sociology thesis examples

• USF Research
• USF Libraries

Digital Commons @ USF > College of Arts and Sciences > Sociology > Theses and Dissertations

Sociology Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2024 2024.

Empowering Populist Politics: Social Media Use in the US and UK , James M. Howley

Exploring Educational Equity: An Ethnographic Case Study of Non-Profit Initiatives in Early Childhood Education , Jovana Jovanovic

Disability, Blackness, and Online Community: Black Twitter as Self-Narrative , Morgan S. Wilson

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

Deconstructing and Decolonizing Identities of “Gender” and “Sex” When Viewed as Anti-Black: Black Narratives Outside of the Binary , Didier Salgado

“We Need to Figure Out Who We Are”: Reframing Manhood in an Online Discussion Forum , Tomas Sanjuan Jr.

Musicking Higher Education: An Analysis of the Effects of Music Pedagogy On College Classroom Atmospheres , April Smith

Framing, Emotion, and Contradiction in the Tampa Bay Times’ Climate Change Coverage , Madison Veeneman

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

"Are We Done?": The Minimization of Covid-19 and the Individualization of Health in the United States , Cassidy R. Boe

Health and Friendships of LGBTQIA+ College Students , Komal Asim Qidwai

Organizing for Here and There: Exploring the Grassroots Organizing of the Puerto Rican Diaspora in the Tampa Bay Area , Dominique Rivera

Stitched Together: What We Learn from Secret Stories in Public Media , Sara D. Rocks

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

"Duck Wars": Examining the Narrative Construction of a "Problem" Species , Jenna A. Bateman

The Debate on Physician-Assisted Death in the United States: A Narrative Analysis of Formula Stories , Rebecca Blackwell

The Social Correlates of War: Conflict Correlations Within Belief Systems. , Richard R. N. Decampa

Narrative Meaning Productions of Compassionate Healthcare: An Examination of Cultural Codes, Organizational Practices, and Everyday Realities , Carley Geiss

Racialized Morality: The Logic of Anti-Trafficking Advocacy , Sophie Elizabeth James

Green Business and the Culture of Capitalism: Constructing Narratives of Environmentalism , Julia S. Jester

Presenting Selves and Interpreting Culture: An Ethnography of Chinese International Tourism in the United States , Fangheyue Ma

Making A Home Away from Home: A Qualitative Study of African Students’ Practices of Integration in the United States , Alphonse O. Opoku

"They Say We're Expendable:" Race, Nation, and Citizenship in the Dominican Republic. , Edlin Veras

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

A social network analysis of online gamers' friendship networks: Structural attributes of Steam friendships, and comparison of offline-online social ties of MMO gamers , Juan G. Arroyo-Flores

Family Response to a Diagnosis of Serious Mental Illness in Teens and Young Adults: A Multi-Voiced Narrative Analysis , Douglas J. Engelman

GoFundTransitions: Narratives of Transnormativity and the Limits of Crowdfunding Livable Futures , Hayden J. Fulton

"Courage Drives Us": Narrative Construction of Organizational Identity in a Cancer-Specific Health Non-Profit Organization , Katie J. Hilderbrand

“I woke up to the world”: Politicizing Blackness and Multiracial Identity Through Activism , Angelica Celeste Loblack

The Athletics Behind the Academics: The Academic Advisor’s Role in the Lives of Student Athletes , Max J.R. Murray

Red-Green Rows: Exploring the Conflict between Labor and Environmental Movements in Kerala, India , Silpa Satheesh

Winning “Americans” for Jesus?: Second-Generation, Racial Ideology, and the Future of the Brazilian Evangelical Church in the U.S. , Rodrigo Otavio Serrao Santana De Jesus

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Palatable Shades of Gender: Status Processes at the Intersections of Race, Gender, and Team Formation , Jasmón L. Bailey

American Converts to Islam: Identity, Racialization, and Authenticity , Patrick M. Casey

Meaning and Monuments: Morality, Racial Ideology, and Nationalism in Confederate Monument Removal Storytelling , Kathryn A. DelGenio

"Keep it in the Closet and Welcome to the Movement": Storying Gay Men Among the Alt-Right , Shelby Statham

Selling White Masculinity: An Analysis of Cultural Intermediaries in the Craft Beverage Industry , Erik Tyler Withers

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

The Role of the Soldier in Civilian Life: Personal and Social Concerns that Influence Reintegration Processes , Matthew J. Ahlfs

“I Want to Be Who I Am”: Stories of Rejecting Binary Gender , Ana Balius

Breaking the Crass Ceiling? Exploring Narratives, Performances, and Audience Reception of Women's Stand-Up Comedy , Sarah Katherine Cooper

An Intersectional Examination of Disability and LGBTQ+ Identities In Virtual Spaces , Justine E. Egner

"I've never had that": An Exploration of how Children Construct Belonging and Inclusion Within a Foodscape , Olivia M. Fleming

Hybridizers and the Hybridized: Orchid Growing as Hybrid "Nature?" , Kellie Petersen

Coloring in the Margins: Understanding the Experiences of Racial/Ethnic and Sexual/Gender Minority Undergraduates in STEM , Jonathan D. Ware

Decreased Visibility: A Narrative Analysis of Episodic Disability and Contested Illness , Melissa Jane Welch

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

“Have a Seat at our Table: Uncovering the Experiences of Black Students Attending a ‘Racially Diverse’ University” , Diamond Briggs

TERF Wars: Narrative Productions of Gender and Essentialism in Radical-Feminist (Cyber)spaces , Jennifer Earles

“Can You Believe They Think I’m Intimidating?” An Exploration of Identity in Tall Women , Elizabeth Joy Fuller

Black Girl Magic?: Negotiating Emotions and Success in College Bridge Programs , Olivia Ann Johnson

"What Are We Doing Here? This Is Not Us": A Critical Discourse Analysis of The Last Of Us Remastered , Toria Kwan

Behind the Curtain: Cultural Cultivation, Immigrant Outsiderness, and Normalized Racism against Indian Families , Pangri G. Mehta

From the Panels to the Margins: Identity, Marginalization, and Subversion in Cosplay , Manuel Andres Ramirez

Examining Forty Years of the Social Organization of Feminisms: Ethnography of Two Women’s Bookstores in the US South , Mary Catherine Whitlock

"There is No Planet B": Frame Disputes within the Environmental Movement over Geoengineering , David Russell Zeller Jr.

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

“You Can Fight Logic…But You Can’t Fight God”: The Duality of Religious Text and Church as Community for White Lesbians in Appalachian and Rural Places , Jessica Mae Altice

Songwriting as Inquiry and Action: Emotion, Narrative Identity, and Authenticity in Folk Music Culture , Maggie Colleen Cobb

Unraveling the Wild: A Cultural Logic of Animal Stories in Contemporary Social Life , Damien Contessa

“It’s Not Like a Movie. It’s Not Hollywood:” Competing Narratives of a Youth Mentoring Organization , Carley Geiss

An Examination of Perspectives on Community Poverty: A Case Study of a Junior Civic Association , Monica Heimos Heimos

"I'm Not Broken": Perspectives of Students with Disabilities on Identity-making and Social Inclusion on a College Campus , Melinda Leigh Maconi

People and Pride: A Qualitative Study of Place Attachment and Professional Placemakers , Wenonah Machdelena Venter

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Mediated Relationships: An Ethnography of Family Law Mediation , Elaina Behounek

The Continuum of Ethno-Racial Socialization: Learning About Culture and Race in Middle-Class Latina/o Families , Maria D. Duenas

Getting Ahead: Socio-economic Mobility, Perceptions of Opportunity for Socio-economic Mobility, and Attitudes Towards Public Assistance in the United States , Alissa Klein

Beauty is Precious, Knowledge is Power, and Innovation is Progress: Widely Held Beliefs in Policy Narratives about Oil Spills , Brenda Gale Mason

Looking at Levels of Medicalization in the Institutional Narrative of Substance Use Disorders in the Military , Chase Landes Mccain

The Experience of Chronic Pain Management: A Multi-Voiced Narrative Analysis , Loren Wilbers

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Resources Matter: The Role of Social Capital and Collective Efficacy in Mediating Gun Violence , Jennifer Lynne Dean

More to Love: Obesity Histories and Romantic Relationships in the Transition to Adulthood , Hilary Morgan Dotson

Dieting, Discrimination, and Bullying: A Contextual Case Study of Framing in the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance , Veronica Kay Doughman

Negotiating Muslim Womanhood: The Adaptation Strategies of International Students at Two American Public Colleges , Amber Michelle Gregory

Checking Out: A Qualitative Study of Supermarket Cashiers' Emotional Response to Customer Mistreatment , Michael E. Lawless

Managing Family Food Consumption: Going Beyond Gender in the Kitchen , Blake Janice Martin

Motherhood Bound by State Supervision: An Exploratory Study of the Experiences of Mothers on Parole and Probation , Kaitlyn Robison

In Search of the Artist: The Influences of Commercial Interest on an Art School - A Narrative Analysis , Michael Leonard Sette

"They're Our Bosses": Representations of Clients, Guardians, and Providers in Caregivers' Narratives , Dina Vdovichenko

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Constructing Legal Meaning in the Supreme Court Oral Arguments: Cultural Codes and Border Disputes , Jeffrey Forest Hilbert

"All Blacks Vote the Same?": Assessing Predictors of Black American Political Participation and Partisanship , Antoine Lennell Jackson

Expectations of Nursing Home Use, Psychosocial Characteristics and Race/Ethnicity: The Latino/a Case , Heidi Ross

Beyond the Door: Disability and the Sibling Experience , Morgan Violeta Sanchez Taylor

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

A Mother's Love: A Narrative Analysis of Food Advertisements in an African American Targeted Women's Magazine , Janine Danielle Beahm

It's a Support Club, Not a Sex Club: Narration Strategies and Discourse Coalitions in High School Gay-Straight Alliance Club Controversies , Skyler Lauderdale

Beyond the Backlash: Muslim and Middle Eastern Immigrants' Experiences in America, Ten Years Post-9/11 , Gregory J. Mills

Competing Narratives: Hero and PTSD Stories Told by Male Veterans Returning Home , Adam Gregory Woolf

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

"Can't Buy Me Wealth": Racial Segregation and Housing Wealth in Hillsborough County, Florida , Natalie Marie Delia Deckard

Friendship Networks, Perceived Reciprocity of Support, and Depression , Ryan Francis Huff

That is Bad! This is Good: Morality as Constructed by Viewers of Television Reality Programs , Joseph Charles Losasso

American Muslim Identities: A Qualitative Study of Two Mosques in South Florida , Azka Mahmood Mahmood

Ethnic Identities among Second-Generation Haitian Young Adults in Tampa Bay, Florida: An Analysis of the Reported Influence of Ethnic Organizational Involvement on Disaster Response after the Earthquake of 2010 , Herrica Telus

Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010

Feral Cats and the People Who Care for Them , Loretta Sue Humphrey

Utilizing Facebook Application for Disaster Relief: Social Network Analysis of American Red Cross Cause Joiners , Jennie Wan Man Lai

Comparative Study of Intentional Communities , Jessica Merrick

More Than Bows and Arrows: Subversion and Double-Consciousness in Native American Storytelling , Anastacia M. Schulhoff

Between Agency and Accountability: An Ethnographic Study of Volunteers Participating in a Juvenile Diversion Program , Marc R. Settembrino

Predictors of Academic Achievement among Students at Hillsborough Community College: Can School Engagement Close the Racial Gap of Achievement? , Warren T. Smith

Theses/Dissertations from 2009 2009

Latent Newspaper Functions During the Impact Phase of Hurricane Katrina , Christina A. Brown

The Subjective Experience of PMS: A Sociological Analysis of Women’s Narratives , Christiana B. Chekoudjian

Sacred Selves: An Ethnographic Study of Narratives and Community Practices at a Spiritual Center , Sean E. Currie

Digging It: A Participatory Ethnography of the Experiences at a School Garden , Branimir Cvetkovic

Constructions of Narrative Identities of Women Political Candidates , Amy E. Daniels

“The Best We Can With What We Got”: Mediating Social and Cultural Capital in a Title I School , Jarin Rachel Eisenberg

Identities of Alternative Medicine Practitioners , Mychel Estevez

A Family „Affear‟: Three Generations of Agoraphobics , Sherri Elizabeth Green B.A.

“According to Wikipedia …”: A Comparative Analysis of the Establishment and Display of Authority in a Social Problems Textbook and Wikipedia , Alexander A. Hernandez

Advanced Search

• Email Notifications and RSS
• All Collections
• USF Faculty Publications
• Open Access Journals
• Conferences and Events
• Theses and Dissertations
• Textbooks Collection

Useful Links

• Sociology Department Homepage
• Rights Information
• SelectedWorks
• Submit Research

Home | About | Help | My Account | Accessibility Statement | Language and Diversity Statements

Privacy Copyright

Davis-Moore Thesis: 10 Examples, Definition, Criticism

Viktoriya Sus (MA)

Viktoriya Sus is an academic writer specializing mainly in economics and business from Ukraine. She holds a Master’s degree in International Business from Lviv National University and has more than 6 years of experience writing for different clients. Viktoriya is passionate about researching the latest trends in economics and business. However, she also loves to explore different topics such as psychology, philosophy, and more.

Learn about our Editorial Process

Chris Drew (PhD)

This article was peer-reviewed and edited by Chris Drew (PhD). The review process on Helpful Professor involves having a PhD level expert fact check, edit, and contribute to articles. Reviewers ensure all content reflects expert academic consensus and is backed up with reference to academic studies. Dr. Drew has published over 20 academic articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education and holds a PhD in Education from ACU.

The Davis-Moore thesis is a sociological theory that posits that social stratification , or the division of society into hierarchical levels, is an inevitable and necessary feature of any complex society. 

Developed by American sociologists Talcott Parsons and Kingsley Davis in the 1940s and later expanded upon by William J. Moore, the thesis argues that social inequality is natural and functional for society.

Researchers believe social inequality plays a crucial role in society by incentivizing the most talented and skilled individuals to be rewarded based on their abilities, thus promoting a healthier and more prosperous overall community.

The thesis proposes that jobs that require more remarkable skills and have a more significant societal impact—such as doctors, lawyers, and scientists—should be paid higher salaries than less-skilled jobs, such as janitors and factory workers.

The Davis-Moore thesis has been a subject of much debate and criticism in sociology, but it remains an influential and widely cited theory in the study of social stratification.

Definition of Davis-Moore Thesis

The Davis-Moore thesis is a sociological theory that asserts that social stratification is a functional necessity, as it ensures the allocation of individuals into social positions according to their abilities and qualifications.

According to Macionis and Plummer (2012),

“…the Davis – Moore thesis implies that a productive society is a meritocracy , a system of social stratification based on personal merit” (p. 202). 

Sernau (2019) states that “stratification is universal, occurring in all societies, because it is necessary and inevitable, resulting from the need for a working social order” (p. 31).

The Davis-Moore thesis posits that individuals with more skills, knowledge, and education are more valuable to society and, thus, should be rewarded with higher social status , prestige, and income. 

This differential treatment motivates individuals to strive for excellence in their chosen fields, acquire new skills and knowledge, and perform critical social roles , contributing to society’s overall well-being.

So, in simple terms, the Davis-Moore thesis proposes that social stratification is an inevitable feature of any complex society and serves a functional purpose.

10 Examples of Davis-Moore Thesis

• Education : The Davis-Moore thesis proposes that education is correlated to social status, with higher educational attainment often leading to a more decent place in society. After all, those who have gone the extra mile and pursued further studies are usually better equipped for influential social roles within their communities.
• Income inequality : The Davis-Moore thesis maintains that income inequality is both expected and obligatory in our society. Its argument states that highly paid people have attained higher levels of education, skills, and knowledge, enabling them to complete essential social tasks more competently than others.
• Professional sports : The Davis-Moore thesis posits that professional athletes often receive some of the highest compensations in society thanks to their remarkable skills and abilities. Such a high income rewards these athletes’ invaluable contributions – entertaining people and igniting motivation in others – to our community.
• Military service : The Davis-Moore thesis would argue that military personnel occupies a high status in society because of their vital role in defending the nation and maintaining social order.
• Medical professions : Doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals are often seen as occupying high-status positions in society because of their specialized knowledge and skills.
• CEO compensation : The Davis-Moore thesis would suggest that CEOs of large companies are among the highest-paid individuals in society because of their essential role in guiding the strategic direction of their organizations and ensuring their long-term success.
• Political leadership : According to the Davis-Moore thesis, those who occupy political leadership positions are not just randomly chosen – they must possess remarkable abilities and be capable of motivating others. These individuals have outstanding skills, knowledge, and charisma that make them uniquely qualified to guide their peers effectively.
• Scientific research : The Davis-Moore thesis would suggest that scientists who make essential discoveries or contribute to the advancement of knowledge occupy high-status positions in society because of their valuable contributions to humanity’s collective knowledge.
• Creative professions : Artists, musicians, and writers are often seen as occupying high-status positions in society because of their unique skills and talents that allow them to produce works of art and literature that entertain and inspire others.
• Entrepreneurship : The Davis-Moore thesis would predict that successful entrepreneurs occupy high-status positions in society because of their innovative ideas, risk-taking behavior, and ability to create new businesses and generate wealth.

Origins of the Davis-Moore Thesis

The Davis-Moore thesis was developed in the mid-twentieth century by two American sociologists Talcott Parsons and Kingsley Davis. 

Davis’ groundbreaking article, “The Theory of Social Stratification,” was published in the  American Sociological Review  in 1940 and set the stage for Parsons to develop these ideas further. His magnum opus on this topic, The Social System , was released nearly a decade later in 1951 (Hauhart, 2003).

The origins of the Davis-Moore thesis can be traced back to earlier work in functionalist sociology, which emphasized the importance of social institutions in maintaining social order and stability.

This viewpoint considered social stratification an essential part of our world since it provided recognition to those with high skills and capabilities in return for their meaningful contributions to society (Berberoglu, 2017).

Davis and Moore built upon this functionalist perspective by arguing that social stratification was inevitable and beneficial for society.

They argued that social inequality encouraged individuals to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to perform critical social roles while incentivizing them to work hard and contribute to society’s overall well-being.

Social Stratification vs. Social Differentiation

Social stratification implies that individuals are placed into distinct classes based on their economic and social power. In contrast, social differentiation pushes the idea that people’s talents and traits impact which vocations they are suited for.

Social stratification systematically arranges individuals and groups into hierarchical categories based on social status, power, and wealth (Macionis & Plummer, 2012).

In contrast, social differentiation refers to how people and groups develop distinct characteristics, including capabilities, knowledge base, and values.

Social differentiation can arise through various means, such as education level, career path, cultural background, and gender.

However, social stratification is primarily based on an individual’s positioning within the societal ladder and typically depends upon financial standing, educational attainment, and vocation (Umanailo et al., 2020).

Social differentiation can lead to differences in status, power, and wealth, but these differences are not necessarily hierarchical or unequal.

In contrast, social stratification is characterized by a systematic and unequal distribution of resources and rewards across different social positions (Umanailo et al., 2020).

So, unlike social differentiation, a less structured form of separation, social stratification has rigid hierarchies where resources are unequally distributed among different social ranks.

Why Is Social Stratification Necessary?

According to the Davis-Moore thesis, social stratification is both necessary and inevitable in modern societies since it helps motivate individuals, allocate talents, entourage education, and maintain social order. 

Here are some of the key reasons why social stratification is necessary:

• Motivation: The unequal distribution of rewards motivates individuals to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to occupy higher positions in the social hierarchy. It, in turn, leads to greater productivity and innovation in society.
• Allocating Talent: Social stratification allows society to allocate talent and resources where they are most needed (Berberoglu, 2017). Individuals who possess valuable skills and knowledge are rewarded with higher positions in the social hierarchy, which allows society to benefit from their talents and abilities.
• Encouraging Education and Training: The presence of social stratification incentivizes people to dedicate themselves to education and training, as these skills are often crucial in obtaining the competencies and expertise needed to attain higher positions in the social structure.
• Maintaining Social Order : Social stratification is crucial for keeping society in order. It provides a structure of power and authority that makes it easier to comprehend one’s place within the social hierarchy while emphasizing individual rights and obligations (Umanailo et al., 2020). As such, this system enables citizens to understand their roles better and what they are entitled to or expected of them.

So, the Davis-Moore thesis professes that social stratification is essential for a functioning society.

Though one may view the unequal distribution of rewards as unjust, they argue it encourages individuals to obtain skills and knowledge needed to benefit their communities.

Criticism of Davis-Moore Thesis

The Davis-Moore thesis has been severely contested due to its assumption that merit alone determines social ranking and for disregarding the considerable power of social systems as well as institutions.

Here are some of the key criticisms of the Davis-Moore thesis:

• Not all rewards are based on merit : The Davis-Moore thesis suggests that prizes are allocated based on an individual’s talent and contributions to the public. Sadly, however, many rewards remain available due to external factors such as social class, skin color, and gender rather than genuine merit (Hurst et al., 2020).
• Ignores the role of power : This theory fails to analyze the role of power in constructing social stratification, overlooking the fact that those who possess higher positions have more authority and sway. Consequently, this allows them to sustain their status and restrict others from rising through the ranks.
• Overemphasizes the benefits of social stratification : According to the Davis-Moore thesis, social stratification is required and positive for society. Yet, this viewpoint has been criticized as it overlooks the potentially damaging consequences of unequal distributions of wealth, such as poverty, criminal behavior, and civil unrest.
• Ignores the role of social institutions : The Davis-Moore thesis overlooks the influence of social institutions, like the education and media sectors, in shaping social stratification. These institutions can reinforce and maintain social inequality instead of advancing meritocracy.
• Has inadequate empirical evidence : Critics have contended that the Davis-Moore thesis lacks sufficient empirical evidence, despite offering a theoretical framework for comprehending social stratification. The theory has been criticized for needing more practical support (Hauhart, 2003).

These criticisms highlight the pitfalls and oversights of the Davis-Moore thesis, thereby indicating that further research is needed to understand social stratification better. 

The Davis-Moore thesis proposes that social stratification is an inevitable and necessary feature of any complex society. It ensures that individuals are allocated to social positions according to their abilities, talents, and qualifications. 

According to the thesis, social inequality significantly impacts society as it motivates capable and skilled individuals to be acknowledged and rewarded for their abilities, ultimately contributing to the well-being and prosperity of the community.

Despite the ongoing controversy and debates surrounding this idea in sociology, it remains prominent and frequently referenced when analyzing social stratification.

The Davis-Moore thesis has provided several examples of high-status societal positions based on individual meritocracies, such as political leadership, medical professions, and successful entrepreneurship. 

 The Davis-Moore thesis continues to inform ongoing debates about social inequality and its role in shaping society.

Berberoglu, B. (2017).  Social theory: Classical and contemporary – a critical perspective . Routledge, an Imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group.

Hauhart, R. C. (2003). The davis-moore theory of stratification: The life course of a socially constructed classic.  The American Sociologist ,  34 (4), 5–24. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27700363

Hurst, C. E., Fitz, H. M., & Nurse, A. (2020).  Social inequality: Forms, causes, and consequences . Routledge.

Macionis, J. J., & Plummer, K. (2012).  Sociology: A global introduction  (5th ed.). Pearson/Prentice Hall. (Original work published 1997)

Sernau, S. R. (2019).  Social inequality in a global age . Sage Publications.

Umanailo, M. C. B., Umanailo, A. R., & Umanailo, A. D. S. (2020). Stratification and differentiation in the social life. In  SSOAR . SSOAR. https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-73973-5

• Viktoriya Sus (MA) #molongui-disabled-link Cognitive Dissonance Theory: Examples and Definition
• Viktoriya Sus (MA) #molongui-disabled-link 15 Free Enterprise Examples
• Viktoriya Sus (MA) #molongui-disabled-link 21 Sunk Costs Examples (The Fallacy Explained)
• Viktoriya Sus (MA) #molongui-disabled-link Price Floor: 15 Examples & Definition

• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 23 Achieved Status Examples
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 15 Ableism Examples
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 25 Defense Mechanisms Examples
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 15 Theory of Planned Behavior Examples

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

• Bachelor of Arts in Sociology
• Degree Requirements
• Senior Thesis
• Past Senior Theses
• Funding Opportunities for Undergraduate Research
• Academic Procedures
• Learning Goals
• Career Resources
• Admissions Information
• PhD Degree Check-List
• PhD Recipients, Dissertations, and Positions
• Joint Doctoral Program
• MA Programs
• Requirements
• MA Recipients and Positions
• Areas of Study
• Featured Alumni
• Student Publications
• Funding Opportunities
• Introduction
• People and Committees
• The PhD in Sociology
• The Joint PhD in Sociology and Social Policy
• The Master of Arts in Sociology
• General Sociology Department and Graduate School Policies
• Resources and Facilities
• Previous Handbooks
• Graduate Petitions
• Graduate Students
• Recent PhDs on the Job Market
• Undergraduate Departmental Representatives
• In Support of Black Lives Matter
• Department News & Events
• Sociology Department Annual Newsletter
• Voting Information
• Helpful Links
• Degree Programs
• Graduate Programs
• Brandeis Online
• Summer Programs
• Undergraduate Admissions
• Graduate Admissions
• Financial Aid
• Summer School
• Centers and Institutes
• Funding Resources
• Housing/Community Living
• Clubs and Organizations
• Community Service
• Brandeis Arts Engagement
• Rose Art Museum
• Our Jewish Roots
• Mission and Diversity Statements
• Administration
• Faculty & Staff
• Alumni & Friends
• Parents & Families
• Campus Calendar
• Directories
• New Students
• Shuttle Schedules
• Support at Brandeis

Department of Sociology

Title: "Rationalizing Racism: Racial Structure and Individual Racial Sense-Making in Mathematics Education"

Committee: Sarah Mayorga, Derron Wallace, and V Varun Chaudhry

Short Abstract:  I center the mathematics department at Brandeis as a case study to understand how racial inequality is reproduced in mathematics education. I find that students cultivate and rely on a necessarily colorblind Mathematics Identity to find belonging in the department, positioning the “ideal” mathematician as raceless, despite their belief that diversity is generally valuable.

Lessons Learned:  I learned the importance of community engaged research and scholarship, and so much about myself and how I hope to engage with the ever changing world of mathematics education. Most importantly, I learned the power of academia, and sociology more specifically, as a social and communal practice that can generate tangible tools to address structural inequality. 

Title: "Serve and Tell: An Investigation of Volunteers’ Motivations in a College Context"

Committee: Laura Miller, Jill Greenlee, and Sara Shostak

Short Abstract: Why do college students volunteer in college? This research investigates who typically volunteers, for how long they volunteer, and why they volunteer in college. Motivations for volunteering in college are complicated by a desire to help the community and to achieve career or other personal goals. Drawing on survey and interview data, I analyzed the motivations of college volunteers through thematic analysis of survey and interview responses.

Lessons Learned:  Through researching and writing my thesis, I developed synthesis skills and learned to adapt my research plans throughout the year. My advice is don't be afraid to ask questions. 

Title:  " Utilizing Fluidity and Finding the Self: Developing a Multiracial Identity in Institutions of Higher Learning"

Committee:  Laura Miller

Short Abstract:  This thesis explores the development of the multiracial identity in young adults ages 18 to 23, and how the university environment impacts this process. It asks what role a predominantly White university environment plays in the development of a multiracial identity and the overall sense of self.

Lessons Learned:  Do the pre-work early! Figure out your project, send the forms, and set your timeline up for research and writing in the summer! That way you can dedicate the year to the research itself, rather than the minutiae of preparing to do the research.

Title:  "The Confluence of Contexts that Construct a Social Movement: Comparing the Argentine and American Pro-Choice Struggles"

Committee:   Gowri Vijayakumar, Mike Strand

Short Abstract:  This thesis studies two abortion rights movements in Argentina and the United States, and factors that have impacted the contexts in which the movements exist and what they have accomplished.

Lessons Learned:  Writing a thesis requires a lot of self-discipline and reworking of concepts and ideas, so having my passion behind my topic, and personal experience while studying abroad in Argentina to reflect back on, brought me through to finishing my thesis and writing something I am really proud of.

Title:  "More Than Mutual Belligerence: The Cohesive Power of the Family Values Cultural Toolkit"

Committee:  Mike Strand

Short Abstract:  This thesis is a theoretical reframing of the term “family values”, understood not as a concise set of behavioral guidelines for evangelical home life, but a sprawling series of techniques and motivations for justifying a certain vision of the American family. The argument this thesis puts forth is that the cultural sinews that tie evangelicals together in coalitions like the Christian Right are not shared senses of meaning or a coherent vision for American life, but the cultural toolkit and ascribed motivations provided by the cultural tools of family values.

Lessons Learned:  My biggest challenge was learning to cut out writing that I personally enjoyed, but failed to advance my central point; it taught me to take constructive criticism.

Title: "The Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom: The United Response of Muslim and Jewish Women to 'Moral Shocks'"

Committee: Wendy Cadge,  Jon Levisohn, and Sarah Shostak

Short Abstract:  This thesis builds upon previous literature on interfaith dialogue in addition to social movement literature on mobilization processes, emotions, and collective identities to address the following research question: What motivates women to become involved in the Sisterhood, how did they become involved, and how does this mobilization process vary based on one’s role in the Sisterhood?

Lessons Learned:  I am grateful for the project management and critical thinking skills that I honed during my thesis work.

Title: "'Opportunity or Adversity?': Chinese International Students and Activism in China"

Committee:   Chandler Rosenberger, Gordie Fellman, Gowri Vijayakumar

Short Abstract:  This study explores different factors that influence Chinese international students’ decisions to participate or not participate in activism in China. Through twelve interviews with Chinese international students of diverse backgrounds, this study finds that there are three factors to understand why this group of students do not participate in activism in China - political intimidation, Chinese culture, and the differences between Chinese and American outlook towards activism.

Lessons Learned:  My advice would be to start early; don't feel shy about frequently meeting with your advisors and utilize this opportunity to hone your literature review skills.

Title:  "Clergy In Action: Religious Leaders in Response to Social Crises"

Committee:  Wendy Cadge

Short Abstract:  This thesis builds upon previous literature on religious social movements, clergy’s congregational and community roles, and the intersection between religion, politics, and sociology to address the following research question: How have clergy who identify as politically progressive responded to political and social events following President Donald Trump’s election? This qualitative study examines 13 politically progressive Jewish, Protestant, and Unitarian Universalist clergy in Boston and their action in issues of immigration and speech.

Lessons Learned:  While the research skills I learned through my thesis writing process were essential to my developing critical thinking and future career as I apply to doctoral programs, I am most grateful for the confidence I learned in my own voice and power as a sociological thinker.

Title: "University interventions in sexual misconduct and intimate partner violence"

Committee:  Karen Hansen

Short Abstract:  This work examines Brandeis’ Title IX process to help explain the vast discrepancies between reporting rates and the actual prevalence of sexual misconduct on campus. The dichotomy between university policies and students’ distrust of a system designed to protect them left an important system gravely underutilized. Using qualitative research methods, this work seeks to understand what in Brandeis' Title IX system dissuades students from using it.

Lessons Learned:  My research taught me to break down complicated systems for study and to continue working on my writing; skills I expect to use throughout my legal career.

Title: "How the conservatory paradigm impacts mental health?"

Short Abstract:  This study proposes that there are aspects of conservatories that contribute to mental distress, but that there is not enough research to conclude that conservatories cause higher levels of mental distress when compared to a traditional school setting. It finds that even if the data is still inconclusive on whether conservatories cause higher levels of mental health issues than a more traditional university, there are still many mechanisms found in this specific conservatory of study that do impact mental health.

Lessons Learned:  My thesis provided me with a small glimpse into what it takes to write a research paper, and ultimately impacted my research focus in graduate school.

• News and Events

Edinburgh Research Archive

•   ERA Home
• Social and Political Sciences, School of

Sociology thesis and dissertation collection

By Issue Date Authors Titles Subjects Publication Type Sponsor Supervisors

Search within this Collection:

Welcome to Sociology , part of the School of Social and Political Studies at the University of Edinburgh. The Department began in 1964 and remains one of the most eminent in the UK for research, undergraduate teaching and postgraduate research.

This material is presented to ensure timely dissemination of scholarly and technical work. Copyright and all rights therein are retained by authors or by other copyright holders. All persons copying this information are expected to adhere to the terms and constraints invoked by each author's copyright. In most cases, these works may not be reposted without the explicit permission of the copyright holder.

Recent Submissions

Role of social movements and activist networks in the development of romanian civil society , politics of friendship in the lives of black girls and girls of colour in scotland , nudging the internet: behavioural expertise in the platform economy , revelations of the aesthetic experience: artistic creation under constraint in contemporary cuba , conceptualising a new theoretical framework of inclusion/exclusion and gender-based violence within higher education in the united kingdom: a mixed-methods approach embracing computational social science , that's how we sound re-articulating nation through music performance in la escena independiente in lima, peru , indie encounters: exploring indie music socialising in china , bodyscapes of modernity: a post-critical sociology of art and the body in republican china (1912–1937) , what is ‘real food’ a discourse analysis of food education in taiwan , to have done with theory baudrillard, or the literal confrontation with reality , politics of economic collapse: a comparative historical sociology of the 2008 crisis , where ‘green’ parenting meets climate activism: understanding the affective, political, generative, but challenging ‘space in-between’ of radical eco-parenting , consensus and fragmentation: how variation in heterodox religious ideas affected mobilisation and outcomes in the rebellions of china’s qing era , participation for health equity: a comparison of citizens’ juries and health impact assessment , envisaging dataist modernity: the construction of edinburgh’s innovation apparatus , drug policing in china: drug laws, police culture, and police professionalisation , creative digital labour of meme making , ‘but why did you come back in the first place’ return migration to india: narratives of longing and belonging, ‘home’ and identity , sovereign debt and economic policy: a relational sociology of debt in the united kingdom, 1960s–1980s , going global: a contrast ethnography of new cosmopolitan elites and their world schools, in beijing and new york city .

BYU ScholarsArchive

Home > Family, Home, and Social Sciences > Sociology > Theses and Dissertations

Sociology Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2023 2023.

A Refuge and a Bridge: Native American Women's Tribal College Experiences , Morgan Duffy

Did COVID Change Everything or Nothing at All? Canadian Family Life During the COVID-19 Pandemic , Carlee Guenther Dynes

Can Community Resilience Be Achieved? An Investigation of Subjective Household Resilience, Place Meanings, and Individual Perceived Preparedness to Respond to Environmental Threats. , Anh Minh Ly

County-Level Social Determinants of Health and COVID-19 Health Outcomes , Bret R. Lyman

Protections and Liabilities: Parental Attributes of Lynch Victims , Peter Shumway Polhill

Helpful or Harmful? The Effect of Heritage Language Use on Perceived Maternal Closeness in United States Immigrant Families , Catalina Valdez

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Parental Warmth and Disciplinary Strategies in Two-Parent-Adoptive and Biological Families , Jordan Coburn

Has COVID-19 Affected Patenting in The United States? , Johnny Allen Cope

The Impacts of Local Schools on Experience of Community , Ciera M. Galbraith

Parental Incarceration as a Predictor of Legal Cynicism , Mackenzie Joy Heim

Gendered Differences in the Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Adolescent Substance Use , Emley A. Holcombe

Witches, Victims, and Villains: #MeToo and the Political Polarization of Sexual Violence , Hannah Shoaf

Individual Adaptation and Structural Change: Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy in a Tribal College Context , Taylor Topham

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

The Link Between Internet Activity and Community Experience in Rural Utah , Kayci A. Muirbrook

Cross-National Analysis of Mothers' Occupational Status in Germany and the United States: Before and After Germany's Work-Family Policy Changes , Paige N. Park

Maternal and Paternal Psychological Well-Being and Child Behavior in Japan , Jared Poff

Brand Activism and Gender: Nike as a Case Study , Kirsten Rasmussen

More Than One Way: How Migrants Are Able to Achieve Belonging Beyond Their Legal Status , Claudia Soto

Parental Incarceration and Juvenile Delinquency: The Role of Gender , Kirstie S. Weyland

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Does Disassociation from the Majority Religious Affiliation Affect Community Desirability? , Alex Nicholas Andre

Priviledge and Place: An Exploratory Study About Healthcare Bypass Behavior , Jorden Elizabeth Jackson

ACEs and Substance use: Understanding the Influence of Childhood Experiences on Substance Use in Adolescence across Race and Ethnicity , Tacey Micole Matheson Shurtliff

Does Immigration Help to Explain Child Stress? , Elizabeth Marie Koch Sigler

Post-birth Marriage, White-Hispanic Families, and Child Academic Achievement , Sadie Andrews Slighting

Adolescent Depressive Symptomology: Do Siblings Hurt or Help? , Jared D. Thorpe

Logics of Collaboration: An Ethnography of Codesign in the Brazilian Amazon , Jacob Hartt Wixom

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Major Decisions: Religious Women and Their Perceptions of Women in STEM Majors , Mandy Lou Pershing

Interracial Couples and Neighborhood Attainment in Percent White, Entropy, and Average Income , Hannah Louise Spencer

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Does Race Matter? School Decision Making Among White, Latino, and Polynesian Families , Maria Daniela Barriga

Age, Plans to Move, and Perceptions of Collective Efficacy , Wesley B. Jeffrey

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Timely Bachelor's Degree Attainment , Carolina Otero

Hope for Utah:? Exploring the Long-Term Impacts of Peer-Based Suicide Prevention Among Adolescents , Meagan Rose Rainock

The Influence of Foreign-Born Population on Immigrants' Academic Achievement: A Multilevel Analysis of Students in High-Income Countries , Florencia Silveira

Can Mentoring Help Reduce the Risk of Recidivism? An Analysis of the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI) Data , Amanda Claire Workman

Doing and Interpreting Lyrical Sociology: Living in Detroit , Gregory Joseph Wurm

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Differences in German Youth Gender Ideologies: The Relationship Between Family Structure and Doing Gender , Alyssa Jane Alexander

Developmental Idealism and Declines in Support for Female Genital Cutting in Egypt from 2005 to 2014 , Hilary Barker

The Racial Politics of Secularity: Rethinking African-American Religiosity Through New Paradigms in Secularization Theory , Diana Christine Brown

Hopelessness and Youth Violent Behavior: A Longitudinal Study , Janie Demetropoulos

Examining the Effect of Friends' Drug Treatment on One's Drug Use: Investigating Positive Peer Influence in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health , Dallin C. Everett

Does Marijuana Decriminalization Make the Roads More Dangerous? , Daehyeon Kim

Family Environments and Children's Cognitive Skills: Accounting for Heritable Influences Through Comparing Adopted and Biological Children , Shelby Mae McNeill

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

Parental Involvement and Child Achievement in School Among Interracial Marriage and Same-race Marriage: Comparison of White-White, Asian-Asian, and White-Asian Families , Can Cheng

Transition Services for Parolees with Co-Occurring Substance Use and Mental Health Disorders , Michaela Elizabeth Huber

More Than Constraints: How Low Socio-Economic Parents Make Judgments Concerning Their Children's Schooling , Michelle Heather Lucier

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

A Case Study of IRADA: Its Impact on the Development and Enhancing the Legitimacy of Home-Based Businesses in Key Poverty Areas in Jordan , Zaid Hussein Al Attar

Who Benefits from Income Inequality? An International Examinationof the Relationship Between Income Inequalityand Student Achievement , Christina Ruth Edmunds

Baby Boomers and the Vietnam War: A life Course Approach to Aging Vietnam Veterans , Miles Steven Marsala

The Home Field Advantage: Exploring Elements of Immigrant Entrepreneurship , Loren H. Rich

An Examination of Victory Seeker Use and Recidivism , Michael Rutkowski

Racial and Gender Differences in College Completion Among Minority Students: A Social Network Approach , Daneka Natlay Souberbielle

What's Good About Failing Schools? , Maika Malualelagi Tuala

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Barriers to Native American Women Veterans’ Health Care Access on TwoReservations: Northern Cheyenne and Flathead , Luma Issa Al Masarweh

Breaking Down Barriers of Space: Correlations and Connections between Online Social Capital, Offline Social Capital, Community Attachment, and Community Satisfaction , David B. Braudt

For PEAT's Sake: The Influence of Student-Led Evaluations on Small Nonprofits , Rilee A. Buttars

Religious Institutions and Entrepreneurship Among Marginalized Groups , Ryan Scott Coles

Changing Attitudes Toward Homosexuality in the United States from 1977 to 2012 , Ellen Decoo

The Influence of University-Related International Experience, Volunteer Service,and Service-Learning on Moral Growth , Parry F. Garff

RealVictory and Recidivism: An Examination of the RealVictory Program , Ronald L. Hubbard Jr.

The Development of Christianity in Contemporary China , Chu Yi Lu

The Importance of Place in an Era of Placelessness? Distance's Influence on Community Satisfaction and Attachment , Matthew L. McKnight

Reducing Infant Mortality to Reach Millennium Development Goal 4 , Hayley Marie Pierce

Speaking from Experience: How Do Entrepreneurs Evaluate the Merits of Practicing as a Non-Profit or For-Profit Form? , Robert E. M. Spencer

Examining the Social Affordances of Communication Technology on Human Relations: A Critique of Networked Individualism from the Perspective of the Ethical Phenomenology of Emmanuel Levinas , Michael Lee Wood

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

The Paradox of Social Capital and the Rural Poor's Relationship with Their Communities , Brady A. Currit

Communities of Innovation: Composition, Climate, and Process Variables in Group Innovation , Bradley D. Marianno

Service Provider and Beneficiary Perceptions of Collectivist Domestic Violence Social Issues , Annie Mohsen Samhouri

Family Matters: Operationalization of Intergenerational Educational Background , Elizabeth Warnick

Factors Mediating After-School Participation and Delinquency , John Andrew Whitney

Contact, Identity, and Prejudice: Comparing Attitudes Toward Arab Americans Pre-and Post-9/11-2001 , Meghan Kimberly Wight

Should I Stay or Should I Go?: Race, Education and StatusAttainment Before the NBA , Christian Evers Yost

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

Who is an American? The Construction of American Identity in the Utah Minuteman Project , Michele Elizabeth Bendall

Do Extracurricular Activities Help Adolescents Develop Academic Self-Efficacy? Evidence for How and Why , Brianne Louisa Burr

Effects of Cohabitation on Children of Latino Americans , Miriam Grace Clark

Community in a Liquid Modern Era , Jeremy S. Flaherty

Open (Adoption) for Business: Opposing Movements and Environmental Opportunity Structures in the Adoption Organizational Field, 1972-2000 , Krista Marie Frederico

What Types of After-School Programs Benefit LEP Students? , Patricia Grace Gaither

The Personal Characteristics and Pedgagogical Styles of Effective Abstinence Education Instructors , Karen D. Hill

Desire and Opportunity to Marry Among Black South African Women , Colleen Rebecca Johnson

An Analysis of the Effects of Types of Afterschool Program Participation on Elementary Student Academic Performance , Chelsea Elizabeth Mazar

Who Participates in Ethnic Organizations: Immigrant Children in Los Angeles , Beatrice Uilani Tiptida Morlan

Indicators of Fertility Change in a Developing Nation: Examining the Impact of Motorcycles as a Distance Demolishing Technology on Fertility Change in Rural Indonesia , Jonathan A. Muir

School Integration and College Outcomes: Does Attending a Racially Diverse High School Positively Influence College Attendance and College Prestige? , Leila Jussara Nielsen

Approaching a Sociology of Aesthetics: Searching for Method in Georg Simmel's Rembrandt , Michelle Marie Nixon

Clarifying the Relationship Between Bullying and Fear of Victimization: The Contribution of Collective Efficacy , Karen R. Spence

Mom Blogs: Portrayals of Contemporary Mothering Standards, Styles, and Secrets , Angela Nuttall Ward

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

The Effect of Elementary After-School Participation on the Transition to Middle School , Grant Scanland Adamz

Higher Education in Native American Communities: Who Graduates and Why? , Ramon Francisco Castillo II

The Good Life: Mormons and Money , Rachel Donaldson Cranney

Dismissed with Prejudice: Gender Inequality in the Utah Legal Market , Collin Read Flake

Mormon Fertility in Latin America , Kiira Elizabeth Fox

Impact, Sustainability, and Dependency: The Case of Empower Playgrounds, Inc. , Ammon B. Franklin

Democracy Online: Immigration Discourse over Time , Brian David Harris

Thin-Ideal Internalization, Body Misperception, and Their Association with Weight Control Behaviors Among Adolescent Girls , Erin Lindsey Moore

The Influence of Religious Attendance and Gender in Accessing High-Status Social Ties , James William Phillips

Community Satisfaction, Community Attachment, Community Experience, Internet Use and Internet Access in Rural Utah Communities , Tisah M. Quarnberg

The Influence of Religion on Immigrant Structural Assimilation in the Greater Los Angeles Area , Jason D. Simons

The Sex Ratio Tipping Point: An Exploration of Crime during Frontier America , Steven Matthew Stearmer

Are All Immigrants Criminals? Societal Perceptions Across Select Social Groups , Catherine F. Tindall

Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010

Moral Identification: An Alternative Approach to Framing Second-generation Immigrants' Ethnic Identity Ambivalence , Benjamin R. Brady

Advanced Search

• Notify me via email or RSS

ScholarsArchive ISSN: 2572-4479

• Collections
• Disciplines
• Scholarly Communication
• Additional Collections
• Academic Research Blog

Author Corner

Hosted by the.

• Harold B. Lee Library

Home | About | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement

Privacy Copyright

Home > School, College, or Department > CLAS > Sociology > Dissertations and Theses

Sociology Dissertations and Theses

Theses/dissertations from 2024 2024.

Social Reproduction on Campus: Quantitative Investigations into the Reproduction of Gender and Socioeconomic Inequality through Higher Education , Ned William Tilbrook

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

How Unequal Access to Personal and Professional Networks Impacts Success Among Construction Apprentices , Cameron Elliot Arnold

Left Out to Dry: Understanding the Social Experiences of Ground Depletion in Washington State's Columbia River Basin , Alexis Lisandro Guizar-Diaz

"The Call is Coming from Inside the House": Tracing Experiences in the Institutionally-Centered Process of Establishing Limited Conservatorships in California , Barbara Alison Imle

The Experiences of Black Women Direct Care Workers in Long-Term Care , Nakeshia Knight-Coyle

Earthbound in the Anthropocene: Spirituality, Collective Identity, and Participation in the Direct Action Climate Movement , David Alan Osborn

Son Otros Tiempos: Generational Experiences of Male Friendships Amongst Mexican and Mexican American Men , Marisela Rodríguez Molina

"We Just Have to Trust the People in White Lab Coats": Analyzing Distrust in Vaccine Hesitant Comments on the HHS Nondiscrimination in Health Programs and Activities Proposed Rule , Hima Bindu Lakshmi Vedantham

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Does Instructional Autonomy Matter? Exploring Job Satisfaction for Math and Non-Math Teachers in Low, Middle, and High SES Schools , Hannah Sean Ellefritz

Cultural Capital and Community Cultural Wealth: A Study of Latinx First Generation College Students , Affiong Eyo-Idahor

Leaving College Without a Degree: The Student Experience at an Urban Broad Access Institution , Andrea Marie Garrity

Treatment Disparities in Emergency Medical Services: The Influence of Race/Ethnicity, Obesity, and English Proficiency , Jamie Kennel

"Damn, man. The time that I lost": Power and the Process of Diagnosis for Women with Chronic Illnesses , Kaitlin Roquel Yeomans

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

What Does it Mean to be Deaf? Changing Meanings of Deafness, Communication Technology, and Beliefs about Normality in the US , Kathryn Elizabeth Burrows

Values of Young Adults in an Increasingly Secular World , Joseph Daniel Eichenlaub

Exploring "What Works" in Veterans Affairs Home-Based Primary Care , Elizabeth Catherine Hulen

Decolonizing Healthcare: a Black Feminist Analysis of Sisters Informing Sisters on Topics of AIDS (SISTA) , Joy Mutare Fashu Kanu

Reducing Transphobic Attitudes: a Cross-National Investigation of College Students in Japan and the United States , Kazusa Seko

The Digital Divide and Health: Examining Digital Access as a Social Determinant of Health , Elizabeth Melissa Withers

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Outsiders Within Inequality Regimes: a Sociological Framework to Advance the Lives of Women Veterans , Sarah Louise Aktepy

The Experience of Female Caregivers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , Nouf Albugami

Working From Home: Analyzing the Autonomy of App-Based Adult Content Creators , Jenna DePasquale

Smoking Behaviors in Patients Offered Lung Cancer Screening , Sara Elizabeth Golden

Transitioning into Conventional Housing: Narratives of Houseless Individuals , Joyce La Belle McNair

"Not 'Just' a Barista": the Story of Portland's College-Educated Baristas , Ned William Tilbrook

Exploring How Community College Transfer Students Experience Connection in a Commuter University , Christa Michelle Zinke

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Understanding the Politicization of Oromo Identity in the Diaspora: Re/ Locating the Bones of the Oromo , Madeline Jaye Bass

Radical Doulas Make "Caring a Political Act": Full-spectrum Birthwork as Reproductive Justice Activism , JaDee Yvonne Carathers

Concerted Cultivation, Academic Achievement, and the Mediating Role of Non-Cognitive Factors , Bryant Carlson

Convivial Clothing: Engagement with Decommodified Fashion in Portland, OR , Sarah Guldenbrein

Closure or Censure? Examining the Determinants of Disclosure of Sexual Assault Among College Students , Whitney Head-Burgess

Gender and the Voir Dire Process , Tasha Ann Lane

"What About the Men? Investigating Alcohol Consumption, Masculinities, and Risky Sex in Peri-Urban Eswatini , Aaron Jackson Levine

An Investigation of the Impact of High School Student Fine Arts Course Accumulation on Mathematics Course Achievement , Daniel Mackin Freeman

The Influence of Age at Migration on Criminal Offending Among Foreign-Born Immigrants , Omar Melchor-Ayala

Evaluating the Utility of Theories of Social Integration in Understanding Areal Suicide Rates in the United States , Nathan Finch Parsons

Reproduciendo Otros Mundos : Indigenous Women's Struggles Against Neo-Extractivism and the Bolivian State , Gisela Victoria Rodriguez Fernandez

Racial Disparities in a State Based Workers' Compensation System , Caroline Kristine Smith

Family, School, and Forms of Capital , Sonja Taylor

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Who Am I? Criminal Social Identity as a Mediator in the Relationship between Criminal Peers and Criminal Attitudes within a Sample of Probationers/Parolees , Quinton Thomas Alexander

Finding Common Ground: Relationship Building and Communication between PO and Client within a Community Supervision Setting , Carl Eugene Appleton

White Space, Black Space: Community Gardens in Portland, Oregon , David Ross Billings Jr.

Selling Protest in the News? Movement-Media Framing of Occupations: an Exploratory Study , Andrew David Butz

"Tindersluts" & "Tinderellas:" Examining Young Women's Construction and Negotiation of Modern Sexual Scripts within a Digital Hookup Culture , MacKenzie A. Christensen

The Gender Gap in Postsecondary Enrollment Intentions: the Mediating Role of Student Attitudes and Behaviors , Paul J. Deppen III

The Dispute Over the Commons: Seed and Food Sovereignty as Decommodification in Chiapas, Mexico , Carol Frances Hernández Rodríguez

Reconciling the Opportunities and Obstacles of Motherhood Following Corrections Involvement , Summer Brooke Newell

Exiters of Religious Fundamentalism: Reconstruction of Identity, Social Relationships and Support, and Meaning Related to Well-Being , Andreea Alexandra Nica

Representations of Feminist Theory and Gender Issues in Introductory-Level Sociology Textbooks , Jena Amber Zarza

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Framing Homelessness as Crisis: A Comparative Content Analysis of Local Media Reports on Portland's Tent Cities , Katrien Cokeley

Stereotype Threat and Effects of Students' Perception of Their Math Teacher's Fairness on Their Math Self-Efficacy , Alexis Jocelyn DeVigal

The Efficacy of Virtual Protest: Linking Digital Tactics to Outcomes in Activist Campaigns , Rina Lynne James

Living Between Worlds: Arrival and Adjustment Experiences of the Somali Community in Portland, Oregon , Neil A. Panchmatia

"Neither of the Boxes": Accounting for Non-Binary Gender Identities , Erin Patricia Savoia

Contexts of Reception and Constructions of Islam: Second Generation Muslim Immigrants in Post-9/11 America , Shahriyar Smith

"Are We Building Biking Solidarity": Gendered, Racial, and Spatial Barriers to Bicycling in Portland, Oregon , Kyla Jean Tompkins

When You Aren't Who Your Friends Are: the Moderating Influence of Racial Similarity on the Association Between Friendships and Mental Well-Being , Philip Tostado

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

Inequality, Position, and Perception: Understanding and Addressing Workplace Harassment in Oregon's Construction Trades , Sasha Mae Bassett

Local Approaches to Regional Problems: Suburban Government Responses to Portland's Regional Housing Crisis , Emma Deppa

Examining Generational and Gender Differences in Parent-Young Adult Child Relationships During Co-residence , Lauren Elizabeth Ferguson

The Use of Anti-Bullying Policies to Protect LGBT Youth: Teacher and Administrator Perspectives on Policy Implementation , Michelle Lauren Holliday

Does the School Day Matter? The Association Between Adolescent School Attachment and Involvement and Adult Criminal Behavior , Madeline O'Neil

On Both Sides of the Tracks: Light Rail and Gentrification in Portland, Oregon , Nathan Eric Rochester

Transgender Patients' Experiences of Discrimination at Mental Health Clinics , Corrine Ann Stocking

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Does Gender Matter? Human Elephant Conflict in Sri Lanka: A Gendered Analysis of Human Elephant Conflict and Natural Resource Management in a Rural Sri Lankan Village , Katherine Eileen Griffin

Staying on Script: Sexual Scripts and Sex Education , Elizabeth Carol Hauck

Activist Doctors: Explaining Physician Activism in the Oregon Movement for Single-Payer Healthcare , Jennifer Cullen Loomis

Gender Difference in Working Parents' Perceptions of Work/Family Conflict and the Role of Occupational Prestige , Heather Kirsten McCabe

Democratizing the City Through the Colonization of Public Space: A Case Study of Portland Food Not Bombs , Trent Adam Saari

Use of Role and Power in Parent-Teacher Relationships: Perceptions from the Parent Perspective , Sonja Taylor

Therapy and the Nontraditional Transgender Narrative , Dylan Ellingson Waller

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Gender and Prescription Painkiller Misuse: Findings from the 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health , Robin Jo Clough

Illuminating the Experiences of Single Fathers , Heidi Rosa Esbensen

Mediating Academic Success: Race, Class, Gender and Community College Persistence , Schaylee Marie Esparza

Victimization, Separatism and Anti-intellectualism: An Empirical Analysis of John McWhorter's Theory on African American's Low Academic Performance , Marlon DeWayne Marion

Trauma-Informed Research and Planning: Understanding Government and Urban Native Community Partnerships to Addressing Substance-Exposed Pregnancies in Portland, OR , Amanda Mercier

Socio-spatial Transformation and Contested Space at the Street Level in Latin America: The Case of Cali, Colombia , Maria Janeth Mosquera Becerra

Beyond the McNair Program: A Comparative Study of McNair Scholars' Understandings of the Impacts of Program Participation on their Graduate School Experiences , Cristina Restad

The Impact of Documentation Status on the Educational Attainment Experiences of Undocumented Hispanic/Latino Students , Brittanie Alexandria Roberts

Racism, Heterosexism, Depression, and HIV Risk Behaviors of Native Men Who Have Sex With Men: Findings from the HONOR Project , Matthew Alan Town

"But There's a Black History Month": A Content Analysis of Ideological Framing and Presentation in White Nationalist Publications , Dylan Tomas Waite

Cultivating Common Ground? A Case Study of a Community Garden Organization in Northeast Portland, Oregon , Bryan James Zinschlag

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

First-Generation Latinos at Pacific Northwest University: Their Adjustment and Experience during Freshman Year , Marco Antonio Aguirre

"We don't have any of those:" Looking for leaders in the horizontal structure of Occupy Portland , Aaron Martin Bach

Queer! Narratives of Gendered Sexuality: A Journey in Identity , Kym Bradley

The Effects of Race, Socioeconomic Status, and Religion on Formal End-of-Life Planning , Tina Dawn Lillian Burdsall

I'm Not Gonna Be Like That Guy: Exploring the Montana Meth Project Through the Eyes of That Guy , Jaysen Nicole Ferestad

A New Low in Getting High: Illegal Drug Use and Crime , Erica Jean Ferrelli

The Use of Music as a Pedagogical Tool in Higher Education Sociology Courses: Faculty Member Perspectives and Potential Barriers , Jerry C.L. Loveless

Division of Labor within the Household: The Experience of Bosnian Immigrant Women in Portland, Oregon , Miro Paljevic

Can Cross-Race Mentoring Help Minority Students and Break Down Prejudice? Mentoring Experiences in Higher Education , Jennifer Brooke Rainer

From College to Career: Understanding First Generation and Traditional Community College Transfer Students' Major and Career Choices , Jeff Scott Shelton

Learning to Adapt: Online Social Science Instruction in Higher Education , Patrick Steven Smith

The Economic Impact of Veteran Status: The Effect of Veteran and Demographic Statuses on Household Income , Danielle Standridge

"Game Over" for the Climate: The Keystone XL Pipeline on TV News , Elisabeth Wilder

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

Assessing Environmental Inequality in Portland, Oregon: An Exploration of Local Environmental Justice Struggles , Jordan Douglas Folks

Atheist Scripts in a Nation of Religiosity: Identity Politics within the Atheist Movement , Jacqueline Frost

Understanding the Role of Patient Activation in the Association between Patient Socio-Economic Demographics and Patient Experience , Katsuya Oi

Gendering Gardasil: Framing Gender and Sexuality in Media Representations of the HPV Vaccine , Maura Kathleen Pisciotta

Understanding Sand Mining on the Maha Oya: The Conflict Between Economic and Environmental Survival , Meredith Corea Talbert

Advanced Search

• Notify me via email or RSS
• Featured Collections
• All Authors
• Schools & Colleges
• Dissertations & Theses
• PDXOpen Textbooks
• Conferences
• Collections
• Disciplines
• Faculty Expert Gallery
• Submit Research
• Faculty Profiles
• Terms of Use
• Feedback Form

Home | About | My Account | Accessibility Statement | Portland State University

Privacy Copyright

Home > FACULTIES > Sociology > SOCIOLOGY-ETD

Sociology Theses and Dissertations

This collection contains theses and dissertations from the Department of Sociology, collected from the Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Theses/Dissertations from 2024 2024

Three Studies on Patterns of Educational Stratification Over Time, Across, and Within Cohorts in Canada and the United States , Stephen Sartor

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

Mathematics Self-Efficacy and its Relation to STEM Education , Shahar Dangur-Levy

Disengaged or Differently Engaged? Students’ Motivations, Expectations, and Engagement in the Multi-Expectational Undergraduate Experience , Clifford Davidson

The World Awaits! An Audit Study Measuring Employment Outcomes of Study Exchanges , Katelyn Mitri

Examining long-term change in employment across men’s and women’s life course using the PSID: Employment stability, multiple jobholding, and women’s labour force participation , Vesna Pajovic

Finding Azadi: South Asian Canadian Women’s Experiences of Sexual Well-Being , Syna Thakur

Matters of Measurement: Investigating the Universal Welfare State , Kaitlin Pauline Wannamaker

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

The Impact of COVID-19 on Undergraduate University Students with Part-Time Jobs , Miguel F. Bernard Bravo

Canadian Social Assistance & Poverty Trends , Elena I. Draghici

The Places We'll Go: Rural Migration in Canada , Lindsay Finlay

Introducing the social-ecological model of cyberbullying and uncovering post-secondary students’ perceptions of cyberbullying through interviews with young adults , Molly-Gloria R. Harper

Prosumer Capitalism: The Meanings and Motivations for Working in the Platform Economy , Lyn N. Hoang

The Links Between a Postsecondary Education and Adult Health Behaviors , Anthony Jehn

The Spatial Concentration, Stability, and Specialization of Mental Health Calls for Service: Evidence in Support of Proactive, Place-Based Interventions , Jacek Koziarski

Predicting Education-Job Mismatch and Its Consequences for A Cohort of American Workers , Emily J. Orr

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

“Act Surprised, Show Concern, Deny, Deny, Deny:” An Intersectional Analysis of Police Culture, Institutional Betrayal, and Upholding the Status Quo in Canadian Policing , Lesley J. Bikos

Changing the narrative from the inside: A look at how strength and narrative based service delivery can function as a space of resistance for Indigenous women , Jennifer Elgie

Neoliberalism, Race and Empowerment: A Study of Microenterprise Programs in Toronto and Los Angeles , Julie N. Young

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

The Social Construction of the Chinese by Canada , Anna Chen

Professional gaming and work: Challenges, trajectories, and labour market impacts amongst professional gamers , Michael Haight

Hiding in plain sight: A mixed methods analysis of older adults who are reported missing in two Canadian cities , Larissa Kowalski

No Future , Matthew Lomas

Organizational Change, Work Conditions and Professional Learning, a Case Study of Nurses in Ontario , Elise McClenaghan

Hegemonic Masculinity and the Ideal Male Hockey Player: The Constructions of NHL Injuries in Popular Canadian Newspapers, 2016-2017 , Rachelle Miele

Gender and Sexuality-Based Bullying: Student Experiences and Educator Responses , Elizabeth Torrens

Free Public Transit and the Right to the City , Ari Vangeest

Post-secondary Education (PSE) Indigenous Students' Perspectives: Sharing Our Voices on How We Fit into Residential School (RS) History of Canada and the United States Using Photovoice , Natahnee Winder

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Capturing the Diversity within Canadian Families , Kathya Aathavan

Resignation or Resistance? Examining the Digital Privacy Attitudes and Behaviours of East Yorkers , Kaitlyn Cavacas

Living Alone: Five Decades of Change, and Its Implications for Health , Xiangnan Chai

Forms of Capital in Immigrants’ Social and Economic Integration , Georgina Chuatico

Critical Urban Renewal: A Theoretical Construct and Case Study , Michael Courey

"A Deadly Game of Russian Roulette": Exploring the Framing of The Opioid Crisis in Canadian News Media , Lorna Ferguson

Factors Affecting Resistance and Receptivity to Evidence-based Policing Practices in Canada , Hina Jawaid Kalyal

Examining the role of integration experiences in shaping immigrants’ post-migration food choices and eating practices in Ontario, Canada , Eunjeong Eugena Kwon

The Canadian Urban - Rural Health Disparity: The Role of Health Lifestyles and an Alternative Explanation for Rurality's Higher BMI Rates , Matthew J. Stackhouse

Constructions of Learning Disabilities within Contemporary Canadian Society: Discourse, Biopower and Governmentality , Bea Waterfield

Rethinking Gentrification and Eviction in Toronto: Are Homes Still Built for Living? , Keefer Wong

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Ideology of Multiculturalism as a Double-Edged Sword: Second-Generation of Black Jamaicans and Dark-White Portuguese , Esra Ari

Student Perceptions of the Context of Mass Higher Education , Caitlin Burd

Symbolic and Material Justice: The Case of Displaced Persons in Chocó, Colombia , Allison Cordoba

Opportunity, Constraint, and Capital in Canadian Ice Hockey , Andrew English

Cumulative Childhood Adversity and Disparities in Adult Psychological Distress and Educational Attainment , Loanna Heidinger

Ideology Over Evidence? The Place of Values Within the Safe Streets and Communities Act , Alyssa Holden

Transgender YouTubers and the Power of Coming Out: Existentialism, Gender Performance, and Self-Actualization , Meghan Miller

Accessing Healthcare in Ontario: Influences on Utilization Among Asian Immigrant Women , Gwynne Ng

"Mine" or "Ours": Property and Moral Reasoning , Robert J. Nonomura

The Economic Integration of LGB Immigrants: The Role of Social Relationships , Sagi Ramaj

Oral health, dental insurance coverage, and preventive dental care utilization: The case of immigrants in Canada , Yujiro Sano

Nationalism and Sovereignty in Niue, the Cook Islands, Fiji and Hawai‘i , Craig Spurrier

Canadians Misbehaving: A Quantitative Analysis of the Factors Contributing to Perceived Frequency of Organizational Misbehaviour by Employees and Employers , Brendan S.J. Watts

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Toward an Inclusive Islamic Identity? A Study of First- and Second-Generation Muslims in Canada , Aisha Birani

Dads and Dyads: stress and coping when a child has Retinoblastoma , Rob Downie

'The environment says it's okay': The tension between peer support and police culture , Cindy Hohner

Criminal Justice Theories and Variations in Legal Decisions Across Youth Justice Acts , Brenda Kobayashi

"I Feel Like I Just Need To Be More Careful, You Know?": Gay And Bisexual Post-Secondary Students Contemplate The Job Market , Kyle Carmelo Militello

The retention of international students to their place of study upon permanent resident status , Sonia P. Nguyen

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

A Critical Examination of Immigrant Integration: Experiences of Immigrants from Turkey to Canada , Guliz Akkaymak

Transnational Engagement and Immigrants’ Well-Being in Canada , Jonathan Anim Amoyaw

School–Work Transitions among Second-Generation Immigrants , Awish Aslam

An Examination of the Emergence of the Queer Figure in North American Culture Using a Queer Marxist Theoretical Framework , Jade C.R. Da Costa

Gender and Health Over the Life Course: Temporal, Contextual, and Intersectional Considerations , Nicole Etherington

Social Connectedness, Social Support and the Health of Older Adults: A Comparison of Immigrant and Native-born Canadians , Natalie Iciaszczyk

"Support for sisters please": Comparing the Online Roles of al-Qaeda Women and their Islamic State Counterparts , Hillary Peladeau

Representations of Youth Crime in Canada: A Feminist Criminological Analysis of Statistical Trends, National Canadian Newspapers, and Moral Panics , Jennifer Silcox

Victimization, Stress, and Psychological Well-being: An Analysis of the 2009 Canadian Victimization Survey , Bryce E. Stoliker

“Follow Me So I Can DM You Back”: An Exploratory Analysis of a Female Pro- ISIS Twitter Network , Joseph A. Varanese

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Physical and Digital Disengagement Behaviours in the University Classroom , Emily M. Alexander

Looking to the Future: Considering the Educational Transitions of Deaf Youth in Ontario , Kaitlyn A.W. Blair

Exploring the Career Pathways, Professional Integration and Lived Experiences of Regulated Nurses in Ontario, Canada , Godfred O. Boateng

The Social Costs of Industrial Growth in the Sub-Arctic Regions of "Canada" , Caylee T. Cody

Children's Mental Health over the Early Life Course: The Impact of Economic Resources, Neighborhood Disorder, and Family Processes , Jinette M. Comeau

The Demographic Links Between the 1890 and 1918 Influenza Pandemics in Ontario , Stacey A. Hallman

Are White Collar Criminals Exceptional? , Jordan Harel

The Value of Postsecondary Education: Human Capital Theory in Ontario's Postsecondary Education Discourse 1962 - 2005 , Adam M. Jog

Cyber-Psychopathy: Examining the Relationship between Dark E-Personality and Online Misconduct , Andrew D. Nevin

Internal Migration, Networks and Gender Roles among Domestic Workers in Vietnam , Van Nguyen

The Influence of Parenting Style and Perceived Mattering on Identity Style Orientation , Rebecca L. Williams

Early Adult Transitions in Canada: Expectations, Stability and Change , Laura Wright

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Children's Mental Health , Yvonne A. Asare-Bediako

Policing Cyber Bullying: How Parents, Educators, and Law Enforcement Respond to Digital Harassment , Ryan Broll

Dowsing for Potential Temporary Autonomous Zones: A Psychotopology of the Alternative Lifestyles of Nomadic Artisans in Mexico , Annaliese M. Pope

Pathways to mental health in young adulthood and beyond: The long-term effects of childhood experiences expressed through self-esteem , Haosen Sun

Examining Contextual Factors and Resilience in Adolescents who Faced Adversity as Children , Veronica Zapotoczny

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Abortion and Crime in Canada: A Test of the BMDL Hypothesis , Timothy Kang

Cracking Down on Exotic Dancers: How the Act, the Media and Interest Groups Frame Human Trafficking Policy in Canada , Leanne E. Kuchynski

Who Produces Urban Space?: Gentrification and Contestations Over Urban 'Authenticity' , Daniel Kudla

Negotiating Elder Care in a Transnational Context: Taiwanese Families and Vietnamese Migrant Workers , Stephen Lin

Selected Cases on the Continuum of First Nations Learning , Julie Peters

Family Structure and Children's Socioeconomic Attainment in the Transition to Adulthood , Jamie Seabrook

Return to Work After Retirement: Contributing Factors and Health Implications , Jason Settels

A Mile In My Shoes: A Prolegomenon for an Empathic Sociology , Hart J. Walker

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

A Taste for Distinction: Food Representations in Popular Canadian Magazines , Rory A. Davis

"Proving Yourself" in the Canadian Medical Profession: Gender and the Experiences of Foreign-trained Doctors in Medical Practices , Vanessa Noelle Dolishny

The Transformation of Conjugal Partnerships: Union Transitions and Trajectories in Canada , Ching Jiangqin Du

Identity Formation and Acculturation: The Case of Karen Refugees in London, Ontario , Secil Erdogan

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and the Social Determinants of Aboriginal Peoples’ Health: A Case Study of First Nations Women’s Resilience, Resistance, and Renewal , Julie A. George

Do women engage in self-protection because of violence generally or sexual violence specifically? An analysis based on the 2009 General Social Survey , Pamela R. Glatt

Flexible Workplace Practices in Small IT Firms: A Multiple Case Study , Catherine E. Gordon

Ascertaining the Impact of Relativism on Moral Reasoning , Claire B. Henderson

• Accessible Formats

Advanced Search

• Notify me via email or RSS
• Expert Gallery
• Online Journals
• eBook Collections
• Reports and Working Papers
• Conferences and Symposiums
• Electronic Theses and Dissertations
• Digitized Special Collections
• All Collections
• Disciplines

Author Corner

• Submit Thesis/Dissertation

Home | About | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement | Privacy | Copyright

©1878 - 2016 Western University

• Utility Menu

Sociology Senior Thesis Writer's Workshop

Senior Thesis Components

Writing with sources.

For all your writing, please check out the  Harvard Guide to Writing with Sources  and follow ASA Style .

Prospectus and Statement of Intent

Example: Statement of Intent

Here are two sample statements of intent. The files here correspond to the sample prospectuses found below.

Statement of Intent #1

Statement of Intent #2

Example: Prospectus

Here are two sample prospectuses from past students. Note that these are samples only to be used to help you write the prospectus and all details of your specific project must be approved by your advisor.

Sample Prospectus #1

Sample Prospectus #2

Introduction

Examples: Introductory Chapters

Here are two sample introductory chapters. Intro #2 combines a brief literature review with an introduction, as it was appropriate to the project. Intro #1 is a more distinct introductory chapter and does not include much literature, instead saving that for a lit review chapter.

Annotated Intro

Literature Review

How to Write a Lit Review

Christy Ley (2013 DWF) - The Thesis Writing Process and Literature Review

Ann Owens - Notes on the Literature Review

Lit Review Web Resources

Kathleen Sheehan is the Sociology department library liaison, and she is happy to help if you are having trouble doing your library research. Contact Kathleen directly at  [email protected] .

How to Write a Literature Review (UCSC)

Review of Literature (Univ of Wisconsin)

The Literature Review (Deakin University)

The Literature Review--A Few Tips on Conducting It (University of Toronto)

Examples: Lit Reviews

Lit Review #1 corresponds to Intro #1 and Interview Guide #1 so you can see how the pieces fit together.

Annotated Lit Review

Lit Review #1

Lit Review #2

Data and Methods

Data Collection: Sampling, Interviewing, and Survey Methods

Eva Rosen's Presentation on Interviewing

Mario Small: Lost in Translation . This is a great (and short) article by Mario Luis Small to help you think about sampling issues, particularly for qualitative work.

Survey Research Resources

Writing Your Thesis Methods and Results

Examples: Instruments

Sample Surveys

Sample Interview Guides

Interview Guide #1

Interview Guide #2

Examples: Data and Methods Chapters

Annotated Methods

Methods #1 . This is quantitative and may be more technical than many senior theses

Methods #2 . This is an interview-based study.

Examples: Results Chapters

Annotated Results 1

Annotated Results 2

Results 1 . This is from a mixed-methods thesis. The quantitative portion may be more technical than most theses. (Corresponds to Methods 1)

Results 2 . This is from a qualitative thesis. The first results chapter includes some basic quantitative description. (Corresponds to Methods 2)

Discussion and Conclusion

Examples: Conclusions

Annotated Conclusion

Conclusion 1

Conclusion 2

Data Analysis Tools

Eva's Atlas.ti Workshop

Atlas.ti 5.0 Manual

Eva's 10/4 and 10/12 Workshop notes

Example: Coding Scheme

Coding Scheme #1

For Qualitative Research:

Guide to the Basics of Atlas.ti

Overview of Atlas.ti

For Quantitative Research:

UCLA Stata Site

IQSS Training Courses

Revising and Polishing

Revising and Polishing Your Thesis

• Everyday Sociology
• Symbolic Interactionism
• Sociology of Crime & Deviance
• Sociology of Disability
• Sociology of Education
• Sociology of Family
• Sociology of Body & Health
• Sociology of Identity
• Sociology of Inequalities
• Sociology of Media
• Sociology of Power
• Sociology of Race & Ethnicity
• Sociology of Religion
• Sociology of Sexuality & Gender
• Sociology of Social Exclusion
• Sociology of Social Movements
• Sociology of Stratification
• Sociology of Technology
• Sociology of Work
• Research Methods
• Guides & How To’s
• Bibliographies
• Conferences & Events
• The Interlocutor
• How to Use This Site
• Write For Us

Undergraduate Dissertation Example (Including Feedback)

Image by Racool_studio on Freepik

As part of your sociology undergraduate course, you will most likely be expected to sit a dissertation module. For many, the dissertation may be a major source of worry particularly as it is probably the first time they have ever had to write one. The requirement to complete such a large piece of work can be daunting, especially given that a dissertation can be 6,000+ words. Some institutions allow for students to complete fieldwork in relation to their dissertation but many students either do not have the option to do so or prefer to forego the field research to concentrate on a purely theoretical exploration of a topic.

The following example is my own actual undergraduate dissertation. It is a number of years old now but rather than have it sit in a digital vault never to be seen again, I thought I would utilise it as an example for other people. Hopefully, it may offer some insight into how to do one. This dissertation scored 80+/100 making it a mid-first. It is copied verbatim and so includes any mistakes, errors, inaccuracies, or other issues as contained at the time of submission. It also includes the feedback I received after marking which will also give you insight into some of the comments you might receive. Needless to say, it is quite a long read at nearly 6400 words (not including appendices). It is ordered as follows:

Introduction

Methodology, bibliography.

Has this article helped you in any way? Has it given you information that you found difficult to find? Has it contributed to your research needs? Then please consider giving something back. We rely on contributions from readers such as yourself so if we have helped you in any way, please consider buying us a coffee over at Ko-Fi.

Locating Contemporary U.S. Sources of Venezuelan Social Divisions

“Any nation’s right to form a government and an economic system of its own choosing is inalienable. Any nation’s attempt to dictate to other nations their form of government is indefensible.” Dwight D. Eisenhower – 34 th President of the United States of America

Venezuela is a country with large swathes of outstanding natural beauty, where the people are considered as some of the most positive people globally and have a community spirit even among those in the extensive Barrios of Caracas, the largest slum in Latin America outside of Rio (Power, 2007: 123; Clifton, 2012). It is also rich in the natural resources of oil and minable elements such as Gold (Rosales, 2019; Monaldi, 2015; Stronen, 2017). Venezuela is known for its deeply nationalist mindset and places great esteem on its historical figures such as Simón Bolívar who is widely considered as the emancipator of Latin America from Spanish colonial rule (Chávez, 2009: vii). Its borders are shared with Colombia, Brazil and Guyana and its landscape is dominated by deep forest including its own share of Amazon rainforest (Salas, 2015: 2). From the democratic election of Hugo Chávez in 1998 to his death in 2013, Venezuela experienced significant social investment after Chávez nationalised Venezuelan oil and redistributed profit (Bistoletti, 2019: 68). The redistribution facilitated one of the most comprehensive education programs in the world which almost eliminated illiteracy (Bruce, 2008: 11). Additionally, free healthcare was provided to Venezuelans with the assistance of Cuba leading to a medical model which became the envy of even the most developed countries, and which simultaneously sought to expand humanitarian focused healthcare across Latin America (Brouwer, 2011: 18, 56). Furthermore, sharp rises in living standards for the poor and middle classes were evidenced (Ystanes, 2018: 42; Pantoulas & McCoy, 2019: 396). Today, Venezuela in 2020, under Nicolás Maduro, Hugo Chávez’s successor, is experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises in history with over 4 million people having fled the country (UN News, 2019). Those who have not fled are subjected to hyper-inflation making basic goods unaffordable (Friedman, 2017; Friesen, 2018). The poverty rate now stands at 87% (Espana & Ponce, 2017), health services and medicine supplies have evaporated (Trejos, 2017; Rhodes & Valencia, 2019), supermarket shelves are empty (McGonigal & Cook, 2019; Rosati, 2018) and violent crime is uncontained (Leon, 2020: 1). It will be argued that the Venezuelan situation is not a coincidence but, rather, outcomes-in-flux deriving from US actions.

The US’ position as a dominant, semi-hegemonic power on the world economy synchronised with its bullish character derived from American exceptionalist belief and its heavy militarist inclinations facilitate the ability to be uniquely influential globally (Connor, 2020; Restad, 2014). Furthermore, the US is heavily corporatized with US corporations commanding many of the top companies globally including in the oil, health, media and arms sectors (SIPRI, 2019; Palmer, 2019; Muspratt, 2019; O’Reilly, 2016). Historically, the US has been involved in, either overtly or covertly, with or without military intervention, many regime changes globally with the aim of installing leaders favourable to US state and corporate interests (Appendix A). From the 1940’s onwards, these became more frequent and heavily focused on Latin America and the Middle East. By framing US interference in Venezuela within the loci of US geo-economics, neo-imperialism, neo-colonialism and neoliberalism as prescribed by the ‘Washington Consensus’ (Appendix B), it presents a lens through which to understand contemporary social divisions in Venezuela. Focusing on historical US behaviour globally, the aim of this paper is three-fold: to form a coherent four-point modus operandi with which the US attempts to perform neo-colonial and neo-imperialist actions to implement neoliberal globalist ideological hegemony onto other nation states; to use this modus operandi to locate the current severe economic, social and political situation in Venezuela with US origins; and to demonstrate the resulting social divisions in Venezuela. The volume of US actions globally which can be framed in this way is so significant that it is far beyond the scope of this paper thus a select number will be drawn upon to exemplify US behaviour and construct evidence for the current Venezuelan situation.

To establish a body of evidence for historical US behaviour it was necessary to review wide-ranging literature including books, journals, web pages and leaked documents to piece together where, when and how the US behaves towards other nation states. Forming a rough timeline of events, it was possible to isolate a relevant starting point for modern geo-economic and neo-colonial interference and establish US targeted countries. Further analysis was applied to determine what types of behaviour were typical and a pattern quickly emerged. From analysing these patterns, coincidence was found with nations which have formerly been, have been converted to, or have been targeted for, neoliberalism or neoliberalisation. Applying various related terms to in-text mass document searches revealed significant evidence, much beyond the scope of this paper, which could be drawn upon providing enough evidence to establish US historical behaviours. These behaviours were then considered through the lens of the current situation in Venezuela through analysing media, academic and NGO reports, making it possible to connect Venezuela’s crisis with US behaviour. As the situation still continues at time of writing, academic works and books are not readily available thus there is a reliance on news media to view current effects on social divisions. Attempts to circumvent this limitation, however, were made by considering not only mainstream corporate media, but smaller, independent and state news media for balance.

Exploring Historical U.S. Behaviour

In 1908, Britain discovered oil in Iran and subsequently took control of the industry under the name ‘Anglo-Persian Oil Company’ whilst syphoning the majority of profits (Bayandor, 2010: 12). In 1953, the US, at the behest of Britain, launched a coup d’état after the then democratically elected Prime Minister, Mohammad Mossadegh, nationalised Iranian oil removing what Mossadegh called the British “network of colonialism” from Iran (Blum, 2003: 63-71; Petherick, 2006: 82; Bayandor, 2010; Weiner, 2007:  81-92; Gasiorowski, 2004). Numerous techniques were employed by the CIA in the precursory stages: bribing media to print anti-Mossadegh propaganda, funding of pro and anti-Mossadegh mobs to instigate street violence, economic boycotts of Iranian oil, and bribery of military and religious leaders (Blum, 2003: 64, 67; Zepezauer, 1994: no pagination ; Snider, 2009: 274; Weiner, 2007: 86). These precursory actions assisted in destabilising Mossadegh’s leadership allowing the Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, to take supreme rulership after the coup and reopen Iranian oil to US corporations (Harvey, 2010: 110). Subsequently, backed by US finance, the Shah founded SAVAK, a secretive police force which went on to become a violent repressive state apparatus and simultaneously cemented the US’ reputation for imperialist and colonialist interference in the middle east (Abrahamian, 1982: 419; Trento, 2005: 56). The tactics used in Iran became the blueprint for many future colonial manoeuvres including Syria 1956-58 and Costa Rica throughout the 1950’s (Yaqub, 2004; Blum, 2004: 82-84). The Iranian example outlines the US’ 4-point modus operandi : destabilisation, ousting of leader, installation of US aligned leader and finally colonisation. These will now be examined in more detail.

From 1970, with orders from US president Nixon to “make the economy scream”, the CIA worked to overthrow Chilean socialist president, Salvador Allende (Kornbluh, 2004: 1-2). Of primary focus was geo-economics, defined by Wigell (2016: 137) as “the geostrategic use of economic power”, for the purpose of destabilisation which, itself, can come in many guises. For Chile, geo-economically, this was limited to CIA backed strikes (Golinger, 2006: 102; Muñoz, 2008: 36), cuts to foreign aid (Eyler, 2008: 174-175) and pressuring US companies with Chilean operations to divest (Kornbluh, 2004: 18). However, drawing more widely upon US behaviour we see Cuba subjected to sanctions of trade and travel bans (LeoGrande, 2015: 940; Gabilondo, 2017: 52), Haiti the freezing of national assets (Staibano, 2005: 41), and Nicaragua the blocking of loans (Bothmann, 2015: 90). Whilst occasionally sanctions can be a positive move, on arms for example (Farrall, 2007: 110), they are often weaponised to prevent supplies entering a country and to disrupt vital imports such as medicine, food, and oil (Rendon & Price, 2019; Venezuela Under Sanctions, 2019). The media can also play a crucial role in destabilisation. Utilising smear campaigns, disinformation and accusations against leaders within the target country, the US manipulates public opinion both in the US and the target country. Often, significant mainstream news propaganda in support of, or uncritical of, US foreign policy or favouritism towards US corporations is disseminated concurrently (Cabellero, 2018: 241; Brouwer, 2011: 203, Bennett, 1990). The campaign against Guatemala’s Jacobo Arbenz in 1954 by the US in light of Arbenz’ attempt to expropriate and nationalise Guatemalan land from US corporation ‘United Fruit Company’ used such a media campaign. Tales of Guatemalan communist training camps were published whilst United Fruit Company Guatemalan policy was heavily praised despite significant human rights abuses (Schlesinger et al., 2005: 88-89; Colby, 2011). Furthermore, many media outlets are subsidised by CIA funds with media propaganda absorbing up to 29% of CIA budget and can be aimed at dissolving a leaders’ legitimacy often by promoting a rival or through disinformation campaigns disseminating US refusals to acknowledge the democratically elected leader (Blum, 2003: 104). In addition to geo-economic and media methods of destabilisation, incitement of street violence also features regularly. US backed protests in Nicaragua since 2014 paralysed the country after an injection of millions of dollars of US funding to promote ‘democracy’ (Luna et al., 2019: 177-179) as well as in Japan post-world war II where the US funded ultra-nationalist and Yakuza mobs to combat the rise of leftism (Kaplan, 2012: 44).

For Chile, the aim of destabilisation was to oust Allende before he could implement a socialist system which would lead to nationalisation of US investments (Qureshi, 2009: xii). This was successfully achieved in 1973 when Allende was overthrown in a coup d’état (Girardi & Bowles, 2018: 16). Coup d’état’s are the most common form of forcibly ousting a leader from power whether by the US directly such as Grenada in 1983 or, as is more often the case, a US backed assault such as Nicaragua and Vietnam 1969-70 (Manning, 2011: 727; Hybel & Flecke, 2014: 17-54; Blum, 2003: 290-304). Either way, the premise is to install a leader favourable to US state and corporate interests (Harvey, 2007: 151). General Pinochet’s installation as military dictator in Chile after the coup against Allende signified the end of Latin America’s longest democracy and began a new era of dictatorship not only in Chile but across Latin America (Dinges, 2004: 2-3). Argentina’s Isabel Martínez de Perón was ousted in favour of US backed Jorge Rafael Videla (Lutz, 2008: 148); Guatemala’s Jacobo Arbenz for Carlos Castillo Armas, the first of a line of US backed Guatemalan dictators (Baldwin, 2008: 49); and Brazil’s João Goulart for Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco (Hecht, 2010: 113). This tactic however commonly ends with violent and repressive outcomes. The backing of Pinochet led to 3000 known deaths, torture and displacing over one million people (Horvitz, 2006: 78; Lazzara, 2011; Dinges, 2004); Armas and subsequent Guatemalan dictators led to hundreds of thousands of deaths in civilian massacres, genocide of Maya, concentration camps, bombing of civilians and civil war (Brett, 2016: 4; Doyle & Kornbluh, n.d.; Cullather, 1994; Schlesinger et al., 2005); Videla employed forced disappearances, torture and murder of 30,000 (Strier, 2014: 361-362; Arditti, 2002: 19; Horvitz, 2006: 22); and Branco opened up the Amazon rainforest to corporate investment and became the first in a line of ever more repressive Brazilian military rulers (Rosenbaum & Tyler, 1971: 422). Asides from the common penchant for murder and death, there exists a connection between each US backed leader and each ousted leader: the ousted leader is usually a leftist and democratically elected as is the case with Arbenz (Murphey, 2017: 32), Mossadegh (Armstrong, 2003: 77) and Goulart (Toussaint, 1999: 121); and each US backed leader is usually rightist and engages in political cleansing of leftists whether through death such as Pinochet and Videla (Kornbluh 2004: 164; Horvitz, 2006: 22) or dismantling of leftist policies as with Branco  (Dulles, 2007: 66). Perhaps to encapsulate the issue, John Foster Dulles, former US Secretary of State, once stated that Latin American dictators were “the only people we can depend on” (Westad, 2007: 148). Such a statement implies awareness of the level of unacceptability of US colonialist manoeuvres. However, the severity of the US opposition to leftist politics is of such significance that the US claimed in 1966 that in the event of a leftist election victory in Uruguay, a military invasion would be required ( ibid : 151). Thus, US behaviour is clear: violence is near-mandatory, and it forms the opportunity for neo-colonisation in the structural ashes of the overturned nation.

It is in the milieu of violence where the neo-colonial enrooting of the neoliberal model takes place. Nichols (2014: 454) defines neo-colonialism as the “means by which sovereignty extends outward and is then reterritorialized through continual internal reorganization…through containment, capture and divisive social organization”. Additionally, neoliberalism is a political corporatist ideology based upon free market economics, privatisation, deregulation, retrenchment of public welfare and services and dominance of capital over everyday lives (Brown, 2015: 28) whilst simultaneously “a form of governmentality…that can be identified as interventionist…deploying state-apparatuses…to govern society” (Madra & Adaman, 2018: 113). It is the ideology of the global capitalist class, structurally pre-planned and diametrically opposed to leftist ideals (Miller, 2010: 23). The military Juntas , a state apparatus in themselves, of Operation Condor, a US backed state terror operation precipitated through Pinochet and utilising numerous Latin American leaders, carried with them the limitless repressive violence of the neoliberal restructuring apparatus both economically and socially beginning with Chile and extending outwards (Watt, 2012: 116-117; Taylor, 2006: 1). Through mass killings and containment through imprisonment of leftists across Latin America, the US deployed neoliberalism via a neo-imperialist crusade. Neo-imperialism has been defined as “the objectless disposition on the part of a state to unlimited forcible expansion” (Schumpeter, 1919: 6) with the aim of “steal[ing] the wealth generated by the people…generated by the labour power of the worker” (Maddy, 2009: 2). Through the forcible spread of violence, countries of Latin America began to adopt the neoliberal ideology. Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Venezuela and Peru, for example, all underwent neoliberal restructuring (Huber & Solt, 2004: 153).  Restructuring is often shielded by the façade of a need for ‘democratisation’ within the target country due to its chaotic social and economic landscape (Watt, 2012: 117). In actuality, it is the reconfiguring of the social order both nationally and globally to align with neoliberal global capitalism (Robinson, 1997: 208). The idea of ‘democratisation’ is rendered invalid when drawing upon Chile, Iran, Guatemala and Uruguay as these were already democratic prior to US interference (Qureshi, 2009: 75; Petherick, 2006: 16; Valdes-Ugalde, 2014: 27; Shoman, 2010: 47). Before we turn our gaze towards today’s Venezuela, we can deeper analyse how neoliberalism infiltrated Venezuela historically through examining the application of the definitions of neo-colonialism and neo-imperialism using a specific and pivotal example: oil.

Venezuela has one of the largest oil reserves in the world which have consistently been at the forefront of social and political divisions and are Venezuela’s leading source of national income (Wilpert, 2007: 88; Salas, 2015: 73; Peet, 2009: 193). In 1958, the three major Venezuelan political parties formed a power sharing pact called ‘Punto Fijo’ which essentially created a political corporatist alliance to prevent any other candidate from being elected (Marsh, 2016: 52). During this time oil booms and oil busts came and went and in 1979 the economy began to decline for the next two decades causing poverty to increase from 17% in 1980 to 65% in 1996 (Wilpert, 2007: 13). In 1989 Venezuela implemented a neoliberal restructuring following the election of Carlos Andrés Pérez which became known as El Gran Viraje after Pérez requested ‘structural adjustment’ loans from the IMF to tackle the economic decline (Moreno & Shelton, 2014: 283; Brading, 2012: 47). The IMF is itself a US backed neoliberal finance institution whose loans are conditional based upon the prescription of the Washington Consensus (Babb & Kentikelenis, 2018: 18; Marangos, 2008: 227). It is neo-imperialist insofar as the loan conditions force the opening of, and deregulation of, markets allowing in US multinational corporations who, in turn, extract the wealth of both people and nation (D’Arista, 2002: 22; Dutta, 2015: 11-12, Beder, 2009; Chalfin, 2010: 168). Simultaneously, neoliberalism is the colonising ideology as it carries with it US corporatism and requires internal reconfiguration of both state and society to its structural rules (Hibben, 2016: 18). Much of the oil industry was infiltrated by US multinational oil corporations sympathetic to neoliberal corporate ideology with oil wealth mostly harboured by Venezuelan elite hiding behind the neoliberal rhetoric of the ‘trickle-down effect’, a theory which assumes that wealth creation at the top will eventually make its way down to the poorest (Ewell, 1984: 193; Peet, 2009: 192; Bistoletti, 2019: 79). As part of this reconfiguration, neoliberalism commands a two-tier social structure which necessarily supports the moral relativist notion that poverty is inevitable (Dorey, 2011: 5; Lazzarato, 2017: 39). By the overthrow of the neoliberal stranglehold in Venezuela when Hugo Chávez was elected in 1998, fiscally, the Elite 10% took 37% of national income compared to 0.9% for the poorest 10% (Peet, 2009: 192) demonstrating the corruption of ‘trickle-down’ theories. Looking still deeper into the Venezuelan oil industry, we can frame it not only within the notion of an ideological state apparatus as suggested in Madra & Adaman’s (2018: 113) definition of neoliberalism, but as a starting point for locating US sources of the current situation in Venezuela.

Using the Modus Operandi to Locate the Current Severe Economic, Social and Political Situation in Venezuela

The US modus operandi in Venezuela is wide ranging and complex and, as such, is beyond the purview of this work thus must be constrained to select examples. Following the establishing of the four-point modus operandi incorporating: destabilisation, ousting of leader, installation of US backed leader and neo-colonisation by neoliberal restructuring, we can utilise this to begin analysing today’s Venezuelan situation by considering Althusser’s (1971) notion of ideological state apparatuses (ISA’s) in the historicity of Venezuelan oil through to targeted destabilisation today. Althusser (1971: 145) conceptualises ISA’s as a vehicle for ideological dissemination. Dissemination occurs through religion, education, media and politics which transmit the values and attitudes expected by capitalism (Cole, 2008: 83; Wright & Roberts, 2013). Althusser (1971: 145) also conceptualises the ‘repressive state apparatus’ (RSA) which incorporates violence and control through military, prisons and policing in order to maintain capitalist power (Cole, 2008: 83; Althusser, 1971: 144-145). ISA’s still contain an element of repression although this is often covert, and RSA’s still maintain the ideological strand that controls them. The pre-Chávez Venezuelan oil industry under corporatist control was functioning as an ISA by serving the interests of the elite and simultaneously inflicting its secondary RSA function by reinforcing poverty through vastly unequal income distribution. Confusion arises however in how the neoliberal domination of a non-neoliberal state-owned asset fits into Althusser’s ISA. It can be argued that, as the oil industry was controlled by foreign corporatist ideology, it was, in fact, acting as a foreign state ISA vessel ; specifically, the US. Chávez’ predecessor, Pérez, implemented neoliberal policies from the IMF allowing the oil industry to be opened to foreign companies essentially creating said vessel (Moreno & Shelton, 2014: 283). This led to major social divisions in employment, wages and rising prices and caused significant riots which in turn invoked the RSA through military attacks on protestors ultimately taking up to 3000 lives (Stronen, 2017: 38). Althusser (1971: 142) stated “the proletariat must seize state power in order to destroy the existing bourgeois state apparatus” and this is essentially what Chávez did. In successfully being elected despite a prior failed coup (Bruce, 2008: 2), Chávez, as a proletariat, seized state power and set about taking control of the ISA not only from the Venezuelan state, but from multinational corporatists (McGowan, 2011: 56-60). Although this process started in 1999, it continued until his death in 2013 demonstrating the difficulties in the process of removing neo-colonial ideology.

The importance of oil in this situation cannot be overstated and it acts as a pivotal and powerful tool in the US arsenal of destabilisation techniques. Oil is particularly vulnerable to global ‘market fluctuations’ (Rentschler, 2013). However, the ‘nature’ of oil markets is highly dubious. US shale oil over-flooded the market in 2014 in coordination with purposefully cheap Saudi oil which drove down global oil prices (Maupin, 2016). Venezuela, now presided over by Nicolás Maduro after the death of Chávez in 2013, faced a severe and continuing impact resulting from significantly declining national income ( ibid ). The US continues to exacerbate the situation by applying sanctions on importing Venezuelan oil which is significant as Venezuela is one of the US’ major sources of oil (Weisbrot & Sachs, 2019; US Department of State, 2016). Sanctioning however is not restricted to US imports as the US also issues threats to sanction other countries purchasing Venezuelan oil (Saefong, 2019; Paine & Zhdannikov, 2019). Additionally, the US has actively prevented Venezuela receiving help from OPEC the oil cartel in which Venezuela was a founding partner (Sharma, 2019; Fornes, 2018: 101). Furthermore, China, Venezuela’s major buyer, has withdrawn in fear of US sanctions essentially cutting off most oil exports (Wain, 2019).

Destabilisation does not end with oil, however. The US is the only country globally to impose sanctions on other countries where narcotics production occurs (Hufbauer, 2007: 15). Trump personally selected both Venezuela and Bolivia in 2017 to be nominated under sec. 706(1) of the FRAA as countries which have substantially failed to meet obligations under international counter-narcotics agreements (BINLEA, 2018: 5). Colombia, designated as having a much higher narcotics problem than Bolivia and Venezuela, was exempted on the grounds that they are “security partners of the United States” ( ibid : 7) demonstrating that selection is not based on severity of a narcotics problem but rather as a tactical manoeuvre. This geo-economic manoeuvre has two faces: firstly it allows the US to undermine and commandeer obligated financial aid destined for Venezuela under Sec. 490(e) of the FAA 1961 facilitating the prevention of financial aid to Venezuela; and secondly, bilateral financial assistance programs in the ‘national interest’ of the US are still permittable under FRAA sec. 706(3)(a). The Red Cross has specifically called out this underfunding of aid to Venezuela as a purposeful “tool to destabilize the country” (Vaz, 2019a) and it is this destabilisation which is intended to pressurise Venezuela into accepting bilateral assistance which usually has strict conditionality aligned with the neoliberal Washington consensus (Corrales, 2011: 108; Appendix B). Bilateral assistance usually comes from US aligned, neoliberal agencies such as the World Bank, IMF and other IFI’s (Blakeley, 2009: 53; Appel & Orenstein, 2018: 95; Birch, 2017: 20). Further significant leverage has been applied through Trump’s freezing of Venezuelan assets in the US as well as other countries such as Japan who are under pressure to comply with US demands,  essentially cutting off another line of national income (Spetalnick & Rampton, 2019; Associated Press, 2019). Sanctions, as well as cyber-attacks, have been linked to Venezuela’s electricity blackouts due to lack of fuel and imported parts to keep it functioning (Dominguez, 2019; Vaz, 2019b). This alone caused a loss of 6.4% GDP in 2019 (Weisbrot & Sachs, 2019: 14). Perhaps most significant are large-scale food shortages due to a drop of around 80% in imports ( ibid : 4) combined with substantial reductions of medical supplies (Page, 2019: 1255). Geo-economic chicanery is further exemplified through economic sanctions which are utilised in parallel to offers of aid and with sanctions targeted towards Venezuelan oil (Patel, 2019: 8). Expressed bluntly, the sanctions are weaponised to force the acceptance of aid, thus accept the neo-imperial, neo-colonial, and neoliberal conditions attached. To refuse this aid, as Maduro has, is constructed by the neoliberal corporate media as a dictatorship starving the people in what is essentially a gaslighting campaign (Daniel & Lenihan, 2019; O’Grady, 2019). Whilst economic destabilisation is clear, it also exists concurrently with the remaining three points of the modus operandi in flux.

At the time of writing, Venezuela resides in a milieu through which intersects all four-points of the US modus operandi simultaneously. Within the complexities of geo-economic destabilisation, Maduro is confronted by attempts to oust and replace him with US backed opponent, Juan Guaidó (BBC News, 2019; Gaouette & Hansler, 2019). This is simultaneously occurring alongside the attempts at neo-colonisation hidden within the aforementioned humanitarian aid; both functioning in tandem with the media who misrepresent blocking of humanitarian aid in order to discredit or malign Maduro. It is possible to isolate a connection between US aid to Venezuela, US sanctions and media false narratives of Maduro. By taking medicine as an example, US sanctions cut off Venezuela’s access to international payment systems which subsequently cut off access to medicine imports and hospital equipment (Weisbrot & Sachs, 2019: 4). This inevitably led to medicine shortages (Patel, 2019: 9). Furthermore, Venezuelan assets frozen in the sanctions represented the value of six years-worth of medicine supplies for the nation (Nebehay, 2019). The US, with the support of Guaidó, attempted to force ‘humanitarian aid’, including medicine, across the Colombia-Venezuela border and were subsequently blocked by the Venezuelan National Guard (Venezuelanalysis, 2019). The media frame this event as the act of a dictatorship (Polanco et al., 2019), criminal (Gibbs & Dixon, 2019), a way of Maduro controlling the population (Meredith, 2019), or just outright deny that economic sanctions have contributed to the situation (Trombetta, 2018). Additionally, the media also seem forgetful about previous US neo-colonial, neo-imperialist ‘humanitarian aid’ incarnations which funnelled arms to Contras in 1980’s Nicaragua which were subsequently employed in murdering literacy assistants to the poor to start with, then continued with the death of 20,000 more people (Gomez, 2003: 137-139); or the $2.6 billion dollars of direct and indirect ‘aid’ to El Salvador between 1980 and 1989 facilitating the US backed rightists of the Salvadoran state in slaughtering the rural poor ( ibid : 112-113). It would be reasonable to expect that Maduro would be aware of these events. In actuality, Venezuela has been requesting aid and has been receiving it from the Red Cross (Dobson, 2019; ICRC, 2019) as well as medicine shipments from Russia (Nebehay, 2019) and further humanitarian aid from CERF, ECHO, WHO and UNICEF (WOLA, 2019). This, however, is ignored by the western corporate media in favour of constructing the aforedetailed false narrative with the intent of delegitimising Maduro in favour of legitimising Guaidó who claims presidential authority over Venezuela with US backing (Cohen & Blumenthal, 2019). The outcomes of these methods remain to be seen as they persist at time of writing. Within this milieu however, the wider public are experiencing significant resulting social divisions.

Part Three:

Demonstrating resulting social divisions in venezuela.

The culmination of the US modus operandi in Venezuela has been pronounced. In 2019, the number having fled Venezuela was around 4.7 million and expected to rise to 6.5 million in 2020 (UN News, 2019). Those who cannot, or will not, leave, face spiralling social divisions. So severe is the situation that Zakrison & Muntaner (2019: 2586) claim that the US is currently committing a genocide as defined under the UNCPPCG Article II to which the US is a signatory and is thus breaking their own agreements. Food prices are astronomical in comparison to wages due to corporate entities facilitating a market for US dollars causing hyperinflation of the Venezuelan Bolívar and in despite of government price controls to attempt to stabilise food prices (Graham-Harrison et al., 2019). Severe lack of food security has led many people to lose significant amounts of weight which, through the continuum of the crisis, has led to the reappearance of malnutrition (Doocy et al., 2019a; Sequera, 2018). Already by 2016, 32.5% ate less than two meals a day. In 2017 this had risen to 63.2% and in 2018 78.6% (Denova, 2018: 198). The media commonly report that supermarket shelves are empty (McGonigal & Cook, 2019; Rosati, 2018). There also exists a counter-narrative that some supermarket shelves are full (McEvoy, 2019; RT, 2019). It seems however, that those who have access to US Dollar currency can buy groceries, and those who do not find themselves unable to do so (Pons & Armas, 2018). At time of writing, the minimum wage for Venezuela was 40,000 Bolívars per month (Pereira, 2019). Buying one kilogram of apples costs around 40,000 Bolívars; 4 toilet rolls was 30,000 and basic cold medicine around 72,000, nearly two months wages (Expatistan, 2020). Rich Venezuelans are known for their connections to Miami, Florida which Macleod (2019: 7) refers to as ‘the unofficial capital of Latin America’ where the elite often travel for shopping trips or maintain property thus giving them access to the US currency market (Salas, 2015: 3, 107). What makes this particularly interesting is that the US FAA downgraded Venezuela’s air safety rating, essentially a sanction banning flights to and from the US, which raises the question on how the Venezuelan elite are making trips to Miami (Ash, 2019). The impact of this is that those who can afford such luxury are complicit with US sanctions insofar as aiding hyperinflation by importing US dollars. This essentially causes a major social chasm between the rich and the remaining 87% in poverty (Espana & Ponce, 2017). Additionally, this has empowered US currency itself in becoming a tool of colonialism. Aside from food retailers, there are many globalist brands such as Zara, Reebok and Adidas trading inside Venezuela and these only accept payment in US dollars (Long, 2019) thus the Neoliberal corporate world has its influence within Venezuela’s retail and excludes those without access to the correct currency.

Many more divisions are pronounced including mental health associated with migration (Schwartz et al., 2018), post-emigration adaptation (Salas-Wright et al., 2020), adolescent alcoholism (Vaughn et al., 2020) and shortened life expectancy (Garcia & Aburto, 2019). However, with a poverty rate at 87% (Espana & Ponce, 2017), effects on health are significant. Alongside the aforementioned malnutrition due to food shortages, other serious health implications have arisen and shall be collated to demonstrate the wide social division in Venezuela. Sanctions have contributed to an 85% shortage of medicines (Trejos, 2017; Rhodes & Valencia, 2019). This has directly affected child immunisation availability and coincides not only with sharp rises in infant mortality and maternal mortality, but significant rises in mumps, measles, tuberculosis and diphtheria which are traditionally prevented through child and adolescent immunisation (Beyrer & Page, 2019: 286; Garcia et al., 2019; Friedrich, 2019: 1041, Rodriguez et al., 2019: 5). Medicine shortages have also significantly affected diabetes and HIV patients including delayed diagnosis and clinical shortages (Weisbrot & Sachs, 2019: 4; Doocy et al., 2019: 86; Page et al., 2019: 1257). Malaria cases have gone from around 70,000 in 2013 to 400,000 in 2018 (PAHO, 2018) and numerous other vector-borne diseases have seen significant increases (Grillet et al., 2019). Weisbrot & Sachs (2019: 21) estimate that such sanctions have contributed to 40,000 additional deaths in 2017-2018 alone which the VSC (2019: 3-4) argues fits the definition of ‘collective punishment’ under both the Geneva and Hague International Conventions which the US was again signatory to. However, these conventions are regulatory frameworks applied in times of war, in the traditional sense, and may not stretch to geo-economic ‘wars’ or ideological ‘wars’ (Fruchterman, 1983: 304). This does not make the VSC wrong as sanctions in general are considered a form of collective punishment as they target a civilian population for the actions of governments over which the population has little or no control (Horvitz, 2006: 380). As such, there seems little in the way of protection for the population except in the form of aid from NGO’s. However, NGO’s themselves play perhaps an unexpected role.

Whilst the effects on social division within the population at large are demonstrable, there is a deeper, and possibly more concerning issue: that of political division, that is, political division between those who are supposed to assist the population in times of crisis: NGO’s. What makes this particularly problematic for Venezuelan society is that, rather than simply help and assist a people and country in need, a subversive element is ‘piggybacking’ covertly under the guise of NGO’s. The International Crisis Group (ICG) (2018: i), which claims to be independent, explicitly states that sanctions are aimed at achieving “negotiated transition” and are “the best path out of the crisis” thus supporting sanctioning and an ideological transition. However, on closer examination of ICG, it is backed by corporate donors including BP (or, as formally known as, Anglo-Persian Oil Company ) and has a corporate advisory council made up of neoliberal globalist corporations including Shell, Chevron and HSBC ( ibid , 27). Amnesty International has repeatedly, albeit almost imperceptibly, aligned itself with Trumps numerous suggestions of military intervention in Venezuela whilst ignoring US sanctions in favour of apportioning blame on Maduro for food shortages (Amnesty.org, 2019; Emersberger, 2019). Amnesty ( ibid ) suggested the use of ‘universal jurisdiction’ under which the ‘responsibility to protect’ can be invoked. Such protection can involve the use of military intervention which Schabas (2012: 205-206) argues is becoming ingrained within NGO discourse. These are two examples of a wider set including HRW, known for its anti-Venezuelan biased reporting (Human Rights Watch, 2008; COHA, 2008), and IBAHRI who are partners with the neoliberal OECD (Bouhali, 2015). Even taking the academic research into account shows that there is a deep political partisanship within the research and significant and uninvestigated assumptions being made regarding causation of the Venezuelan situation. For example, Beyrer & Page (2019: 287), Rendon & Price (2019: 3-4) and Alhadeff (2018) all highlight Maduro as the root problem. This is not to suggest that Maduro is infallible however, yet each author specifically finger-points whilst clearly ignoring key information regarding neoliberal and neo-colonial ideology. For example, Alhadeff (2018) does not acknowledge US sanctions within their report, subsequently blaming economic mismanagement on Maduro’s part and a crackdown on political opposition as if the aforementioned neoliberal political cleansing of leftists was not a thing. Perhaps economic mismanagement is doublespeak for ‘not in line with the Washington consensus’ thus implying a call to the IMF is needed for economic restructuring. Ultimately, the NGO’s and various academic actors seem fixated on reigniting and reinforcing neoliberal dominance as solution, a solution which has already demonstrably failed before (Santarcangelo, 2019: 1-2), as opposed to providing a human-centred temporary safety net to help the populace whilst the Venezuelan government focus on retaining Venezuelan sovereignty and a return to social stability.

The first goal of this paper was to establish a four-point modus operandi with which the US attempts to perform neo-colonial and neo-imperialist actions to implement neoliberal globalist ideological hegemony onto other nation states. By drawing upon the actions of previous US interference in Iran, Guatemala, Chile, Cuba, Syria, Nicaragua, Grenada, Vietnam, Brazil, Argentina and Haiti, this modus operandi has taken shape. Through the utilisation of geo-economic manoeuvres, it has been demonstrated that destabilisation of the nation state acts as a starting point. Through employing the use of economic sanctions aimed at disrupting Venezuela’s national income as well as sanctions aimed at disrupting trade in critical goods such as food and medicine for the people, the US not only destabilises the economy but also the leadership. Evidence presented shows additional leverage is applied through media propaganda financed though covert means and funded mobs. Secondly, once a country is destabilised, the US seeks to oust the leader. Evidence has shown that there is clear political and ideological purpose in this on two points: to remove a leader oppositional to US ideology and to facilitate a political cleansing of left-wing politics. Removal is often achieved through employing coup d’états when pressure alone is not enough. Thirdly, installation of a leader favourable to US interests occurs and is currently being attempted in Venezuela through the aforementioned methods and the delegitimising of Maduro whilst recognising Juan Guaidó as rightful leader. This is the current milieu within which Venezuela currently resides. If Maduro is overthrown, the third point will be complete: installation of US aligned leader. Subsequently, it is extremely likely that that the fourth point will begin: colonisation and the neoliberalisation of Venezuela through the forcing open of markets, particularly the oil and mining industries, and a return to the authoritarian, two tiered-society experienced in the pre-Chávez era of neoliberalism. In the meantime, the failure and corruption of mainstream NGO’s in assisting people through non-partisan humanitarian means are essentially abandoning the people of Venezuela to starvation and severe health inequalities whilst the US continues its neo-colonisation and geo-economic warfare.

Ultimately, US actions have contributed to the breaking down of Venezuela as a nation state. The Economist (2018) denotes Venezuela’s gradual slide into authoritarian rule since 2014, around the time of the US / Saudi oil price slump, but this perhaps belies the fact that, under such a united effort aimed at neo-colonisation of Venezuela, Maduro has been forced to defend it through more authoritative means. The US has clearly used its unique and powerful position on the world stage to spread its own brand of dominance around the world and particularly in Latin America. Through often covert methods incorporating the clandestine CIA, left-wing leaders in opposition to US hegemony have been purposefully ousted in favour of US aligned, often brutal dictators who have subsequently incorporated repressive regimes in turn leading to uncountable loss of human lives. Considering the US’ own home-grown social problems, for example, US healthcare as the leading cause of personal bankruptcy and education unaffordable for many (Austin, 2014: 2; Kornblum, 2012: 406; Senak, 2016; Poutre et al., 2017), 38 million people in poverty and drug addiction and killing at epidemic proportions (Semega et al., 2019; Ritchie & Roser, 2019), it demands further academic enquiry into what the fundamental purpose of violently spreading such an ideology actually is when one’s own backyard crumbles under it. As Cuba, Russia and China, all opponents of the US, support the Maduro government; whilst Mexico and Uruguay sought to be intermediaries between Venezuela and the US and while Norway tentatively acts as mediator, the US openly continues to disregard preventative diplomacy seeking only the solution they desire: overthrow of Maduro, leading to significantly heightened tensions between global superpowers (Ramcharan, 2020: 99-100), mass migration and a once positive Venezuelan people facing starvation and death.

Abrahamian, E. (1982). Iran Between Two Revolutions . Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press.

Abrahamian, E. (2013). The Coup: 1953, The CIA, And the Roots Of Modern U.S.-Iranian Relations . New York: The New Press.

Alhadeff, S. (2018). Venezuelan Emigration, Explained . Latin American Program.

Amnesty.Org. (2019). Venezuela’s Formula for Repression Is Hunger, Punishment And Fear . [Online] Available At: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/02/venezuela-hunger-punishment-and-fear-the-formula-for-repression-used-by-authorities-under-nicolas-maduro/ [Accessed 20 Feb. 2020].

Appel, H. And Orenstein, M.A. (2018). From Triumph to Crisis: Neoliberal Economic Reform In Postcommunist Countries . Cambridge University Press.

Aristide. & Wargny, C. (1993). Aristide: An Autobiography . Maryknoll, N.Y: Orbis Books.

Arditti, R. (2002). The Grandmothers of The Plaza De Mayo And The Struggle Against Impunity In Argentina. Meridians: Feminism, Race, Transnationalism , 3 (1), 19–41. Duke University Press.

Armstrong, J. (2003). Harvey And Lee: How the CIA Framed Oswald . Arlington, TX: Quasar, Ltd.

Ash, L. (2019). FAA Downgrades Venezuela’s Safety Rating – Simple Flying. Retrieved 20 January 2020, From https://simpleflying.com/faa-venezuela-safety-rating/

Associated Press (2019). Venezuelan Ambassador to Japan Can’t Use His Bank Account Amid Trump’s Asset Freeze. Retrieved 13 January 2020, From https://www.marketwatch.com/story/venezuelan-ambassador-to-japan-gets-bank-account-frozen-amid-trumps-decision-to-freeze-venezuelan-ass ets-2019-10-07

Austin, D. (2014). Medical Debt as A Cause Of Consumer Bankruptcy. Maine Law Review . 67.

Babb, S., & Kentikelenis, A. (2018). International Financial Institutions as Agents Of Neoliberalism. In D. Cahill, M. Cooper, M. Konings & D. Pimrose, The SAGE Handbook of Neoliberalism . Sage.

Baldwin, M. T. (2008). Amnesty International and U.S. Foreign Policy: Human Rights Campaigns in Guatemala, the United States, and China.

Bayandor, D. (2010). Iran And The CIA: The Fall of Mosaddeq Revisited . Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.

BBC News. (2019). US Says It Now Backs Venezuela Opposition. Retrieved 14 January 2020, From https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-46980913

Beder, S. & Others. (2009). Neoliberalism and The Global Financial Crisis [Paper In: The New Right Were Wrong: The Global Financial Crisis. Eddy, Elizabeth (Ed).]. Social Alternatives , 28 (1), 17. Social Alternatives.

Bennett, W. L. (1990). Toward A Theory of Press-State Relations. Journal of Communication, 40(2): 103–125.

Beyrer, C. & Page, K. (2019). Preventable Losses: Infant Mortality Increases in Venezuela. The Lancet Global Health , 7 (3), E286–E287. Elsevier.

BINLEA (2018). International Narcotics Control Strategy Report Volume I: Drug and Chemical Control [Online]. Available From: https://shoppinglist.wikileaks.org/raw_data/embassy_procurement/bz/https___bz.usembassy.gov_wp-content_uploads_sites_279_INCSR-Vol-1-1.pdf

Birch, K. (2017). A Research Agenda for Neoliberalism. Cheltenham, UK Northampton, MA, USA: Edward Elgar Publishing.

Bistoletti, E. (2019) The Power Struggles Over the Post-Neoliberal Social Security System Reforms In Venezuela And Ecuador . Cham, Switzerland: Springer.

Blakeley, R. (2009). State Terrorism and Neoliberalism: The North In The South . Retrieved from Https://Ebookcentral.Proquest.Com

Blum, W. (2003). Killing Hope: US military and CIA Interventions Since World War II . London: Zed Books.

Bothmann, A. (2015). Transitional Justice in Nicaragua 1990-2012: Drawing A Line Under The Past . Wiesbaden: Springer.

Bouhali C.E. (2015) The OECD Neoliberal Governance. In: Abdi A.A., Shultz L., Pillay T. (eds) Decolonizing Global Citizenship Education. SensePublishers, Rotterdam

Brading, R. (2012) Populism in Venezuela . Hoboken: Taylor And Francis.

Brett, R. (2016). The Origins and Dynamics Of Genocide: Political Violence In Guatemala . London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Brouwer, S. (2011). Revolutionary Doctors: How Venezuela And Cuba Are Changing the World’s Conception Of Health Care . New York: Monthly Review Press.

Brown, T. (2001). The Real Contra War . Norman, Okla.: Univ. Of Oklahoma Pr.

Brown, W., (2015). Undoing the Demos: Neoliberalism’s Stealth Revolution . New York: Zone Books.

Bruce, I. (2008). The Real Venezuela: Making Socialism in The Twenty-First Century . England: Pluto Press.

Caballero, F. (2018). Imperialism and Hegemonic Information In Latin America: The Media Coup In Venezuela Vs. The Criminalisation of Protest In Mexico. In J. Carañana, The Propaganda Model Today: Filtering Perception and Awareness . London: University of Westminster Press.

Chalfin, B. (2010). Neoliberal Frontiers: An Ethnography of Sovereignty In West Africa . Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Chapman, P. (2007). Bananas: How the United Fruit Company Shaped The World . Edinburgh New York Berkeley, Calif: Canongate Distributed by Publishers Group West.

Chávez, H. (2009). Introduction. In S. Bolívar, The Bolívarian Revolution . London: Verso.

Clifton, J. (2012). Latin Americans Most Positive in The World. Retrieved 12 December 2019, From https://news.gallup.com/poll/159254/latin-americans-positive-world.aspx

Clutterbuck, R. (1986). The Future Of Political Violence: Destabilization, Disorder, And Terrorism . Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Macmillan.

Coha.org. (2008). Taking Human Rights Watch to Task on the Question of Venezuela’s Purported Abuse of Human Rights: Over 100 U.S. and Foreign Scholars Take Issue with the head of HRW’s Latin American Division . [online] Available at: http://www.coha.org/taking-human-rights-watch-to-task/ [Accessed 21 Feb. 2020].

Cohen, D., & Blumenthal, M. (2019). The Making Of Juan Guaidó: How The US Regime Change Laboratory Created Venezuela’s Coup Leader. Retrieved 15 January 2020, From https://thegrayzone.com/2019/01/29/the-making-of-juan-Guaidó-how-the-us-regime-change-laboratory-created-venezuelas-coup-leader/

Colby, J. (2011). The Business Of Empire: United Fruit, Race, And U.S. Expansion In Central America . Ithaca: Cornell University Press.

Connor, B. (2020). Anti-Americanism And American Exceptionalism: Prejudice And Pride About The USA . Abingdon, Oxon New York, NY: Routledge.

Corrales, J. (2011). Dragon in The Tropics: Hugo Chávez And the Political Economy Of Revolution In Venezuela . Washington, D.C: Brookings Institution Press.

Cullather, N. (1994). Operation PBSUCCESS: The United States and Guatemala, 1952-1954 . History Staff, Center For the Study Of Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency.

D’Arista, J. (2002). Moving Beyond the Washington Consensus. International Journal of Political Economy , 32 (4), 22–34. Taylor & Francis.

Daniel, Z. and Lenihan, N. (2019). Venezuelans Are Slowly Starving to Death As Maduro And Guaidó Battle For Power . [Online] ABC News. Available at: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-12/venezuelans-starving-as-country-gripped-by-economic-crisis/11197560 [Accessed 23 Feb. 2020].

Dapena, J. (2004). Operation Mongoose: Prelude of A Direct Invasion On Cuba . Havana: Editorial Capitán San Luis.

Denova, H. (2018). The History of Venezuela . Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood, And Imprint Of ABC-CLIO, LLC.

Dickey, C. (1985). With the Contras . New York: Simon and Schuster.

Dinges, J. (2004). The Condor Years: How Pinochet And His Allies Brought Terrorism to Three Continents . New York: New Press.

Dobson, P. (2019). Red Cross, UN Slam ‘Politicised’ USAID Humanitarian Assistance to Venezuela. Retrieved 15 January 2020, from https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/14316

Dominguez, F. (2019). Venezuela in 2019: A Successful Year Of Resistance. Retrieved 13 January 2020, from https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/f/venezuela-2019-successful-year-resistance

Doocy, S., Ververs, M.-T., Spiegel, P. & Beyrer, C. (2019a). The Food Security and Nutrition Crisis In Venezuela. Social Science & Medicine , 226 , 63–68. Elsevier.

Doocy, S., Page, K. R., De La Hoz, F., Spiegel, P. & Beyrer, C. (2019b). Venezuelan Migration and The Border Health Crisis In Colombia And Brazil. Journal on Migration And Human Security , 7 (3), 79–91. SAGE Publications Sage CA: Los Angeles, CA.

Dorey, P. (2011) British Conservatism: The Politics and Philosophy of Inequality . London New York: I.B. Tauris.

Doyle, K., & Kornbluh, P. N.D. “ CIA and Assassinations: The Guatemala 1954 Documents ”. Retrieved 9 December 2019, from https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu//NSAEBB/NSAEBB4/index.html

Dulles, J. (2007). Resisting Brazil’s Military Regime: An Account of The Battles Of Sobral Pinto . Austin: University of Texas Press.

Dutta, M. (2015). Neoliberal Health Organizing: Communication, Meaning, And Politics . Walnut Creek, California: Left Coast Press.

Emersberger, J. (2019). How Amnesty International Is Reinforcing Trump’s Regime-Change Propaganda Against Venezuela . [Online] Venezuelanalysis.Com. Available At: https://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/14357 [Accessed 20 Feb. 2020].

España, L. P. & Ponce, M. (2017). Encuesta sobre Condiciones de Vida en Venezuela. Universidad Católica Andrés Bello. Available: https://www.fundacionbengoa.org

Expatistan. (2020). Cost of Living in Venezuela. Retrieved 20 January 2020, from https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/country/venezuela

Eyler, R. (2008). Economic Sanctions: International Policy and Political Economy At Work . New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Farrall, J. (2007). United Nations Sanctions and The Rule Of Law . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Fornes, G. (2018). The China-Latin America Axis: Emerging Markets And Their Role In An Increasingly Globalised World . Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.

François, D. (2018). Chile 1973, The Other 9/11: The Downfall of Salvador Allende . Solihull, West Midlands: Helion & Company Limited.

Friedman, U. (2017). Populism Helped Wreck Venezuela . [Online] The Atlantic. Available at: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/06/venezuela-populism-fail/525321/ [Accessed 21 Feb. 2020].

Friedrich, M. (2019). Higher HIV Rates in Adolescent Girls Related to Drought in Lesotho. Jama , 321 (11), 1041–1041. American Medical Association.

Friesen, G. (2018). The Path To Hyperinflation: What Happened To Venezuela? . [online] Forbes.com. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/garthfriesen/2018/08/07/the-path-to-hyperinflation-what-happened-to-venezuela/ [Accessed 21 Feb. 2020].

Fruchterman Jr, R. L. (1983). Enforcement: The Difference between the Laws of War and the Geneva Conventions. Ga. J. Int’l & Comp. L. , 13 , 303. HeinOnline.

Gabilondo, J. (2017). Economic Coercion and the Limits of Sovereignty: Cuba’s Embargo Claims against the United States. Harv. Latinx L. Rev. , 20 , 51. HeinOnline.

Gaouette, N., & Hansler, J. (2019). Pompeo Claims Russia Stopped Maduro Leaving Venezuela For Cuba. Retrieved 14 January 2020, From https://edition.cnn.com/2019/04/30/politics/pompeo-maduro-russia/index.html

García, J., & Aburto, J. (2019). The Impact of Violence On Venezuelan Life Expectancy And Lifespan Inequality. International Journal of Epidemiology , 48 (5), 1593-1601.

Garcia, J., Correa, G. & Rousset, B. (2019). Trends in Infant Mortality In Venezuela Between 1985 And 2016: A Systematic Analysis Of Demographic Data. The Lancet Global Health , 7 (3), E331–E336. Elsevier.

Garvin, G. (1992). Everybody Had His Own Gringo . Washington: Brassey’s (US).

Gasiorowski, M. (2004). Mohammad Mosaddeq And The 1953 Coup in Iran . Syracuse: Syracuse University Press.

Gibbs, S., & Dixon, L. (2019). ‘Criminal’ Maduro Regime Blocks Aid Amid Chaos at Venezuela Border. Retrieved 15 January 2020, From https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/criminal-maduro-regime-blocks-aid-amid-border-chaos-8d2vkkbv3

Girardi, D. & Bowles, S. (2018). Institution Shocks and Economic Outcomes: Allende’s Election, Pinochet’s Coup And The Santiago Stock Market. Journal of Development Economics , 134 , 16–27. Elsevier.

Golinger, E. (2006). The Chávez Code: Cracking U.S. Intervention in Venezuela . Northampton, Mass: Olive Branch Press.

Gomez, M. (2003). Human Rights In Cuba, El Salvador, And Nicaragua: A Sociological Perspective On Human Rights Abuse . New York: Routledge.

Graham-Harrison, E., Torres, P., & Daniels, J. (2019). Barter and Dollars The New Reality As Venezuela Battles Hyperinflation. Retrieved 20 January 2020, From https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/13/venezuela-hyperinflation-Bolívar-banknotes-dollars

Grillet, M. E., Hernández-Villena, J. V., Llewellyn, M. S., Paniz-Mondolfi, A. E., Tami, A., Vincenti-Gonzalez, M. F., Marquez, M., Et Al. (2019). Venezuela’s Humanitarian Crisis, Resurgence of Vector-Borne Diseases, And Implications For Spillover In The Region. The Lancet Infectious Diseases . Elsevier.

Harvey, D. (2007). Neoliberalism as Creative Destruction. The Annals of The American Academy Of Political And Social Science , 610 (1), 21–44. Sage Publications Sage CA: Thousand Oaks, CA.

Harvey, D. (2010). Freedom’s Just Another Word. In G. Ritze, Readings in Globalization: Key Concepts And Major Debates . Wiley-Blackwell.

Hecht, S. (2010). The fate of the forest : developers, destroyers, and defenders of the Amazon . Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Hibben, M. (2016). Poor States, Power and The Politics Of IMF Reform: Drivers Of Change In The Post-Washington Consensus . London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Horvitz, L. (2006). Encyclopedia Of War Crimes and Genocide . New York: Facts on File.

Huber, E. & Solt, F. (2004). Successes and Failures Of Neoliberalism. Latin American Research Review , 39 (3), 150–164. JSTOR.

Hufbauer, G. (2007). Economic Sanctions Reconsidered . Washington, DC: Peterson Institute for International Economics.

Human Rights Watch (2008). A Decade Under Chávez: Political Intolerance and Lost Opportunities For Advancing Human Rights In Venezuela . Human Rights Watch.

Hybel, A., & Flecke, S. (2014). John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, And the Vietnam War. In A. Hybel, US Foreign Policy Decision-Making from Kennedy To Obama: Responses To International Challenges . New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

ICRC. (2019). Venezuela: The ICRC’s Caracas Regional Delegation . ICRC.

Ijrcenter.Org. (N.D.). Universal Jurisdiction . [Online] Available At: https://ijrcenter.org/cases-before-national-courts/domestic-exercise-of-universal-jurisdiction/#Responsibility_to_Protect [Accessed 20 Feb. 2020].

International Crisis Group (2018). Friendly Fire: Venezuela’s Opposition Turmoil .

Kaplan, D. (2012) Yakuza: Japan’s Criminal Underworld . Berkeley: University of California Press.

Kinzer, S. (2008). All the Shah’s Men: An American Coup And The Roots Of Middle East Terror . Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley & Sons.

Kornbluh, P. (1998). Bay of Pigs Declassified: The Secret CIA Report On The Invasion Of Cuba . New York: The New Press

Kornbluh, P. (2004). The Pinochet File: A Declassified Dossier on Atrocity And Accountability . New York: New Press.

Kornblum, W. (2012). Social Problems . Boston: Pearson.

Latell, B. (2012). Castro’s Secrets: The CIA and Cuba’s Intelligence Machine . New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Lazzara, M. (2011). Luz Arce and Pinochet’s Chile: Testimony In The Aftermath Of State Violence . New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Lazzarato, M. (2017) Experimental Politics: Work, Welfare, And Creativity in The Neoliberal Age . Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press.

Leogrande, W. M. (2015). A Policy Long Past Its Expiration Date: US Economic Sanctions Against Cuba. Social Research: An International Quarterly , 82 (4), 939–966. Johns Hopkins University Press.

Leon, D. (2020). Violence In The Barrios Of Caracas: Social Capital And The Political Economy Of Venezuela . Cham, Switzerland: Springer.

Long, G. (2019). Yankee Dollar Is King in Anti-Imperialist Venezuela | Financial Times. Retrieved 20 January 2020, From https://www.ft.com/content/1d899e2e-0d20-11ea-bb52-34c8d9dc6d84

Luna, G., Kaufman, C., Wilson, S., Mccune, N., Larcom, B., & Blumenthal, M. (2019). Live from Nicaragua: Uprising Or Coup . The Alliance for Global Justice. Retrieved From https://afgj.org/nicanotes-live-from-nicaragua-uprising-or-coup

Lutz, J. (2008). Global terrorism . London New York: Routledge.

Macleod, A. (2019). Was Hugo Chávez To Blame? Media Depictions of Polarisation In Venezuela, 1998-2013. Bulletin of Latin American Research . Wiley Online Library.

Maddy, Y. (2009) Neo-Imperialism in Children’s Literature About Africa: A Study Of Contemporary Fiction. New York: Routledge.

Madra, Y., & Adaman, F. (2018). Neoliberal Turn in The Discipline Of Economics: Depoliticization Through Economization. In D. Cahill, M. Cooper, M. Konings & D. Primrose, The SAGE Handbook of Neoliberalism . Sage.

Manning, M. (2011). Encyclopedia Of Media and Propaganda In Wartime America . Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO.

Marangos, J. (2008). The Evolution of The Anti-Washington Consensus Debate: From “Post-Washington Consensus” To “After The Washington Consensus.” Competition & Change , 12 (3), 227–244. SAGE Publications Sage UK: London, England.

Marsh, H. (2016). Hugo Chávez, Alí Primera And Venezuela: The Politics of Music In Latin America. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Mcevoy, J. (2019). See the Side Of Daily Venezuelan Life That The Corporate Media Isn’t Showing You | The Canary. Retrieved 20 January 2020, From https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2019/02/19/see-the-side-of-daily-venezuelan-life-that-the-corporate-media-isnt-showing-you/

McGonigal, C., & Cook, J. (2018). Photos of Empty Grocery Shelves Show Dire Situation In Venezuela. Retrieved 20 January 2020, from https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/venezuela-empty-grocery-shelves-photos_n_5a567751e4b08a1f624afcf6

McMurdo, T. L. (2012). The United States, Britain, and the Hidden Justification of Operation TPAJAX. CIA Studies in Intelligence , 56 , 2.

Meredith, S. (2019). Venezuela Crisis: US Condemns Maduro For Blocking Critical Point of Entry For Humanitarian Aid. Retrieved 15 January 2020, From https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/07/venezuela-crisis-maduro-blocks-bridge-ahead-of-aid-delivery.html

Miller, D. (2010). How Neoliberalism Got Where It Is: Elite Planning, Corporate Lobbying and The Release Of The Free Market. In K. Birch, The Rise and Fall Of Neoliberalism: The Collapse Of An Economic Order . London: Zed Books.

Monaldi, F. (2015). The Impact of The Decline In Oil Prices On The Economics, Politics And Oil Industry Of Venezuela.

Moreno, M., & Shelton, C. (2014). Sleeping in The Bed One Makes: The Venezuelan Fiscal Policy Response To The Oil Boom. In R. Hausmann, Venezuela Before Chávez: Anatomy of An Economic Collapse (Pp. 259-284). The Pennsylvania State University Press.

Muñoz, H. (2008). The Dictator’s Shadow: Life Under Augusto Pinochet. Basic Books.

Murphey, O. R. (2017). A Bond That Will Permanently Endure: The Eisenhower Administration, The Bolivian Revolution and Latin American Leftist Nationalism.

Muspratt, A. (2019). The Top 10 Oil & Gas Companies in The World: 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2020, from https://www.oilandgasiq.com/strategy-management-and-information/articles/oil-and-gas-companies

Nebehay, S. (2019). Venezuela Turns to Russia, Cuba, China In Health Crisis. Retrieved 14 January 2020, From https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-health/venezuela-turns-to-russia-cuba-china-in-health-crisis-idUSKCN1SS23Z

Nichols, R. (2014). The Colonialism of Incarceration. Radical Philosophy Review , 17 (2), 435-455.

O’Grady, M. (2019). Venezuela Is Starving Its People. Retrieved 23 February 2020, From https://www.wsj.com/articles/maduro-is-starving-his-own-people-1511071600

O’Reilly, L. (2016). The 30 Biggest Media Companies in The World. Retrieved 3 January 2020, From https://www.businessinsider.com/the-30-biggest-media-owners-in-the-world-2016-5?r=US&IR=T

Page, K. R., Doocy, S., Ganteaume, F. R., Castro, J. S., Spiegel, P. & Beyrer, C. (2019). Venezuela’s Public Health Crisis: A Regional Emergency. The Lancet . Elsevier.

PAHO, (2018) Interactive Malaria Statistics . Available: http://www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2632:2010-interactive-malaria-statistics&Itemid=2130&lang=en

Paine, J and Zhdannikov, D. 2019. “US Orders Foreign Firms to Further Cut Down On Oil Trades With Venezuela.” Reuters, March 28. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usavenezuela-sanctions-exclusive/exclusive-us-orders-foreign-firms-to-further-cut-down-on-oiltrades-with-venezuela-idUSKCN1R92ET

Palmer, B. (2019). The Top Health Care Companies in the World. Retrieved 3 January 2020, from https://www.investopedia.com/articles/markets/030916/worlds-top-10-health-care-companies-unh-mdt.asp

Pantoulas, D. And McCoy, J. (2019). Venezuela: An Unstable Equilibrium. Revista De Ciencia Politica . 39 (2).

Patel, A. (2019). Seeking Refuge: Venezuela’s Migration Crisis and The Politicisation Of Aid .

Peet, R. (2009) Theories of Development: Contentions, Arguments, Alternatives . New York: Guilford Press.

Pereira, H. (2019). Venezuelan Minimum Wage Hits Rock Bottom: $2.00 A Month. Retrieved 20 January 2020, From https://www.efe.com/efe/english/world/venezuelan-minimum-wage-hits-rock-bottom-2-00-a-month/50000262-4053749

Perla, H. (2016). Sandinista Nicaragua’s Resistance to U.S. Coercion: Revolutionary Deterrence In Asymmetric Conflict . New York NY, USA: Cambridge University Press.

Petherick, C. (2006). The CIA in Iran: The 1953 Coup And The Origins Of The US-Iran Divide . Washington, D.C: American Free Press.

Podur, J. (2012). Haiti’s new dictatorship: from the overthrow of Aristide to the 2010 earthquake . London: Pluto.

Polanco, A., Armas, M. And Bocanegra, N. (2019). Venezuela’s Guaidó Says ‘All Options Open’ After Maduro Blocks Aid . [Online] U.S. Available At: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics/venezuelas-Guaidó-says-all-options-open-after-maduro-blocks-aid-idUSKCN1QC091 [Accessed 23 Feb. 2020].

Pons, C., & Armas, M. (2018). Shopping at Well-Stocked Venezuelan Stores? Better Take Dollars. Retrieved 20 January 2020, From https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-stores/shopping-at-well-stocked-venezuelan-stores-better-take-dollars-idUSKCN1N51PN

Poutre, A. Rorison, J. Mamie, Voight. (2017). Limited Means, Limited Options: College Remains Unaffordable for Many Americans. Institute for Higher Education Policy .

Power, A. (2007). City Survivors: Bringing Up Children in Disadvantaged Neighbourhoods . Policy Press.

Qureshi, L. (2009). Nixon, Kissinger, And Allende: U.S. Involvement in The 1973 Coup In Chile . Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.

Ramcharan, B. G. (2020). Conflict Prevention in The UN’s Agenda 2030 Development, Peace, Justice And Human Rights . Cham: Springer.

Rendon, M. & Price, M. (2019). Are Sanctions Working in Venezuela? CSIS .

Rentschler, J. (2013). Oil Price Volatility – Its Risk on Economic Growth And Development. Retrieved 12 January 2020, From https://blogs.worldbank.org/developmenttalk/oil-price-volatility-its-risk-economic-growth-and-development

Restad, H. (2014). American Exceptionalism: An Idea That Made A Nation and Remade The World . London New York: Routledge.

Rhodes, W., & Valencia, C. (2019). Venezuela’s Healthcare Crisis Needs Emergency Attention | Financial Times. Retrieved 27 January 2020, From https://www.ft.com/content/f1d3b414-2af2-11e9-88a4-c32129756dd8

Ritchie, H., & Roser, M. (2019). Drug Use. Retrieved 5 January 2020, from https://ourworldindata.org/drug-use

Robinson, W. (2007). Transnational Social Control in The Age Of Globalization: The United States And Regime Transition In Chile. In D. Skidmore, Contested Social Orders and International Politics . Vanderbilt University Press.

Rodriguez-Morales, A. J., Suárez, J. A., Risquez, A., Delgado-Noguera, L. & Paniz-Mondolfi, A. (2019). The Current Syndemic In Venezuela: Measles, Malaria and More Co-Infections Coupled With A Breakdown Of Social And Healthcare Infrastructure. Quo Vadis?

Rosales, A. (2019). Radical Rentierism: Gold Mining, Cryptocurrency and Commodity Collateralization In Venezuela. Review of International Political Economy . 26 (6),Pp.1311–1332.

Rosati, A. (2018). Shoppers Find Empty Shelves After Venezuela Orders Discounts. Retrieved 20 January 2020, From https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-10/shoppers-find-empty-shelves-after-venezuela-orders-discounts

Rosenbaum, H.J. And Tyler, W.G. (1971). Policy-Making for The Brazilian Amazon. Journal of Interamerican Studies And World Affairs . 13 (3-4), Pp. 416–433.

RT. (2019). Where Are The ‘Empty Shelves’? Max Blumenthal Tours Caracas Supermarket (VIDEO). Retrieved 20 January 2020, From https://www.rt.com/news/452158-blumenthal-venezuela-supermarket-shelves/

Salas, M. (2015). Venezuela: What Everyone Needs to Know . New York: Oxford University Press.

Salas-Wright, C., Vaughn, M., Cohen, M., & Schwartz, S. (2020). The Sequelae of Premigration Hunger Among Venezuelan Immigrant Children In The U.S. American Journal Of Preventive Medicine , 58 (3), 467-469.

Santarcangelo, J. (2019). The Manufacturing Sector In Argentina, Brazil, And Mexico: Transformations And Challenges In The Industrial Core Of Latin America . Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.

Schabas, W. (2012). Unimaginable Atrocities: Justice, Politics, And Rights At The War Crimes Tribunals . Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Schlesinger, S., Kinzer, S., & Coatsworth, J. (2005). Bitter Fruit . Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.

Shoman, A. (2010). Belize’s Independence And Decolonization In Latin America: Guatemala, Britain, And The UN . New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.

Schumpeter, J. (1955) Social Classes: Imperialism: Two Essays . Meridian Books.

Schwartz, S., Salas-Wright, C., Pérez-Gómez, A., Mejía-Trujillo, J., Brown, E., & Montero-Zamora, P. Et Al. (2018). Cultural Stress and Psychological Symptoms In Recent Venezuelan Immigrants To The United States And Colombia. International Journal of Intercultural Relations , 67 , 25-34.

Semega, J., Kollar, M., Creamer, J., & Mohanty, A. (2019). Income and Poverty In The United States: 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2020, From https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2019/demo/p60-266.html

Senak, E. (2016). Covering the Cost: Why We Can No Longer Afford To Ignore High Textbook Prices. Washington, D.C.: Student PIRGS. Retrieved from http://www.uspirg.org/reports/usp/covering-cost

Sequera, V. (2018). Venezuelans Report Big Weight Losses In 2017 As Hunger Hits. Retrieved 17 January 2020, from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-food-idUSKCN1G52HA

SIPRI. (2019). Global Arms Industry Rankings: Sales Up 4.6 Per Cent Worldwide and US Companies Dominate The Top 5 | SIPRI. Retrieved 3 January 2020, from https://www.sipri.org/media/press-release/2019/global-arms-industry-rankings-sales-46-cent-worldwide-and-us-companies-dominate-top-5

Snider, L. (2009). Congress and The CIA . New York: Nova Science Pub.

Spetalnick, M., & Rampton, R. (2019). Trump Freezes All Venezuelan Government Assets in Bid To Pressure Maduro. Retrieved 13 January 2020, From https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-venezuela-politics-usa-order/trump-freezes-all-venezuelan-government-assets-in-bid-to-pressure-maduro

Sprague, J. (2012). Paramilitarism And the Assault On Democracy In Haiti . New York: NYU Press.

STAIBANO, C. (2005). Trends in UN Sanctions: From Ad Hoc Practice To Institutional Capacity Building. In P. Wallensteen, International Sanctions: Between Words and Wars In The Global System . Routledge.

Strier, R. (2014). Fatherhood in The Context Of Political Violence: Los Padres De La Plaza. Men and Masculinities , 17 (4), 359–375. SAGE Publications Sage CA: Los Angeles, CA.

Stronen, I. (2017). Grassroots Politics and Oil Culture In Venezuela: The Revolutionary Petro-State . Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.

Taylor, M. (2006). From Pinochet To The “Third Way”: Neoliberalism and Social Transformation In Chile . London Ann Arbor, MI: Pluto Press.

Toussaint, E. (1999). Your Money Or Your Life!: The Tyranny Of Global Finance . London Sterling, Va: Pluto Press.

Trejos, A. (2017). Amid Venezuela Political Crisis, Shortages of Medicine Soar. Retrieved 27 January 2020, From https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/06/22/venezuela-medical-shortages-doctors-health-care/103039928/

Trento, J. (2005). Prelude to Terror: The Rogue CIA And The Legacy Of America’s Private Intelligence Network . New York: Carroll & Graf.

Trombetta, R. (2018). Venezuela Has Fallen to A Dictator. But We Can Help to Restore Democracy | Reynaldo Trombetta. Retrieved 14 January 2020, From https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/may/23/venezuela-dictator-democracy-nicolas-maduro-venezuelans

UN News. (2019). Misery for Venezuelans Continues Ahead Of 2020 Elections: UN Rights Chief Bachelet. Retrieved 16 January 2020, From https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/12/1053791

US Department of State (2016). Venezuela . Available: https://20092017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35766.htm [Accessed: 12 January 2020]

Valdes-Ugalde, J. L. (2014). Intervening in Revolution: The US Exercise of Power in Guatemala, 1954.

Vaughn, M., Salas-Wright, C., Goings, T., Oh, S., Marsiglia, F., & Cohen, M. Et Al. (2020). Disconcerting Levels of Alcohol Use Among Venezuelan Immigrant Adolescents In The United States. Addictive Behaviors , 104 , 106269.

Vaz, R. (2019a). Red Cross Chief: Venezuela Aid Being Politicized To ‘Destabilize the Country’. Retrieved 10 December 2019, From https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/14738

Vaz, R. (2019b). Venezuela: New Widespread Power Outage as Gov’t Denounces Alleged Attacks. Retrieved 13 January 2020, from https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/14404

Venezuelanalysis (2019). Debunking Four Mistruths About Venezuela’s Humanitarian Aid Showdown. Retrieved 14 January 2020, from https://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/14355

Venezuela Solidarity Campaign (2019). The Effects of The Economic Blockade Of Venezuela .

Venezuela Under Sanctions. (2019). Strategic Comments , 25 (5), Vii–Ix. Informa UK Limited.

Watt, P. (2012). Drug War Mexico: Politics, Neoliberalism and Violence In The New Narcoeconomy . London New York: Zed Books.

Weiner, T. (2007). Legacy of Ashes: The History Of The CIA . New York: Doubleday.

Weisbrot, M. & Sachs, J. (2019). Economic Sanctions as Collective Punishment. The Case of Venezuela. CEPR .

Weisbrot, M. & Sachs, J. (2019). Punishing Civilians: US Sanctions on Venezuela. Challenge , 62 (5), 299–321. Taylor & Francis.

Westad, O. (2007). The Global Cold War: Third World Interventions and The Making Of Our Times . Cambridge New York: Cambridge University Press.

Wigell, M. (2016) “Conceptualizing Regional Powers’ Geoeconomic Strategies: Neo-Imperialism, Neo-Mercantilism, Hegemony, And Liberal Institutionalism,” Asia Europe Journal . Springer, 14(2), Pp. 135–151.

Williamson, J. (1990). Latin American Adjustment: How Much Has Happened . Washington D.C.: The Institute.

Wilpert, G. (2007). Changing Venezuela By Taking Power: The History And Policies Of The Chávez Government . London New York: Verso.

WOLA (2019) Meeting the Needs Of Suffering Venezuelans Will Require Expertise And Commitment To Humanitarian Principles. Retrieved 14 January 2020, From https://www.wola.org/2019/02/humanitarian-aid-venezuela-civil-society-statement/

Yaqub, S. (2004). Containing Arab Nationalism : The Eisenhower Doctrine And The Middle East . Chapel Hill: University Of North Carolina Press.

Ystanes, M. (2018). The Social Life of Economic Inequalities In Contemporary Latin America: Decades Of Change . Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.

Zakrison, T. L. & Muntaner, C. (2019). US Sanctions in Venezuela: Help, Hindrance, Or Violation Of Human Rights? The Lancet , 393 (10191), 2586–2587. Elsevier.

Zepezauer, M. (1994). The CIA’s Greatest Hits . Tucson, Ariz. Emeryville, CA: Odonian Press Distribution to The Book Trade Through Publishers Group West

Appendix A:

Selection of nations subject to historical u.s. interference.

Whilst the list of countries which the US has subjected to colonial and imperialist interference stretches back to the 19 th century, the scope of the countries referenced in this work begins with Iran in 1953. A small selection and light description of each is mentioned here along with some suggested readings.

As outlined in the paper, Iran was targeted by the US after British requests to overthrow the democratically elected Mohammad Mossadegh to take control of Iranian oil. Under the guise of anti-communism, the CIA and Britain orchestrated a successful coup d’état to prevent the nationalisation of the Anglo Iranian Oil Company which later went on to become BP (British Petroleum). The project was codenamed TPAJAX.

Abrahamian, 2013; Kinzer, 2008; Gasiorowski, 2004; McMurdo, 2012.

Guatemala: 1954

Under the rule of Jacobo Arbenz, Guatemala sought to expropriate land from the powerful US corporation the United Fruit Company. The company was known for its near enslavement of Guatemalan peasants and its vast ownership of Guatemalan land. The United Fruit Company was the largest land holder in Guatemala at the time. Under the codename operation PBSUCCESS, the democratically elected Arbenz was overthrown in a violent US backed Coup d’état by Carlos Castillo Armas who went on to become the head of a brutal Guatemalan dictatorship ultimately killing thousands of civilians.

Chapman, 2007; Schlesinger et al., 2005; Colby, 2011.

Cuba: 1959 – Present

After seizing power in 1959, Fidel Castro set about a redistribution of Cuban wealth to the peasantry in addition to the expropriation of US corporate assets. Soon after, a wide ranging and complex web of US interference including sanctions and terrorism took place to try to overthrow or assassinate Castro. Cuba, aligned with Russia, became the centre stage for the Cuban-missile crisis, a standoff between the US and Russian over strategic weapons placement. The CIA partook in biological warfare, assassinations, including that of Che Guevara, and terrorism. US interference continues to this day.

Kornbluh, 1998; Dapena, 2004; Latell, 2012.

Chile: 1973

After almost winning an election in 1958, the US set up a major CIA operation to prevent Salvador Allende from becoming President at the next election. It succeeded through mass propaganda campaigns. This continued until 1970 when Allende, despite US interference, won the election. The US set about utilising a destabilisation program which led to an economic freefall. The US then assisted General Pinochet in a Coup d’état which lead to Allende’s ‘suicide’. Subsequently, Chile fell into violent military rule leading to the US backed state terror campaign Operation Condor which spread across Latin America.

François, 2018; Kornbluh, 2004; Qureshi, 2009.

Nicaragua: 1978-1990

Nicaragua was ruled by a family dynasty installed by previous US interference. Support by a US national guard indulging in murder, rape, contraband and drugs, helped maintain the dynasty. After this regime was overthrown by the Sandinista’s seeking to reconstruct an impoverished society created by the dynasty, President Jimmy Carter flooded Nicaragua with ‘aid’ directed at funding the ‘Contras’ and destabilising most of Nicaragua’s major industries. The Contras subsequently ran a campaign of barbarism against the Nicaraguan population including severe human rights atrocities encouraged by the provision of a CIA technical manual instructing them on how to run such a violent campaign. Eventually, after years of war, the US backed opposition political party UNO, in a bought election, saw the Sandinista’s lose power.

Perla, 2016; Garvin, 1992; Brown, 2001; Dickey, 1985.

Haiti: 1986-1994

After decades of violent oppression, Haiti’s violent ruling family, the Duvalier’s (AKA Papa Doc and Baby Doc), were forced from Haiti. In their place, a new election was to be held with a high likelihood that a priest, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a liberation theologist who helped teach the poor about ideas of resistance against authoritarian oppression, would win. The US along with the CIA launched a campaign to prevent him coming to power. Aristide triumphed even in the face of rigged elections against him. However, after a few months in power, and after providing hope to the Haitian people of a new beginning free of tyranny, a coup violently overthrew Aristide and a new military regime began a new era of human rights abuses. While there is no apparent evidence to suggest US interference in this coup, the military regime was CIA trained in brutality. The US, this time, rather than interfere, simply left the country to fall into violence on its own accord. 

Aristide & Wargny, 1993; Podur, 2012; Sprague, 2012.

Appendix B:

The washington consensus.

The Washington consensus is a set of 10 policy instruments with which the US believe can realistically be ‘implemented’ in other nations. These are:

• Fiscal restraint: as imposed by IMF conditionality to maintain low deficit (often through austerity)
• Public expenditure reduction : this is unnecessary as tax revenues can be increased but spending reductions are always preferred by the right wing
• Tax reform: widening the tax base and incorporating marginal tax rates
• Interest rates: should be determined by the market and be positive to prevent capital flight
• Exchange rates: to make exchange rates as competitive as possible
• Trade policy liberalisation: anti-protectionist measures, removal of restrictions
• Foreign direct investment: facilitating an inward influx of foreign investment. The US is anti-economic nationalism for other nations but not for itself.
• Privatisation: transfer of state assets into private corporate hands
• Deregulation: removal of restrictions to facilitate increased competition
• Property rights: strong property rights fundamental to the operating of the capitalist system

(Williamson, 1990; Marangos, 2008: 230-231).

Reviewer 01

The dissertation relies on an impressive body of literature. Its analysis of USA’s political interference in Venezuela, Latin America, and beyond is thus very detailed and has remarkable historical depth. The dissertation makes use of pertinent theoretical frameworks, although some of these would have deserved a more subtle use. For instance, more recent theories of neo-imperialism could have been introduced. Also, while the understanding of Venezuelan oil as ISA is interesting, Brian should have further defended this analysis, making it clearer how oil serves an ideological function. The historical reconstruction has the issue of not dealing with geopolitical context – for instance, the transformations occurred after the Cold War should have been taken into examination. Another problem of contextualisation has to do with the analysis of Venezuela, and this is, to me, the main problem with the work. There is little discussion of local politics, social organisation, and conflicts. Of course, while it is absolutely legitimate to consider the US strategy as the prime factor of social disgruntling, no social scientist would think societal conflicts purely derive from external influence. Some more attention to the local political dialectics should have thus been presented, linking it to discussion on the local elites joining the side of USA (which appears in the text). In the same vein, while no analysis of the Venezuelan crisis can ignore the geopolitical stakes it has, and US influence, the author should have at least discussed some endogenous theories of the crisis, such as the ones about the failure of many resource-based states in diversifying their economy. In this sense, the dissertation reads, at times, more like a pamphlet than like an academic analysis. Finally, the analysis of NGOs role in constructing consensus against Maduro should have been more consistently carried out.  

The dissertation lacks abstract and ethics form.  

Reviewer 02

Overall this is a piece of work which demonstrates strong research skills and a high level of competence in terms of academic writing and presentation.  It offers a rich case study of politico- structural origins of social divisions, providing an original synthesis of available research to identify a ‘4-point modus operandi’ which attributes current social divisions to US policy.  The value of this analysis is attested with a number of examples before applying this to the case of Venezuela. The dissertation is an accelerated immersion into substantive detail and analysis that deserves much credit.  It is a case study illuminative of political sociological concerns and as a piece of historical sociology.  It draws on Althusser’s notions of RSA and ISA to make sense of politically motivated structural adjustment.  The dissertation would have been further strengthened by further development of its framing as a political sociological and historical sociological analysis.  For example, the following deserve greater introduction to set the dissertation up: structural versus individual explanations for poverty and inequality; locating the case study vis-à-vis political sociology and economic sociology as sub-disciplines; critiques of methodological nationalism as insufficient to explain national issues and including in this a discussion of Government/ governance/ governmentalities in relation to the politics of economic globalisation; the notion of ‘structural adjustment’ as top-down policy and bottom-up experience. Within the word count restrictions, it would have been impossible to address all these elements and succeed in the depth of case study presented.  A suggestion, were the piece to be developed/ adapted for publication, would be to clearly locate a selective representation of the case study to particular theoretical debates and disciplinary foci.   

Maintaining Intellectual Honesty in Sociology

The lord of the rings: the one ring as metaphor for consumerism, brian waldock.

Brian is a current PhD student in sociology. His thesis focuses on a range of concepts including platonism, bureaucracy, and abstract space. When not destroying his mind with theories, he indulges in the occasional video game, anime, chinese takeaway, or maybe even a very rare pint.

Related Posts

Discussing the concept of intellectual honesty in sociology, its importance, and the barriers that prevent its development. It also explores different types of intellectual honesty and dishonesty

Should I Study Sociology? An Unconventional Guide

Should you study sociology? Discover some of the more unconventional reasons to consider before deciding to study sociology at A-Level or undergraduate.

Help spread sociology

If you like what I do please support me on Ko-fi

SociologyMag brings you sociology as it occurs within the everyday. SociologyMag also serves you with guides, how-to's, and knowledge to help you succeed within academic sociology at all levels. If you are new here, check out our How to Use This Site page to get the most out of your visit.

Universal Basic Income

Experiences of single-fathers & lone-fathers, attitudes towards single-parents and lone-parents, bibliography: perceptions and attitudes to single-parents & lone-parents, single-mother, bibliography: stepfamilies.

What is Marxism?

Learn what Marxism is, the history, ideology, main concepts and criticisms of this influential social and political...

What is Totemism?

What are Extended Families?

What Are Stepfamilies, Reconstituted Families, and Blended Families?

The Zones of Regulation: Institutionalised Emotional Control

SociologyMag is an educational website designed to bring sociology to a wider audience. We look at how sociology can be used in the everyday by creating content which draws on academic sociology. We also target sociology from the academic side by publishing articles to help students at all levels from beginner to PhD.

Follow us on social media:

© 2022 SociologyMag

• Sociological Perspectives

• Mardigian Library
• Subject Guides

Sociology Research

• Develop Thesis Statements
• Online Library Access
• Start Finding Sources
• Search Sociology Databases
• Find Data & Statistics
• What is Peer-Review?
• Read & Analyze Articles
• Evaluate & Select Sources
• Use Your Sources
• Avoid Plagiarism
• Cite Your Sources
• Write Annotated Bibliographies
• Develop Paper Outlines
• Write Research Papers
• Use Interlibrary Loan This link opens in a new window

Developing a Research Topic and Focused Thesis Statement

A thesis statement clearly identifies the topic being discussed, includes the points discussed in the paper, and is written for a specific audience. Your thesis statement belongs at the end of your first paragraph, also known as your introduction. Use it to generate interest in your topic and encourage your audience to continue reading. 

Most researchers start out with a broad topic of interest and then narrow it down to a particular area of focus and question. If a topic is too broad, you will find too much information and the project will be unmanageable. It will be far easier for you to research and write your paper if you develop a strong focused research question or topic:

Do some exploratory research  on your topic idea, in your course textbook, class notes, and Mardigian Search to identify specific issues, arguments, and analytical approaches in your research area and then identify possible relationships between them. 

Ask yourself questions  about your topic idea:

• What concepts, issues, or other aspects of this topic interest you?
• What are the major issues, debates, and disagreements of the topic you are studying?
• What gaps, contradictions, or concerns arise as you learn more about it?
• What relationships are there between different aspects of the topic?
• How does the topic relate back to the larger themes discussed in your course(s)?

Focus your topic:   Use the information from your exploratory research to identify a few of the specific aspects that interest you and then use the questions you had about those to create your focused research question and thesis statement. 

Write about what interests you:  Professors want students to write about topics that they care about. If you're interested in the topic, it will be more fun for you to write your paper and probably more fun for your professor to read it, too.

Ask your course instructor or study advisor for feedback on your research question and thesis statement.

Picking Your Topic IS Research

Once you've picked a research topic for your paper, it isn't set in stone. It's just an idea that you will test and develop through exploratory research. This exploratory research may guide you into modifying your original idea for a research topic. Watch this video for more info:

• << Previous: Online Library Access
• Next: Start Finding Sources >>
• Last Updated: Apr 26, 2024 8:26 AM
• URL: https://guides.umd.umich.edu/soc

Call us at 313-593-5559

Chat with us

Text us: 313-486-5399

Email us your question

• 4901 Evergreen Road Dearborn, MI 48128, USA
• Phone: 313-593-5000
• Maps & Directions
• M+Google Mail
• Emergency Information
• UM-Dearborn Connect
• Wolverine Access

A-Plus Homework Help For College Students

Sociology Thesis Examples & Study Documents

Get access to our online database of Sociology Thesis writing samples.

Get inspired with 750,000+ our samples

DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Home > Sociology > Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Sociology, Department of

Department of sociology: dissertations, theses, and student research.

Juvenile Delinquency as a Contemporary Issue in Nigeria: Understanding the Impacts of Parenting Styles, Single Parenting, and Marital Discord , Sunkanmi Folorunsho, Oluwakemi Abdulrazaq, and Victor Ajayi

Seeing Is Believing: Religious Views, Perceptions of Pollution, and Environmental Attitudes , Katelynn (Sage) Shadoan

"It's Profound to be Understood": Negotiations of Household Labor in Trans Families , Eliza Thor

Cultivating Academic Achievement: An Updated Social Psychological Explanation , Maika Malualelagi Tuala

American Perspectives on the Legitimacy of Transgender Identities , Sethe Zachman

A Case for Friendship: A Mixed Methods Investigation of Close Friendships in Adulthood , Grace Kelly

Coverage Error Properties of Smartphone and Smartphone Operating System Ownership on Web Surveys: A Total Survey Error Perspective , Angelica Phillips

Attitudes Towards Public Basic Needs Programs: An Analysis of Question Order Effect, Period and Cohort Changes, and Differences Across Religious Traditions , Jamy Rentschler

Attitudes Towards Public Basic Needs Programs: An Analysis of Question Order Effect, Period and Cohort Changes, and Differences Across Religious Traditions , Jamy K. Rentschler

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Well-Being of People Incarcerated in United States Prisons , Kimberly Rivera

Settler colonial origins of intimate partner violence in Indigenous communities , Maia C. Behrendt

The Burden of Giving: Race, SES, and Nativity Differences in Providing Informal Financial Assistance , Nestor Hernandez

Factors Associated with Racial Differences in Health Care Access , Memory Manda

Effects of Victimization and Community Characteristics on Health Outcomes , Katie Meyer

Cover Guys: Masculinity, Sexuality, and Representations of Men's Bodies in Popular Magazines for Men , Trenton M. Haltom

MEASURING SOCIAL INTEGRATION: LINKING PERSONAL AND ASSOCIATIONAL TIES IN EGO NETWORKS , Sela Harcey

Protective Factors against Dating Violence Perpetration and Victimization , Meagan Kunitzer

Housework: Socialization Influences on Individual Performance, Couple Division of Labor and Mental Health , Jaala Robinson

The Relationship between Quality of Life, Extreme Climatological Conditions and Social Unrest in India , Daniel Schaefer

Twitch.tv and its LGBTQIA+ Tag: A Digital Ethnography Investigating How LGBTQIA+-affirming Video Game Streamers and Viewers Interact and Build LGBTQIA+ Spaces Online , Cadyn Alexander Williamson

How Does the Social World Shape the Experience of a Rare Disease? Social Position and the Development, Progression, and Medical Care for People With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis , Jennifer A. Andersen

‘Do Unto Others’: Religiosity and Bullying in Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood , Joseph Jochman

The Consequences and Correlates of Racial Identity Discordance: An Explication of the Social Construction of Race , Eli X. Ornelas

Examining the Association Between Interviewer and Respondent Speaking Pace in Telephone Interviews , Angelica Nicole Phillips

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STATE-LEVEL DYNAMICS, FIREARM POLICIES, AND COUNTY-LEVEL HOMICIDES , Shawn M. Ratcliff

Relationship Quality in Kin and Chosen Kin Familial Networks , Eliza Thor

Drinking Behaviors, Relationships And Recovery: A Relational Sociological Examination Of Addiction , Maia C. Behrendt

Interpersonal Discrimination and Mental Health among Minority Students at Predominantly White Institutions: Does Racial Identity Matter? , Marissa Lynn Cardwell

The Perfect Match? Correlates of Job Placement Among PhD Earners , Andrea Johnson

Social Networks and Science Identity: Does Peer Commitment Matter? , Grace Maridyth Kelly

Disabled and Out? Social Interaction Barriers and Mental Health among Older Adults with Physical Disabilities , Raeda Anderson

Disentangling the Roles of Modernization and Secularization on Fertility: the Case of Turkey , Dogan Hatun

Understanding Mental and Behavioral Health of American Indian Youth: An Application of the Social Convoy Model , Jerreed D. Ivanich

Birds of a Feather? Friendship Utilization by Sexual Minority Students During the Transition to College , Jessica Morrow

How State-Level Dynamics Shape Individual-Level Welfare Payments , Jamy Rentschler

Examining Retrospective Measurement of Ambivalence About First Births and Psychological Well-Being Using A Hybrid Cross-Survey Multiple Imputation Approach , Stacy Tiemeyer

Assessing Risks and Potential Protective Factors of Dating Violence Perpetration and Victimization , Brian Ermon Tussey

Not Infertile, Can’t Have Children: Non-Reproductive Health Barriers to a Wanted Child , Jennifer A. Andersen

WHO DO YOU KNOW: IMPROVING AND EXPLORING THE NETWORK SCALE-UP METHOD , Patrick Habecker

Protests in the Post-Cold War Era: World Systems Dynamics and Hardship Effects in Post-Colonial Countries , Shawn M. Ratcliff

Changing Public Opinion Towards LGB Rights: An Analysis of Data from the American National Election Studies, 1992-2012 , Jacob Paul Absalon

Examining the Interplay Between Spousal and Non-Spousal Social Support and Strain on Trajectories of Functional Limitations among Married Older Adults , Scott A. Adams

Fear and Loitering in Los Angeles: Contextualizing Fear in the Efficacy Framework , Benjamin J. Forthun

Three Studies Examining the Mechanisms Linking Stress Exposure to Delinquency and Substance Use among North American Indigenous Adolescents , Dane Steven Hautala

Understanding Transgender Community: Locating Support and Resiliency Using the Minority Stress Model , Rosalind D. Kichler

On The Street and On Campus: A Comparison of Life Course Trajectories Among Homeless and College Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Young Adults , Rachel M. Schmitz

A Mediational Analysis of the Influence of Negative Coping Behaviors on Health Outcomes Associated with Adolescent School Bullying , Joseph C. Jochman

NETWORK SUPPORT VARIATION FOR BLACK WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES: A MOBILITY STUDY OF IMMIGRANT AND NON-IMMIGRANT BLACK WOMEN , Lesa Annette Johnson

Capturing the Gendiverse: A Test of the Gender Self-Perception Scale, with Implications for Survey Data and Labor Market Measures , Alian Kasabian

A Model for Understanding Structure Versus Agency in the Participation of Minors in the Commercial Sex Market , Courtney Thrash

Faculty Parental Status: An Investigation of Network Homophily, Marginalization, and Supportive Work-Family Academic Culture , Megumi Watanabe

WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW CAN HURT YOU: EARLY LIFE COURSE RACIAL HEALTH DISPARITIES IN UNDIAGNOSED DIABETES , Anna C. Bellatorre

A Stress Process Model of Arrest among Homeless Women: Exploring Risk and Protective Factors , Kari C. Gentzler

Is Gaining, Losing or Keeping a Self-Identified Fertility Problem Associated with Changes in Self-Esteem? , Elizabeth A. Richardson

CONTEXTUALIZING COUPLES: THREE ESSAYS ON INEQUALITY, STRESS, AND DYADIC FUNCTIONING AS A LONGITUDINAL AND RECIPROCAL PROCESS , Deadric T. Williams

The Dynamics of Network-Religion Autocorrelation in Adolescent Friendship Networks , J Benjamin Cook

Sins of our Fathers (and Mothers): Impact of Parental Incarceration upon Education Outcomes , Patrick Habecker

Adolescent Depressive Symptoms and Substance Use: The Mediating Influence of Health Service Utilization , Sarah E. Malone

Does Exclusion From Normative Peer Groups in Early Adolescence Predict the Development of Substance Use Problems in Early Adulthood? , Cody R. Meyer

Multiple Motherhoods: An Examination of Mother Status on Life Satisfaction and Psychological Distress , Kayla M. Pritchard

Witnessing Inter-Parental Violence at Home: Adolescents and School Achievement , Renita Dawn Robinson-Tyrance

Tentative Transitions and Gendered Pathways: Exploring the Revolving Door of Young Adult Homelessness , Rachel M. Schmitz

Exploring Educational Pathways: Reintegration of the Formerly Incarcerated through the Academy , Grant E. Tietjen

A Phenomenology of the Meaning of Motherhood for African American and Hispanic Women Who Do Not Have Children in the United States , Amy M. Clark

PERCEIVED STIGMA AND STIGMA MANAGEMENT OF MIDWEST SECULARS , Christopher R. H. Garneau

The Sociology of Harriet Martineau in EASTERN LIFE, PRESENT AND PAST: The Foundations of the Islamic Sociology of Religion , Deborah A. Ruigh

Hard Work, Overcoming, and Masculinity: An Ethnographic Account of High School Wrestlers' Bodies and Cultural Worlds , Bryan Snyder

Abortion and Distress: The Role of State-Level Restrictive Policies Regarding Reproduction , Elizabeth Straley

Influences of Farming Background on Farm Women’s Employment Motivations , Alexis Swendener

Motherhood Situation and Life Satisfaction: Are Reasons for Having No Children Important? , Kari C. Gentzler

AVERSIVE RACISM AND IMPLICIT BIASES IN CIVIL RIGHTS WORKERS , Anne NM Hobbs

Religious Affiliation and Attendance as Predictors of Immigration Attitudes in Nebraska , Courtney Lyons Breitkreutz

Race and Gender Differences and the Role of Sexual Attitudes in Adolescent Sexual Behavior , Laura E. Simon

Infertility Help Seeking and Social Support: Do Conventional Theories Explain Internet Behaviors and Outcomes , Kathleen S. Slauson-Blevins

The Effect of Caretaker Separations on Indigenous Adolescents , Melissa L. Welch

Service Utilization Patterns of Homeless Youth , Sarah L. Akinyemi

Comparing Individual- and National- Level explanations of Environmental Attitudes , Andrew V. Bedrous

Variations in Social Support and Mental Health Among Black Women by Socioeconomic Status , Lesa A. Johnson

Learned Workers: Predicting Adult Education in the Labor Force , Alian S. Kasabian

Explaining College Partner Violence in the Digital Age: An Instrumental Design Mixed Methods Study , Lisa Melander

He Said, She Said: (Dis)agreement about the Occurrence of Intimate Partner Violence among Young Adult Couples , HarmoniJoie Noel

Marital Satisfaction Across the Transition to Parenthood , Kayla M. Sanders

Gender and Race Differences in Job Satisfaction and Commitment among STEM Faculty: The Influence of Network Integration and Work-Family Balance , Megumi Watanabe

The Relationship Between Breastfeeding and Child Care for Working Mothers in the United States , Patricia Wonch Hill

PREDICTORS OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM USAGE WITHIN UNITED STATES PRISONS , Grant E. Tietjen

Roscoe Pound and American Sociology: A Study in Archival Frame Analysis, Sociobiography and Sociological Jurisprudence , Michael R. Hill

Advanced Search

Search Help

• Notify me via email or RSS
• Administrator Resources
• How to Cite Items From This Repository
• Copyright Information
• Collections
• Disciplines

Author Corner

• Guide to Submitting
• Submit your paper or article
• Sociology Website

Home | About | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement

Privacy Copyright

• Customer Reviews
• Extended Essays
• IB Internal Assessment
• Theory of Knowledge
• Literature Review
• Dissertations
• Essay Writing
• Research Writing
• Assignment Help
• Capstone Projects
• College Application
• Online Class

Sociology Dissertation Topics: 60+ Examples and Ideas

by  Antony W

June 28, 2024

Singling out the best sociology topic to explore in your dissertation assignment can be quite a challenge at first. So some ideas can go a long way to give you the inspiration you need to get started the right way.

While there are many ideas you can think of from off the top of your head, there’s a high chance some won’t be a good fit. Ideally, you need to choose a topic that allows you to explore existing studies and add current value in the field of psychology . 

There’s often the temptation to choose a psychology topic on the grounds that it’s a hot debate, but that’s a bad approach that can make the project difficult to complete. The right approach is to pick topic that matches your research aptitude and interest.

If you would like our team to help you with your dissertation, check out our custom dissertation writing service and take advantage of our professional writing help.

Sociology Dissertation Topics

Here are some of the top dissertation topics related to sociology:

Cultural Sociology Dissertation Topics

Cultural sociology is a discipline that analyzes a society’s micro and macro cultures and often focuses on non-material and material culture, values, norms, and beliefs. You’ll have to study ideas and theories of well-known sociologists to understand this area even better. Here are some topics you can explore:

• Recognizing the good and negative elements of inter subcultural social contact
• What are the effects of immigrant cultural invasion on indigenous values, customs, and beliefs in the United Kingdom?
• What are the many subcultures that exist in UK society geographically?
• Analyzing the cultural gaps in British society.
• Considering how Max Weber’s methodological approaches might be used to express notions and principles pertinent to current cultural changes.
• Can Durkheim’s and subsequently the Durkheim school’s views on complete groups in society be utilized to develop a perspective of modern culture?
• Following the evolving components of counterculture in the United Kingdom.
• Analyzing the evolving tendencies in UK high culture throughout time.

Also Read : Social Work Dissertation Topics

Topics in Sociology of Education 

• Analyzing the structure of the education system in public schools as it relates to socially marginalized youth.
• Analyzing the national curriculum’s emphasis on sociological results for pupils as opposed to economic outcomes?
• Do youngsters fail school because of “individual difficulties” or “public issues”: The applicability of C Wright Mills’ theories in today’s UK education system .
• Should Neoliberalism theory be utilized as a guiding paradigm for UK education?
• The organization and impact of social advising and counselling in primary schools are being investigated.
• Examining and determining the methods and changes that a school system may use to close the educational achievement gap for disadvantaged populations.
• Investigating Marx’s Conflict Theory in Education: Is the UK’s public school system upholding the social status quo?
• Examining the relationship between a teacher’s motivation and class performance in a public school.
• The impact of the school environment on children’s perceptions of society at large.
• Examine the public school environment’s readiness to foster interfaith harmony and understanding among youngsters.
• Analyzing higher education fee/scholarship policies in relation to class inequality in UK society.

Topics on the Sociology of Religion

• How have print and electronic media in the United Kingdom shaped public attitudes of various religions?
• Analyzing the shared religious bases for promoting interfaith cooperation in the United Kingdom.
• In the United Kingdom, cross-religious views and ideals are compared.
• Religious ideals and religious standards are binding for members of UK society today in what ways?
• How has religious spread been influenced by social interaction between persons of diverse religious backgrounds?
• Identifying the influence of religion on weddings in the United Kingdom.
• A critical examination of religious organizations in the United Kingdom and their influence on societal structure.
• Investigating the connection between religion and education as a social institution.
• Is there a connection between religion and social change?
• Identifying the relationship between religion and political behavior in the United Kingdom.
• Should the public realm be kept distinct from the private world, especially when the private sphere is religious for some?
• Analyzing the relationship between gender and sexual issues as they pertain to various faiths.

You May Also Like: Criminology Dissertation Topics

Topics on the Sociology of Marriage and Family

• Investigating the nature and consequences of residence patterns in UK society.
• Investigating the intra-household dynamics of child-parent interactions in a typical British home.
• Marriages in distinct subcultures of the United Kingdom are compared.
• Historical examination of variations in divorce rates and their underlying factors in UK society.
• Identifying the societal causes of familial domestic violence.
• Investigating the effects of familial violence on children.
• Family variety and stratification: the link to societal inequality
• Examining the effects of periodic societal change on family structure in the United Kingdom.
• Analyzing the trend of fertility rates in the United Kingdom and the causes of any changes.

Topics on Economic Sociology

• Is it possible to apply the communist paradigm to British society? A critical examination.
• Identifying a UK family’s intra-household economic links.
• The ‘Deliveroo effect’: What are the societal consequences of the expanding ‘gig economy’?
• What societal changes resulted from the UK’s economy’s shift from the industrial revolution (capitalism) to the recent informational revolution?
• Can the informal economy help to drive local socioeconomic development?
• A comparison of communism and capitalism as economic paradigms, as well as their effects on social hierarchy.
• An examination of the UK economy in relation to Marx’s criticism of capitalism.
• A comparison of households with one working parent vs families with both working parents. What are the social consequences of dual employment?
• What are the societal consequences of growing international labor migration in the United Kingdom?
• Is there still a social barrier between blue collar and white collar workers in the modern UK economy?
• What are the most important social elements of consumer spending in the United Kingdom?
• Are you thinking about the future? Comparing young people’s spending and saving habits to those of their parents and grandparents.
• What are the consequences of economic downturns on the social standing of secondary labor market members?

Also Read: Economics Dissertation Topics

Sociology of Criminology Topics

• What are the primary socioeconomic causes driving the rise in knife crime in the United Kingdom?
• Historical examination of the sociological reasons of street and gang violence in the United Kingdom.
• Is drinking the primary social and behavioral cause of street crime in the United Kingdom?
• Offenses ‘known’ and documented in police files: The problems with UK crime statistics.
• Is there evidence of abuse in crime reporting?
• How does positivism account for the criminal’s control?
• The state’s intervention and the societal formation of individual criminal behavior
• Is punishment the only way to deter crime? Investigating social approaches to crime prevention.
• What are the primary aspects of deviance in contemporary British society?

Dissertation Topics in Industrial Sociology

• Is there a connection between culturally responsive organizational policy and employee happiness and productivity?
• What is the normal social structure of a large-scale UK organization?
• Has a British firm’s social organization influenced macro-level cultural conventions, values, and social status?
• What are the social dimensions of organizational communication?
• What distinguishes industrial societies such as the United Kingdom?
• What are the evolving trends in trade unions’ role in the social well-being of employees in the United Kingdom?
• What is the relationship between a worker’s motivation and productivity?
• Workplace motivation and the advantages of employee-selected reward packages

Dissertation Topics in Political Sociology

• What kinds of democratic dangers develop in society, and how does the state respond to such threats?
• Is democracy a viable political system in a capitalist society?
• What are the interconnections between religion and politics as significant social institutions?
• Is charismatic leadership or the rational-legal paradigm more appropriate in British society?
• What role and significance do ethnic minorities have in mainstream British power politics?
• In the British political system, what are the gender dimensions of voting?
• Political ideology and political principles are learned through culture in what ways and in what ways?
• How can individuals influence societal social and political events?
• To what degree do social forces shape power politics in the United Kingdom?

Comparative Sociology Topics

• A comparative examination of citizens’ well-being. The United Kingdom as a welfare state against Japan’s State Capitalism?
• Taking care of elderly relatives – Western and Eastern civilizations’ views and approaches compared.
• Marriage is a social institution in the United Kingdom and India.
• A study of family structure in the United Kingdom and Russia.
• Comparative analysis of labor markets and labor market trends in the United Kingdom and China.
• Comparing the educational systems in the United Kingdom and North America as a social institute for establishing cultural norms
• Is the United Kingdom preserving its ‘traditional’ culture? Comparing the diffusion of various civilizations inside modern British society.
• Capitalism vs. Communism: A Comparative Study of Social Inequality
• Gender issues in the UK and the Middle East are studied in comparison.
• Comparing sexual equality concerns in religious and non-religious countries
• A comparison of family units — nations that favor joint paternity/maternity leave vs maternity leave exclusively.

There you have it, a list of 50+ sociology dissertation topics from which you can choose a relevant idea to explore. As always, make sure you get in touch with your instructor for further advice if you ever get stuck.

About the author 

Antony W is a professional writer and coach at Help for Assessment. He spends countless hours every day researching and writing great content filled with expert advice on how to write engaging essays, research papers, and assignments.

We use cookies to enhance our website for you. Proceed if you agree to this policy or learn more about it.

• Essay Database >
• Essays Samples >
• Essay Types >
• Thesis Example

Sociology Theses Samples For Students

126 samples of this type

If you're seeking an applicable method to streamline writing a Thesis about Sociology, WowEssays.com paper writing service just might be able to help you out.

For starters, you should skim our vast catalog of free samples that cover most various Sociology Thesis topics and showcase the best academic writing practices. Once you feel that you've analyzed the key principles of content presentation and taken away actionable insights from these expertly written Thesis samples, developing your own academic work should go much smoother.

However, you might still find yourself in a circumstance when even using top-notch Sociology Theses doesn't let you get the job done on time. In that case, you can contact our writers and ask them to craft a unique Sociology paper according to your custom specifications. Buy college research paper or essay now!

Free Thesis On Contemporary Media And Old Ones Have Differences In Technology Advancement, But

Introduction, free forms of capitalism thesis example, best practices in brand image perception management for travel education using social theses examples.

Don't waste your time searching for a sample.

Get your thesis done by professional writers!

Just from $10/page

Social Learning Theory In Criminology Thesis Sample

Free thesis on homosexuality, good thesis on well-known people versus an average man, free use of social media marketing in fundraising by global environmental ngos in russia thesis example, modern era literary work: great expectations by charles dickens thesis sample, race theory thesis example, defining race as a political sociological theory, free thesis on cited works, example of my mother never worked thesis, example of thesis on an outline for capitalism, an outline for capitalism, how does online gaming addiction affect the social lives of people/teenager thesis examples, annotated bibliography, example of does online gaming addiction affect the social lives of people/teenagers thesis, does online gaming addiction affect the social lives of people/teenagers.

Rooji, A.V., et al. (2010). Online Video Game Addiction: Identification of Addicted Adolescent Gamers. Society for the Study of Addiction, Vol. 106, pp. 205-212.

Double Consciousness And Racism Thesis Examples

The meaning of life thesis examples, nurses should practice to the full extent of their education thesis examples, thesis on unemployment and its unintended consequences, thesis on empowerment about african american literature, the women of the brewster place by gloria naylor, childhood education thesis, childhood education, there are some general issues to be addressed thesis samples.

Can you please ensure that the referencing conforms with the OSCOLA standard (available at http://www.legalcitation.ie/page5/files/OSCOLA%20Ireland%202011.pdf

· Can you please ensure that all web links in the footnotes work, and lead the reader to the correct cite

· Can you please use English Ireland or English UK as the default language (as distinct from English US) What I need that those points has to be solved within 18 hours. Please as my submission day is Thursday. also I do not want you to change anything in the piece of the paper just make sure from what I ask for, also I would like you to add Hyperlinks in the footnotes and the reference

Acknowledgement

Free thesis about non-governmental organization management, differences between national and international ngos -.

A Case Study of the US, Bahrain and India (Author name) (Supervisor name)

Ethical Implications Of Social Media In News Media Theses Example

Is instagram ethical, free speaking through pictures: thesis sample, picture exchange communication system (pecs).

Abstract 3 Introduction .. 4

Purpose . 6

Literature Review . 7 Synthesis .. 15 Method .. 15 Overview of Design .. 15

Results and Discussion 16

Conclusion 27 References .. 31

Free Thesis On Evaluation Design Of A New Modification To The Curriculum On

Citizenship for elementary school.

Applied Research Project (Proposal Defense)

Thesis On How To Market A Western Brand In The Chinese Market

Customer inserts his/her name, free consumer behavior on purchasing hybrid cars in india thesis sample, details theses example, candidate: ian keith sinnott.

Degree: E900‐Doctor Of Philosophy CRICOS code: 006244J Campus: Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus Finish Date: 25/032016 Enrolment Category:Off‐Campus / Full‐Time Associate Supervisor(s): Dr. Rod Nielsen and Dr Alex Kostogriz Thesis Title: Evaluating the impact of Instruction of English through the use of the iPad on the English Foundations Studies Program at Abu Dhabi Men’s College [ADMC], Higher Colleges of Technology, United Arab Emirates.

Colloquia: First year confirmation

Free thesis on fascism and national socialism, fascism and national socialism, free forms of capitalism academic thesis example, good example of reforming workers compensation thesis, an exploratory analysis of senate bill 863.

Requirements for the Masters in Public Policy and Administration Degree The thesis of is approved by __________________________________

Chairperson

Free thesis on sexual harassment in the workplace, free developing a model of brand personality in the sport industry thesis sample, developing a model of brand personality in sport industry, free thesis on hpv and obesity, literature review, free thesis about the effect of bilingualism in a minority language on third language acquisition.

Müjde Gümüșçü Uğurlu

The effects of bilingualism in a minority language on third language acquisition

Example of domestic violence perpetuates to the 21st century thesis, gender and women rights thesis examples, us immigration: past and present thesis samples, gender equality under saudi labour law and european labour law thesis examples, chapter one: what kind of equality does sharia law provide, sample thesis on other cultures. the results of this study showed that there is a need to extend.

A Quantitative Study of Preschool Teachers' Beliefs and Attitudes toward Diversity, Diversity Experiences, Ideal Vision of a Diversity Curriculum and Implementation of a Diversity Curriculum in their Classroom

Negative Effects Thesis Examples

Economics 5900 thesis example.

Drowning in Debt: How Does the U.S. Solve its Debt Crisis?

Free Thesis On Creature Of Cluture

Never judge culture by one man and never judge a man by popular culture.

- Anonymous

Thesis On Part Time Employments

According to Bastelaer (1997), there is no clear definition of a part time job. This is because definitions of part time job are based on either threshold hours or the assessment on the nature of the job, or a combination of the two. Further, threshold number of hours have not been specific, some consider the threshold number of hours to be thirty and others consider the threshold number of hours to be thirty five (Bastelaer 23).

Definition And Theories Of Bisexuality Theses Examples

Good example of queer nation: the forward movement of the lgtbq community thesis.

LGBTQ movements are social movements that aim at providing individuals with different sexual preferences the rights enjoyed by heterosexual people. LGBTQ stands for equality of humans and must be treated as an important affair Keywords: LGBT, homophiles, morals

Free Thesis About Gender Equality Under Saudi Labour Law And European Labour Law

Bnfits of community policing thesis examples, effects of empowerment on police officers in the singapore police force thesis examples, acknowledgments.

I am especially grateful for the support and guidance of my dissertation advisor, Dr. A. P., provided all through the progression and development on this research study.

My thanks also go to the men and women in blue of Singapore Police Force whom had provided their valuable time to participate in the survey and their willingness to share. I also would like to thank DSP (NS) Azrin Abdul Rahim and SSI Selamat Bustaman for their valuable guidance and insights towards this study.

Singapore Police Force Empowerment Thesis Example

Introduction and background, thesis on impact service delivery, research methodology thesis examples, introduction.

The research methodology chapter provides scientifically developed guideline for research process. Research methodology systematically defines postulates to be followed in order to successfully account important areas of the research within available resource. Under development research methodology is a guideline for the research entitled “Organizational Change to a Project Management Culture in an Organization”. Underlying developed research methodology provides theoretical assumption considered for developing the research. Moreover, I have also shed light upon the limitations applicable to the research due to set of methods and approaches employed (Beiske, 2007).

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Research methodology and its role in research process thesis examples, organizational change to a project management culture in an organization thesis, expertly crafted thesis on african american men and the police: bulls eye on the back.

(Institute/College/University)

Executive Summary

The naked and the nude theses examples, example of academic thesis on guiding consumers, relevance of communication {type) to use as a writing model, communication from the 1750's – present.

Communication from the 1750's – present Introduction Communication constitutes the use of messages that are sent across various contexts, media and cultures for the sake of generating meaning. Communication has been evolving over the years and it seems to be getting easier to communicate and get the meaning in communication. Communication is the basic method in which needs and aspirations that the humans have can be connected, understood and dealt with as time goes. This therefore means that communication lives with the human race.

Example Of Thesis On Guiding Consumers

Freemens bureau thesis example.

Password recovery email has been sent to [email protected]

Use your new password to log in

You are not register!

By clicking Register, you agree to our Terms of Service and that you have read our Privacy Policy .

Now you can download documents directly to your device!

Check your email! An email with your password has already been sent to you! Now you can download documents directly to your device.

or Use the QR code to Save this Paper to Your Phone

The sample is NOT original!

Short on a deadline?

Don't waste time. Get help with 11% off using code - GETWOWED

No, thanks! I'm fine with missing my deadline