Anthropology Honors Theses
Abernathy, Brett D.
BS, 1995
Faculty Advisor: Whitten
Title: Phytoestogen Influences on Male Development: The Effects of Lactational Exposure to Coumestrol on Androgen Status in Neonatal Rats
Alford, Allison M.
BA, 1983
Faculty Advisor: Brown
Title: The Nashville Midwife Controversy: An Ethnographic Case Study of Ideological Manipulation in a Political Conflict
Amouroux, Christa Simone
BA, 1999
Faculty Advisor: Knauft
Title: The "Free Town" Contradictions between Ideology and Practice
Andrews, Charles A.
BA, 1987
Faculty Advisor: Rosenberger
Title: Contradictions in Japanese Moral Education Shusin, Dotoku, and the Wider Culture
Banerji, Shampa
BA, 1993
Faculty Advisor: Shore
Title: An Interpretation of Puja: Worship and Devotion of the Hindu Immigrant in Sri Venkateswara's Temple at Riverdale , Georgia
Baran, Michael D.
BA, 1996
Faculty Advisor: Shore
Title: La Fiesta Nacional
Baumgarten, Nicole
BS, 2000
Faculty Advisor: Worthman / Stallings
Title: Stress in Inner-City Youths: A School-Based Comparison of Cortisol Levels in African-American Adolescents
Beisecker, Kaitlyn A.
BS, 2003
Faculty Advisor: Brown
Title: Social Capital and Mixed Income Communities: The Effect of Citizen Participation on Health
Bellos, Alesandra
BS, 2000
Faculty Advisor: Paul
Title: The Uses of Culture: Conflict and Coping Among College-Age Muslim South Asian-American Females
Benander, Benjamin J.
BS, 1999
Faculty Advisor: Whitten
Title: Relation of Testosterone to Social Dominance, Group Stability and Agression in Sifaka (Propithecus Verreauxi)
Bour, Eric S.
BA, 1983
Faculty Advisor: Smith
Title: The Evolutionary Importance of Sexual Behavior Cyclicity in the Stumptail Macaque (Macaca Arctoides)
Brown, Mary
BS, 1996
Faculty Advisor: Smith
Title: Menstrual Synchrony and the Relationship between Sexual Activity and Cycle Length
Abstract: The effects of social interaction on the menstrual cycle were examined in 20 college women. Menstrual synchrony did not occur between housemates. Sexual activity and orientation was not found to influence cycle length or variation of cycle length. An association was found between irregularity and low orgasm rate.
Burroughs, Melissa Suzanne
BS, 2004
Faculty Advisor: Rone
Title: Tracing the Legacy of Creole Identity in Gulf Coast Narratives
Abstract: This paper investigates the negotiation of mixed-race Creole identity in the Gulf Coast region of the United States . Data are drawn from an ethnographic study of two sites in Louisiana and the coastal regions of Alabama . Family history narrative and personal narrative are explored in order to understand how those two narratives interact in order to construct and reinterpret Creole identity. Moreover, I examine how individuals and communities construct and maintain notions of race and ethnicity. This study contributes insight into how people of mixed race resolve conflicting notions of race while actively preserving ethnic identity and cultural forms.
Caceres, Marcos
BA, 1987
Faculty Advisor: Worthman
Title: Immunoglobulin Allotypes among Middle East Populations: A Study in Genetic Relatedness and Malaria as a Selective Factor
Cannon, Steven Mitchell
BA, 1987
Faculty Advisor: Shore
Title: School Drop Outs: Self-Perceptions in a Low-Income Community
Abstract: Much research has been done to discover the causes for young people to drop out of high school, especially those from low-income families. The blame is usually placed on one of three actors: the individual, the school system, or the capitalistic economic system. Because of dire situations surrounding many low-income youth it has been hypothesized that it is a rational decision for them to drop out of school, regardless of the research which shows the higher class status and increased income capabilities possessed by those with a diploma. Twenty-two youth, eleven of which chose to drop out of school, comprised the study sample. These youth live in a unique urban neighborhood, one that is small and close-knit, where many of the residents share an appalachian mountain heritage. Through observations and open-ended interviews, data on self-perceptions for the decision to stay or leave school were collected, along with the etic evidence that influenced the young person. These data were used to examine how the theoretical perspectives explain the decisions of these young people. Also examined were whether the youth made rational decisions or merely reacted to circumstances when they dropped out of high school. Results of the study showed that there were few positive examples and influences available to the youth in the project area for remaining in school. Therefore, many seem to make a rational decision when they leave school. However, many youth are able to perceive future gains and positive characteristics about education and choose to remain in school. They retain hope for graduating despite the odds against them to succeed.
Carr, William
BA, 2005
Faculty Advisor: Armelagos
Title: Race, Athletic Ability and Stereotype: The Problems with Association of Race and Athletic Ability
Abstract: In order to document the beliefs held by college students regarding race and performance in sports, research was conducted on 1500 Black, White, Hispanic, and Asian male and female students (Stone & Parnell 2004). These researchers found that Black athletes were rated higher in natural athletic ability and work ethic than sports intelligence or emotionality. The more interesting fact is that this patten did not depend on the race or gender of the perceiver. All racial groups studied, including Blacks, rated Black athletes in this manner. The other side of the coin in the White athletes were rated higher in sports intelligence and work ethic, a perception that was also retained by Whites as well as other racial groups. Race has long been a concept used to explain differences among groups of people. Racial differences have been argued for regarding intelligence, health, and athletic ability. Athletics and sports, which play an important role in American society and culture, have become a focal point for the discussion of race. Athletes, journalists, scientists and sports fans have long clashed over the question of whether Blacks are innately superior athletes due to their unique biology. So called "race scientists" have provided the public with much information regarding differences between Black athletes and other athletes. These differences include more fast-twitch muscle fibers (Ama et al. 1986), more lean muscle (Entine 2000), longer legs and arms giving increased leverage (Tanner 1964), and the ability to resist muscle fatigue (Holden 2004). In turn, other researchers have argued against these claims stating that they are unsubstantiated and based on a faulty view of race, genetics and human variation (Dougherty 2000, Malik 2000, Gil-White 2004). Furthermore, they argue that by providing this false evidence to the public, harmful racial stereotypes regarding Blacks are being perpetuated. In the midst of this modern controversy, Jon Entine's Taboo: Why Black Athletes Dominate Sports and Why We're Afraid to Talk About It, argues that racial differences do exist in regards to genetics and biology that predispose Blacks to be better athletes. Taboo is claimed to be by Entine and his proponents, the most completely referenced and comprehensive treatment of the topic (Young 2000). This thesis will attempt to review the history of attempts to explain Black superiority in certain athletic events, the problems invovled with the concept of race as a tool for scientific inquiry, and the modern ideas about race and genetic/biological differences in muscle fiber, muscle fatigue, and the ACE gene and its relation to endurance and power performance, and their correlation to athletic ability and race. Analysis of these topics should shed light into current discussions regarding race and athletic ability, and will also further exemplify some of the problems regarding racial research and its conclusions. After the review, the paper will go on to consider the consequences of association between race and athletic ability and its contribution to negative stereotypes regarding Blacks.
Chesnick, Adam
BA, 2000
Faculty Advisor: Konner
Title: "Be Israeli, But Don't Forget Where You Came From": Obstacles to Integration Among Ethiopian-Jewish University Students in Israel
Abstract: This thesis is an ethnographic study, investigating some of the challenges toward integration which have affected Ethiopian-Israeli university students. It is an initial study that analyzes the experience of integration from the Ethiopian-Jews' own perspective. Such analysis focuses on the obstacles to integration presented by educational institutions, and examines how ethnic background affects group experience within the Israeli context. I interviewed 19 Ethiopian-Israeli university students of both Amharic and Tigre backgrounds during my three and one-half month research period in Israel . I conducted interviews in English, and included both male and female students from various universities around the country. Each interview lasted between one and two hours and utilized a formal questionnaire as a springboard for facilitating discussion. This study elucidates how present-day university students have experienced a struggle to negotiate their status as Ethiopian-Israelis. The general educational policy to send Ethiopian-Jews to religious schools created social and academic obstacles. Additionally, this system contributed to altering the traditional roles of the family unit. Ethnically, Ethiopian-Jews are in a unique position because they are a physically distinguishable minority group. Their dark skin represents immigrant status, and incurs the stigmas associated with their geographic and cultural heritage. The blood scandal of 1996 marks the catalyst behind a major change of attitude regarding negotiation of Ethiopian-Israeli identity. For the first time since immigration, group mentality began to reject Israeli norms, and reaffirm traditional ethnic pride and identity.
Choksi, Sejal P.
BS, 1998
Faculty Advisor: Brown
Title: South Asian Indians in Atlanta: Generational Differences in Knowledge and Practice of the Ayurvedic Theory of Medicine
Cook, Jennifer A.
BS, 1998
Faculty Advisor: Armelagos
Title: Tetracycline Labeling in an Ancient Nubian X-Group (24-I-3) Population
Abstract: The prevalence of tetracycline labeled osteons was investigated in 25 individuals from an ancient Sudanese Nubian X-Group cemetery (24-I-3) dated from 350-550 CE. Femoral thin sections from below the lesser trochanger were hand ground and viewed under fluorescence microscopy at 490 nm. The presence of tetracycline is indicated by bright yellow-green fluorescence. Each thin section was analyzed using a modified Frost's (1996) "Triple-Surface-System," which yielded 12 fields from each individual. In the study a distinction was made between intact osteons totally labeled with tetracycline and osteons with only hyperdensity innerlamellae (HDI) bodies labeled. Of the over 7,369 haversian systems sampled, 5.6% of the intact osteons were completely labeled. The population also showed an average rate of 9.1% of total bone labeled. The prevalence of labeling was significantly lower than that reported from another X-Group site (NAX) from this same region (Collins 1997). The bones of individuals of all ages show at least some in vivo tetracycline labeling. Differences between populations reflect differences in diet. Tetracycline, used today as a common anti-biotic, was incorporated in the diet of the ancient Nubians through the fermenting of grain.
David, Edward C.
BA, 2003
Faculty Advisor: Mustafa
Title: No Movement: How Cultural Attitudes Impede Mass Transit
Davis, Adam M.
BS, 1996
Faculty Advisor: Armelagos
Title: The Epidemiology of Schistosomiasis in an Ancient Nubian Population Using Immuno-Assays on Mummies
Dean, Heather A.
BA, 1991
Faculty Advisor: Barlett
Title: Women and Social Change: The Case of Lowland Settlement in Bolivia
Donham, Benjamin
BS, 2000
Faculty Advisor: Armelagos
Title: Mitochondrial DNA Variation in the Maale
Abstract: We have characterized the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation of 94 Ethiopians by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis and control region (CR) sequence analysis. These samples were collected in the Maale area of southwest Ethiopia . While approximately two thirds of the mtDNAs in sub-Saharan Africa belong to macrohaplogoup L, which encompasses haplogroups L1 and L2, this was not the case for the East African Ethiopians. Of those Ethiopian mtDNAs falling into macrohaplogroup L, most belonged to haplogroup L1 rather than L2. The majority of the remaining mtDNAs belonged to haplogroup L3, which lacks the Hpal 3592 site. Comparisons of the CR sequence and RFLP haplotype data also showed that several putative L3 mtDNAs were derivatives of haplogroup L1 that had lost the diagnostic Hpal 3492 site. In addition, a number of Ethiopian samples had the RFLP motif of Asian macrohaplogroup M mtDNAs from which they were subsequently spread into Asia , or that Asian mtDNAs have been introduced into Africa more recently through genetic back-flow. Furthermore, several samples showed a site loss at -13704 BstNI that helps to define European specific haplogroup J. Upon further investigation it was found that these samples did not belong to haplogroup J but instead belong to a new L3 mtDNA lineage.
Easton, Whitney
BA, 2008
Faculty Advisor: Armelagos
Title:An Island Adrift: The Confluence of Race, History, and Memory: African-American Populations on St Catherines Island, Georgia, 1760-1940
Edmondson, Scott M.
BA, 1998
Faculty Advisor: Shore
Title: The Word Made Flesh: A Historical, Cultural, and Linguistic Analysis of the Embodiment of Ideals and Race in American United Methodist Churches
Edwards, Jessica M.
BA, 1998
Faculty Advisor: Armelagos
Title: Race, Bone Mass and Osteoporosis: A Challenge to the Use of Racial Categories
Abstract: It has been hypothesized that blacks have an increased bone mass and therefore are at less risk for osteoporosis compared to whites. This study assessed bone loss by measuring cortical bone area in cross sections of the rib from 131 individuals (39 black females, 43 black males, 36 white females, and 13 white males) from the Hamman-Todd skeletal collection. Mean cortical area, for age categories (ages 20-28, 29-47, 48-69) as well as the total samples, was examined by age and sex; age and race; and age, sex, and race. The combined sample of black individuals had a higher value for cortical bone area than the white individuals and the combined sample of males had more bone than females. Black females had a higher mean value for cortical bone area than white females and black males had more bone than white males. Race has been suggested as the basis for these differences. Recent research suggests that the vitamin D endocrine system is altered in blacks, with enhanced intestinal and renal tubular reabsorption of calcium. It is suggested that secondary hyperparathyroidism, as a result of diminished synthesis of vitamin D due to increased skin pigment, accounts for these changes. This study suggests that skin color may account for some of the differences between those classified as black and those classified as white for bone mass and risk for osteoporosis. The use of racial categories for assessing the risk for osteoporosis obscures the causes of these changes.
Erskine, Jennifer G.
BS, 1994
Faculty Advisor: Armelagos
Title: A Decrease in the Mean Wall Thickness of Cortical Osteons as a Possible Mechanism of Senile Osteoporosis
Abstract: Osteoporosis is an age-related disease in which bone is weakened, resulting in fractures and consisderable pain. Osteoporosis is relatively common in the United States , affecting 20-25 million residents (Allen, 1993). It is predominantly a disease of women: four times as many women as men are affected (Nilas, 1991), as is one in four women over the age of 65 (Allen, 1993). The disease exacts a considerable social cost on American society: during the first year following an osteoporotic hip fracture, excess mortality is 15-20%, and 20% of patients will be institutionalized (Nilas, 1991). The cost of osteoporosis int he United States is estimated to be 7-10 billion dollars per year (Allen, 1993). This paper reviews basic bone structure and function and the changes that occur in bone with aging and osteoporosis. In this context, a novel mechanism for the development of cortical porosity in senile osteoporosis is proposed--the formation of smaller osteons at the periosteum surface with modeling, resulting in a net bone loss. Such a mechanism could easily be tested by measuring cortical osteons on the microradiographs made from an archaeological population, such as the ancient nubian one which has already been extensively studied (Martin, 1983). A pilot study was conducted on three individuals from the Nubian population to demonstrate how a Study of the mean wall thickness of cortical osteons may be conducted.
Evans, Kristi S.
BA, 1988
Faculty Advisor: Shore
Title: Ethnic Variation in Unusual Names Among Black and White Southerners
Ferrara, Anthony
BA, 1986
Faculty Advisor: Brown
Title: Cultural and Biological Aspects of Alcoholism: The Forbidden-Fruit Hypothesis
Finley, Erin P.
BA, 1999
Faculty Advisor: Sellen
Title: Envisioning Maternal Health: Understanding the Impact of Traditional Birth Attendant Training Programs on Maternal Mortality in Guatemala
Frank, Scott M.
BA, 1993
Faculty Advisor: Shore
Title: Virtual Communities: Societies of the Electronic Frontier
Freeman, Lara M.
BS, 2000
Faculty Advisor: Brown
Title: The Cultural Construction of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Students of the United States
Gilding, Nichol L.
BA, 1995
Faculty Advisor: Worthman
Title: Dieting: The "Famine" of Modern Western Society?
Gresham, William H.
BA, 1999
Faculty Advisor: Barlett
Title: Southern Sustainability: An Examination of Factors Affecting the Acceptance of Organic Farming in Georgia
Abstract: This paper examines the variety of material, social and ideological factors that affect Georgia farming families' decision to use organic or conventional growing methods. Major differences between the conventional and sustainable growers are found in all three areas, providing a multi-level view of the factors that are attached to organic farming within Georgia 's agricultural community. Georgia organic farmers are far more likely to have access to personal or family financial resouces than conventional farmers of the same age group. These farmers are able to circumvent the lack of government and private willingness to loan money for alternative agriculture projects by funding their farms with their own resources. Organic farmers in the area are more likely to embrace ideas of gender equality and environmental awareness than conventional growers. The study also finds that access to information about organic farming is limited in Georgia , and that those farmers who chose to grow organically were forced to seek out information on their own.
Hardy, Bruce L.
BA, 1988
Faculty Advisor: Shore
Title: Experiments in the Archaeology of Language
Abstract: This paper presents a series of experiments involving the teaching of stone tool making by two different techniques: (1) visual demonstration alone and (2) visual demonstration and accompanying verbal explanation. In the archaeological record, there is a great increase in complexity with the move from the Acheulian hand-axe to the Levallois technique, occuring at the same time as the appearance of early Homo sapiens (approximately 200,000 years BP). The advent of the more complex Levallois technique may have required more advanced cognitive abilities, including language. I hypothesize that language would have been necessary for the teaching and retention of the Levallois technique of tool manufacture. These experiments involved the learning of hand-axe and Levallois flake production under various circumstances. Furthermore, the effects of language on the retention of the tool making techniques is examined in hopes of gaining insight into the conditions necessary for the successful transmission and memory of stone tool manufacturing. Results obtained indicate that the hypothesis is supported. These results strengthen, but do not prove, the argument that modern human language was present by 200,000 years B.P.
Hill, Michael D.
BA, 1995
Faculty Advisor: Spitulnik
Title: "I Want People to Think I'm All of These Things": Watching and Being Absolutely Fabulous
Holsey, Bayo
BA, 1997
Faculty Advisor: Armelagos
Title: "She is Like the Moon": The Politics of Beauty in Egypt
Jacobs, Troy A.
BA, 1985
Faculty Advisor: Brown
Title: The Effects of AIDS Fear on Hemophilic Compliance
Abstract: With the advent of factor concentrates in the late 1960's, hemophiliacs have been able to live almost normal lives. Unlike other chronic diseases, hemophilia usually does not have the problems of compliance with the therapeutic regimen because of the pain and disability associated with the disease. The factors that do influence hemophilic compliance are the pain and disability of the disease, social environment/family, cost of therapy, psychological problems, and adverse side effects of the treatment. Compared to pain and disability, the other factors are less important. Since 1982 it has been discovered that the AIDS virus is transmitted through blood products to hemophiliacs and other blood product transfusers. Although blood donor screening and heat-treated factor concentrates are supposedly going to reduce the risk of getting AIDS and hepatitis through factor concentrates, the uncertainty of what being positive for the virus means and the long incubation period may indicate that many hemophiliacs are still very afraid of AIDS. This fear of AIDS may influence their compliance with their regiment. This study shows that about 50% of all hemophiliacs studied (N=59) are taking their factor concentrates as regularly as they did before AIDS. Twelve percent, though, have reduced treatment very much. The remainder have reduced treatment but not as critically as the 12%. Most of those hemophiliacs not complying tend to be moderate hemophiliacs. Also they tend to be adults rather than children. Fear of AIDS was shown to have a significant negative correlation with compliance. Because of the serious nature of the disease hemophilia, special measures should be taken to target non-compliant hemophiliacs. AIDS knowledge was shown to have a non-significant positive trend with compliance.
Jain, Nidhi
BS, 2005
Faculty Advisor: Lampl
Title: Professional Lives of Midwives: A Comparative of Analysis Across British and American Healthcare Systems
Abstract: In order for a career occupation to achieve the more elite status of a profession, social theory mandates that certain qualifications be met. In addition to being restricted to a select group of individuals who have invested time in prolonged, specialized education and training, the identities and lifestyles of the people who practice that profession are molded by the profession itself. And, most importantly, the profession carries autonomy and power--autonomy in determining who practices the trade and how it is practiced, and power over both policies relating to the field and those who are dependent upon its services (Cockerham 2001:199). When issues of power and autonomy are so tightly integrated into the definition of professionalism, some degree of power conflict will be inevitable if two defined professions operate and interact within the same sphere. In the sphere of maternal and infant health, the professions of midwifery and medicine--particularly obstetric medicine--are engaged in this conflict. In light of the constructs of midwifery and obstetrics, their social histories, and the medicalization of birth, it might appear that physicians are more readily identifiable as a professional unit. Yet, in spite of even recent perceptions of midwifery as "incomplete, undeveloped, less successful and less scientific" (Fleming 2002: 73), a 1966 definition set forth by the World Health Organization (WHO) gives midwives the same claim to professional status as physicians. According to the definition, they are professionals who "must be able to give the necessary supervision, care, and advice to women during pregnancy, labor, and postpartum period, to conduct deliveries on her own responsibility and to care for the newborn infant" (Fleming 2002:64). Over time, midwives and physicians have remained in place as the most recognizable organizations of birth attendants in many regions, particularly westernized countries. Time, however, has not eroded at the type of midwife-monitoring or conflict amongst midwives and physicians that originated as many as four hundred years ago. If anything, the dynamic between medicine and midwifery has become even more complex by their dual advancement, the evolution of healthcare structures and social attitudes, and in particular the institutionalization and medicalization of birth. The culmination of these processes forces the questions: What is the state of the midwife's profession today? What is the nature of the interactions between healthcare structure, medicine, and midwifery, and how do these interactions influence the manner in which midwives view their practice? The goal of this thesis is to approach such questions by an inquiry into how midwifery fits into the dramatically different healthcare structures of Britain and America. The two countries are similar in that they rank among the world's most industrialized countries, and each are centers of scientific and medical advancement. Yet the two sites have glaringly different healthcare models, Britain with its socialized and government-structured NHS, and America with its fragmented landscape of private insurance, health-management organizations, and government funds. With those model-- and their inherent structural foundations of history, politics, economics, and cultural ideology--come not only different modes of integrating medical practitioners into the overall healthcare scheme, but also different policies as to how they practice. Particularly notable are the exaggerated differences in schemes for maternity care: Britain 's NHS employs and utilizes midwives at a much higher rate than America , where obstetrician-led interventions dominate.
Jain, Sonia
BS, 2008
Faculty Advisor: Brown
Title: Putting the Mouth Back in the Body: A Cultural-Historical Analysis of Dentistry in the United States, Canada, and Britain
Johnson, Eric S.
BA, 1991
Faculty Advisor: Brown
Title: Shoe-Leather Epidemiology: An Ethnographic Account of the Epidemic Intelligence Service
Abstract: While medical anthropologists have described the training and practice of many biomedical professionals, they have largely neglected epidemiologists. This paper, informed by ethnographic methods, describes how members of the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) are trained at the world's largest epidemiologic institution, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). More specifically, their training is discussed in terms of two rites of initiation: the investigation of disease outbreaks, and the presentation of findings at the annual EIS Conference. A discussion of classroom training and these initiation rites illuminates how biomedical professionals become applied epidemiologists. Finally, the pre-eminent dimension of the EIS world view, "shoe-leather epidemiology," is discussed in terms of professional identity and socialization.
Jones, Amy E.
BS, 1993
Faculty Advisor: Ridley
Title: Preliminary Study of Blastomere Separation Within the Zona
Abstract: This work was undertaken to try to create a novel method for the production of genetically identical blastocysts. Fertilized embryos were removed from superovulated CB6F1 mice and ICR mice 48 hours after HCG injection. The two celled embryos were transferred to Ham's F-10 culture medium to establish its effectiveness in allowing for growth. The proposed technique consisted of injecting a 2% sodium alginate solution under the zona pellucida surrounding a two celled embryo, followed by an injection of a 2% solution of calcium gluconate. The combination of these solutions causes an immediate gelling which we hypothesized could separate the blastomeres, permitting independent development. The embryos were observed at 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours. The injection technique did not stop development of the embryos to the hatched blastocyst stage. By 48 hours, the injected embryos showed a delay in reaching the morula stage as compared to the control embryos. There was also a significant difference between the control and injected embryos reaching the blastocyst stage by 96 hours. The results indicated that 25% of the injected embryos degenerated after 96 hours in vitro incubation, while none of the controls degenerated. Therefore, the variation between the control and injected embryos reaching the blastocyst stage is accounted for on the basis of degeneration. Although successful cloning did not result from this preliminary study, it demonstrated that our method to create genetically identical blastocysts does not preclude further embryo development. This suggests that the method used to separate the blastomeres could provide for positive results after futher evaluation of the concentration of separating agar.
Kazlow, Dana W.
BS, 1998
Faculty Advisor: Brown
Title: What Medical Records Can Tell Us About Acceptance of and Adherence to Prenatal, Intrapartum, and Neonatal Zidovudine and Pneumocystis carinii Prophylaxis (PCP) Among HIV Infected Women and Their Infants
Kent, Julia
BS, 2004
Faculty Advisor: Lampl
Title: Mothers' Perceptions of Infant Hunger and Impact on Feeding Practices
Abstract: Rates of childhood overweight and obesity are rising rapidly in the United States . Some studies suggest that childhood overweight and obesity may be related to specific infant feeding practices. These practices may impact later childhood feeding practices and self-feeding by older children. Previous studies have investigated maternal decision making about infant feeding, but have been primarily focused on the decision to breastfeed, and have not asked specific questions about infant hunger and appetite perception. This study investigated how and when mothers perceive that their infants are hungry and how they react to those hunger cues with specific feeding behaviors. Data was obtained through a cross-sectional survey of 43 Atlanta-area mothers recruited both at support and educational groups and through internet message boards for new mothers. No significant differences were found between those subjects who completed the survey online versus those who were recruited at group meetings and mailed in the survey. Mothers included in the sample were primarily Caucasian, multiparous, well educated, and with a moderate to high annual income. The mean maternal age was 32 years, and the mean infant age was 22.37 weeks, with a range of 3 to 46 weeks. 16 women were exclusively breastfeeding, 1 woman was mostly breastfeeding, 3 women were exclusively formula feeding, and 23 women were weaning at the time of the study. Feeding methods were defined as the following: Exclusive breastfeeding - breast milk only, no formula; Mostly breastfeeding - breast milk most of the time, some formula; Mostly formula - formula most of the time, some breast milk; Exclusive formula - formula only, no breast milk; Weaning - baby food and some breast milk or formula: and Weaned - baby food, no breast milk or formula. Results: 'Mouthing' and 'rooting' were the most commonly selected hunger cues by all mothers across all infant ages and feeding methods. In addition to choosing hunger cues from the list provided, many mothers chose to provide their own descriptios of hunger cues they used. Several of these mothers mentioned time or schedules in their answers, indicating that many mothers may use the clock in addition to or in place of the behavioral hunger cues displayed by their infants. When asked about their feeding practices between meal times, mothers of younger infants answered that they would feed their infants meals if they were hungery between meal times, while mothers of older infants answered that they would feed snacks, but not meals. Mothers of older infants also fed fewer meals per day than mothers of younger infants, and mothers of older infants noticed greater variation in appetite and amounts eaten daily by their infants. Most common reasons for changing feeding methods included advice from pediatrician, insufficient milk supply, infant hungrier, and infant not weighing enough, with advice from pediatrician ranking as most important to mothers. Most changes mothers made to feeding methods involved supplementing with formula or adding solid food to their infant's diet. Conclusions: Data from this study raises the following questions to be explored further: Do mothers use time as a hunger cue in addition to or more than behavioral hunger cues? Are mothers sensitive to noticing changes in infant appetite, and do mothers of older infants attempt to adopt meal plans regardless of infant appetite cues? What other sources, social and medical, influence women in their infant feedig decisions?
Kuss, Mary
BS, 2000
Faculty Advisor: Lampl
Title: Parental Models of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Abstract: The body of literature on Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is replete with studies on genetic determinants, environmental risk factors, and prognosis of this all-too common disorder: in 1999, prescriptions for the drugs to treat ADHD were written for 7.7 million children under the age of 18 (Lore and Brett 2000). The audience for these kinds of studies, published in scholarly and professional journals, is primarily made up of psychologists, psychiatrists, and pediatricians dealing with ADHD patients. Outside of this audience, however, is the world of families living with ADHD. Their sources of information are not the scholarly journals reviewed by their physicians, but support groups and a circuit of writers and lecturers who act as a conduit between the medical world and the world "on the ground." These writers and lecturers do more than transfer information to a population of parents starved for knowledge about their common predicament; they also translate the information between physicians' and parents' belief systems, changing jargon to practical tips, explanatory models and coping strategies. What is lacking, to date, is a comprehensive ethnographic study of the effects of these translated messages. What is the parental understanding of the diagnostic category, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder? To what do parents attribute the development of ADHD behavior? What are the effects of an ADHD diagnosis on the family unit? And finally, what information would parents share if given the opportunity? This study, based on eighteeen in-depth interviews conducted with parents of children with ADHD, includes a review of the current literature on ADHD, summaries of the parent interviews, a taxonomy of parental perceptions of ADHD, and suggestions for future areas of research.
Lam, Charlene
BS, 2005
Faculty Advisor: Rone
Title: Re-Tailoring the Cheongsam: Dress, Class and Identity in Hong Kong Women
Abstract: The dress known as the cheongsam is considered the quintessential 20th century Chinese women's garment. Those who have worn the cheongsam have always served as symbols of larger objectives, such as nationalism, modernity, or ethnicity. Interpretations of the garment have mirrored the evolution of women's ideas of identity. This thesis employs upon ethnographic methods including participant observations and interviews, to illuminate contemporary ideology about the cheongsam. As Hong Kong women enter the 21st century, their position has changed significantly from their role as objects being dressed to subjects shaping their identity. By documenting women's and tailors' constructions of the cheongsam, this thesis contributes to the understanding of how women assert identity through dress. I will therefore argue Hong Kong women utilize the cheongsam symbolically, strategically, and cautiously.
Lee, Alison
BA, 2007
Faculty Advisor: Armelagos
Title: The Kennewick Controversy: Anthropology and Race in the Battle for America’s Most Famous Bones
Lee, Sabina
BA, 1985
Faculty Advisor: Shore
Title: Murngin's Philosophy of Life: The Concept of Walk-About
Leveen, Emily
BS, 2002
Faculty Advisor: Brown
Title: Health Doesn't Just Happen: Beliefs and Uses of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Non-Minority, College-Educated Working Women
Liese, Kylea
BS, 2002
Faculty Advisor: Lampl
Title: "This Disease Called AIDS": The Impact of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic on 'Widows and the Cultural Institution of Wife Inheritance Among the Luo of Kenya
Abstract: Names are very powerful symbols among the Luo people of Western Kenya , and it is not uncommon for a woman's name to be replaced in such a way that she is ultimately connected to her role as a wife and mother. For example, often a woman's name becomes part of that of her first-born child, so that if the child is Eric, her family and the community will address her as, "Mama-Eric." The title of "Mama" is used to address any woman who appears to be of the same generation as your mother and so this label is used to connote respect and affection. What does the title "widow" connote? Do all widows grieve? The label "widow" is worn like a heavy cloak across a woman's shoulders so that the person she was, is masked by her husband's death. We see a woman whose life has been altered by the separation of her husband due to death. She is vulnerable. For this, some feel pity while others immediately recognize their power in relation to her. Either way, she is more an object of her husband after his death, than when he was alive. Never is this truer than if he died of a long deteriorating illness that the community perceives to be AIDS. Then her cloak turns scarlet red and she is forced to answer for the deceased, recreating his death to appease a family and community at odds over her future. This is a script of the dialogue that exists beheath the cloak. It is lifted to reveal the woman whose adult experiences with love, sex, health and wealth, determine how she resists succumbing to the same disease that killed her husband.
Limerick, Nicholas
BA, 2007
Faculty Advisor: Nugent
Title: Latinos and English as a Second Language in Atlanta: Ethnic Boundaries Power and Space
Lui, Camillia
BS, 2000
Faculty Advisor: Brown
Title: Adaptations to the Practice of Chinese Medicine in North America : A Cross-Cultural Comparison of the Practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Atlanta , Georgia and Vancouver , British Columbia
Abstract: Within the last twenty years, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been a growing trend not only amongst the Chinese community but also the non-Chinese population in North America . This usage of an alternative medicine raises some conflicting ideas of the efficacy of the more mainstream Western medical system in North America as well as the health-seeking behaviors of North Americans. By conducting fieldwork in the two cities, Atlanta , Georgia and Vancouver , British Columbia , an analysis of how TCM survived in a non-traditional setting is provided. These two cities vary in their historical context as well as their population size of the Chinese. Participant-observation found that despite these differences in the two cities, the practice of TCM is overall similar. There exist three distinct establishments that offer TCM: private clinics, Chinese herbal stores, and integrated health centers. The practice of TCM in a non-traditional setting is further understood by the adaptations the healers have made to this traditional practice. Interviews were conducted on twenty TCM practitioners in Vancouver and ten TCM practitioners in Atlanta . From this data, it is shown that the changes in the TCM practice are a result of catering to the needs of the society. The treatments in TCM focus on healing illnesses that western medicine is unsuccessful in treating and providing treatments unavailable in Western medicine such as acupuncture. In spite of these changes to survive, the TCM practitioner must also conserve the traditional rituals and practices. These practitioners are promoting the adaptation of a more complementary medical system in North America by combining both Chinese and Western medicine for treatment.
Meyappan, Janaki
BS, 2001
Faculty Advisor: Lampl
Title: Hydroxyurea and Sickle Cell Diseases: Biomedical and Cultural Perspectives on Risk Taking
Mitchell, Mary Ellen
BA, 2003
Faculty Advisor: Barlett
Title: Franchise, Fraternity, Family or Faith: El Oasis Ministry in Mexico City
Moosajee, Arefa
BS, 1994
Faculty Advisor: Worthman
Title: How Do Women with Medicaid Financing Choose Their Prenatal Care Provider and Delivery Hospital
Mosashvili, Tamara
BA, 1994
Faculty Advisor: Shore
Title: Dependency and Locus of Control in Cross-Cultural Perspective
Neill, Stephanie
BS, 1991
Faculty Advisor: Worthman
Title: Alterations in Growth and Development as Measured by Biological Maturational Indicators in Socioeconomically Disadvantaged African American Male Adolescents
Abstract: As part of a larger longitudinal study (Spencer 1989; Spencer 1991) of the correlation of biological maturational variables with socioeconomic (SES) conditions in inner-city African American adolescent males, several indices of development were measured in 454 African American early adolescent males which were accompanied by parental interviews to determine economic circumstances and family conditions. The present study uses the data from this larger one, correlating height, weight, self-rated pubertal status, age and testosterone level with one another to look for alterations in growth and development during puberty which may have been caused by SES conditions. As information from parental interviews is currently being coded, geocodes, which are specific census tracts from which data on SES conditions have been collected by the national census, were used to attain an idea of the conditions in which these boys live. The physical data seem to suggest that growth in these boys has been either slowed or delayed, as with increasing age their height and weight tend to fall below the 50th percentile in growth standards collected by the National Center for Health and Statistics (NCHS). However, comparison with an earlier study (Schutte 1980) on growth in Aftican American adolescents seemed to indicate a closer correlation of the study sample with middle class rather than lower class adolescents in height by age. Geocode data indicate that this population is definitively underprivileged, reinforcing the idea that the population is being biologically affected by poor socioeconomic conditions. Also, self-rated pubertal status (using Tanner's staging criteria and drawings) as an indicator of actual pubertal stage seemed to be validated by the correlation of testosterone with the self-ratings.
Ocampo, Paolo
BS, 2005
Faculty Advisor: Armelagos
Title: Towards a Solution to the Syphilis Enigma: Trends in the Acidic Repeat Protein Gene Differentiates Pathogenic Treponemes
Abstract: The emergence of rapidly evolving pathogens such as SARS, HIV, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria suggest that disease diversity can and will respond to changes in the biology or activity of their human hosts. Advances in medicine, healthcare, and even globalization provide both disadvantages and benefits which microbial parasites are capable of overcoming and exploiting. Biologists have a diverse and powerful repertoire used to better comprehend this disturbing trend we are witnessing today. Animal models such as Drosophila and mice are used to determine the genetic basis for disease while infection of higher order mammals allows us to follow the course of infection and determine pathogen's strategies from a safe distance. This has been done in armadillos for leprosy (Storrs et al., 1974) and in non-human primates for smallpox (Jahrling et al., 2004). With the information generated from these experiments, mathematical models are used to represent the data quantitatively. From there, predictions on the pathogen's past actions and future strategies can be extrapolated. As effective as these tools may be, we can never be certain of their accuracy because of several problems: the disparity in the biology of model organism and human host, or the inability to add all confounding variables to a mathematical equation are just two examples. Anthropologists, however, have a nearly virgin wealth of information which could be used to tackle this problem. Paleopathology, the study of disease in ancient populations, allows us to observe and follow the time course and activity of infections in humans directly - without the need for an animal intermediate or theoretical representation. By looking at markers on skeletal material, we can monitor the spread of disease in humans and determine important aspects of its characteristic epidemiology. Coupled with modern techniques in molecular biology, we have the ability to determine details such as the mechanisms of infection and the resulting genetic or functional changes involved in the evolution of a novel pathogen. By reconstructing the evolutionary history of an ancient disease, therefore, it will be possible to delineate the variables required for the emergence of that particular disease - more often than not this will be dominated by a change in the activity and behavior of human populations rather than a random mutation event by the microorganism. A union of anthropological theory and modern biological techniques is necessary to provide greater insight into the disturbing and increasing trend we are witnessing today. Though the discoveries of salvarsan in 1908 and penicillin in 1928 proved to be very efficient in terms of treatment, venereal syphilis continues to remain an important public health problem with 12 million new cases of venereal syphilis reported in 1999, more than 90% of them in developing countries (Gerbase et al., 1998). 500 years after its emergence, the debate regarding its origins rages on among physicians and historians. In the past century, biologists and anthropologists have joined the argument with genetic (Kolman et al., 1999) and osteological diagnoses of the treponemal infections. Baker and Armelagos (1998b) examined the documentary and skeletal evidence in an attempt to find a resolution to this longstanding dispute. They propose that Treponema pallidum ssp. pallidum, the agent that causes venereal syphilis, was brought to Spain from the New World by Columbus and his crew. The social conditions in Europe at the time were conducive to the spread of a virulent, sexually transmitted infectious disease, very much unlike the American version - a skin disease most common among children and adolescents. Although there is little evidence of venereal syphilis in the New World before 1493, the vast cultural differences between Europe and the Americas allowed the treponema bacteria to infects its hosts in a new way, leading to the venereal form of the disease. This thesis will review recent evidence, both skeletal and genetic, regarding the origins of the treponematoses and their spread throughout history and geography. Currently, the only means of differentiating the treponemes is through a single nucleotide polymorphism (Centurion-Lara et al., 1998). In an effort to find a more significant difference between the treponemes, I will provide the results and analysis of original research performed on the Acidic Repeat Protein (arp) gene among treponema subspecies. Such data would be the first of its kind and would provide insight on the elusive evolutionary history of this pathogen.
Osinoff, Emily
BS, 2001
Faculty Advisor: Armelagos
Title: Incorporating Traditional and Biomedical Health Systems in South Africa: A Literature Review
Persha, Michelle
BS, 1996
Faculty Advisor: Armelagos
Title: Sex Differences in Body Fat Distribution: The Evolutionary Origins, Influence of Sex Steroid Hormones and Health Implications
Quinn, Elizabeth Anne
BS, 2003
Faculty Advisor: Kingston
Title: Age Variation in Isotopic and Growth Profiles Among the Kulubnarti R Group
Abstract: This analysis used organic stable isotope techniques to examine the age for the onset of weaning and the weaning process in a population of children from Kulubnarti Nubia . It specifically used the Kulubnarti 21-R-2 Group, excavated from the mainland cemetery near the modern day village of Kulb . The population dates from 600-800 CE or 1000-1500 CE. Either way, it is a diachronic sample with the 21-S-46 group excavated from the nearby island and given dates of 550-750 CE. Fifty-five children and nine adults were selected from the population. Bone samples were taken from the ribs, and the hydroxyapatite crystal that makes up the inorganic portion of bone was dissolved. The remaining material was only the protein-organic portion of bone, predominantly collagen. The collagen was purified and sent to UF for analysis on a mass spectrometer. The focus on weaning in this study had three primary research focuses. First, the analysis looked for the age of onset for weaning. Second, as weaning is a process and not simply an event, this study looked at gradual changes in carbon and nitrogen isotopes which would suggest gradual dietary changes. Finally, by incorporating older data regarding growth and development for the Kulubnarti 21-R-2 Group, an examination of growth variability was compared to isotopic ratios. The hypothesis was that individuals with poor growth would have unusally isotopic signatures. As a final point, the 21-R-2 group was compared to the 21-S-4 group. Given the diachronic nature of the sample, variation in the specific variables outlined above would reflect population wide differences which would contribute to an enormous data base already present on the 21-R-2 and 21-S-46 Groups.
Rikin, Sharon
BS, 2007
Faculty Advisor: Brown
Title: The Social Context of Pediatric Health Care: Clinical Interactions in Mumbai, India
Abstract: In this these the cultural components of pediatric health care interactions in Mumbai are analyzed using observations from 160 clinical interactions in eight different private clinics, municipal hospitals, and Primary Health Centers. The central research questions include: 1) How do patients and their families interact with the physician in different types of clinical settings? 2) What are the variations in duration and interactive quality of clinical encouters? and 3) What is culturally "Indian" in these clinical interactions? I hypothesized that particularly dominant Indian cultural values would be expressed in the style and quality of biomedical clinical interactions. Observational data included: the type of clinical facility, socioecomic status (SES) of the family, gender and age of the patient, and length of clinical interaction. Particular attention was paid to indicators of illness beliefs of physicians and clients in different settings.
Pediatric clinical interactions were characterized by the physician control of the interaction. Parents' active participation differed gender, age, and family SES. Contrary to previous research, neither the patient's gender or age appeared to influence health seeking behavior or interaction duration. Ayurvedic health beliefs were often addressed in interactions. Strong disparaties were identified between interactions at public facilities catering to low SES populations compared to private facilities catering to high SES populations. These differences were primarily in the quality and duration of the interaction and not the biomedical treatment administered. Medical anthropological studies of urban Indian biomedicine are relevant for the provision of adequate patient-centered, culturally competent medical treatment.
Roehm, Pamela
BA, 1990
Faculty Advisor: Brown
Title: Plane People: Perceptions of the Stress of Strike and Lay Explanatory Models of the Relationship Between Stress and Illness
Sánchez, Angela Cárdenas
BS, 2002
Faculty Advisor: Brown
Title: Illness and Injury Narratives Among Mexican Migrant Workers in Atlanta: An Anthropological Analysis
Abstract: Mexican workers migratory movements to the US have increasing economic, social, and cultural importance. The case of the current Mexican migration is characteristic of the migratory movements occuring as part of the economic globalization. The US Southeast is registering record numbers of Mexican migrants. A large proportion of them have undocumented status, little or no command of English, live in closed self-subsisting communities, and have lower levels of education and health. The present study intends, by collecting and analyzing illness and injury histories of Mexican migrant workers, to explain from an anthropological perspective the dynamics of health and occupation of this population. Illness narratives were obtained thru in-depth interviews from twelve Mexican migrants in Atlanta. The data shows a diverse array of personal experiences, which appear to be linked to prevailing cultural characteristics of the migrant sending communities. Collected injury and illness histories have salient common features: illness or injury are most commonly attributed to some personal weakness or fate rather than to environmental influences; migrants seem to pay little attention to alarming body signals, health seeking behavior is limited by previous adverse experiences in Mexico, and language barriers. Interviewees are marginalized and had no knowledge of U.S. workers protective laws, or existing governmental and volunteer migrant occupational health programs. Finally, reported adaptive strategies used by Mexican migrants to remain employed often result in adverse health events.
Santamaría, Michele
BA, 1997
Faculty Advisor: Barlett
Title: Between Ruminahui and Simon Bolivar: Perspectives on Indian and Ecuadorian Identity in Contemporary Otavalo
Seaver, Shelly
BA, 2000
Faculty Advisor: Spitulnik
Title: The Social and Linguistic Interactions of Down Syndrome Adults in Moscow, Russia
Abstract: My project investigates the communicative practices of Down syndrome persons in Russia . The project includes information collected between August 1998 and January 2000. The fieldwork for the project was conducted with the help of a grant from CIPA's International Scholars program. This thesis combines ethnographic and linguistic data, compiled from semi-structured interviews, surveys, and observations. This thesis investigates the current life of Down syndrome persons in Russia , primarily in regards to their communicative interactions. This thesis addresses the core questions of how Russian Down syndrome adults interact with Moscow strangers in public. In order to fully understand the communicative practices and the reasons for the nature of my subjects' communicative interactions, I utilized a three-part methodology. My core information comes from participant-observations of Down syndrome adults in Moscow. I observed sixteen Russian Down syndrome adults for a period of three weeks. During this time, I accompanied them as they traveled on the metro, suburb trains and daily excursions to music lessons and shopping. While accompanying them, I observed how they communicated with each other, with accompanying parents, and with unfamiliar persons. I took notes of significant interactions and recorded selected interactions on audiotape. All observations and recordings were conducted with the permission of the parents and the Down syndrome persons. Pseudonyms are used in all reports of the interactions. In order to find explanations for the behaviors I observed, I also conducted seven semi-structured interviews with parents of the adult Down syndrome people whom I observed. In these interviews, I concentrated upon topics that may have influenced the communicative practices of their children, including schooling, family involvement, early intervention, socialization practices, and other factors. To gain a perspective of Down syndrome life as a whole in Russia, I conducted semi-structured interviews with seven additional persons, including parents of Down syndrome persons and leaders of Down syndrome organizations. Finally, I attended the annual conference of the Moscow-based organization Down Syndrome, the major organization for Down syndrome persons to gain information about their children's communicative practices and the influence family interaction has upon Down syndrome communication. The research concludes that Down syndrome Russian adults in their late teens to early thirties, who communicate with acquaintances, participate in community programs, and engage in family life, highly restrict conversation initiation and significant dialog with non-familiar persons despite the communicative competency of the Down syndrome adults. This restriction is due in part to the influence of negative Russian social stereotypes about Down syndrome persons, as well as parental interference, negative feedback, and ineffective speech therapy.
Sebert, Anna
BS, 1998
Faculty Advisor: Brown
Title: Hispanic Prenatal Education: A Description of the Women Attending the MMHC Course and an Evaluation of the Course from the Participants' Perspectives
Shaffer, Christopher
BS, 2002
Faculty Advisor: Freed
Title: Foraging, Ranging, and Spatial Memory in the Mantled Howling Monkey (Alouatta palliata)
Shah, Nishant
BS, 1999
Faculty Advisor: Sellen
Title: A Pilot Study Comparing Qualitative Methods of Nutritional Assessment Among Recently Settled Bosnian Families in Atlanta
Shah, Shveta
BS, 2002
Faculty Advisor: Armelagos
Title: Determining the Role of Skin Pigmentation as a Risk Factor for Osteoporosis
Sheres, Amanda
BA, 2005
Faculty Advisor: Freed
Title: Seasonal Variation in Subgroup Compostion and Activity of Nicaraguan Mantled Howling Monkeys (Alouatta palliata)
Abstract: Most primates live in social groups, but many species organize themselves socially into subgroups. Groups are identified as the largest social unit in which members regularly interact, communicate, and spend time together with relatively low levels of agonism - even if individuals are separated for an extended length of time (Rowel 1979; Chapman 1990). Subgroups are a subset of individuals that function independently of the group, take part in coordinated activities (such as foraging, feeding, grooming, or resting), and maintain relatively close spatial contact (Struhsaker 1969; Chapman 1990; Freed 1996). The size, composition, and length of time spent in these subgroups vary widely across primates. Although many researchers hae related primate social organization to ecology, relatively few researchers have related specific ecological factors to subgroup formation. Social organization refers to the size, demographic characteristics, population density, and patterns of interactions between individuals in a group (Rowell 1979; Fedigan 1982). For most primates, social organization varies with habitat type and resource availability (Eisenberg et al. 1972; Rowell 1973; Dunbar 1977; Milton 1980; Anderson 1981; Johnson and Earle 1987; Chapman 1990; Menard et al. 1990; Stevenson et al. 1998; Marlow 2004). Many primate species rely heavily on seasonally available foods that are patchily distributed (Milton 1980; Freed 1996; Barnett and Brandon-Jones 1997; Shaffer 2002). Yet, what is not clearly understood is to what extent these very same ecological factors influence the structure and duration of subgroup formation among primates. Why within a species do some populations form subgroups while others do not? To what extent does seasonality affect the incidence, duration, and structure of subgroups? In this study, I examine seasonal variationin subgroup formation and composition in Nicaraguan mantled howling monkeys (Alouatta palliata) Howling monkeys typically live in spatially cohesive groups of mixed composition (Glander 1975; Smith 1977; Shaffer 2002). A howler diet is composed primarily of young leaves, and supplemented by fruits and flowers - all of which are patchily distributed. For this reason, primatologists recognize them as folivore-frugivores. While the exact percentages of time spent feeding on these types of food vary with population and season, they rely heavily on leaves in times of resource scarcity (Glander 1978; Milton 1980; Shaffer 2002). They have a wide geographic distribution and show an extreme variability in habitat type (Milton 1980; Crockett and Eisenburg 1986). Under some circumstances, these arboreal monkeys regularly form subgroups (Chapman 1990; Winkler 2000; Bezanson et al. 2002; Shaffer 2002). Two explanations for subgroup formation relate to ecology. Chapman (1990) observed that howlers form subgroups in times of resource scarcity whereas Winkler (2000) suggested that howlers form subgroups to make maximum use of clumped resources. What is unclear is the extent to which changes in season affect the frequency, composition, and interindividual spacing of subgroups.
Shore, Robert
BA, 2006
Faculty Advisor: Armelagos
Title: Cinematic Myth-Understandings of the American Family
Siegel, Deborah
BA, 1996
Faculty Advisor: Barlett
Title: American Dreams, Corporate Realities: Executive Perceptions of the Balancing Act in the 'Stalled Revolution'
Spiewak, Rachael
BA, 2003
Faculty Advisor: Barlett
Title: The Legend of Decatur Yellow Bikes: The Struggle and Adaptation of a Local Solution to a Global Problem
Steele, Teresa
BS, 1996
Faculty Advisor: Lampl
Title: Neandertals: Past, Present and Future
Abstract: Much paleoanthropological debate has focused on who is and is not considered a neandertal, and what it menas to be one. For most of the century, researchers have been searching for defining characteristics in morphological features, archaeological contexts and behavioral aspects. This work presents typologies of neandertals based on our limited data set of fossil hominid finds and their associated archaeology. It also examines the influences of history and method of analysis on current interpretations. What conclusions have scholars reached? Who were the neandertals? Despite almost a century and a half of research, the nature of "neandertals" is still unclear. Researchers can only agree that they were a population of archaic Homo specimens whose precise definition is still debated. Perhaps, they were members of the same species as H. sapiens, perhaps not. Scholars do not agree on this and other issues. Neandertals are defined as an archaic form of hominids that lived from approximately 130-30,000 years ago throughout Europe and the Near East . The specimens from Western Europe share a suite of features that distinguish them as "classic" neandertals. The neandertals of Eastern Europe and the Near East show varying degrees of these "classical" morphological features. Neandertals are usually found in a Middle Paleolithic Mousterian archaeological context, but not always (for example, Saint-Cesaire in France is associated with the Upper Paleolithic Chatelperronian lithic industry). Current research focuses on behavioral differences between neandertals and modern humans, especially in the Near East. Many researchers theorize that neandertals became extinct and use behavioral data to determine why. Current theories discuss the significance and meaningfulness of these distinctions and how they relate to modern human origins. From the viewpoint of an objective neophyte, I have found paleoanthropology thick with contradictions and circular arguments, as demonstrated by investigators' continuous debates over the place of neandertals in human evolution. Not all of the available evidence fits into the typologies they use to describe neandertals. This paper explores how history, past analyses and biases have influenced the conceptualization of "neandertal," as evidenced by the one hundred and fifty years of theorizing on the meaning of these hominid finds. It seems that scholars see neandertals as the "other" category of human evolution. If an archaic Homo sapiens find is not early modern, then the specimen is considered a neandertal, even if it does not fit into the standard typology. If so much disagreement over the definition of a neandertal exists, then perhaps the category itself is not useful or meaningful. Perhaps it is time to reconsider the concept of "neandertal."
Stokol, Trevor
BS, 2002
Faculty Advisor: Armelagos
Title: Tetracycline Labeling and Cortical Thickness in a Meroitic Ancient Nubian (6B16) Population
Abstract: This study aims to assess the presence of tetracycline and of bone loss in an Ancient Nubian population (6B16) from the Meroitic period (250 BCE - 350 CE). Previous studies have revealed the presence of tetracycline in other Ancient Nubian populations, namely the 24-I-3 and NAX populations from the X-group period (350 CE - 543 CE) (Cook 1998, Armelagos et al. 2001). Femoral sections taken from below the lesser trochanter of 24 individuals were prepared as thin sections and viewed under multiple conditions to ensure molecular preservation and assess the number of tetracycline-labeled osteons. The incidence of cortical bone loss was then assessed using the cortical thickness method. The current literature on tetracycline's anti-resorptive properties indicates that tetracycline resists bone resorption via a number of mechanisms, and Keith and Armelagos (2001) demonstrated tetracycline-inhibited bone loss in trabecular bone. Our theory posits that we would find a negative correlation between the presence of tetracycline and bone loss, which was measured by cortical thickness. However, we found no significant correlation, positive or negative, between the two variables. We propose that the possibility of a correlation between the presence of tetracycline and inhibition of bone loss in Ancient Nubian bone still exists. This correlation is not observed in cortical bone for many possible reasons; two are 1) the slow turnover rate of cortical bone as compared to that of trabecular bone and 2) cellular inaccessibility of cortical bone as compared to that of trabecular bone.
Syster, Laura
BA, 2005
Faculty Advisor: Brown
Title: Ghanaian Youth Perceptions of HIV/AIDS: Content Analysis of the Scenarios from Africa Archives
Abstract: Sub-Saharan Africa is home to the largest number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the world and as a result, has been the focus of hundreds of HIV research studies and education programs. These research studies often attempt to assess the prevalence of HIV within Africa or explore HIV-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices among African populations (Winksell 2004). Despite the large number of research studies which focus on sub-Saharan Africa, "few studies have taken account of the basic sociocultural factors in the comparative analysis of HIV-prevalence in Third World countries" (Lawson 1996 p.286). These research studies, which assess knowledge levels about HIV/AIDS, often assess only factual information related to biomedical aspects of the disease. Ignoring the cultural variation present within sub-Saharan Africa, focusing only on epidemiological data, and limiting research methods to quantitative data analysis, these research studies portray incomplete understandings of the AIDS epidemic in Africa. As a result, HIV education programs influenced by these studies often ignore the complex culture of African communities which can greatly affect understandings of AIDS. Using short stories, scripts, poems and essays submitted to the Scenarios from Africa project by youth from Ghana, this research study creates a comprehensive and culturally-sensitive portrayal of HIV/AIDS within a specific African country. Analyzing the written scenarios fro Ghana illustrates the understandings and misunderstandings of HIV/AIDS present within the country. Additionally, within the scenarios, the Ghanian youth authors explain how cultural forces within Ghana affect understandings of HIV/AIDS.
Trivers, Katrina
BS, 1998
Faculty Advisor: Armelagos
Title: Patterns of Femoral Remodeling in the Nax (350-550 CE) Population of Sucanese Nubia: A Comparison with Other Histomorphometric Characteristics
Abstract: Bone remodeling (turnover) rates of femoral sections in the NAX population (a post Meroitic X- Group population from Sudanese Nubia) were investigated in this study. Twenty specimens (11 males, 9 females) were studied; ages ranged from 17.5 to 50+ years (mean 31.5 years). Microradiographs (low dosage x-rays) were used to evaluate bone histology utilizing a bone histomorphometry program (Omega Microsystems, Inc.) and Optimas image analysis software (BioScan Inc., Edmonds, WA). Several different parameters of remodeling (net bone formation, activation frequency, percent osteonal refilling, etc.) were determined based on the number of intact and fragmentary osteons in the individual. These parameters of bone remodeling were then compared with other histological characteristics, such as osteon type, in order to investigate whether remodeling affects osteon type. Mean remodeling rates among the twenty individuals were as follows. Net bone formation or total lifetime formation of bone (net V frt) equals 0.737 mm2/mm2 (0.042 SE). Mean activation frequency or the number of osteons created annually (μ rc), was 1.847 /mm2 /yr (0.224 SE). Mean annual bone formation (V frt), was .0545 mm2/mm2/yr (0.005 SE) and percent osteonal refilling (%OR), the percentage of bone per osteon which is subsequently filled in after resorption, was 88.683% (0.398 SE). Parameters were analyzed by age and sex. In contrast with other studies, which find more of an age relationship with remodeling, significant sex differences were observed for all remodeling variables in the NAX population. However, although not significant, similar age patterns were observed in NAX that are reported among other populations. Both net V frt and μ rc tended to decrease with age as described by others (Stout and Lueck, 1995), however no change with age was observed for V frt.
Van Arsdale, Adam
BS, 2001
Faculty Advisor: Armelagos
Title: Moledular Genetics and Pleistocene Human Population Size
Violante, Ninetta
BA, 1996
Faculty Advisor: Armelagos
Title: Gourmet Food as a Symbol of Stratification Among Middle and Upper Class Society
Abstract: Symbols in everyday life may often be taken for granted. Some symbols are closely connected with the representation of people. People use symbols consciously and subconsciously. Gourmet food is a powerful symbol and it has been throughout time. The focus of this paper is to show how gourmet food operates as a symbol that discriminates among people, particular in its affiliation with upper class society. Power, prestige, and other attributes are part of the messages of gourmet food. Industrialization, politics, economics, changes in women's labor, changes in home cooking, and the mass media have all played key roles in tracking the continuation of gourmet food in the United States. While the many components and appearances of gourmet food have changed, its meaning and symbolism have varied little.
Wilson, Katherine
BA, 1996
Faculty Advisor: Spitulnik
Title: Generational Journeys of Love: A Linguistic Study of Metaphor in Personal Narratives