Browsing by Author "Van Brunschot, Erin Gibbs"
Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- ItemOpen AccessAccidental Residential Fires in Calgary: A Theoretical Consideration(2019-04) Skidmore, Olivia A. B.; Van Brunschot, Erin Gibbs; Adorjan, Michael; Tam, Chui-LingPast research on fire incidence rates has identified strong associations between fire risk and sociodemographic and spatiotemporal factors but has often failed to place these factors within a theoretical framework. Borrowing from the field of criminology, I draw on the framework of routine activities theory (RAT) to explore the potential applicability of the “capable guardianship” aspect of RAT as it applies to fire incidents. I also examine how the relationship between fire incidents and capable guardianship is influenced by neighbourhood disorder. Using multivariate linear regression, I found that fire incidence rate in Calgary varies based on a community’s level of neighbourhood mobility and household size, as well as level of disorder. However, my findings did not support the hypothesis that fire rates are lower in areas characterized by increased presence of capable guardianship. I conclude that in order to examine mechanisms through which fire events are disrupted or prevented via the presence of capable guardians, research needs to focus on refining and understanding the measure of capable guardianship as it applies to fire incidents.
- ItemOpen AccessDebating Police Body Worn Cameras: Legitimacy, Surveillance and Power in U.S. Media(2020-08-21) Seeger, Chanin Allen; Adorjan, Michael; Adorjan, Michael; McCoy, Ted; Van Brunschot, Erin GibbsProminent cases of black individuals killed by the police in the United States of America have prompted a firestorm of debate around perceived issues with police brutality and racial discrimination by police. This thesis investigates the discourse on police body-worn cameras through a qualitative content analysis of public rhetoric in the USA between 2012 and 2018. Using the social construction perspective of social problems, this research examines how technological solutions to social problems can themselves become problematized. The data was drawn from both online articles and reader comments attached to those articles from the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal websites. The activities of claims-makers, their various positions in these debates and also their tactics in response to competing positions are examined through claims-making about body-worn police cameras. The findings suggest that within the comments sections of online news articles about BWCs, audience members can critically evaluate media messages and articulate their own ideas about the police, power, authority, transparency, accountability, and legitimacy, but still often make use of pre-existing cultural resources. This thesis contributes to knowledge about the role the internet plays in the development of social problem debates, and public beliefs about the role of surveillance and the police in society.
- ItemOpen AccessGambling in context : the socio-cultural domain(Alberta Gaming Research Institute, 2000-12) Van Brunschot, Erin Gibbs; Keown, Leslie-AnneThis literature review is organized upon the basis of the gambling event model, with a discussion first of the precursors to gambling, gambling activity itself, followed by a discussion of the aftermath or outcome of gambling activities. Each of these sections is accompanied by a similarly-labeled section in the annotated bibliography which follows this summary. It must be noted that in the interests of brevity, not all the literature included in the bibliography is addressed here. Rather, only selected highlights appear here. We urge readers to consider the annotated bibliography itself to gain the greatest appreciation of the range of included references. At the end of our discussion, we briefly introduce the websites included in the bibliography, as well as highlight the contributions of our list of experts to the study of gambling in North America.