▼ This thesis assesses clinical research involving human subjects as a social institution of global reach. Scientific, philosophical, and cultural dimensions of clinical research are examined for their contributions to the construction of trials, and two philosophical interpretations of scientific methodology are consulted for their views about the penetration of scientific theories by social values: Hugh Lacey’s positive empiricist account of the role of cognitive values and social strategies in science, and Helen Longino’s contextualist feminist theory of scientific inquiry, objectivity, and social knowledge. The socio-cultural construction of the conceptual and ethical structure of clinical research is emphasized. Ethical analyses of clinical research focus on the use of divergent normative standards for clinical trials in the developed and developing world. The dominant bioethical model offered for transcultural ethical research, principlism, is described and critically assessed. The transnational ACTG 076 clinical trials are presented as a case study of global research and bioethical evaluation. Martha Nussbaum’s human capabilities model is proposed as an alternative, contexualist framework of clinical research ethics for its particular focus on the ethics and politics of distributive justice, which is a crucial issue in the contexts of health care and clinical research. Advisors/Committee Members: Dixon, Kathleen Marie.

▼ The thesis explores the notion of national unity propagated on the media post-9/11 and argues that unity is a constructed myth that works to maintain the grand narrative of the American past and American values. The study answers three major questions: 1) how was national unity post-9/11 constructed by the media?, 2) how was this constructed unity built into the memory of 9/11?, and 3) in what way is national unity post-9/11 a myth? To answer these questions, the thesis examined the press coverage and television news broadcasts of 9/11 commemoration along the theme of commemoration and unity. The period of examination is from August to September in 2010 and 2011. Five major newspapers were chosen, shortlisted from the ten most circulated newspapers, and the model of “generative” and “derivative” media: USA Today, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New York Daily News, and the New York Post. Also, four major television news channels were selected, which are ABC, CBS, MSNBC and Fox News. Then, in-depth interviews with Muslim Americans were conducted to discover what they actually thought about unity. Six participants were recruited. The interviews were done face-to-face and via phone. Each interview did not last longer than thirty minutes. Answers of the respondents were important to the construction of national unity as myth. Investigation of the press coverage and the news broadcasts showed that national unity was constructed as an “issue” of long-lasting influence, or as a discourse and an unquestionable norm. Incidents that might challenge unity were presented as temporary “events” of little importance, or as deviations of little implications. With this habitual exposure to unity, the readers/ viewers were customized to think of unity as a legacy of 9/11. However, national unity can be argued to be a myth as it did not reflect the complete reality. Interviews with Muslim Americans showed that they did not think of unity as a norm, but rather, as an exception. Hence, the study argues that the construction of myth helps explain the concept of consent and hegemony that works to maintain the status quo. Advisors/Committee Members: Schocket, Andrew.

▼ Women’s only gyms have grown exponentially in popularity in the United States and worldwide. For example, Curves International has 9,000 locations across the globe and 4 million members (Curves International, 2006), while Contours Express has 327 locations in the United States and over 450 locations worldwide (Contours Express, 2006). Despite the popularity of women’s-only gyms, the meaning of these spaces remains unclear. The present study examined the experiences and perceptions of being a member of a women’s-only gym and the role of space in creating these experiences. Grounded in feminist geography and feminist cultural studies, I conducted an ethnography of a women’s-only gym, The Gym, located in Northwestern Ohio. Participants included those women who attended the facility on a regular basis. I engaged in participant observation at The Gym during which I conducted informal interviews with the women. Unstructured interviews were also conducted with eight women, five of whom were working at the facility, and three of whom were attending the facility. Using qualitative data analysis techniques, three higher order themes emerged. These included: “gym culture,” “macro culture,” and “combined influence.” The higher order theme “gym culture” refers to the culture within The Gym while the higher order theme “Macro Culture” refers to the broader culture of our society. Both of these cultures influenced the women’s experiences at The Gym and often collided to create a “combined influence” on the women’s experiences. Results illustrated that the social space of the gym (Lefebvre, 1974/1991) was made up of contradictions between the macro culture and gym culture. While the gym culture was empowering to the women, the influence of hegemonic masculinity and hegemonically-defined femininity were present. Nonetheless, the gym culture did buffer the potentially harmful effects of the macro culture of our society. Advisors/Committee Members: Krane, Vikki.

▼ The Sociological Hitch focuses on my experiences in and related to higher education. I examine other major social institutions, such as work, law enforcement, and family. My major objective in the study is to offer a socially poignant testimony through the utilization of the auto-ethnographic method. The work of the classical Sociologist C. Wright Mills inspires the undertaking, namely Mills’s notion of the Sociological Imagination. Feminist theory, and its experiential epistemology, in conjunction with New Left ideas about power, influences the scope of the study. Beyond the use of Mills, feminism, and Leftist social thought, I utilize auto-ethnographic materials and essays pertaining to auto-ethnography as a distinct methodology. The major method I employ is auto-ethnography, which involves the disclosure of personal experiences in the aforementionedinstitutions with a focus on higher education. Self-disclosure of direct experience, coupled with extended narration and reflection achieve a detailed account of a specific subjectivity. Through my subjectivity emerges an intrinsic social critique. In addition to the major method of auto-ethnography, The Sociological Hitch likewise employs open-ended interviews with thirteen interviewees. Through these interviews, I explore and investigate experiences interviewees had with social institutions, namely the aforementioned higher education, work, law enforcement, and family. The interviews reinforce my subjectivity and provide context for the social milieu under consideration. Analysis of the interviews in light of the auto-ethnography generate the findings that: 1) Biography confirms socio-structural reality, 2) Police, family, school, and work reproduce Society, and 3) Social problems translate into material problems. The major underlying conclusion The Sociological Hitch resonates the work of C. Wright Mills by declaring that assumed personal problems ought to prompt consequential social action. Advisors/Committee Members: Warren, John T.

▼ What is a Witch? Traditional mainstream media images of Witches tell us they are evil “devil worshipping baby killers,” green-skinned hags who fly on brooms, or flaky tree huggers who dance naked in the woods. A variety of mainstream media has worked to support these notions as well as develop new ones. Contemporary American popular culture shows us images of Witches on television shows and in films vanquishing demons, traveling back and forth in time and from one reality to another, speaking with dead relatives, and attending private schools, among other things. None of these mainstream images acknowledge the very real beliefs and traditions of modern Witches and Pagans, or speak to the depth and variety of social, cultural, political, and environmental work being undertaken by Pagan and Wiccan groups and individuals around the world. Utilizing social construction theory, this study examines the “historical process” of the construction of stereotypes surrounding Witches in mainstream American society as well as how groups and individuals who call themselves Pagan and/or Wiccan have utilized the only media technology available to them, the internet, to resist and re-construct these images in order to present more positive images of themselves as well as build community between and among Pagans and nonPagans. Advisors/Committee Members: Nelson, Angela.