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2005 - 2006 School
Year
To view their
research project, click on the title of each paper.
Knox
Students and Study Abroad Programs:
A Before and
After Analysis
Jessica
Adelman
As a result
of my experiences studying abroad in Chile and my experience with a
difficult reentry transition, I became interested in others' study
abroad experiences. In designing a project based on study abroad
programs, my goal is to explore how Knox students decide to go abroad
and how they select a specific program. Moreover, I focus on what
happens when students return to the United States and to Knox
after completing a study
abroad program: is reentry shock, or reverse culture shock, commonly
experienced
and what factors contribute to its intensity? I interviewed eighteen
Knox students
who participated in a variety of programs around the world and recorded
their experiences.
In addition to conducting interviews, I observed study abroad
informational meetings
and analyzed various program brochures and literature. Although many
different
factors contribute to the decision to study abroad and the degree to
which reentry
shock is experienced, there are also significant commonalities within
students who
participate in Knox programs, Knox-approved programs, and
student-initiated programs
which deserve attention.
A
Devised
Theatre Production: Egalitarian Structure
and the Creation of Sketch Comedy
Brent
Aronowitz
During the
course of Winter Term, six students worked together to create and to
perform a
sketch comedy production. With no director, no playwright, and no
technical
crew, the people involved took care of every theatrical aspect from
start to finish;
in other words, they were a devised theatre troupe. The troupe was
unique in
its attempts to break away from the traditional hierarchy in theatre
and employ
instead an egalitarian model. How well did this modified structure
work? Using
participant observation and interviews this paper examines the process
of group
script development and participants’ reactions to the egalitarian
structure
through which the script was formed.
“Acting
White”, “Acting Black: An Ethnography of the
Social
Struggles
That Students
of Color Face on
Predominantly White
Campuses
Ivory Banks
Multiculturalism
covers a broad scope of qualities in beings. It refers to a belief or
policy
that endorses the principle of cultural diversity and supports the
right of different
cultural and ethnic groups to retain distinctive cultural identities. I
feel
that because of the lack of multiculturalism, in respect to races and
ethnicities, in the social aspect of campus life here at Knox College,
it creates pressures that cause
students to lose their cultural identity. It is common for people to
change
their speech when they feel that it will be more effective for the
listening
audience to interpret. However, in what particular situations is it
necessary
to change the way you act to fit in with a different social setting? To
what
extent should a person go to act differently? And how much and how long
of
acting, constitutes cultural identity loss? What part of yourself
should you chose
to change? What are the ways for maintaining your “racial
connectedness” to
your identifying culture? These are just some of the questions that I
am eager
to answer through my research. Through interviewing, I will unveil the
range of
coping strategies that students of color practice in their day-to-day
campus
lives and the consequences that they experience when choosing those
strategies.
I will compare the connection and commonality of experiences that
students of
color share when being placed into a social environment that they must
choose
to adapt or not to adapt to. I feel that it would be significant to
show the
connection that the lack of multiculturalism, in any environment, has
on of the
main contributing factors to racism, prejudices, cultural identity
loss, assimilation,
and stereotypes. Throughout the
research, the interview questions altered in ways which provided a
better
understanding for the interviewee to respond effectively. Also from
previous
interviews, questions were removed after resulting in responses that
did not
pertain to the study.
Threading
an
Identity: An In-depth Look at Identity Formation
in the Galesburg Quilting Community
Eleanor Belt
My research
investigates the quilter's conscious decision to quilt and proposes
that contemporary
quilters undergo a formation of their own personal quilting identities
in the Galesburg community. There are three
attributes that contribute to the understanding and development of the
quilter's identity, they are: tradition, contemporary quilting in
American
society, and interpersonal relationships formed in the Galesburg
quilting community. Historically,
quilting was an experience that was passed down from mother to daughter
as a
domestic necessity. Opposed to the traditional expectation of women
quilter’s
to maintain a domestic role in society, contemporary quilters choose to
quilt. Currently,
quilting is in a state of transition. As goods become easier to create
and obtain
the functional purpose of a homemade quilt have changed; quilts are now
items that
are typically consumed as antiques and pieces of art. As society's
attitude toward
quilting alters the perception of the quilter within societal context
changes
as well. Contemporary society is now creating a new cultural meaning
and
functional intention for quilts. Furthermore, through my experiences
researching the Galesburg quilting community I realized that
quilting is not about who is better than whom, but how all can
contribute to
each other’s knowledge of the medium. My research shows that quilters
enjoy
aiding in the formulation of other quilter's identities as well as
their own. I
too was exposed to the kindness and enthusiasm of the quilters in
Galesburg; I entered into this quilt community
as a researcher and exited an aspiring quilter.
How
Did We
Get Here and Where Are We Headed? A look
at the
lives of Ten Knox
College seniors and where they
plan
on going upon graduation
Rachel
Bobinsky
My senior
research examines the lives of ten Knox College seniors starting with
the early
childhood years leading up to present day, in hopes of further
understanding where
they are headed upon graduation and why. I gathered my data by
conducting individual
interviews with each student and gathered questionnaire’s from their
parents or
guardian. This study finds that each student shares some similar
motivational
factors while also having different influences that have impacted their
lives.
In addition, it also reveals that each student wants to pursue a career
in
helping others whether it is through the field of medicine, through
social
work, or through teaching. I try to examine why it is that each student
wants
to have a career in social service of some sort by looking at the
childhood and
adolescent years to see what influences may have led them in that
direction. I
found that regardless of the factors that have led them to where they
are today,
it is more so the fact that they are all very self-driven and hard
working
individuals that has gotten them to the point that they are currently
at in
life.
Parenting
from the Inside
Elisabeth
Brewer
I conducted
my research at the Knox County Jail in Galesburg, Illinois. From my
initial survey I learned
that 77% of those I surveyed had at least one child. A majority, 68% of
the
same respondents, had some sort of contact with their children at some
point
during their incarceration. Detainees/inmates that were on good terms
with
their child or children’s other parent were more likely to have contact
through
Closed Circuit TV visits, written letters, or phone calls. This paper
draws on
data collected from individual interviews with nine male
detainees/inmates, one
woman detainee, three Galesburg police officers, two DCFS workers,
an investigator for Knox County, and a guard from the Knox County Jail.
The majority of the incarcerated
parents I interviewed were in jail because of their involvement in drug
dealing, using, or a combination of both. In some cases the criminal
activity
surrounding drugs yielded the primary income in the family that
supported children.
In the case of drug users, jail can be a necessary “time out” that
allows personal
reflection and perspective on what has been lost. County jail should
fund parenting
classes and drug rehabilitation programs to facilitate productive
incarceration
periods. Methamphetamine is a drug that is presenting new challenges to
law enforcement
and social service. Parents that have been charged with manufacturing
meth also
face child endangerment charges due to the procedures of making this
drug. Through
this research, I have found that incarceration affects people
differently depending
on their age, prior relationships with children and family, and lengths
of time
in jail. Family support is not the only factor that determines a
person’s
successful reentry. I propose that parenting classes and job skills
training
would be a benefit to jail inmates. Support groups for families of
incarcerated
people during and after release would also make the transition more
successful.
Agency,
Power, and Consumer Choice:
How Fashion
is Transmitted and How We Think About It
Grace Carlisle
Let’s face
it: we all are consumers of fashion. But, why do we buy what we buy?
Contrary
to common belief, clothing choices are not purely superficial. My
senior
research project is an investigation as to how female fashions are
transmitted
through contemporary American society, using Knox College students as a
case study. In
examination of these issues, I will be focusing on notions of personal
agency,
consumer choice and power. Depending on ones moral views about
sweatshops and
the importance they place on American made products, the amount of
money they
choose to spend, and the importance of unique items to themselves,
fashion
choices are constrained. These factors influence what I buy and where I
shop.
These thought processes are integral in the transmission of fashions
through
society. Central to these questions is
to notion of what is in style and who is responsible for its creation.
This
research project also seeks to explore how ideas about fashion are
transmitted.
However, there are two conflicting theories presented in the literature
on
fashion as to how trends and fashions are transmitted. These are
‘trickle-up’
and ‘trickle-down’. The trickle-up theory states that subcultures and
individuals create a mode of dressing, which is unique to that group.
As it
becomes more noticed it becomes popularized until it becomes a trend.
Conversely, trickle-down fashion theory, asserts that designers and
people in
the fashion industry decide what a trend will be and then make it
popular. In
my paper I will argue that neither theory is sufficient as an
explanation of
fashion transmission, and that a much more complicated model is
necessary to
understand fashion transmission in current society.
“My
Son Changed
My Life for the Better”
Teen
Pregnancy and Prevention;
A Study in
Rural America
Tianna
Cervantez
The Knox
County Health Department reports that as of 2004, Knox County’s teen
birth rate is 11.4%. Anyone
involved in the teen pregnancy debate contends that there are serious
consequences surrounding teen pregnancy; low educational attainment,
high
poverty rates and high welfare usage to name only a few (Hotz et al.
2004,
Benson 2004, Coley and Chase-Lansdale, Larson 2004, Furstenburg 2003,
Geronimus
1997). These consequences lead to teen pregnancy being seen as a
deviant role
for teenagers. What does all of this mean for the teen mother? Do the
disadvantages mentioned affect all teen mothers, only those in certain
situations or not at all? Are those disadvantages economic, social
and/or
educational? More importantly is the deviant label that has been placed
on the
teen mother by society still a relevant label?
This study attempted to answers those questions by interviewing local
teen mothers and the resource providers that serve them and then
comparing
those interviews to the current literature available on teen pregnancy
and
labeling theories. I was able to make some conclusions based on the
data that I
gathered. First, the labels placed on teen mothers as low-income and
having
increased welfare usage by service providers are in fact perpetuated by
the
agencies own requirements to receive their services. These labels then
carry
over into society when agencies apply for more funding to service the
intended
population of teen mothers. Second, the teen mothers that are able to
obtain
help from the assortment of resources available may not suffer from the
many
disadvantages previously thought. Through the support of many community
agencies and their families, teen parents are succeeding. Finally, the
society’s deviant label that has been placed on teen mothers is in
direct
conflict with how teen mothers see themselves. Teen mothers do not see
themselves any different from other “traditional” mothers who are
trying to
raise their children to the best of their ability.
Partisan
Airwaves: The Repeal of the Fairness Doctrine
and the Rise of Talk
Radio
Donnie Forti
Following
the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine in 1987, radio and television
stations were
no longer required by the Federal Communications Commission to present
controversial issues of public importance in a balanced manner.
Consequently,
radio stations began to air talk radio programs that presented the news
in a
distinctly partisan and opinionated manner. This study uses a survey, a
focus
group, and interviews to examine how listeners use and judge the
accuracy of
information presented on partisan talk radio programs. My findings
suggest that
while talk radio presents differing viewpoints, they are narrowly
targeted to
politically like-minded listeners. At the same time, the highly
partisan
presentation of issues may make it difficult for listeners to separate
fact
from opinion.
Do-It-Yourself,
Do-It-Together:
Culture and
Community in Chicago’s Zine Scene
Vanessa
Gelvin
Zines
(pronounced ‘zeens’) are noncommercial media products produced by
individuals
or small groups critical of mainstream society. Created by those
alienated from
the larger society, zines reflect their creators’ values through their
contents, production values, conventions and distribution. A
particularly key
value is ‘do-it-yourself’ or DIY—a rejection of consumer capitalism and
a
desire to create an alternative. Community is another central value,
although
it is not on the level of discourse. Trading zines, writing letters,
and
organizing zine-related events constitute the fluid community know as a
‘scene.’ Therefore, communication is central to the functioning of the
scene.
Paradoxically, sustained involvement in the scene promotes a commitment
to
zinesters’ individual values. Drawing from interviews with zinesters
(those who
make zines) and participant-observation, this paper examines the role
of community
in the Chicago zine scene.
From
Soccer
Moms to Hardcore Kids:
Social
Implications of Tattoos
Matt Holland
How did
tattoos become as popular as they have in recent years? How accepted
are they
in mainstream culture? How does gender and class influence the
perception of people
with tattoos? In this study, the fascination with tattoos in modern
culture is
examined, as well as the factors that create this allure towards a
practice
that has been associated with the lower division of society for many
decades.
The research conducted for this study consisted of a series of 10
interviews
with students and faculty from the KnoxCollege campus, local tattoo
artists from Hawks
Tattoo Parlor, and one individual who consider themselves part of the
tattoo
culture, along with an extensive internet survey. Through this
research, I will
look at the specifics of popular tattoo culture. It is apparent that
tattoos
have become more accepted in society, but the acceptance does not come
without its
contradictions. These contradictions in regards to tattoos occur in the
work
place, the location and number of tattoos an individual has, and the
gender of
the tattooed person.
Unequal
Justice: A Question of Color? The Reality
of
Minority
Representation in the Juvenile Justice System
Felicia
Johnson
In the
American justice system, minorities are overrepresented compared to
their
actual percentage in the juvenile population. According to the Illinois
Criminal Justice Information Authority, “African American juveniles
made up 63
percent of the juveniles arrested in Cook County, Hispanic juvenile 12
percent,
and Caucasian juveniles 24 percent” (Stevenson, Lavery, Burke, et al,
2003).
Given that African American juveniles are 63 percent of the population
in Cook County, IL, this finding demonstrates that
disproportionate minority representation is evident in the juvenile
justice
system. To ascertain the reasons behind disproportionate minority
representation issue in the juvenile justice system, I collected data
in four
ways. Questionnaires were administered to the Galesburg Police
Department
pertaining to their encounters and arrests of African American, Latino,
and
Caucasian male juveniles in an average week and the types of offenses
youth are
arrested for. Interviews were conducted with a juvenile probation
officer at
Juvenile Court Services, the Executive Director at Teen Court and four
Galesburg law enforcement officers.
Observations were conducted at Knox County Teen Court of four
delinquency court
hearings and I reviewed a sample of 51 male juvenile case files at
Juvenile
Court Services. This study seeks to bring the issues of minority youth
in the
system to the forefront, intending to address whether there are
differences in
the way that African American, Latino and Caucasian male juveniles’
ages 10-17
are represented in the KnoxCounty juvenile justice system who were
arrested, referred to court and put on probation.
A
Safe Harbor: Finding Shelter from the Storm:
Intimate
Partner
Violence, and the
Lived Experiences of Women
who
have Sought Help
Katelyn Ann Mazman
In recent
years, the methodological approach toward intimate partner violence has
markedly
shifted from studying and treating the abused, to studying and treating
the abuser.
This approach often excludes critical elements needed to understand the
cycle
of violence such as the victim’s perspective, and the role of advocacy
groups
and treatment programs. This research examines intimate partner
violence and
the notion of recovery and treatment from the perspective of the abused
and
studies the lived experiences of women who regularly attend the weekly
support
group meetings at Safe Harbor Family Crisis Center in Galesburg, IL.
Relying upon the data collected
from group session observations, one-on-one interviews and focus group
interviews with both the advocates working at Safe Harbor and the women
receiving aid from the
organization, this study seeks to explore what the most effective forms
of
victim advocacy and treatment services offered by Safe Harbor are, and
the structures working to
mediate the overall effectiveness of the organization and the
likelihood of
“client” success. Based on interview data from both the advocates and
the
clients, the structures working to mediate the effectiveness and
efficiency of SafeHarbor include the advocate-client
relationship, the overall structure of the organization, and differing
notions
of success. As reported by the advocates, there is no set treatment or
recovery
plan for clients, however, the clients find great value in the weekly
group
meetings, and deem Safe Harbor as a helpful resource, thereby
rendering the organization as an effective crisis center.
Ambiguous
Discourses in the Second Hand Smoke Debate: Smokers and
Non-Smokers
Talk About
Smoking in America, Smoking Bans and Personal Rights
Suzy Morgan
In 1965,
about 42% of Americans smoked cigarettes – roughly the same amount of
people
today who are on at least one prescription drug (U.S. Centers for
Disease
Control, 2005). Today, only some 20% of Americans smoke, with tobacco
control
issues at the center stage of public health politics. The dangers of
cigarette
use, as dictated by scientists and spokespeople, are widely
acknowledged, even
by smokers. However, the threat of second-hand smoke, and its
implications for
public policy-making, has only recently become an important issue in
the public
eye. It’s an issue that has many levels of concerns and effects - from
business
owners worried about losing business in the wake of a smoking ban, to
nonsmokers anxious about their children’s health.
Reinterpreting
Culture:
The
Adaptation and Indigenization of Yoga in Galesburg
Nicole Olson
The practice
of yoga has recently undergone a huge resurgence in popularity. A once
monastic
activity, yoga has now come to be practiced worldwide in private
studios and
fitness centers alike. In addition to this widespread popularity, yoga
is also becoming
a multimillion-dollar industry. Americans alone spend close to three
million dollars
a year on yoga classes and products such as mats, clothing, videos and
books. This
research paper seeks to investigate the manner in which Americans have
indigenized yoga, that is, how they have adapted and altered the
practice in
order to create something considered native and unique to American
culture. By
selectively piecing together elements from a variety of yoga schools
and
styles, many individuals are developing their own, unique forms of
yoga. This
study will specifically focus on the recent explosion of yoga in
Galesburg and the manner in which individuals
within the community view, as well as create, their own practice of
yoga. Galesburg is investigated as it is a fitting
example of an average town in Middle America and has recently witnessed
a sharp increase in the
number of yoga classes being offered. The data collection methods
employed for
this research include participant observation, content analysis as well
as
one-on-one interviews with ten yoga practitioners, mainly instructors,
from
around the area.
Teaching
Patriotism: Two Galesburg Elementary Schools
Teaching
What it Means to be an American
Shayna Olufs
I have
conducted a research project in two elementary schools to make a
comparison
between two schools of different economic and racial characteristics.
While attending
two social studies classrooms, I explored the presence of patriotic
teaching, multiculturalism,
racial tolerance and any other teaching approaches that would reveal
how these Galesburg schools are influencing student
identity. In concluding my field work, I found that both classrooms had
a
strong presence of patriotic teaching. Thus, I attempted to assess the
students’ level of critical thinking skills. I found that there were
distinct
differences among the students’ receptiveness to the implementation of
patriotism within the classrooms.
More
than a
Symphony: Perceptions of the
Relationship
between Knox College and Galesburg, Illinois
Ashley Palar
Knox College and Galesburg, Illinois were founded together in 1837.
Knox
College and Galesburg share a long history and depend on
each other for economic support and cultural activities; the two have
an
interesting relationship of connected independence. This relationship
is the
focus of my study. Based on interviews, a focus group, and an online
campus-wide survey, I have found that the perceptions of this unique
relationship by members of the Knox community vary in several patterns,
such as
position in the Knox community (i.e. student, faculty or staff), as
well as the
students’ class year at Knox (i.e. first year versus senior). This
study
attempts to illustrate and analyze the patterns behind the various
perceptions
of the Knox and Galesburg relationship which is certainly more
complex than the popularity of the most visible and most commonly
mentioned
collaboration of the two historically linked communities, the
Knox-Galesburg
Symphony.
Urbs
in
Horto:
Community
Gardening in Northeast Chicago
G. Wade Powell
This paper
examines both the social and cultural contexts of community gardens,
drawing on
participant-observation in several community gardens on Chicago’s North
Side. Apart from producing
food and ecological services, urban community gardens are sites of
social production.
Community gardeners produce social capital—social networks and
mutuality—which
can be applied to collective problems within and beyond gardens.
Community gardens
serve as a public space for socializing and socialization among
gardeners and
non-gardeners alike. Also, participants use community gardens to devise
and
propagate new discourses around the values of community and the
environment. Community
gardeners engage in cultural experimentation around issues of local
ecological
sustainability—proposing models for the future of urban living related
to food security,
ecosystem re-creation, biodiversity, and waste-management. Community
gardens
exist in a complex web of relationships with individual agents,
organizations,
and governments. Therefore, they are the products of contested goals
and
visions—with conflicts forming over the meaning, appearance, and
purpose of
space among gardeners, between gardens and neighborhoods, and between
gardens
and the governing regime. Gardens affect and are affected by the
process of
gentrification in their neighborhoods.
Econo
Foods
As a Community:
An
Ethnography of a Galesburg Grocery Store
Stacy Stremmel
I studied
how Econo Foods functions as a social setting, the closeness of the
employees,
the relationships formed between customers and employees, why customers
shop
there, and what it is like to work with the public. I collected my data
through
participant observation, interviews with employees, and customer
questionnaires. I found that Econos is a big part of the community, as
well as
a social setting, in many different ways. I also discovered that many
of the
employees consider themselves like a family and get to know the regular
customers very well. Most of the customers shop there because it is
close to
where they live and some said they just like the employees. Most of the
customers who come in are friendly, but they do get their share of rude
customers that can be very frustrating to deal with.
Small City
Journalism: Community of Color
Coverage and Conflict
Julio
Trujillo
Small town
news organizations may differ in various ways from national news
organizations
in how they cover people of color, and they are the type of news
organizations this
study examines. This research then delves into a participant
observation study
of a small city news organization and looks at how the newsroom
organization
affects the coverage of people of color. It also includes a
content-analysis of
the news organization's coverage of people of color. I then go into the
community itself and conduct interviews with various leaders in the
communities
of color to gauge what they think of the coverage of their communities
as well
as what they think of the city as a whole. I finally suggest ways to
improve
the coverage of people of color within the community using the
framework of my own
research in the context of previous literature. In general, this
research looks
to engage both news workers and their audience in the question of how
and why
coverage of people of color is constructed and the possible
ramifications are
of that coverage. The research strives to understand the role that a
community’s
history plays in the present, and makes suggestions to both news
organizations
and their audience on how the coverage of people of color or any
disaffected group
can be improved, which hopefully would also have positive effects on
the
group's community status as a whole.
Ethnography
of the Student Pagan Alliance of Knox College
Emily
Woodruff
Why do
Pagans with varying beliefs and religious backgrounds form groups in
which
their personal customs or beliefs may, at times, be compromised for the
sake of
the group? To answer this question I have observed the formation of The
Student
Pagan Alliance on the Knox College campus. The group holds weekly
meetings and has held one ritual. During the course of this last year
all but a
few of the members have participated in an interview. The answer to my
question
is not quite what I predicted. It turns out, that those who really like
the
club are all really good friends. Those who are inconsistent members do
not
have more than one friend in the club. I did not take into
consideration the
role of previously formed friendships before I constructed my research.
However,
friendships that had been formed before the Student Pagan Alliance was
created
seem to have influenced which people enjoy the group the most.
The
Psychosocial Implications of Living:
A Study
on
Aging and Social Beliefs
Torrey Zelek
Ever wonder
if everybody sees the world the same? The answer is no they do not.
Evidence
suggests that age is a significant factor in a person’s social
awareness. The Psychosocial
Implications of Living: a Study on Age and Social Beliefs looks at
various individuals
of different ages. The study’s purpose is to examine the correlation
between aging
and thoughts about social conditions. Observations, research surveys,
questionnaires,
and personal interviews were conducted to obtain the data. As a person
goes
from young to old they will see their relationships in new ways. At
younger
ages people tend to view social conditions as they affect the self, but
along
the life course people will gradually move themselves away from the
center.
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