Selected Reports of Research Conducted by Sociology/Anthropology Students
Fall 2017: Racial Microaggressions in St. Olaf Classrooms and Curriculum
Environmental Microaggressions and Microassaults in St. Olaf Classrooms
Pearl McAndrews, Meghan Todd, and Arleigh Truesdale
Microinsults in St. Olaf Classrooms
Emma Beahler, Kellis Brandt, Michelle Olson, and Anna Perkins
Microinvalidations in St. Olaf Academic Spaces
Rachel Bongart and Juni Lie
The Impacts of Microaggressions in Learning Environments at St. Olaf
Manuel Cardoza, Isabel Galic, and Rita Thorsen
Immediate and Short-term Reactions to Racialized Microaggressions in St. Olaf Classrooms
Frank Delaney, Grace Jackson, and Claire Mumford
Proactive Measures to Mitigate Racialized Microaggressions in St. Olaf Classrooms
Maddy Chiu, Olive Dwan, Khadijah Gowdy, and Ann Jensen
Racism in St. Olaf Classrooms and Its Effects on Students’ Academic Choices
Jenna Castillo, Chase Koob, Abby Olson, and Maria Jacquelyn Quispe
Transformative Pedagogy: The Role of Curricula in Challenging Racism at St. Olaf
Tim Bergeland, Katie Opperman, and Xinyi Zhang
Fall 2013: College Students and Money
Americans have become increasingly concerned with the debt load of college students and its impact on their futures, and college graduates may be ill-equipped to understand and manage their finances. Student researchers in SOAN371 surveyed undergraduates about their expected and accrued levels of educational debt, their patterns of financial behavior such as budgeting and online shopping, and their financial literacy.
Students’ Expected Levels of Debt and Their Academic and Career Decisions
Jessica Guzman, Anna Luckow, Francesca Sifferlin, Grace Tabatabai, and Patrick Tinsley
College Students, Majors, Job Prospects, and Financial Behavior
Evan Davis, Margot Fleming, Taryn Manthey-Logan, Thao Vang, Laura Willodson
Financial Literacy and Perceptions of Post-College Life of Undergraduates
Alex Askew, Madison Goering, Isaac Rysdahl, Cameron Smith, Lou Lia Wang
Financing your Future: College Students’ Debt and Postgraduate Plans
Marie Buchner, Katherine Fitzgerald, Emily Goodhue, Mac Leydon
Fall 2012: Teamwork in the Classroom and Workplace
Teamwork is increasingly prevalent in the workplace and classroom, and team performance is crucial. This year’s SOAN371 student researchers asked undergraduates about their preferences and experiences regarding several aspects of teams that affect team performance, including leadership, conflict, communication, team cohesion, and peer feedback.
Gender, Extraversion, and Team Cohesion
De’Mico Davis, Christina Espey-Sundt, Tenzin Kunsal, Joe Pickering, Kristen Svoboda
How Team Experience Affects Perceptions of Leadership Styles
Kelsey Brown, Rachel Johnson, Amy Meyer, and Stephanie Robert
Fall 2011: Millennials in the Workplace
What needs, expectations, and habits do today’s young people bring to the workplace, and what intergenerational tensions arise? These young adults – Millennials, born after 1980 – are the focus of our research, along with their Generation X and Baby Boomer co-workers and supervisors. Collectively, this research is based on six online surveys – two each of current Millennial students (a total of 523 St. Olaf juniors and seniors), Millennial workers (196 St. Olaf alumni) and Generation X and Baby Boomer workers (248 St. Olaf alumni).
All Squared Away?: An Examination of Millennials’ Use of Structure in the Workplace
Charlotte Bolch, Hannah Ehlenfeldt, Alondra Lopez, Ashley Menzel, and Emily Van Essen
Helicopter Parenting?: Parental Involvement In the Workplace
Kyle Cassling, Justine Frederick, Ingrid Olson, William Totimeh, Matthew Venker
Hiring, Promotion, and Progress: Millennials’ Expectations in the Workplace
Kyra Friedell, Katrina Puskala, Morgan Smith, Nicole Villa
Fall 2010: The Transition to Adulthood
How do college students approach the transition to post-college life? As they consider their passions, develop their career plans, and investigate possible graduate programs, which resources, activities, and experiences do they turn to? Which resources do they find most helpful? How confident do they feel in their plans and skills? The papers included below address these questions, based on data from three online surveys of St. Olaf College students (1,025 students in total). As part of SOAN371, six teams of students conducted applied research on the transition to post-college life, serving as research consultants for the St. Olaf Main Street Project Steering Committee, a group charged with exploring ways that the college might better prepare students for the transition to vocation and career. Student consultants gathered data to answer the committee’s questions about students’ plans and experiences regarding preparation for the transition to post-college life – information that could be put to practical use in new and improved programs for students. The research teams also conducted research to advance social science knowledge about the transition from college to vocation and career.
Approaching the Transition to Adulthood: Vocational and Career Discernment among Undergraduates
Julia Aaker, Avery Baird, James Cahalan, Fatima Omar, Kylie Swanson, Siri Thompson
Building Transferable Skills through Informal Experiences
Soraya Dangor, Maddie Hansen, Breanna Johnson, Anna Martin, Zach Pietryla
The Job Search: An Investigation of Students’ Feelings Toward Post-Graduation Plans
Elaine Atcheson, Green Bouzard, Ryan Evans, Morgan Harden, Kathryn Southard, and Ryan Trostrud
College Students’ Career Exploration: The Impact of Social Networks and Individual Self-Efficacy
Stephanie Abbas, Miriam Brown, Kurt Hager, Victoria Heinonen, Rae Tamblyn, and Tenzin Norzin Waleag
Fall 2009: College Students and Social Support
How much do college students feel supported by the people in their lives? To what extent do they experience a sense of belonging, closeness, and caring, as well as tangible support, and from whom? What happens when support is lacking? The papers included below examine these questions. Collectively, they are based on an online survey of 333 St. Olaf College students.
Religiosity and Perceived Social Support
Mara Fink, Laya Hess, Melanie Hornbeck, Brita Johnson, Lyndel Owens, and Violet Thor
The Drive for Thinness: The Relationship Between Social Support, Body Image and Eating Habits
Emily Larson, Jessica Retka, Emily Quinnell, Alyssa Williams, and fifth author
+1 Friend Request: The Internet and Social Support
Karin Christenson, Kirstine Foster, Joseph Schantz, and Alex Schmidt
The Over-Involved Ole: Community Involvement and Depressive Symptoms
Cassie Forster, Kari Grimes, Mia Philip, Stacy Robert, and Clara Swanson
Fall 2008: College Students and Close Relationships
Do you wonder how college students feel about interethnic dating and long-distance relationships? Are you concerned about loneliness among college students and how they cope with it? Are you curious about students’ experiences with virginity loss and hook-ups, the attitudes of heterosexual students toward gay and lesbian students, and student expectations of finding a future spouse at college? The papers included below report on these topics. Collectively, they are based on an online survey of 315 St. Olaf College students.
The Colors of Love: Attitudes toward Inter-ethnic Romantic Relationships among College Students
Nick Coley, Sarah Jacobson, Tessa Johanson, and Sarah Kirby
Samantha Davison, Susan Hill, Caroline Mondoh, and Kai Redalen
Consultant: Seth Huiras, Statistics Fellow, Center for Integrative Research
Dating and Hookups: A Look at Intimate Experience among Current College Students
Jaclyn Miller, Jose Ramirez, Will Smith, and Nichole Rohlfsen
Kate Virkler, Statistics Fellow