This thesis examines the cultural context in which Japanese children are constructing their
own perspective of the environment because in the development of environmental education in
Japan, the perspectives of children and teachers have not been taken into consideration. Although
educators have made efforts to give direction to environmental education,...
This thesis contains the cultural biography of Buddhist and Hindu items in a
small college town in the United States. It explores different factors that have led to
the availability of these items here, what attracts Americans to them, and the meanings
they give these items. Semi-structured interviews were conducted...
This research covers Japanese animation and its popularity in the United States. It focuses on hardcore fans for whom this animation has become part of their lives. Using interviews of self-identified anime fans, this research explores how anime fandom has become a part of American life despite originating in a...
The decision to attend a university creates many important decisions for a young adult, with one of the most important being the choice of where to live while they make the transition into independent adults. Many choose to live on campus during this critical time. The differences that exist, and...
This ethnography looks at the processes a rural Oregon community is undergoing as some members attempt to re-animate the community by creating a community center after the loss of its school and market, two vital services that provided venues for social interaction and engagement.
The methodology for this research includes...
Over the last 25 years structural adjustment programs have challenged Ecuador's ability to provide adequate social services and employment opportunities. In the wake of these policies, many women have turned to non-governmental agencies for possible solutions and assistance. Empowerment programs as a form of development work in particular have been...
Low-income women in an Oregon city of approximately 35,000 inhabitants have limited access to prenatal care services during their pregnancies. The purpose of this study was to uncover the impacts of several factors on the experiences of twenty-seven health department clients with public health department prenatal care practitioners and with...
Issues of diversity are receiving significant attention within the National Park Service recently, due in large part to a growing awareness that its future as a relevant and viable agency is dependent upon improving its response to and management of diversity. A diversity assessment of Fort Vancouver National Historic Site...
The Buraku people have been segregated, oppressed, and discriminated against throughout Japanese history. The Japanese can dismiss the Buraku issue because of assimilation theories, the belief in homogeneity, and passive attitudes by the Buraku people. The Buraku Liberation League (BLL), which has fought for equal rights on behalf of the...
Lower rates of computer adoption and usage in rural areas has
been called a "digital divide." This work explores the current state of
connectivity within a rural town of the Pacific Northwest with a
quantitative and qualitative overview of computer usage and access
within civic and activity clubs, ranging from...
Based on the author's ethnographic research at the Karakuwa fishing community in Japan, this thesis explains a cultural process of the local people's synthesis of the values they place on nature and their everyday behavior in a modern industrial world. Explicated by ethnographic narrative, this study focuses on a revitalization...
Emergency departments (ED) provide access to care for large numbers of patients who have nonemergent medical needs. More than half of the patients presenting to the ED at Salem Hospital in Salem, Oregon, were found to be seeking care for nonemergent medical needs. In an effort to provide an alternative...
Many development organizations now recognize the importance of culturally sensitive project design and implementation. Unfortunately most of these groups continue to disregard the significance of gender. This qualitative research examines a women's cooperative in rural El Salvador which formed in order to find a means of generating income and to...
The problems of Russian speaking refugees from the
Ukraine region of the former Soviet Union are the basis for
ethnographic inquiry and the delineation of the role of
voluntary agencies who assist their resettlement in Portland,
Oregon.
Interpretive methods are the foundation for an analysis
of Ukrainians' perceptions of problems...
Limited research has analyzed how the values espoused by Western alternative food systems, such as taste and territoriality, are adopted and refashioned in post-socialist societies. Muscovites now echo the global quality turn that reconnects consumers to their food sources. This research qualitatively explores the perspectives of the cosmopolitan consumers of...
Projected to reach one million people next year, international students in the United States are undergoing a transformative educational migration. Moving away from the existing study abroad paradigm is the first step to more accurately understand the lived experience of an educational migrant. Discovering the perceptions of what value an...
The products, processes, and tools of school feeding programs have been examined from multiple perspectives and disciplines in an attempt to improve child nutrition outcomes, to support local and national agriculture, and increase sustainability practices. There is little qualitative research on the role, needs, and experiences of school food service...
The Linn and Benton County Gleaner network has helped the low-income families of urban and rural Oregon reclaim moral, social and cultural capital that is lost in the act of being poor in America. Rather than participating solely in government safety nets, these people reject “hand-outs” in favor of exchanging...