Sewanee: Scholarship Sewanee 2013
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Item Why Women Don't Run for Office(University of the South, 2013-04-24) Pearson, JonesiaSince the evolution of women’s rights and social movements, there has been an increase in the number of political scholars exploring the role gender plays in politics. Many researchers’ studies have been motivated by the underlying premise that a government dominated by male elected officials is biased against the election of women and does not fairly represent the public, particularly the interests of women. Previous research has provided reasons as to why women are less likely to consider public office, but not so much as to why women who have/are in public office don’t seek higher public offices. Are men and women who have held the same position in public office equally likely to consider running for higher public office? Are the differences between men and women and their decision to run for high public office a result of their political ambition? Does traditional sex-role socialization play a role in how women and men think about seeking public office? Lawless! and Fox have conducted several studies as to why women don’t run for public office, based on survey responses. Since then, there has not been any work, to my knowledge, that examines why women don’t run for office based on case studies of women and men who have previously held/ hold public office. Consequently, in this paper I examine the reasons why women don’t run for office using case studies. To determine why women do not run for office I use case studies of Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, Nancy Pelosi, and John Boehner, examining their political ambition, qualifications, and the media’s reactions to them. My analyses demonstrate that women don’t run for office because of their lack of political ambition. Much like previous research, my findings are not supportive of my hypothesis that there is biasness against the representation of women in public office, in fact, my findings suggest that women and men are reported both negatively and positively at the same rate. Similar to some of Lawless and Fox’s studies, I find that women are just as qualified as men, if not more qualified than their male counterparts seeking office. Furthermore, my findings suggest that women’s lack of political ambition is the main reason as to why they don't run for office. Consequently, I believe these findings have important implications for scholars studying women’s political ambition and/or the lack there of and why this may be.Item The LIfe Goals, Strengths, and Resources of Domestic Violence Victims(University of the South, 2013-04) Chi, Yooson EstherServices for domestic violence victims have long assumed that the violence is the main issue. With few exceptions, there has been little effort to focus on the issues that are identified by battered women in a more client-centered approach to helping victims. This study is one of the first to explicitly ask victims of domestic violence about their life goals, strengths, and resources. The most common goals referred to getting or improving housing, finding or improving their job situation, and getting more education. 100 victims of domestic violence participated. Common resources included faith (53%) and personal strengths (47%). Social strengths were also commonly listed, including church support (38%) and family (34%). Legal resources were mentioned less frequently. Risk assessment and safety planning with victims needs to incorporate more issues that are salient to victims.Item C.caretta Nesting Habitat and Hatch Rate Success(University of the South, 2013-04) Wakefield, KatieBecause the beaches of St. Catherines Island, Georgia are not manipulated and maintained like beaches of tourist destinations, the loggerhead sea turtles that come to nest on this island have to contend with a relatively dynamic coastline. The number of turtle nests being deposited on the beaches of St. Catherines has increased over the last decade, but since approximately 70% are found in unsuitable locations every summer, they must be relocated to areas where they have a better chance of survival. By comparing the in situ nest hatch rate successes and relocated nest hatch rate successes in 2006 and 2012, I determined the extent to which relocating nests alters the success rate of the clutch for these two years. This information will aid in the defining of suitable nesting habitat for the turtles and determine if there is any significant difference in the success rates of nests left in their original location and nests that have been relocated.Item Understanding SElf, Nature, and Civilization through Rice: Comparative Anthropology of Rice Culture in Thailand and Japan(University of the South, 2013-04) Brock, Alisha; Shennandoah, BrittenAlthough intensive wet-rice agriculture was not indigenous to either Japan or Thailand before theYayoi Period (c. 300 BC) in Japan and approximately 1000 BC in Thailand, it has become the dominant crop and staple food of the two nations. Throughout their history, the understandings of self-hood, nature, and civilization have been constructed around this intense and specialized agriculture. In addition, rituals which involve rice, such as Onnamesai in Japan and offerings to Mae Phosop (the rice goddess) in Thailand, have been crucial to the understanding of the relationship between humans and rice. Furthermore, the rise of the nations, through taxes and nationalism, has also contributed to the understandings of humans in relation to rice. This comparative anthropological study examines the similarities and differences in the adaptation of this intensive wet-rice agro-culture by further exploring the future viability of these two nations’ rice cultures.Item Archaeological Testing of Two Late 19th-Early 20th Century Rural Farmsteads on the Domain(University of the South, 2013-04) Niquette, MasonAcross the Domain are rock features composed of loose, native stone thought to be anthropogenic in origin (chimney falls, field clearance, rock cairns, or potential graves). In an effort to understand the variability and attempt to define their function, a survey was carried out which covered approximately 528 acres in the vicinity of Cedar Hollow Lake. Walking transects identified a total of 8 features measured and mapped. Two of these rock features were chosen for test excavations: the Cook Site (40FR607) (3 1x1m units) and the Cedar Hollow Overlook Site (40FR608) (2 1x1 m units). Both of these sites are in an area where there is ongoing multidisciplinary research on soils and vegetation to reconstruct historic land use change. Based on a review of limited archival documents, the analysis of the test excavations and artifact assemblages recovered, both locations are interpreted as habitation sites initially occupied in the late 19th century through the early 20th century. These data suggest that there were well established upland home sites operating in the regions rural economy, separate from the nearby University.