Dr. Diana Saiki

Dr. Diana Saiki

<b>Department: </b>Applied Business Studies<br><b>Research Area: </b> Social and historical aspects of dress and appearance. <br>Areas of interest: fashion theory, fashion history, and appearance management. <br>


 

Department: Applied Business Studies

 

Research Focus: My research is on social and historical aspects of dress and appearance. Areas of interest include: fashion theory, fashion history, and appearance management. I focus on dress and dressing behavior of diverse groups including varied genders, individuals of varying age, gender, and disability.

 

Potential Student Project(s): 

Project 1: Evaluating the perceptions of university students with physical disability on their observations of biasness and barriers in seeking employment due to their appearance.

Project 2: Evaluating the theory of "lookism" or biased treatment or judgments made as a result of percieved attractiveness. Specifically students will engage in examining the literature about "lookism" and social media.

Attributes/skills/background sought in undergraduate: 

  • Ability to search and compile simple data from various databases.
  • Ability to assist in collecting and analyzing data from diverse populations.

 

Mentoring Plan: I am expecting the following from the student which includes:

 

Project 1

  • Gathering and reviewing background information using library resources.
  • Assisting in conducting interviews with college students with disabilities.
  • Assisting in analyzing interview results.

Project 2

  • Gathering and reviewing background information using library resources.
  • Assisting with collection of data using content analysis of written and visual information
  • Assisting with analysis of the data from a content analysis
  • Assisting development of a paper on the results

Contact: 765-285-2293, 206 AT Building