Senior Theses

Senior Experience (Soc. 300) was designed as a culminating capstone for sociology majors.

This course gives students an opportunity to apply knowledge gained through the major by conducting research and writing a research paper under the guidance of an assigned faculty member. Here is a sample of student thesis work:

Fall 2007

Sociology of Education: Hispanic Needs Assessment Project (Prof. Toro-Morn)

  • Katie Kelly, “Juntos y Revueltos (Connected and Tangled): Neighboring School Districts in a Local Community”
  • Cassi Garcia, “Between National and Local: An Ethnographic View of English as a Second Language (ESL) Programs in Central Illinois”
  • Rodney Provine, “VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!: The Role of Volunteer After-School Programs in the Educational Achievement of Latino Students in Central Illinois”
  • Natalie Liehr, “Entre La Escuela y El Trabajo: Tensions Between Work and School for Latino High School Students”
  • Charlee Zingraf, “Sueños y Aspiraciones Para el Futuro: Influences Shaping Aspirations of Male Hispanic/Latino Students”
  • Duane Johnson,  “The View from the Classroom: African American and Latino Teachers Interactions with Latino Students”
  • Rachel Healy, “The Path From High School to Community College: Gender Differences in the Transition to a Two-Year College in Central Illinois”
  • Jackie Kuhn, Melissa Pauls, and Jessica Gipson, “The Path to Higher Education: Identity Issues, Role Models, and School Culture”

Sociology of Sex and Gender (Prof. Gerschick)

  • Christopher Jordan Putrich and Mary Cate Baker,  “Christian Attitudes about Body Modification”
  • Loretta Santejka: “Popular Perceptions of the English”
  • Bethany Liston and Samantha Sturm, “Family Dynamic Changes Based on Terminal or Debilitating Cancer of a Parent”
  • Sean Kramer and Maureen Kinney,  “How Does the College Experience Influence Gender Identity?”
  • William McDonald,  “Physical Impairment in a White Collar Work Environment”
  • Julie Freehill and Jenna Bertschi, “Law Enforcement Perceptions and Policing Practices Associated with Male Victims of Domestic Violence”
  • Ryan Remsing and Pat O’Hern,  “Bouncers of Central Illinois: Their Experiences and Inclination towards Violence”
  • Jessica Olenick,  “Social Class and Alcohol Consumption: Is There a Relationship?”
  • Ashleigh Ballard, Richard Bridges, and Latrice Samuel,  “The Effects of the Down Low on African American Men and Women”