Previous ARCs
College of Social & Behavioral Science (CSBS)
Sixth Annual Research Conference (ARC)
Welcome to the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Sixth Annual Research Conference website. The 2012 conference took place on UTPA's campus on April 12-13. The purpose of this conference was to engage UTPA students and faculty with academic and community peers in a discussion about a wide range of social science topics. The College designed the 2012 conference around the theme of borders and bridges, generally speaking. An array of activities including a undergraduate and graduate student research poster competition, student and faculty research presentations, films and roundtables, as well as a pre-conference workshop and keynote address were organized. The conference was a great success!.
2012 Conference Theme!
Fronteras y Puentes: Understanding and Transforming Borders through Social Science Research
The CSBS 6th Annual Research Conference (ARC) in Edinburg, Texas will featured cutting edge research on border issues through panel sessions, undergraduate and graduate student research posters, and workshops. Poster, paper, and panel presentations were informative and relevant, informed by theory and research, encouraged opportunities for learner engagement, and/or demonstrated application of the work of participants. The CSBS 6th ARC engaged social science theories and methodologies to bridge gaps or disconnects across disciplinary discourses to address the obstacles and opportunities that borders represent.
The conceptualization of the border has become a universal metaphor for almost any kind of boundary. Borders, whether they be geographical, political, social, psychological, cultural, and myriad other forms, are symbols of division and separation as well as areas where potential for collaboration exists. They are perceived and real, mythologized and demonized, internally defined and externally validated (or vice versa). What can social science research tell us about the people, policies, processes, and institutions living on borders? The CSBS 6th Annual CSBS Research Conference engaged social science theories and methodologies, providing frameworks for analyzing, discussing, and proposing solutions to the wide-range of issues confronting social, psychological, political, and cultural borders.
Conference Schedule (2012)
The finalized conference agenda is as follows:
Thursday April 12, 2012
~ 8:00am – 5:00 pm ~
Location: Lobby of University Ballroom
On-site registration is available. Click here to see a Campus Map
~ 8:00am – 11:45 am ~
Location: First Floor CSBS Building
Undergraduate and Graduate Student Research Poster Competition.
Winning posters will be exhibited at the Dustin Michael Sekula Memorial Library in Edinburg from April 23 to 27th. Also, winning poster presenters are expected to participate in a public presentation of their posters at the Edinburg's Dustin Michael Sekula Memorial Library on April 26, 2012 from 6:00pm-8:00pm
~ 10:00am – 11:15am ~
Location: University Ballroom
Criminalizing Water: The Right to Rescue, the Politics of Protection, and Migrant Lives on the American Border Desert
Honored Guest Speaker- Rocío Magaña, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Rutgers University
Dr. Rocío Magaña Bio
Event is co-sponsored by the Department of Sociology, UTPA.
~ 11:30am – 1:30 pm ~
Location: University Ballroom
Pre-Conference Workshop: The Impact of Criminal Cases on Immigration Cases
Honored Guest Speaker, Cynthia Renteria, J.D
Ms. Cynthia Renteria Bio
Texas State Bar Continuing Legal Education Credit Approved (1.5 hrs).
~ 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm ~
Location: ITT, International Room
UnMaking the Mexican Diabetic: Race, Science, and the Promise of Community Knowledge
Honored Guest Speaker, Michael Montoya, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Irvine
Dr. Michael Montoya Bio
Event is co-sponsored by the South Texas Border Health Disparities Center & the Department of Sociology at UTPA.
~ 4:30pm-6:00pm ~
Location: International Room, ITT Building
Health Disparities in the South Texas Border Area
Chair: Dejun Su, Associate Professor of Sociology & Director of the South Texas Border Health Disparities Center, UTPA
Health Disparities and Inequalities along the Texas-Mexico Border: Challenges and Opportunities
Suad Ghaddar, Associate Director of the South Texas Border Health Disparities Center, UTPA
The Impact of Community Health Workers on Glycemic Control of Diabetes Patients on the U.S.-Mexico Border
Igor Ryabov, Assistant Professor of Sociology, UTPA
Childhood Obesity in Texas
Jennifer Salinas, Assistant Professor, University of Texas School of Public Health
Utilization of Health Services in Mexico by Texas Border Residents
Dejun Su, Associate Professor of Sociology & Director of the South Texas Border Health Disparities Center, UTPA
Discussant: Michael Montoya, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of California, Irvine
~ 4:30pm-6:00pm ~
Location: University Ballroom
Border Walls, Immigration Enforcement, and Media Representations
Chair: Juanita Sundberg, Associate Professor of Geography, University of British Columbia
Dr. Juanita Sundberg Bio
Immigration Enforcement in Northern Washington’s Olympic Peninsula
Leigh Barrick, Graduate Student, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia
Media Representations of the U.S.-Mexico Border Wall
Miguel Diaz-Barriga, Professor, Department of Psychology and Anthropology, UTPA
Reporting on the Border in the Post-9/11 Era
Melissa del Bosque, Staff Writer, Texas Observer
Ms. Melissa Del Bosque Bio
Discussant: Gary Mounce, Associate Professor of Political Science, UTPA.
Event is Co-sponsored by the Department of Sociology, UTPA.
~ 4:30pm-6:00pm ~
Location: Broncs Room
Applied Theatre and Border Arts
Chair: Marci McMahon, Assistant Professor of English, UTPA
Applied Drama on the U.S.-Mexican Border in a Time of Crisis: Research and Theory
Augusto Contreras, Graduate Student, UTPA
The Latino Theatre Initiative and its Research & Work in Latino Theatre on the U.S.-Mexican Border
Eric Wiley, Associate Professor, Department of Communication, Theatre/TV/Film Area; Faculty Advisor, Latino Theatre Initiatives, UTPA
Mariana Montero, Undergraduate Student, UTPA
Tanya Saracho’s El Nogalar: Resisting "Drug War" Silence in US Latina/o Theater
Marci McMahon, Assistant Professor of English, UTPA
Discussant: Melynda Nuss, Associate Professor of English, UTPA
~ 4:30pm-6:00pm ~
Location: Cenizo Room
Roundtable
Field Experience in the Borderlands: Mini-ethnographies of Ritual, Festival, & Fishing
Chair: Margaret E. Dorsey, Assistant Professor and Curator of the Border Studies Archive, Department of Psychology and Anthropology, UTPA
Ashley Leal, Graduate Student, UTPA
Lou Griffin, Graduate Student, UTPA
Mary Ann Escamilla, Graduate Student, UTPA
Lupe Flores, Undergraduate Student, UTPA
Discussant: Debbie Cole, Assistant Professor of English & MAESL Coordinator
~ 6:30- 9:00 pm ~
Location: ITT, International Room
Student-Alumni Networking Social
For students, alumni, and faculty. Experts agree that networking is worth your time and effort and can help you get ahead in the professional world because it offers another avenue to reach vendors, customers, future business partners. Come by and make new network connections. Botanas and light refreshments provided.
Event is co-sponsored by Career Services and SEEL at UTPA.
Botanas and refreshments provided Pre-registration required.
Friday April 13, 2012
~ 8:00 am – 4:30 pm ~
Location: University Ballroom Lobby
On-site registration is available. Click here to see a Campus Map
~ 9:00 am – 10:00 am~
Location: University Ballroom Lobby
Meet & Greet for students, faculty and staff with light refreshments.
~ 10:00am-11:30am ~
Location: Ballroom B
Militarization and Everyday Life on the U.S.-Mexico Border
Chair: Miguel Diaz-Barriga, Professor, Department of Psychology and Anthropology, UTPA
Feminist Geopolitics and the Study of Militarization in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands
Juanita Sundberg, Associate Professor, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia.
Dr. Juanita Sundberg Bio
Crafting Vulnerability and Funding Militarization in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands
Margaret E. Dorsey, Assistant Professor and Curator of the Border Studies Archive, Department of Psychology and Anthropology, UTPA
No(Wo)Man’s Land: The Production of Contested Spaces in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands
John Alexander Pysklywec, BA/MA Student, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia
Discussant: Melissa del Bosque, Staff Writer, Texas Observer
Ms. Melissa Del Bosque Bio
Event is Co-sponsored by the Department of Sociology, UTPA
~ 10:00am-11:30am ~
Location: Bronc Room
The Depth and Breadth of Graduate Student Research in the Social Sciences at UTPA
Chair: William Sokoloff, Assistant Professor of Political Science, UTPA
Marketing Organic Food Production in South Texas
Eloise Montemayor, Graduate Student, UTPA
Construction Material and Stone Tools Used at Huerequeque, an Initial Period (2150-1000 BC)
Daniel Nicholson, Graduate Student, UTPA
An Investigation of Religiosity, Anxiety, and Openness to Experience within College Students in South Texas
Javier Suarez, Undergraduate Students, UTPA
Suggestion and the Creation of False Memories in Bilingual College Students
Yolanda Rodriguez, Undergraduate Student, UTPA
Discussant: Thomas Pozorski, Professor, Department of Psychology and Anthropology, UTPA
~ 10:00am-11:30am ~
Location: Cenizo Room
Undocumented Students in South Texas
Chair: Jessica Lavariega Monforti, Associate Professor of Political Science; Assistant Dean of CSBS, UTPA
Marginalized within the Borderlands: The Undocumented Citizen Student of the University of Texas-Pan American
Christian Ramirez, Graduate Student, UTPA
The Impact of Immigration on Student Political Socialization, Mobilization, Identity, & Linked Fate
Jessica Lavariega Monforti, Associate Professor of Political Science & Assistant Dean of CSBS, UTPA
Ana Belen Franco, Center for Survey Research, UTPA
Amanda Iglesias, Undergraduate Student, UTPA
Christian Ramirez, Graduate Student, UTPA
Discussant: Jesus Garcia, Lecturer of Sociology, UTPA
~ 10:00am-11:30am ~
Location: Ballroom A
Diabetes, Curanderos, Health Intervention and Research on the U.S.-Mexican Border, A conversation with Dr. Michael Montoya
Chair: Jori Sechrist, Assistant Professor of Sociology, UTPA
Race and the Making of the Mexican American Diabetic by Michael Montoya, Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of California-Irvine.
Dr. Michael Montoya Bio
Discussants
Margaret Graham, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology and Anthropology, UTPA
Servando Hinojosa, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology and Anthropology, UTPA
Ann V. Millard, Associate Professor, McAllen Campus, Department of Social and Behavioral Health, School of Rural Public Health, Texas A&M University Health Science Center.
Event is co-sponsored by the South Texas Border Health Disparities Center at UTPA.
~12:00pm-1:30pm ~
Location: Bronc Room
Protecting America’s Food Supply: Successful Collaborations on the Frontera
Chair: William Turk, Director of the Public Administration Program, UTPA
Dr. John Goolsby, USDA Agricultural Research Service
Dr. Adalberto Perez de Leon, USDA Agricultural Research Service
Chief Diane Vlasik, DHS Customs and Border Protection
Mr. Omar Guerra, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine, Smuggling Interdiction and Trade Compliance (SITC).
Discussant: Sandra Hansmann, Associate Professor, Department of Rehabilitation, UTPA
~12:00pm-1:30pm ~
Location: Ballroom A
Psychological and Social Research at UTPA
Chair: Edna Alfaro, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology and Anthropology, UTPA
An Investigation on the Efficacy of Online Expressive Writing
Michiyo Hirai, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology and Anthropology, UTPA
Susan Skidmore, Assistant Professor, Sam Houston State University and Interim Doctoral Program Director in Developmental Education Administration.
Do People Automatically Remember the Details of Words (Plurality and Case)?
Hector Cortes, Undergraduate Student, UTPA
Jerwen Jou, Professor, Department of Psychology and Anthropology, UTPA
Marco Gonzalez, Undergraduate Student, UTPA
Animals and the Environment: Bridging an Unnatural Boundary
Catherine A. Faver, Professor of Social Work, UTPA
Jacqueline Muñoz, Graduate Student, UTPA
Discussant: Dr. Edna Alfaro, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology and Anthropology, UTPA &
Wendy James-Aldridge, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology and Anthropology, UTPA
~12:00pm-1:30pm ~
Location: Ballroom B
Bilingual Education and Literacy
Chair: Ramon Guerra, Associate Professor of Sociology, UTPA
Reculturing Pre-service Bilingual Education in the South Texas Borderlands
Pete Farruggio, Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction, UTPA
Michael Guerrero, Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction, UTPA
Alcione Ostorga, Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction, UTPA
Literacy Research with Transnational Families as Teaching against the Tides
Luz A. Murillo, Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction, UTPA
Discussant: Francisco Guajardo, Associate Professor of Educational Leadership, UTPA
~12:00pm-1:30pm ~
Location: Cenizo Room
Faculty and Students Debate Citizenship and Political Resistance
Chair: William Sokoloff, Assistant Professor of Political Science, UTPA
Rage: Essence of Politics?
William Sokoloff, Assistant Professor of Political Science, UTPA
Activism, Violence, and Citizenship
Amanda Iglesias, Undergraduate Student, UTPA
Rage and the Regression of Progress
Michael Odum, Undergraduate Student, UTPA
~ 1:30pm-3:00pm ~
Location: Bronc Room
Spillover Violence along the Mexico-Texas Border
Chair: Phil Ethridge, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, UTPA
Spillover Violence Along the Mexico-Texas Border: Fact or Fiction?
Phil Ethridge, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, UTPA
Origins of Border Violence: The Mexican-American War
Rosalva Resendiz, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, UTPA
Drug Cartel Recruitment in South Texas
Alejandro Hoyos, Graduate Student, UTPA
Discussant: Thomas White, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, UTPA
~ 1:30pm-3:00pm ~
Location: Borderlands Room, EDUC 3.204
Media and Literary Representations of Immigrants and Border Life
Chair: Elvia Ardalani, Associate Professor of Modern Languages and Literature, UTPA
La otra frontera: la representación de los dominicanos en la prensa escrita puertorriqueña
Nadeska Mayens-Robles, Associate Professor, Estudios Hispánicos, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Mayagüez
Doris E. Martinez-Vizcarrando, Associate Professor, Estudios Hispánicos, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Mayagüez
La representación de los inmigrantes en dos periódicos hispanos en los estados unidos
Doris E. Martinez Vizcarrondo, Associate Professor, Estudios Hispánicos, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Mayagüez
Contemporary Young Adult Literature about Growing Up Near the Texas-Mexico Border
Leslie Briones, Undergraduate Student, UTPA
Amy Cummins, Assistant Professor of English, UTPA
Discussant: Elvia Ardalani, Associate Professor of Modern Languages and Literature, UTPA
~ 1:30pm-3:00pm ~
Location: Cenizo Room
Sexuality and Deviance on the Border
Chair: Darrin Rogers, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology & Anthropology, UTPA
Patterns in Sexual Abuse in Four Hispanic Samples
Darrin L. Rogers, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology & Anthropology, UTPA
Joanna C. Espinosa, Undergraduate Student, UTPA
Martha L. Calderon, Graduate Student, UTPA
Attachment and Big Five Factors as Predictors of Deviant Sexuality
Darrin L. Rogers, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology & Anthropology, UTPA
Michelle Varon, Graduate Student, Utah State University
Xylina Castillo, Undergraduate Student, UTPA
Norma Rodriguez, Undergraduate Student, UTPA
Discussant: Gary Montgomery, Professor, Department of Psychology & Anthropology; Assistant Dean of CSBS, UTPA
~ 12:45 pm-2:00pm ~
Location: Library Auditorium
The Importance of Archival Research
Honored Guest Speaker, Dr. Martha Menchaca
Dr. Martha Menchaca Bio
Event is co-sponsored by the UTPA Library. Light Refreshments will be provided in the UTPA Library Auditorium Lobby.
~2:00pm— 3:00 pm ~
Location: 3rd Floor of Library
Border Studies Archive Opening Celebration
The exhibit that is being featured is entitled, “Success: Rio Grande Valley Veterans.” There are 7 veterans involved ranging from a WWII to Iraq/Afghanistan. These materials have been collected and are being displayed by the Border Studies Archive at UTPA.
Event is co-sponsored by the UTPA Library.
~ 3:00pm-4:30pm ~
Location: Cenizo Room
Roundtable:
Envisioning Mexican American Studies at UTPA: Documenting Border Histories, Communities, & Pedagogies
Chair: Francisco Guajardo, Associate Professor of Educational Leadership, UTPA
The Bracero Oral History Project
Francisco Guajardo, Associate Professor of Educational Leadership, UTPA
Documenting the Migrant Farmworker Experience: Cosecha Voices and the San Juan Mural Project
Stephanie Alvarez, Assistant Professor of Modern Languages & Literature; Director – MAS, UTPA
Family History and Land Grants-The Porciones Project
Sonia Hernandez, Assistant Professor of History and Philosophy, UTPA
Multimedia and Transfrontera Border Studies, Pedagogies and Collaborations
Marci McMahon, Assistant Professor of English, UTPA
Developing Pedagogies for Political Engagement and Action
Jessica Lavariega Monforti, Associate Professor of Political Science; Assistant Dean of CSBS, UTPA
~
Location: Bronc Room
CHAPS Interdisciplinary Student Research Project: “Discovering the Rio Grande Valley: The Natural and Cultural History of South Texas featuring The Norquest Family and their Porcion of Edinburg"
Chair: Sonia Hernandez, Assistant Professor of History and Philosophy, UTPA
Margaret Dorsey, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology and Anthropology; Curator - Border Studies Archive, UTPA
Rod Summy, Associate Professor of Biology, UTPA
Juan Gonzalez, Assistant Professor of Physics and Geology, UTPA
Bobbie Lovett, Lecturer, Department of Psychology and Anthropology, UTPA
Sandra Salinas, Graduate Student, UTPA
~ 3:00pm- 5:00 pm ~
Location: Library Auditorium
Film “The Light Thief”
Co-sponsor with Global Lens
~ 6:00 pm – 9:30 pm-
Location: University Ballroom
An Evening with Dr. Pamela Starr
Featuring student research awards, UTPA Mariachi, honored guests such as Congressman Rubén Hinojosa, President Nelson, Provost Rodríguez, and Dr. Pamela Starr.
*Invitation is required, as dinner will be served.
Fifth Annual CSBS Conference (2011)
Conference Chair: Grant Benham
At this conference, there were 49 (20 minute) presentations and 8 panels/symposia. 23 presenters were faculty presenters (5 of which were repeat presenters), 39 presenters were faculty and students from other colleges, and 58 were student presenters. There were a total of 6 graduate posters, 5 undergraduate posters, 20 student contributors to posters, and 6 faculty sponsored student posters. The keynote speakers at this conference were Alan Burdette (ANTH) presenting “Lifecycles of research” and Robbie Davis-Floyd (ANTH) presenting “Paradigms of birth”.
Fourth Annual CSBS Conference (2010)
Conference Chair: Gary Montgomery
At this conference, there were 34 (20 minute) presentations and 8 panels/symposia. 17 presenters were faculty presenters (3 of which were repeat presenters), 8 presenters were faculty and students from other colleges, and 27 were student presenters. There were a total of 4 graduate posters, 4 undergraduate posters, 24 student contributors to posters, and 3 faculty sponsored student posters (4 of which were repeat poster presenters. The keynote speaker at this conference was Devin Molina (CRIJ) presenting “The Minutemen and border security”.
Third Annual CSBS Conference (2009)
Conference Chair: Gary Montgomery with International Programs
At this conference, there were 33 (20-60 minute) presentations and 1 panel. 13 presenters were faculty presenters (5 of which were repeat presenters), 12 presenters were faculty and students from other colleges, and 11 were student presenters. There were a total of 4 undergraduate posters, 7 graduate posters, 16 student contributors to posters (3 of which were repeat poster presenters), and 3 faculty sponsored student posters (1 of which were repeat poster presenters). The keynote speakers at this conference were Harold Nelson (SOCI) presenting “Volunteerism, human rights, Central America and beyond” and Stephen Balfour presenting “Calibrated Peer Review of writing assignments” and “Technology to meet learning outcomes”. This was the first conference in which two films were featured, “I.O.U.S.A” and “Little Injustices”.
Second Annual CSBS Conference (2008)
Conference Chair: Fred Ernst
At this conference, there were 17 (20 minute) presentations and 4 panels/symposia. 26 presenters were faculty presenters (6 of which were repeat presenters), 8 presenters were faculty and students from other colleges, and 11 were student presenters. There were a total of 6 student posters, 8 student contributors to posters (1 of which were repeat poster presenters), and 5 faculty sponsored student posters (4 of which were repeat poster presenters). The keynote speaker at this conference was Antonio Terracciano (PSY) presenting “Personality, Stress, Coping, Stress”.
First Annual CSBS Conference (2007)
Conference Chair: Fred Ernst
At this conference, there were 17 (20 minute) presentations and 3 panels. 22 presenters were faculty presenters (12 of which were repeat presenters), 4 presenters were faculty and students from other colleges, and 3 were student presenters. There were a total of 6 student posters, 5 student contributors to posters (7 of which were repeat poster presenters), and 3 faculty sponsored student posters (4 of which were repeat poster presenters). The keynote speaker at this conference was Matt A. Barreto (POLS) presenting “Mobilization of Latino Voters”.