Damsels in Defense: Exploring the Relationship Between Women and Violence Against Civilians During Armed Conflict

Conventional wisdom dictates that women are mostly victims of violence in armed conflict, but recent studies reveal women are often active participants and perpetrators of violence as well. Meanwhile, research shows armed group composition is a frequent determinant of violence against civilians, but many unconventional, yet influential, actors have received little attention regarding this outcome. Furthermore, few studies provide quantitative and cross-national evidence of how women’s shifting roles from victim to perpetrator affects violence against civilians. In this dissertation I examine the relationship between armed group composition, women, and violence against civilians in civil war by evaluating women’s roles as both victims and active participants. The first study mirrors the conventional wisdom that women are victims of conflict. I examine this victimization stance in relation to an unconventional actor- private military contractors (PMCs). Using the Private Military Contractors and the Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict datasets I examine how states’ employment of PMCs influences state-perpetrated sexual violence - a form of violence largely targeting girls and women. I argue that the increasing professionalism, reliance, and monitoring of PMCs contributes to their ability to help lessen sexual violence. The findings show that states employing PMCs commit less sexual violence than those not employing PMCs. This is especially true during the Global War on Terror period and for countries reliant on American PMCs. The second and third studies use the Women’s Activities in Armed Rebellion dataset and the Georeferenced Events Dataset to depart from the view of women as victims of violence to explore women’s active participation in rebel groups. The second study examines how women’s participation as frontline combatants and noncombat outreach personnel in rebel groups influences one-sided violence (OSV). I contend that women’s impact on rebel group behavior is contingent upon their role in the group. Women are stereotyped as pacifistic and nonviolent. This stereotype requires women on the frontline to be socialized to behave violently towards civilians to be taken seriously as combatants. At the same time, this stereotype allows women to go unsuspected as perpetrators of violence, increasing the lethality of their OSV attacks. Meanwhile, women in outreach positions legitimize the group, help them gain domestic and international support, and decrease their reliance on OSV to coerce support. I find support for both hypotheses. The last chapter examines the relationship between women as military leaders in rebel groups and OSV. I argue that women who rise to the rank of military leader have demonstrated excessive violence against civilians in order to prove their capabilities as combatants. At the same time, groups with higher levels of female combatants are associated with greater OSV, and this is often the result of subjection to violent socialization. Because women in military leadership roles likely underwent the same process to later rise in rank, they should see this process as justified in producing effective fighters and will, thus, tolerate these acts of violence. Therefore, groups with both women in military leadership positions and higher number of women combatants should be associated with even larger levels of OSV. I find support for both hypotheses. However, the results indicate that relationship between women military leaders and OSV is largely contingent upon the presence of female combatants. This dissertation provides evidence that even unconventional actors are highly influential in shaping violence against civilians. Additionally, it illustrates that women experience conflict in multiple ways, and their shifting roles can contribute to rebel groups’ behavior towards civilians in war

A Study of Kindergarten Language Screening Performance Across Schools with Variable Demographic Compositions

The Quick Interactive Language Screener (QUILS) for language impairment was designed and normed for children of diverse backgrounds. This study examined the utility of the QUILS in a diverse school district by comparing failure rates across five elementary schools. Schools varied in racial composition (non-White range: 20.45 – 80%) and socioeconomic status (free/reduced lunch qualified range: 35.35 – 100%). Among 321 currently-enrolled kindergartners, 272 completed the QUILS. Using author recommendations for kindergarten-aged cutoff scores, the district-wide screening failure rate for primarily monolingual English speakers (n = 212; via parent questionnaire) was 16.51% (range: 7.69 – 34.29% per school). Failure rates were not independent of school (χ2(1, N = 5) = 16.92, p \u3c .01). Individual school QUILS failure rates significantly correlated with the percent non-White student population of the school (r = .94; p \u3c .01) and the percentage of the school that qualified for free/reduced lunch (r = .84; p \u3c .05)

Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 Restrictions on the Perinatal Experience in Mississippi

The purpose of this study is to assess how COVID-19 restrictions affected the perinatal experience of women in Mississippi. A flyer detailing the purpose and inclusion criteria of the study was sent via social media platforms. Five postpartum women from the Hattiesburg, Mississippi area participated in this study. Eight open-ended questions were asked in an interview format, and a seven-question demographic survey was given to each participant at the conclusion of the interview. Five restrictions related to COVID-19 were identified: visitor restrictions in the hospital, mask requirements in healthcare facilities, screening of patients upon admission to the Labor and Delivery unit, a shorter length of stay in the hospital, and visitor restrictions at prenatal and postnatal appointments. Overall, four themes were identified based on participant responses: stress, fear/anxiety, missed experiences, and loss of control. Further research is needed to investigate how COVID-19 related restrictions affected women in Mississippi on a larger scale

Medicine and the Media

PROBLEM: The media has become a normalized part of American society. The use of media in reporting COVID-19 is a prime example of how media can impact a public\u27s medical knowledge and opinion. The main concern: are people properly filtering the influx of information between evidence-based practices and medical opinion? With the accessibility of information comes a likelihood that the public isn\u27t doing their part to fact-check what they\u27re given. Inaccurate information can cause health issues among the public. STUDY DESIGN: The study design will be a representational online survey sent to American Adults ages 18 years and older. Univariate-ANOVA analyses were done to investigate the significance of age, preference of resource, and application of information to the likelihood of media source use and the likelihood of checking for accuracy. RESULTS: Age is not a significant factor in either use of media sources for medical information or checking for accuracy of that information. Preference of media or medical professional as a first resource and application were both significant in the likelihood of media source use. Application of information derived from media sources was the only significant factor in the likelihood of checking for accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: More than half of the American adult population are likely to use media sources for medical information, check for its accuracy, and apply this information. The hypothesis can be denied as the results showed that media sources are not consulted before medical professionals and that preference has no significance in the likelihood of accuracy checks. Presentation Time: Wednesday, 12-1 p.m. Zoom link: https://usu-edu.zoom.us/j/83570709111?pwd=dGpYQzZvT3dqdHdGNjMzaVZ3QnFLUT0

A Study of the Potential Implementation Obstacles of the Expected Loss Model in East Tennessee

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has recently introduced a new Accounting Standards Update (ASU) that will require financial institutions to measure their loan losses using a new Expected Loss Model (ELM) that emphasizes forward looking financial decisions. Numerous financial journals hypothesize that large financial institutions will face difficulties when implementing the new ASU. This research explores the potential implementation issues that small, local financial institutions, specifically Eastman Credit Union (ECU), will encounter as they begin the implementation process

Experiential Learning Experiences and Leadership Development of Students on a Study Abroad Trip to Australia

The purpose of this study was to describe student’s perceptions of a study abroad trip to Australia designed to include Kolb’s (2014) principles of experiential learning. Activities conducted were in effort to increase students’ international perspectives in the areas of leadership, education, communications, and extension. In an effort to remain true to the experiential learning process, students selected organizations from a generated list in which students learned about leadership, education, communications or extension. Six students, one male and five females, were involved in the study abroad trip to Australia for 21 days. Throughout the 21 days, interviews were conducted with the students about their experiences. Thematic analysis was used to code the transcriptions from each interview and to pinpoint nine codes that later developed into five themes. Those five themes are: (a) Experiential learning and leadership development did occur on this study abroad experience, (b) Students had personal growth while involved in the study abroad experience, (c) Cultural and global diversity impacted the student’s experiences, (d) Student’s perceptions of agriculture were enhanced through this study abroad experience, and (e) Students faced emotional challenges during the study abroad trip. Some recommendations are to have a well-designed plan for experiential learning courses, plan for varied experiences, and prepare more for emotional challenges