Tag: Ryan Light

Cultural Differences in Student Perceptions: Student Evaluations of Online Discussion Forums

Presenter: Xiaoying Chen (Sociology)

Mentor: Ryan Light

Oral Presentation

Panel A: “Culture and Education” Maple Room

Concurrent Session 2: 10:30-11:45am

Facilitator: Nedzer Erilus

Cultural diversity and technical development have changed students’ learning experiences in American higher education. This research explores the relationship between cultural influences on students’ perceptions of higher education and students’ evaluations of their experiences with the use of online discussion forums in college. By employing both survey and interview, this case study on Asian international students and American students at University of Oregon examines three aspects of student evaluations: their expectation of the instructor’s role, self- evaluation of their own participation, and overall evaluation of their online discussion forum experiences. The results indicate that compared with American students, Asian international students tend to expect less in terms of the instructor’s role and provide lower self-evaluations of their own participation in online discussion forums. Meanwhile, both American students and Asian international students have positive evaluations of their online discussion forum experiences. The findings suggest that college administrators and instructors should take cultural orientation into account to promote a diverse and understanding learning environment in future course design.

Political Communication on Twitter: How Young People Obtain Information, Construct Identity, and Understand Events

Presenter(s): Rachel Johnston

Faculty Mentor(s): Ryan Light & CJ Pascoe

Poster 117

Session: Social Sciences & Humanities

The rapidly changing landscape of political communication is exemplified by Twitter’s extraordinary growth in popularity. The platform’s influence on elections and public opinion is undeniable. The social network has even changed the way news is distributed. Information that used to rely on newspapers, radio, and television is now accessible to millions of Twitter users in 280 characters and a matter of seconds. Some scholars have defined this as the “personalization of politics.” Studies have shown that Twitter increases political polarization by giving users the opportunity to choose information that aligns with their own opinions and ignore everything else. How does using Twitter help young people construct their own political identities? This research examines how the use of Twitter as a political communication platform influences young people’s understandings of and attitudes towards political events. Interviews were conducted with over twenty-five regular Twitter users to determine how young people use the medium to interact with news, express political opinions, and participate in online community networks. Experiences with Twitter varied significantly for conservatives and liberals. Young people use the platform for news because it is quick, accessible, and connects them to social networks. The majority of participants used traditional media sources to supplement Twitter news. Principal uses of the social network platform include involvement in larger conversations about political events, building online communities, and staying up to date with live happenings. This research is essential to understanding the drastically changing landscape of political communication, which is a landmark of government institutions and democracy itself. The way in which people consume and understand news has a significant effect on public opinion, and ultimately representation and public policy. Social media outlets such as Twitter have transformed the ways in which young people form political opinions and engage with news, politics, and government. Current research on this topic is limited to quantitative methods. Thus, the qualitative structure of this project fills a gap, facilitating crucial insight into individual opinions and behaviors.

Political Mobilization of the Pharmaceutical Industry: Interorganizational Ties, Interlocking Directorates, and Political Activism

Presenter(s): David Capelle

Faculty Mentor(s): Ryan Light & Michael Dreiling

Poster 148

Session: Social Sciences & Humanities

The pharmaceutical industry holds a prominent position in the American political sphere. The degree and persistence of political mobilization among pharmaceutical firms warrants investigation into the conditions which account for patterns in their political behavior. This study aims to assess how pharmaceutical firms’ embeddedness in inter-organizational networks is associated with levels of political activism and political cohesion in the 2015-2016 election cycle. Inter-organizational networks are comprised of firm-to-firm board of director interlocks and membership in prominent policy-planning groups and trade associations. The maintenance of connections with outside companies and organizations represents opportunities for social cohesion and establishment of shared social perspectives among corporate elites, which is thought to precede unified political action among companies. Corporate political activity is measured through PAC donations and lobbying expenditures. By examining relationships between companies’ structural social network ties and political activity within a particularly influential industry, this analysis provides novel insight into the way power is exercised in an intra-industry setting. This analysis demonstrates that the political mobilization of the pharmaceutical industry is structured around positions in inter-firm networks, such that companies which maintain social ties to the broader corporate community through board interlocks and advocacy organizations engage themselves in politics more intensely. The results of this study inform positions regarding the conditions of class-cohesiveness among corporate entities, which possesses significant applications to the study of political science, economics, and sociology.