Master of Arts in Sociology

Modern humans interact with a variety of electronic devices to accomplish tasks, entertain themselves and to communicate with others. Traditionally this interaction has been conceived of as being the interaction between a user and a tool. There is no emotional value in that interaction, it is not social. The interaction is merely functional. The problem with that approach is that humans do express emotions toward computers, smart phones and other computational devices. Some of the concepts involved in the computer science sub-field of human-computer interaction describe these interactions as social and refer to computers as social actors. If computers are to be treated social actors, then emotions must be considered in evaluation of the interactions in which they take part. Despite the anthropomorphist properties that some in the computer science discipline apply to computers, computers, including artificial intelligences, do not experience feelings. Therefore, the concept of emotions in human-computer interaction must be considered through different frameworks and from the perspective of the human actors involved. Humans develop social relationships with their technology (Nass 1994). Like any relationship involving humans, the quality of the relationship is impacted by the emotional exchanges involved. Emotion is an important component of human-computer interaction because of the amount of time that humans spend with their devices and because the capability to interact successfully with other humans depends upon strong social and emotional skills.

The new gTLDs open up many possibilities for Internet users and content producers. The preliminary research conducted in this paper provides only a small sample of the variation in uses that have been undertaken by Internet users. Community and identity are not easily defined and looking for markers of the existence, especially between many entities presents a challenge.

Students select a major field of study (a major) as part of their higher educational experience. This paper will investigate the literature regarding choice of college major to determine if the research regarding students choosing to major in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields is applicable to non-STEM fields as well. What factors drive the decision to select one major over another? Gender has historically been one of the more visible social factors for students selecting a major, but other factors of stratification such as race and socioeconomic status also contribute to the way a student conceives of their academic (and career) identity.

This paper reviews Burke & Stet's Identity Theory and then examines new research that builds on the theory.

This document proposes thesis research into the impact of the stigma of alternative sexual identities on the self-disclosure and presentation of members of the BDSM community. This proposal presents a content analysis and an interview-based methodology.

The Internet has become a global community for those that are able to access it and utilize it effectively. Those individuals who are not among those that fall into that category are considered to be in a “gap” known as the digital divide. The digital divide mimics structural inequality that is found in traditional systems that result in social inequality. Individuals who fall into this divide are not engaged in the same social experience as those who are more privileged. The lessened engagement promotes the continuation of inequality in other spheres such as social status and access to social resources. The ubiquity of the Internet blinds the casual observer of the existence of the digital divide.

Masculinity is one of the longest living social institutions. Its rules are carried through unspoken codes and are enforced by social processes. Sociology is the optimum field to explore masculinity due to its ties with so many social institutions and its impact on all members of society. This paper explores how masculinity is conveyed and enforced in society as well as how masculinity influences other social institutions. There is more than one type of masculinity and this paper addresses how those various masculinities interact.