Ethnicity: A cultural heritage that people use to identify a particular population (Coakley, 2015, p. 226). Ideology: A set of beliefs, convictions or ideas which both binds a particular group of people together and determines the actions they take (Buchanan, 2010) Race: The biological, physiological, or genetic classification of humans according to distinctive features of physical appearance such as skin color, shape of face, hair color, body morphology. Race is generally used in a binary fashion to identify both a superior race and an inferior race (Buchanan, 2010). vi Racial Ideology: Interrelated ideas and beliefs that are widely used to classify human beings into categories assumed to be biological and related to attributes such as intelligence, temperament, and physical abilities (Marshall & Scott, 2009). Racism: the unequal treatment of a population group purely because of its possession of physical or other characteristics socially defined as denoting a particular race. Racism is the deterministic belief-system which sustains racialism, linking these characteristics with negatively valuated social, psychological, or physical traits (Marshall & Scott, 2009). Social Constructions: Parts of the social world that are created by people as they interact with one another under particular social, political, and economic conditions (Coakley, 2015, p. 8). Social Structure: The established patterns of relationships and social arrangements that take shape as people live, work, and play with each other (Coakley, 2015, p. 5). Society: A relatively self-sufficient collection of people whom maintain a way of life in a particular territory. (Coakley, 2015, p. 5). vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my major professor, Dr. Stephen Sapp, and my committee members, Drs. Marc Anderson, and Daniel Spikes for their guidance and support throughout the course of this research. I would also like to thank the faculty and staff at Iowa State who have helped me to realize my passion for academia. As well as those who have been there to guide and support me over the years. Finally, I would also like to thank my family for their encouragement, support, and unconditional love. I am grateful for my dad, Mike, who taught me what it means to be a selfless, hardworking man and father. I am grateful for my mom, Connie, who has always been there for me to confide in, and for all the sacrifices she has made for me, especially inspiring me to persevere and achieve my goals despite the obstacles that have stood in my way.