Mellisa Holtzman

The Role of Heritage Camps in Identity Development Among Korean Transnational Adoptees: A Relational Dialectics Approach

This study contributes to the literature on transracial adoptions in two important ways: (1) it compares how parents and transnational adoptees negotiate racial and family identities through the use of heritage camps and (2) it informs that comparison with insights garnered from the theory of relational dialectics. The results, which are based on interviews with Korean-born children and Caucasian-American parents (matched parent-child pairs), suggest that parents utilized camps to both downplay their childrens racial differences and give credence to their childrens “unique” lives. Adoptees, in contrast, were not concerned with downplaying race; instead, they reported that although camps were fun, they did not impact their sense of identity significantly because they did not do enough to address the racial challenges they faced. These results suggest a potential disjuncture between parental purposes for utilizing heritage camps and the actual experiences of adoptees while at these camps. Moreover, they suggest that additional empirical attention should be paid to adoption policies and practices that explicitly address the racial and ethnic needs of transnational adoptees.

FAMILY STRUCTURE AND COLLEGE GRADUATION: IS THE STEPPARENT EFFECT MORE NEGATIVE THAN THE SINGLE PARENT EFFECT?

We use data from the National Longitudinal Education Study (NELS) to build upon previous research that considered the negative effects of living in mother-only families and stepparent families on the subsequent educational attainment of children. Our results break new ground in finding that although those who lived in a mother-only family are not less likely overall to graduate college than those who lived with two biological parents, they are significantly less likely to graduate college given four-year college attendance even when other important factors are controlled. In addition, we find that those who lived in a stepparent family are less likely overall to graduate college than those who lived with two biological parents when other important factors are controlled. This difference for those who lived in a stepparent family is due to lower chances of four-year college attendance given high school graduation and of college graduation given four-year college attendance.

Demystifying Application-Based Multiple-Choice Questions

Multiple-choice exams are often the standard in large, introductory college courses. Although students sometimes report that multiple-choice exams are easier than essay exams, the multiple-choice format often proves to be more difficult. This may be true because multiple-choice exams in college are often composed predominantly of application questions. They ask students to grapple with scenarios and recognize concepts in context, which proves to be difficult for many students. The author details the changes she has made in her introductory sociology curriculum and discusses some of the indicators of success.

Processes and Patterns in Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Sexual Assault A Multimethodological Assessment

Although prior research suggests that sexual minorities are at equivalent or greater risk of sexual assault compared with heterosexual women, few studies have examined simultaneously a broad array of assault types, the forms of force and pressure experienced, and the relative risks of experiencing different kinds of assault or force or pressure during an assault according to sex and sexual orientation. Moreover, very little is known about how subjective interpretations of assault may differ by sex and sexual orientation. We address these gaps using a multimethodological analysis of original survey data (N = 342) with a snowball oversample of sexual minority respondents. Quantitative results indicate that both sexual minority status and sex are predictive of increased assault risk of most assault types, but that most effects of sexual minority status are restricted to men. The probabilities of experiencing verbal pressure or physical force are largely uniform across categories. Qualitative analyses of open-ended questions suggest that men and women interpret the experience of assault differently, such that sexual minority men conceptualize their unwanted sexual experiences as “giving in” due to feelings of guilt or low self-worth, whereas women of all sexual orientations acquiesced because it was perceived to be easier or more practical than resisting. Theoretical implications and directions for future research are discussed.

GLBT Parents’ Rights During Custody Decision Making: The Influence of Doctrine, Statute, and Societal Factors in the United States

There are a number of legal and social factors that impact the judicial decision-making process when gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) parents in the United States are involved in a custody dispute. Not only are standard custody doctrines, such as the best interests and parental rights doctrines, at issue, but laws that deny marriage to gay men and lesbians, laws that govern parentage when couples use assisted reproductive technologies, and societal definitions of sex, gender, and family come into play as well, and they interact with one another in complicated ways. This research outlines and models the various ways these factors come together to create a complex legal context for nonbiological GLBT parents who are seeking custody rights to their children. Importantly, however, it also suggests that even in the face of this kind of complexity, patterned judicial responses do emerge. Specifically, judicial attention to childrens best interests is consistently associated with the protection of nonbiological parent-child relationships.

Combining Primary Prevention and Risk Reduction Approaches in Sexual Assault Protection Programming.

Abstract Objective: The object of this study is to extend prior evaluations of Elemental, a sexual assault protection program that combines primary prevention and risk reduction strategies within a single program. Participants and Methods: During 2012 and 2013, program group and control group students completed pretest, posttest, and 6-week and 6-month follow-up surveys assessing sexual attitudes and knowledge as well as experiences with assault. Results: The results reinforce previous findings that Elemental is effective in reducing sexual assault risk. Program effects were both direct, in that participation was associated with lower risk of assault, and mediated, in that participation impacted attitudes and beliefs that are empirically linked to risk of later assault. Conclusions: By combining both primary prevention and risk reduction approaches, Elemental is not only effective at reducing incidences of assault, it is also consistent with a number of recent recommendations for directions in sexual assault prevention programming.

A New Model for Sexual Assault Protection Creation and Initial Testing of Elemental

Sexual assault self-protection programs often address either broad educational goals (e.g., alcohol awareness, gender, and safety) or are restricted to the practice of violent hands-on self-protection techniques. Enrollment is almost entirely restricted to female audiences, in spite of a high risk of assault among gay men. We describe the development of Elemental, a sexual assault protection program, wherein we undertook a sociologically grounded yet multidisciplinary approach to produce a holistic and inclusive program that teaches a variety of response options, including nonviolent physical and verbal techniques. Through the use of survey data from program participants and a control group, we present results of initial longitudinal tests of the efficacy of the program. Directions for further testing and development are discussed.

The Reciprocal Relationship Between Religious Beliefs and Acceptance of One’s Gay or Lesbian Family Member

ABSTRACT Research suggests that the coming out process can be stressful not only for individuals disclosing their sexual orientation, but also for the family members who receive the news. While research demonstrates that family acceptance of such disclosures is related to one’s religious beliefs, less is known about how religion influences the process of acceptance. There are theoretical reasons to expect that individuals’ religious beliefs interact with their attitudes regarding acceptance in reciprocal ways. Utilizing data from 14 semistructured interviews with family members of lesbian and gay individuals, we offer a preliminary examination of how the process of acceptance is both influenced by and influences a person’s own religious beliefs. Results suggest that the acceptance process involves a complex interaction between an individual’s general proclivity toward acceptance, the degree to which religion promotes or opposes the acceptance of same-sex relationships, and the level of investment one has in their church.

Reflections on Teaching—North Central Sociological Association 2015 John F. Schnabel Lecture: Tales from a Classroom Ninja: What Martial Arts Can Teach Us About Transformative Learning Experiences

The recipient of the 2014 John F. Schnabel Distinguished Contributions to Teaching award delivered this keynote address at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the North Central Sociological Association in Cleveland. The author outlines the lessons that sociology instructors can derive from the martial arts. Although the parallels between martial arts and university classrooms may not be apparent at first glance, Holtzman demonstrates that the primary lessons of Ninjutsu—to know your enemy, to persevere, and to embrace the unconventional—are also fundamental lessons for sociology professors.