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Recommended Citation (2011) "Perspectives, Spring 2011 - Full Issue," Perspectives: Vol. 3 , Article 1. Available at: https://scholars.unh.edu/perspectives/vol3/iss1/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Journals and Publications at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Perspectives by an authorized editor of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Perspectives Volume 3 Spring 2011 Article 1 5-2011 Perspectives, Spring 2011 - Full Issue Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/perspectives et al.: Perspectives, Spring 2011 - Full Issue Perspectives 2011 Table of Contents I. LAW AND POLITICS Jury Verdicts and Biases in the United States Valerie Barthell The Effects of the Characteristics of a Violent Crime and Its Offender on Recidivism Rates: A Literature Review Ashley Clark Do Race, Religion, or Gender Affect Death Penalty Support In the United States? Celie Morin Student Attitudes towards Male Inmate Sexual Violence: Gender Differences in Perceptions of Victimization Policy Bethany Schmidt Student Perspectives on Law Enforcement at UNH Victoria Vinciguerra and Dana Magane The Israel‐Palestine Problem: How Minimizing the Conflict Would Lower the Threat of Terrorism Against the U.S. Ashley Charron II. FAMILY AND PARENTING The Family’s Influence in Determining Adolescent Religiosity Ryan Rafford The Effects of Parenting Style on Adolescent Substance Use Samantha Story i Published by University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository, 2011 1 Perspectives, Vol. 3 [2011], Art. 1 III. ACADEMICS AND EDUCATION How Do Social and Economic Factors Affect Academic Achievement among Adolescent Students? An Observation of Community Social Capital, Peer Relationships, and Economic Composition Kendall Clark The Effect of Socioeconomic Status, Parental Involvement and Self Esteem on the Education of African Americans Kelby M. Mackell Factors Affecting Parental Involvement with Children’s Education: A Qualitative Study of Parents’ Socioeconomic Status, Level of Education, and Parental School Relationship Callen Rockwell IV. MEDIA, CULTURE AND COMMUNITY Mass Media and Socio‐Cultural Pressures on Body Image and Eating Disorders among Adolescent Women Shanon Farley The Effects of Violent Video Games on Adolescent Aggression and Behavior through the Perspective of Social Learning Theory Mackenzie Colburn The Effects of Consuming Pornography: Men’s Attitudes Towards Violence against Women, Dominance over and Objectification of Women and Sexual Expectations of Women Danielle Hernandez Affluence, Loss, and the Ethos of the American Dream: The Impact of Tragedy on Upper‐ Class Suburban Identity Barrett Mueller ii https://scholars.unh.edu/perspectives/vol3/iss1/1 2 et al.: Perspectives, Spring 2011 - Full Issue Perspectives 2011, an Introduction Lyssa Wilson What sociology major hasn’t been bombarded with questions like, “Socio‐what?” or “What are you going to do with that degree?” At times, defending your major can be difficult for students of the social sciences. But hold your heads up high my fellow Sociology majors, for although relatively unrecognized, sociological research is among the most important in modernity. Especially in contemporary times, when social happenings seem to be a whirlwind of lunacy and confusion, sociologists are there to shed some light on the situation. While Egyptians fight for democracy with the help of Facebook, American politicians narrowly escape a government shut down through the contemporary rarity of unadulterated compromise. With Donald Trump in the mix for Republican Presidential Primary in 2012 and Charlie Sheen running amuck, Japan grapples with the aftermath of an earthquake and subsequent nuclear meltdown. Society, globally, nationally, and locally, can be rather baffling. This insanity of current events only highlights the importance of a sociological lens. Critically examining disjuncture or confusion within society helps sociologists lift the façade of everyday life and reveal the patterns and structures beneath. Sociological perspectives aid in deciphering these conundrums and more. Beyond the pursuit of further knowledge and understanding, sociological research also informs the creation of public policy and helps guide societal development in this upside down world. In this year’s publication of Perspectives, students address concerns in the areas of Law and Politics, Family and Parenting, Academics and Education, and Media, Culture and Community. Submissions take a close look at our home campus of the University of New Hampshire, while also recognizing the growing connections in international politics. Delving into issues from parenting to inequality, these researchers critically analyze assumptions of societal reality. Looking at themes of Law and Politics, Valerie Barthell begins by investigating biases within jury verdicts. Barthell affirms that constitutionally all defendants have the right to an impartial trial, but in truth factors like race, age, and appearance affect the decisions of a jury. While Barthell concentrates on the initial incarceration patterns, Ashley Clark researches patterns in recidivism rates for violent crimes. Focusing on age of the offender, type of crime, and the presence of substance abuse, Clark acknowledges the complexity of predicting repeat offenders. Although there is a growing sense of respect for multiculturalism and belief in the motto that we are all humans, Sociological research, including Barthell and Clark, reveals that social characteristics, whether race, age, or gender, do play a determining role in our ideals, beliefs, and ultimately, our fate. Morin, Schmidt, Vinciguerra, and Magane add further evidence to this premise. In her study, Celie Morin considers the affect of race, religion, and gender on attitudes towards capital punishment, while Bethany Schmidt centers her attention on gender differences in perceptions of victimization in male inmate sexual violence. Victoria iii Published by University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository, 2011 3 Perspectives, Vol. 3 [2011], Art. 1 Vinciguerra and Dana Magane tackle a more concentrated population by looking at student perceptions of law enforcement on the campus of the University of New Hampshire. Their research asks whether age and gender changes these perceptions of campus police. Zooming out to a macro scale, Ashley Charron closes out our Law and Politics section with her paper on the Israel‐Palestine conflict. Charron argues that reducing violence in the region would help thwart threats of terrorism against the United States. From perceptions of national issues such as the death penalty to male inmate sexual violence, and from campus law enforcement concerns to the global fight against terrorism, submissions in this section of Perspectives truly address numerous aspects of Law and Politics. Acknowledging the importance of familial socialization, Rafford and Story make up the Perspectives section on Family and Parenting. Ryan Rafford looks at various family members influence in establishing religiosity of adolescence. Considering parental religiosity, the adolescent’s relationship quality with the family, religious communication among family members, and the possible impacts of divorced parents, Rafford discusses why adolescents adopt religious beliefs they were taught as a child, or if they choose to abandon them. Samantha Story looks at the correlation between parenting styles and adolescent substance abuse. Comparing authoritarian, permissive, and authoritative parenting styles, Story’s research concludes that the authoritative has the most positive effect in deterring adolescence from substance abuse. In the bureaucratic and supposed meritocratic structuring of modernity, a high expectation is placed on the ability of education to lift up the poor. Nevertheless, as the following submissions show, the American educational institution is not a simple process of input and output. An assortment of factors affects the quality and success of any educational track. Kendall Clark investigates the effect of some of these social and economic factors on adolescent academic achievement. Reviewing available literature, Clark focuses on community social capital, peer relations and economic composition. Kelby Mackell discusses a similar topic, but centers her research on the experience of African Americans. She highlights the effects of socioeconomic status, parental involvement and self‐esteem. Splintering off Mackell’s themes, Callen Rockwell dives specifically into parental involvement. Rockwell’s qualitative study looks at how parent’s socioeconomic status, level of education, and the parent‐school relationship change the level of involvement with their children’s education. Clark, Mackell, and Rockwell all acknowledge the complexity of the educational institution, while realizing its importance. While previous sections have touched upon topics traditionally researched, our final section, Media, Culture, and Community, steps into some of the more obscure yet intriguing topics of society, considering topics such as pornography, violent video games, and the loss of the American Dream. Shannon Farley begins the section through her research on mass media and socio‐cultural pressures on adolescent women to achieve the perfect body. The ubiquitous unrealistic images of models have led to an increasing frequency of eating disorders