Present Address Permanent Address

Southern Illinois University, Carbondale Degree: Ph.D., Political Science Public Law, International Relations, Theory G.P.A. 3.85/4.0 PhD Awarded May 2015

University of Illinois College of Law, Urbana-Champaign Cumulative Good Standing J.D. May 2005

Southern Illinois University, Carbondale Lower Division Honors B.A. May 2002

Title: Measuring Up – The Effect of Minority Status and Other Core Characteristics On Collective Self Esteem: a Quantitative Test of Divergent Theories of Identity Valuation

Abstract: Many scholars have argued that membership in a minority or “low status” group causes individuals to devalue identities like race, class, gender, and orientation (Hacker 1992; Harris 1993; Tatum 1997; McIntyre 2002). For example, Hacker famously contends that African-Americans devalue Black racial identity while Caucasians value white identity highly, and argues for affirmative action as a partial solution to this problem (Hacker 1995). However, this thesis has never actually been tested using contemporary methodological techniques in the modern American context. I use a large-N List Experiment (Sniderman & Carmines 1997) and ordinal survey techniques to determine whether membership in four minority in-groups (racial minorities, women, LGBT Americans, and members of religious minority groups) correlates significantly with devaluation of minority in-group identities. Results indicate that minority identity, with the sole and significant exception of bi- or homosexual identification, is not significantly and consistently correlated with identity devaluation.