Research

Feminist theologians argue that the way a person conceptualizes God has a direct impact on the social and political authority of a society. It is argued that masculine conceptualizations of God may inherently reinforce gender inequality between men and women. In other words, the way that we perceive the gender concept of God, whether it be male, female, or otherwise, influences the foundation of our gender strata. This study seeks to uncover this feminist argument further through a sociological lens. Using the Baylor Religion Survey, I analyze different social demographics to determine what kinds of different attitudes lead toward different perceptions of God. I will be examining different ideological beliefs, such as politics, feminism, gender inequality, prayer, religious identity, and religiosity, as well as demographics such as marital status, education, and gender via a bivariate analysis in association with variables regarding God imagery and God-language. A case study focused on Jewish communities of Stevens Point and Wausau, Wisconsin, between the end of the 19th century and the late 20th century. Using the framework established by Walter Ehrlich, examining organizational history, community building, and the relationships between communities throughout the state. This work is built upon the extensive work of late UW–Stevens Point professor Mark Seiler, incorporating the histories of external Jewish communities and institutions to better understand how these people and places are linked across time and space. This research has also demonstrated that there is a history of antisemitism in Central Wisconsin that had previously gone unrecorded in Seiler’s research and other historical accounts of the twentieth century. Feminist theologians argue that the way a person conceptualizes God has a direct impact on the social and political authority of a society. It is argued that masculine conceptualizations of God may inherently reinforce gender inequality between men and women. In other words, the way that we perceive the gender concept of God, whether it be male, female, or otherwise, influences the foundation of our gender strata. This study seeks to uncover this feminist argument further through a sociological lens. Using the Baylor Religion Survey, I analyze different social demographics to determine what kinds of different attitudes lead toward different perceptions of God. I will be examining different ideological beliefs, such as politics, feminism, gender inequality, prayer, religious identity, and religiosity, as well as demographics such as marital status, education, and gender via a bivariate analysis in association with variables regarding God imagery and God-language. A case study focused on Jewish communities of Stevens Point and Wausau, Wisconsin, between the end of the 19th century and the late 20th century. Using the framework established by Walter Ehrlich, examining organizational history, community building, and the relationships between communities throughout the state. This work is built upon the extensive work of late UW–Stevens Point professor Mark Seiler, incorporating the histories of external Jewish communities and institutions to better understand how these people and places are linked across time and space. This research has also demonstrated that there is a history of antisemitism in Central Wisconsin that had previously gone unrecorded in Seiler’s research and other historical accounts of the twentieth century. Our research goal is to survey parasites of scaup, including potentially pathogenic trematodes (flatworms), in Green Bay, WI area. We obtained waterfowl carcasses donated from hunters during the 2019-2021 seasons. Birds were dissected, separating their major organs and each organ was inspected for parasites using standardized protocols. Any parasites we found were separated, counted, and identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible using morphological traits. We found a diverse parasite community with cestodes (tapeworms) being the most abundant endoparasites. Specimens from 16 parasite genera were identified. Among the trematodes, we found all three of the pathogenic introduced genera. Monitoring parasites in scaup is important for waterfowl management to better describe the distribution of pathogenic species as well as understand the species interactions with the native parasite community. Language change and lexical borrowing can be brought about by a variety of factors, most notably through contact with surrounding languages or invading forces. In all instances of lexical borrowing, there is a donor language and a recipient language. The introduction, integration, and circulation of loanwords can be split into two distinct sides: the process of borrowing itself and the consequences on the lexical structure of the recipient language. This study assessed unique cases of word borrowings stemming from historical and linguistic effects of lexical changes in the Spanish language. In addition, this study evaluated if the donor and recipient language had equal footing in their social, economic, political, and cultural relationship, or if one was believed to be superior in regards to sociolinguistic status. My research findings reveal fascinating ways that words travel across languages and time. Further, my research indicates that the extralinguistic relationship between the donor language and the recipient language is instrumental in understanding the borrowing process as well as taking into account structural or typological similarities. Deep Ecology is a field of environmental ethics that promotes the inherent worth of all living organisms regardless of their utility to humans. Martin Heidegger, a 19th century German philosopher, has been tied to deep ecology. This presentation analyzes Heidegger’s biocentric attitude and his approach to how we should act with/towards nature based on his philosophy of technology. Heidegger's position regarding technology offers ideas about technology, anthropocentrism, letting things be, and the interrelatedness of the natural environment that can help shape deep ecological views. Martin Heidegger’s concept of Dasein, quite literally, "Being there," is remarkably similar to the core values of deep ecology. By understanding our Beingness within the framework of Heideggerian philosophy, we can better understand that our Being is the same as all Beings around us and thus conceptualize a world that is non-Anthropocentric as we are all the same Being. The presence of “hyper objects”--things that we can conceptualize but are unable to comprehend fully--play into this greater sense of Being-in-the-world, as one can conceptualize one's role in an ecosystem, but struggle to understand why Being-in an ecosystem is so important as well. around the are being replaced by automation, which raises issues of human rights and how to integrate technology into existing human rights frameworks. The human rights implications of automation thought in terms of the erosion of the right to work, as low-wage workers in warehouses and factories often struggle to find jobs when they are replaced by machines. However, the emergence of artificial intelligence in fields that traditionally require empathy poses other questions related to human dignity. For example, the emergence of “care-bots” in response to the global nursing shortage raises ethical questions about which patients receive empathy through in-person care. This paper argues that to successfully manage these coinciding global trends of reductions in the need for labor in sectors like manufacturing and increased demands for nurses and other workers in high-empathy jobs, governments will need to experiment with solutions such as universal basic income and investments in education and job training to secure the right to work and human dignity for all. This research proposal aims to look at issues within birth and pregnancy outcomes in Black mothers. The study aims to look at the effect that doula programs, obstetric racism, and culturally educated hospitals and staff can have on the outcome of birth and pregnancy among Black mothers. The study will also examine the obstetric experiences of Black mothers and compare this to obstetric experiences of White mothers, in order to determine the amount of difference that there is within these populations in regard to birthing and pregnancy. A doula program would aim to minimize this gap as they are trained professionals who can help advocate for mothers throughout pregnancy and birth. For this reason, they will be analyzed to determine whether or not they would have an effect on a mother’s obstetric experience. There is a long history of medical and obstetric racism which calls for a need to educate and inform hospital staff, who will be working with people of all races and ethnicities. This study would analyze the outcome of Black mother’s birthing and pregnancy experiences within culturally educated hospitals. Through the content analysis of statements of faith from evangelical institutions, including churches, parachurch organizations, and private religious universities, this research explores possible correlations between how theological claims impact political outcomes for individuals. The sample was chosen from signatories of the Nashville Statement, a declaration on human gender and sexuality by the Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. This population represents many prominent evangelical denominations and organizations throughout the United States. It may seem that theological statements are apolitical by design, but the hypothesis of this work is that as arbiters of evangelical hegemony, these statements correlate to political and social stances which are held by a majority of evangelicals, including support for corporal punishment, a hawkish foreign policy, and the death penalty, as well as opposition to LGBTQ rights, critical readings of history, an