Sociology & Anthropology

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Research from the Department of Sociology & Anthropology. The department website may be found at https://www.ndsu.edu/socanth/

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Browsing Sociology & Anthropology by browse.metadata.program "Anthropology"

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    Cyberbullying in World of Warcraft’s Looking for Raid Function
    (North Dakota State University, 2015) Brinkman, Heather Rebecca
    This thesis focuses on the effects that othering or cyberbullying within the Looking for Raid (LFR) function is having on the World of Warcraft (WoW) community in terms of their identity creation. I will look at the three separate classes that I have identified (elite raider, casual raider, and casual gamer) in the community and to see how each of these groups has been affected by the creation of the LFR function and the conflict that it has created. I will explore the hegemonic process that led to the creation of the LFR function and the coopting of the vital symbolic resource, the screen shot, by the casual gamer. While the relationship between cyberbullying and bullying in the physical world is not yet apparent, it is important that the phenomenon be adequately understood and defined first.
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    Ethical Landscapes of the Human Terrain System
    (North Dakota State University, 2014) Clawson, Jenna Lark
    This thesis addresses current controversy over ethical practices in the Human Terrain System. In the past decade the Department of Defense has adopted a cultural approach in the science of military control consequently creating the controversial HTS program. The HTS employs anthropologists to create ethnographic data sets on target populations, which has created ethical concerns for the anthropology discipline. This phenomenon is situated in the context of anthropologists’ roles in colonial population control, prior military engagements, and the discipline’s reactions to late 20th century ethics issues. This ethical dilemma is analyzed using discourse of the military, academics, and the public. Themes found are contextualized in an analysis of ethics standards and practices for anthropology and the military and the AAAs opposition to the HTS. Findings are explained through application of Hoffman’s cultural response to disaster model. Based on this research, I make some initial suggestions for resolving this ethical dilemma.
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    Meaningful Materials: Revitalizing History and Heritage through Hands On Experiences
    (North Dakota State University, 2014) Nordick, Amanda Asselin
    The Fargo Theatre Material Heritage Mitigation and Preservation Project form the case study for this paper. This project used participant observation and interviews with the undergraduate anthropology students that worked on the Fargo Theatre project and interviews with local practitioners in the fields of public history, archival practice and anthropology. The results produced an understanding of how historical materials can affect participants. An increased trend of community involvement, renewed historical interest, and new identity within the community were some of the personal connections that that students made with the historical materials. Working with the Fargo Theatre materials not only presented an opportunity for some historically valuable materials to be discovered and maintained, but the students‘ involvement became more meaningful than anticipated. The strong personal connections students made with their community identity and their increased knowledge, and appreciation for the history of this area became a highlight throughout the project.
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    Paleopathological Conditions Presenting in a Collection of Juveniles from a Merovingian Site in Central Germany
    (North Dakota State University, 2010) Locket, Lacey Laura
    This thesis explores the pathological conditions that affected a juvenile skeletal population dating to the Merovingian ages in what is now central Germany. The goal of this research is to gain an understanding of the physical health of this sub-adult population through the use of physical anthropology and historical evidence. In 1960 the cemetery ofMannheim-Vogelstang was excavated, revealing 149 juvenile skeletons dating from the sixth to the eighth century CE. Of the 149 recovered from the site, 105 were used in this research. These individuals were thoroughly visually examined for any indication of nutritional, infectious or congenital conditions, as well as evidence of trauma. All individuals were closely examined and any abnormalities were noted. Signs of porotic hyperostosis, hypoplasia, abnormal bending/bowing, fractures, abnormal growth, caries and dental abscesses were all present in this population. Porotic hyperostosis (PH) was the most prevalent pathological condition found in this population. Signs of porotic hyperostosis were found in 21.49% of the individuals. Linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) was the second most common condition found within this population, occurring in 11.21 % of the individual. Signs of PH and LEH are both indicators of metabolic distress. SD08, 600-620CE, revealed the largest number of individuals with signs of pathological conditions.
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    Sexual Health Perspectives of Pastoral Adolescent Girls in Samburu County
    (North Dakota State University, 2019) Odera, Doreen Awino
    Teenage girls from the Turkana pastoral community in Northern Kenya have varying views of sexuality. Some parents choose to send their daughters to school creating disparate levels of knowledge about their bodies and sexual health. To better evaluate these differences, girls (13-18 years) were asked to develop body maps, a methodological technique that enables verbal and visual data collection. Interviews and participant observations were also used to gather data. This research involved a total of 33 participants and included both school going and non-school going girls. Triangulation of data from Interviews, participant observation, and body mapping provided multiple angles into the female pastoralist’s life experiences. The study demonstrated the heterogeneity and disparities that are present within pastoralists population in Samburu county, providing a more detailed understanding for future medical anthropological studies. The research furthered anthropological inquiry methodologically by introducing body mapping as a complement to conducting traditional ethnographic research.
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    Spaces for Developing Sociocultural Capital: A Case Study of Community Gardens in an Agrarian Community
    (North Dakota State University, 2012) Brown, Jessica Rae
    Common themes growing out of current research on community gardens center on issues in large urban areas including community-based responses to more healthful food options, local sustainability efforts, and combating urban crime. One area of research that is lacking is how sociocultural capital is generated in smaller metropolitan communities though community gardening. This thesis addresses this void as a means to begin understanding of how the sociocultural networks between community organizations and community gardeners form a symbiotic relationship of interconnected capital production within cities found in historically agrarian regions. This research includes a specific set of methods for investigating Fargo-Moorhead community gardens as places utilized for building sociocultural capital by providing gathering spaces, learning centers, food security, and social interactions. It sheds a new perspective on the intricate connections community gardening plays in the role of building sociocultural capital to aid in sustainability, particularly for, historically agrarian communities.
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    Up in Flames: Using Anthropology to Analyze the Increasing Cremation Rates in North Dakota
    (North Dakota State University, 2022) Basta, Natalie Anne
    Cremation rates within North Dakota, and the greater US, have been rapidly increasing over the recent decades. Funeral directors, coroners, and death investigators alike have noticed the increase; however, nobody has made a positive determination for why the increase was occurring. Using an anthropological lens, I evaluated the state of cremation with North Dakota and with the use of GIS analysis and interviews with local funeral directors, I was able to determine that there is not one specific reason for the rising cremation rates. Instead, there are multiple factors at play, one of which is cost.