualitative study with Big Thought, a Dallas-based nonprofit geared towards empowering youth, we sought to answer how the social interactions and socioemotional wellbeing of their 2021 summer program participants were impacted, as well as how Big Thought was able to exhibit organizational resili… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Bejdaoui, Nadia
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Product is People: An Investigation of Missile Combat Crew Perceptions Surrounding Standardized Training Curriculum

Description: Missile Combat Crew members are officers in the United States Air Force responsible for operating nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles. They undergo on-the-job training as part of the curriculum necessary to progress in their careers and achieve higher levels of job responsibility. The curriculum they use is created and maintained by 20th Air Force Test and Training Section. This product is known as the Missile Combat Crew Commander Upgrade program, and it has received criticisms… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Hanel, Daniel James
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

"The Opposite of Addiction is Connection": Next-of-Kin Narratives in Overdose Fatality Reviews

Description: This study used ethnographic and qualitative research methods to provide data-driven support for the use of next-of-kin interviews to enhance overdose fatality review (OFR) datasets. This study's community of practice is a group of substance-use professionals that use OFRs to share confidential data and monitor Lucas County, Ohio substance use trends. To analyze OFR data collection, un-silo information, and understand how to include next-of-kin (NOK) interviews in the dataset, this study used r… more
Date: December 2022
Creator: Fournier, Lindsay Olivia-Rose
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Southeast Denton Neighborhood Needs Assessment for Program Evaluation and Development

Description: The intersection of race and space in one neighborhood in Denton, Texas, a college town situated within the greater Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, reflects the lack of economic opportunities caused by a legacy of racial spatialization. SED, formally known as Solomon Hill, was once a predominately Black enclave; however, the city's population growth has fueled the expansion of the downtown area into neighborhood, transforming it into a hotspot for new investment. As the city rebrands itself in the… more
Date: December 2022
Creator: Bell, K. D.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Science and Politics in Forest Management

Description: In this thesis, I explore strategies used by the local timber industry to influence forest policy on the Black Hills National Forest. These strategies include leveraging political pressure, proposing alternative interpretations of existing laws, and first requesting and then rejecting scientific data. Discursive strategies used by the timber industry to influence US Forest Service policy are compared and contrasted with those used by the environmental movement. The paper explores when and why s… more
Date: December 2022
Creator: Smith, Solomon C.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Digital Covens: An Ethnographic Examination of the Intersection of Paganism and Social Media

Description: This paper examines how does within the Pagan community uses social media, specifically Facebook groups, as a way of community building, knowledge gathering, and platform for digital ritual. The research was based on a combination of interviews and observational data gathered from various groups. To help analyze the data gathered, theoretical approaches of both mediatization and materiality are employed to understand how digital spaces are being used as a tool for those within the Pagan communi… more
Date: August 2022
Creator: Ferguson, Carlise Pamela
Partner: UNT Libraries
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