Schedule of Events

The proposed research details the study of gender-fueled harassment on the livestream platform Twitch. The hypothesis for the research states that men face less discrimination for their gender in the streaming subculture and therefore experience less harassment. Previous studies cover individual aspects of the subject, but this study seeks to bring them together to examine the relationship between gender, performance and online harassment. This proposed study will use a survey distributed to a population of Twitch users, focusing primarily on streamers while also available to viewers. This study predicts that men face less harassment, but also that there is a lack of self-awareness amongst male participants in the survey. This study could further the sociological community’s understanding of communication and bigotry in the digital era.

This study investigates shoppers within a “big box” store.  The research is based on data collected during a semester-long participant observation study of a big box store in Southern California. The findings reveal that during the three stages of COVID-19, customer purchasing patterns remained relatively the same. This study expands to the existing scholarship that have previously been conducted to understand the need for big box stores in lower-income communities. Results from this study can be used to assist low-income populations in better understanding their need for big box stores, especially during a worldwide pandemic.

The death of George Floyd at the hands of the police offers led to nationwide protest against police brutality. As a nation, it is apparent that individual officers’ errors forever stain the perceptions people carry of police officers. This study proposes a mezzo level approach to analyze the perceptions of a Latino community’s perception of police officers. By administering a mixed-methods survey, this study will explore the attitudes toward police officers that a Latino community carries. This study predicts that the independent variables such as direct experiences and ethnicity will directly impact the dependent variable of “Attitudes and perceptions of police officers.”

This study investigates relationships and interactions between housing-secure and housing-insecure individuals.  The research is based on data collected during a semester-long participant observation study of a city park known to be frequented by housing-insecure individuals near a newly developing downtown district. The findings reveal the existence and importance of non-kin ties among the housing-insecure population. Additionally, it was discovered that while urban planners and city officials may view housing-insecure presence in local parks as a hindrance, parks appear to serve an important social service and may contribute to the relative safety and stability of housing-insecure individuals. This study adds to the existing studies that have previously been conducted to understand social networks and housing patterns of housing-insecure individuals, specifically expanding on research done on interactions across the housing-secure and housing-insecure divide. Results from this study can be used to assist urban developers, government officials, and outreach organizations in better understanding of community dynamics and delivering better services and resources for people of all housing situations.