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Graduate Student Thesis Projects

2023

"Queering Edgework: An Autoethnographic Account of Cruising for Sex"

Jacob Richardson

Jacob Richardson
Committee: Carol Rambo (Chair), Wesley James, and Gretchen Peterson
 

*2023 Morton Thesis Award Winner

"Sailing towards Freedom: Discourses of Domination and Resistance in Online Piracy Communities"

Drew Carmichael

Drew Carmichael
Committee: Carol Rambo (Chair), Clayton Fordahl, and Gretchen Peterson
 

 

2022

"Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Reproductive Behavior among Bangladeshi Women"

Israt Jahan

Israt Jahan
Committee: Joseph Lariscy (Chair), Wesley James, and Junmin Wang
 

 

"Race and Media in the Deep South: Factors related to COVID-19 Vaccination"

Melissa Arismendy

Melissa Arismendy
Committee: Wesley James (Chair), Joseph Lariscy, and Carol Rambo
 

 

"Child Mental Health Outcomes and Household Composition"

Clarion Harris

Clarion Harris
Committee: jeni Loftus (Chair), Wesley James, and Joseph Lariscy
 

*2022 Morton Thesis Award Winner

“Canyon or Crevasse? The Gender Pay Gap in Nursing”

Stanley Wilkins

 
Committee: Junmin Wang (Chair), Wesley James, and Jeni Loftus
 

 

2021

"To Be or Not to Be? Trans and Gender-Diverse Identity Negotiation in Caregiving Institutions"

Lilith Green

Lilith Green
Committee: Carol Rambo (Chair), Wesley James, and Gretchen Peterson
 

 

""Do Not Feed the Fetishiszers": Boys' Love Fans' Resistance and Challenge of Perceived Reputation"

Hailey Coleman

Hailey Coleman
Committee: Carol Rambo (Chair), Jeni Loftus, and Gretchen Peterson
 

 

"The Differential Impact of Trauma on Student Engagement Based on Social Class"

Ebenezer Kpuinen

Ebenezer Kpuinen
Committee: Welsey James (Chair), Junmin Wang, and Joseph Lariscy
 

*2021 Morton Thesis Award Winner

"Adverse Childhood Experiences and Health Outcomes"

Uyvonda Stewart

Uyvonda Stewart
Committee: Wesley James (Chair), Joseph Lariscy, and Jeni Loftus
 

 

2020

"Growth and Success of Two Predominantly Black Metropolitan Areas: A Comparison between Shelby County, Tennessee and Prince George's County, Maryland"

Aisha Naantaanbuu

Aisha Naantaanbuu
Committee: Joseph Lariscy (Chair), Wesley James, and Brian Kwoba (History)
 

 

"Irish Social Mobility: Examining Elite Responses to Crisis in the 17th-Century British Caribbean"

Caroline Reilly

Caroline Reilly
Committee: Clayton Fordahl (Chair), SunAh Laybourn, and Carol Rambo
 

 

"Rural-Urban Cancer Disparities in Mortality: The Role of Physician Supply"

Michael Topping

Michael Topping
Committee: Wesley James (Chair), Joseph Lariscy, and Jeni Loftus
 

*2020 Morton Thesis Award Winner

"Racial Differences in Life Expectancy among Shelby County, Tennessee Residents"

Sarah Collins

Sarah Collins
Committee: Joseph Lariscy (Chair), SunAh Laybourn, and Wesley James
 

 

"If you Want the Milk, Buy the Cow: A Study of Young Black Women's Experiences in Situationships"

Tierica Gibson

Tierica Gibson
Committee: Jeni Loftus (Chair), Clayton Fordahl, and Carol Rambo
 

 

2019

"Free Trade Agreements and the Resulting Health Outcomes: Trade Flow, Knowledge Spillover and Government Regulations among Developing Countries"

Samia Tasmim

photo of Samia Tasmim
Committee: Junmin Wang (Chair), Wesley James, and Joseph Lariscy
 

 

"Impact of Mass Media on the Utilization of Maternal Healthcare Services in South Asia"    

Kaniz Fatema

photo of Kaniz Fatema
Committee: Joseph Lariscy (chair), Wesley James, Gretchen Peterson, and Junmin Wang
 

*2019 University of Memphis Student Research Poster Forum, 1st Place in Social and Behavioral Sciences Graduate Division

Thesis publication: Fatema, K. and J.T. Lariscy. (2020). Mass media exposure and maternal healthcare utilization in South Asia. Social Science & Medicine-Population Health 11: 100614.

"The Global Citizen, Global Trust, & National Privilege: A Study of Individualized Identity in a Globalized World"

Hannah  L. Pallotta

photo of Hannah Pallotta
Committee: Junmin Wang (Chair), Joseph Lariscy, and SunAh M. Laybourn
 

 

"Resource Allocation across Urban and Rural Counties: A Tennessee Case Study"                  

Dontarious Cowans

photo of Dontarious Cowans
Committee: Joseph Lariscy (Chair), Wesley James, and SunAh M. Laybourn
 

 

"Racial Differences in the Social Determinants of Infant Mortality: A County-Level Analysis"

Anna  Church

photo of Anna Church
Committee: Wesley James (Chair), Joseph Lariscy, and SunAh Laybourn
 

*2019 Morton Thesis Award Winner

2018

"Defining Diagnosis: A Reflexive Account of a Chronic Dis-ease Process"    

Brandi  Barnes

photo of Brandi Barnes
Committee: Carol Rambo (chair), Wesley James, and Gretchen Peterson
 

 

"The Social Side of 'Borderline:' Edgework in the Narrative Accounts of Self-Injurers"    

Victoria  Gaines

photo of Victoria Gaines
Committee: Carol Rambo (chair), Wesley James, and Gretchen Peterson
 

 

"Social Services Providers' Perspective on Clients, Social Services Workers and Public Assistance"    

Krista  Wright-Thayer

photo of Krista Wright-Thayer
Committee: Carol Rambo (chair), Wesley James, and Joseph Lariscy
 

 

"Sexual Minority Health Behaviors and Potential Benefits of Same Sex Marriage"    

Caleb  Cooley

photo of Caleb Cooley
Committee: Joseph Lariscy (chair), Wesley James, and Jeni Loftus
 

 

2017

"Communication Barriers and Health among Hispanics: A Quantitative Study Exploring Race, Ethnicity, and Language"    

Daisy Angeles

photo of Daisy Angeles
Committee: Joseph Lariscy (chair), Wesley James, and Gretchen Peterson

 

 

"I am a Cartoon? Not Me!: Identity and Native American Caricature Iconography"

Anthony  Stone

photo of Anthony Stone
Committee: Wesley James (Chair), Maryann Erigha (Co-Chair), Carol Rambo and Andre Johnson (Communications)
 

Thesis Publication: Stone, A.J., & Rambo, C. (2021). Surviving racism and genocide: Native American caricature iconography and racial formation projects. Studies in Symbolic Interaction 52: 91-115.

"The Fear Factor: Developing a Framework of Emotional Cognition for Understanding Muslim Americans' Voting Behavior in 2016"    

JoAnna Boudreaux

photo of JoAnna Boudreaux
Committee: Junmin Wang (chair), Wesley James, and Seth Abrutyn
 

 

"Understanding the Strengths and Barriers of a Growing Latino Population in Memphis, Tennessee"    

Melissa Garcia-Dominguez

photo of Melissa Garcia-Dominguez
Committee: Joseph Lariscy (chair), Wesley James, and Gretchen Peterson
 

*2017 Morton Thesis Award Winner

"Identity Construction Among African American Christians in a Southern City"    

Rekeycha  Harris

photo of Rekeycha Harris
Committee: Seth Abrutyn (chair), Wesley James, and Carol Rambo
 

 

2016

"'We Don't Eat Babies:' Atheists' Individual and Collective Resistance to Stigma"    

Degan  Loren

photo of Degan Loren
Committee: Carol Rambo (chair), Wesley James, and Jeni Loftus
 

Thesis Publication: Loren, D., & Rambo, C. (2018). "God smites you!": Atheists' experiences of stigma, identity politics, and queerness. Deviant Behavior, 40(4), 445-460.

"Missing the Mark: The Perceived Role of Family Members in the Stigma, Silence, and Misunderstandings Around Suicidality"    

Taylor  Binnix

photo of Taylor Binnix
Committee: Seth Abrutyn (chair), Anna Mueller, and Carol Rambo
 

Thesis Publication: Binnix, T., Rambo, C., Abrutyn, S., & Mueller, A.S. (2017). The dialectics of stigma, silence, and misunderstanding in suicidality survival narratives. Deviant Behavior, 39(8), 1095-1106.

2015

"From Under-Diagnosis to Over-Representation: Black Children, ADHD, and the School-to-Prison Pipeline"    

Myles Daniel Moody

no photo available
Committee: Zandria Robinson (chair), Wesley James, and Anna Mueller
 

 

"Race, Masculinity, and Sexuality in the Urban South"    

Allen  Hale  West

photo of Allen West
Committee: Jeni Loftus (chair), Wesley James, and Zandria Robinson
 

 

"Oil, Polity, And Civil Society: The Construction Of The Hegemonic Apparatus In Iraq"    

Zeinab  F.  Shuker

photo of Zeinab Shuker
Committee: Seth Abrutyn (chair), Wesley James, and Junmin Wang
 

 

"Walking in Memphis: Racial, Economic, and Residential Disparities of Access to Healthy Food in an Urban Food Desert"

Brittany Kay Campagna

photo of Brittany Campagna
Committee: Wesley James (Chair), Jeni Loftus, and Wanda Rushing
 

 

2014

"Romantic Relationship Quality as a Protective Factor Against Suicidal Ideation in Young Adulthood"    

Darla  Marie  Still

photo of Darla Still
Committee: Anna Mueller (chair), Martin Levin, and Jeni Loftus
 

 

"Social Capital, Political Capital, and Organizational Innovation in Chinese Firms"    

Yan  Shen

no photo available
Committee: Junmin Wang (chair), Martin Levin, and Wanda Rushing
 

 

"Pageant Moms: Mothers' Accounts of Their Participation in Child Beauty Pageants"    

Darla  Clare  Smith

no photo available
Committee: Jeni Loftus (chair), Wesley James, and Carol Rambo
 

 

"Revisiting the Pass: An Examination of Identity Management Strategies of Black Queer Women in the South"    

Claudia  Shunta  Williams

no photo available
Committee: Zandria Robinson (chair), Beverly Bond, and Jeni Loftus
 

*2014 Morton Thesis Award Winner

"Beyond Cutting: Restorying Self-Injury"    

Brittany  Presson

photo of Brittany Presson
Committee: Carol Rambo (chair), Jeni Loftus, and Larry Petersen
 

Thesis Publication: Presson, B., & Rambo, C. (2015). Claiming, resisting, and exempting pathology in the identities of self-injurers. Deviant Behavior, 37(2), 219-236.

"Markers of Performance: Emotion Marking and Sacral Bonds in White Supremacist Discourse"    

Marshal  Taylor

photo of Marshall Taylor
Committee: Carol Rambo (chair), Seth Abrutyn, and Zandria Robinson
 

Thesis Publication: Taylor, M., & Rambo, C. (2014). White shame, white pride: Emotional cultures, feeling rules, and emotion exemplars in white supremacist movement music. International Journal of Crime, Criminal Justice, and Law, 8(1-2), 107-134.

"Gendered Role Performances in Patriarchal NRMs: An Ethnographic Analysis of the Twelve Tribes"    

Amelia  Blume

no photo available
Committee: Seth Abrutyn (chair), Larry Petersen, and Zandria Robinson
 

 

"Why Should I Get Married: Implications of Class and Gender Differences on Health Outcomes for Cohabitating and Married Black Couples"    

Korrie  Dchonn  Johnson

no photo available
Committee: Zandria Robinson (chair), Wesley James, and Jeni Loftus
 

 

2013

"Appearance-Based Predictors of Suicidal Behavior"    

Cynthia  Anne  Stockton

no photo available
Committee: Martin Levin (chair), Jeni Loftus, and Anna Mueller
 

 

"Learning The Ropes: The Role of Peers, Mentors, and Extracurricular Participation in College Persistence"    

Adriene  Davis

no photo available
Committee: Anna Mueller (chair), Wesley James, and Zandria Robinson
 

 

"Understanding Body Image Differences Between African American and White Women"    

Dominique  Latrice  Watson

no photo available
Committee: Wesley James (chair), Anna Mueller, and Junmin Wang
 

 

"Intergenerational Closure: Is It Protecting Teenagers Against Sexual Risk Taking Behaviors?"    

Stephanie  Margaret  Otte

no photo available
Committee: Wesley James (chair), Martin Levin, and Jeni Loftus
 

 

"What Types of Social Integration Matter? Race and Adolescent Suicide Ideation"    

Tijuana  Lashae  Jefferson

no photo available
Committee: Anna Mueller (chair), Martin Levin, and Zandria Robinson
 

 

2012

"Beyond BBQ: Navigating a Meatless Memphis"    

Michele  Lynn  Scott

no photo available
Committee: Wanda Rushing (chair), Seth Abrutyn, and Junmin Wang
 

 

"Battles Between Bikes and Businesses: Collective Strategic Action in Memphis, Tennessee"    

Kevin  Thomas  Smiley

no photo available
Committee: Wanda Rushing (chair), Seth Abrutyn, and Anna Mueller
 

 

2011

"The 'Precious' Dilemma: An Investigation of Race, Childhood Sexual Abuse, and Adult Obesity"    

Armanthia  Nicole  Duncan

no photo available
Committee: Wesley James (chair), Martin Levin, Carol Rambo, and Wanda Rushing
 

 

"Terrorism and Ressentiment: Using Nietzsche to Think About Inequality"    

Christy  L.  Lewis

no photo available
Committee: Larry Petersen (chair), Wesley James, and Wanda Rushing
 

 

"American Denominations and Christian Service: The Relationship Between Theology and Service"    

Jonathan  Barkley  Murphy

no photo available
Committee: Larry Petersen (chair), Wesley James, and Carol Rambo
 

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