Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University proudly showcases the work of undergraduate honors students by sharing this collection exclusively with the ASU community.
Barrett accepts high performing, academically engaged undergraduate students and works with them in collaboration with all of the other academic units at Arizona State University. All Barrett students complete a thesis or creative project which is an opportunity to explore an intellectual interest and produce an original piece of scholarly research. The thesis or creative project is supervised and defended in front of a faculty committee. Students are able to engage with professors who are nationally recognized in their fields and committed to working with honors students. Completing a Barrett thesis or creative project is an opportunity for undergraduate honors students to contribute to the ASU academic community in a meaningful way.
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Description
Did He Kill the Mockingbird? is a play I wrote, which explores the effects of being on the Autism Spectrum plays in Arthur Radley’s life. Arthur Radley is a very misunderstood member of Maycomb County, who is constantly seen as a lesser member of society in Maycomb County.
Did He Kill the Mockingbird? provides an alternate ending to To Kill a Mockingbird. In the original play, the townspeople never discovered that Arthur Radley killed Bob Ewell. In Did He Kill the Mockingbird? a townsperson overhears Atticus Finch and Heck Tate discussing Bob Ewell's death. This leads the townsperson to tell others in Maycomb County of the events that had unfolded the night Bob Ewell died.
As the play progresses, we explore how ignorance, willful and not, change the daily lives and actions of individuals who have mental illnesses and disabilities such as Autism. The townspeople may not see a problem with the way they treat Arthur Radley, as he is just a man who they believe stabbed his mother. However, in reality, they are causing more harm by encouraging and perpetuating rumors about Arthur Radley. In turn, the rumors enhance the stigma that plagues Arthur Radley.
Jean Louise Finch is the main character in Did he Kill the Mockingbird? Jean supports Arthur Radley, and is able to see the good in him although the rest of the townspeople continue to believe he is a bad person.
I hope that my version of this alternative ending to original play brings to light the changes that we need to make as a society to encourage the acceptance of all people. As a society, we need to treat all people, whether disabled or not, as equals. Rather than perpetuating stereotypes, we need to encourage everyone to work hard and reach for their goals whatever they may be.
Did He Kill the Mockingbird? provides an alternate ending to To Kill a Mockingbird. In the original play, the townspeople never discovered that Arthur Radley killed Bob Ewell. In Did He Kill the Mockingbird? a townsperson overhears Atticus Finch and Heck Tate discussing Bob Ewell's death. This leads the townsperson to tell others in Maycomb County of the events that had unfolded the night Bob Ewell died.
As the play progresses, we explore how ignorance, willful and not, change the daily lives and actions of individuals who have mental illnesses and disabilities such as Autism. The townspeople may not see a problem with the way they treat Arthur Radley, as he is just a man who they believe stabbed his mother. However, in reality, they are causing more harm by encouraging and perpetuating rumors about Arthur Radley. In turn, the rumors enhance the stigma that plagues Arthur Radley.
Jean Louise Finch is the main character in Did he Kill the Mockingbird? Jean supports Arthur Radley, and is able to see the good in him although the rest of the townspeople continue to believe he is a bad person.
I hope that my version of this alternative ending to original play brings to light the changes that we need to make as a society to encourage the acceptance of all people. As a society, we need to treat all people, whether disabled or not, as equals. Rather than perpetuating stereotypes, we need to encourage everyone to work hard and reach for their goals whatever they may be.
ContributorsTravieso, Alejandra (Author) / Fette, Donald (Thesis director) / Hoyt, Heather (Committee member) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Human activities around the world are threatening scores of wildlife species, pushing them closer to extinction. In order to address what many conservationists view as a global biodiversity crisis, it is vital that more people are inspired to care about wild animals and motivated to act in ways that help protect them. The up-close experiences and personal connections that people form with wild animals in zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) or the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) can help achieve this. However, it is not very well understood how different types of encounters within these zoos may inspire conservation mindedness and pro-environmental behaviors. During this thesis project, surveys were conducted at the AZA-accredited Arizona Center for Nature Conservation/Phoenix Zoo to understand how interactive, hands-on animal experiences within zoos differ from passively viewing zoo animals when it comes to inspiring people to care about conservation. The Phoenix Zoo is home to two different species of giraffes, and guests can view them from the front of the Savanna Exhibit. Guests can also participate in the Giraffe Encounter, which is a much more interactive, hands-on experience. After surveying guests at both locations, the results showed that fewer people at the Giraffe Encounter responded that they often engage in pro-environmental behaviors. This may indicate that the people who participated in the Giraffe Encounter came to the zoo more for recreation and entertainment than to learn about wildlife. Despite this, more people learned something new about nature or conservation at the Giraffe Encounter than they did at the Savanna Exhibit. On average, guests also felt that the Giraffe Encounter motivated them to learn more about how to help animals in the wild than the Savanna Exhibit did. Overall, there is a strong correlation between having an interactive, hands-on experience with a zoo animal and caring more about wildlife conservation. However, more research still needs to be done in order to conclusively provide evidence for causation.
ContributorsBurgess, Christa Noell (Author) / Schoon, Michael (Thesis director) / Minteer, Ben (Committee member) / Allard, Ruth (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-12
Description
The purpose of this project was prove that animated characters have a unique appeal to the empathy of viewers, and to then create assets that could be used in an effective way to spread awareness about endangered species. I sought to explore in what ways animation connects to individuals, and how those connections can be used to create empathy towards endangered animal species. I created two surveys as a way of measuring the connections between participants and the elements of two videos about wildlife conservation; one animated and one live-action. After surveying over 130 people, I found that the video with animated animal characters evoked strong emotions from 82.5% of participants. This, combined with participant interest in other elements such as color and animated style, prompted me to create two animal characters that could be used for educational animated short films. I created character designs for a Galapagos penguin and a black-horned rhinoceros, 3D modeled environments, a storyboard and script for a short video featuring the rhinoceros, and a 3D model and animated walk-cycle for the penguin. These elements were created with the idea that they could be used in order to create educational animated videos about endangered species. The biggest takeaway from this project is that while the aesthetics and characters of animation are important to viewers, it is also important that they are able to learn not only about the endangered species, but how they can contribute to wildlife conservation.
ContributorsOlson, Grace Hannah (Author) / Button, Melissa M (Thesis director) / Cala, Coats (Committee member) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor) / School of Art (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The following report provides details on the development of a protective enclosure and power system for an anti-poaching gunshot detection system to be implemented in Costa Rica. The development of a gunshot detection system is part of an ongoing project started by the Acoustic Ecology Lab at Arizona State University in partnership with the Phoenix Zoo. As a whole, the project entails the development of a gunshot detection algorithm, wireless mesh alert system, device enclosure, and self-sustaining power system. For testing purposes, four devices, with different power system setups, were developed. Future developments are discussed and include further testing, more specialized mounting techniques, and the eventual expansion of the initial device network. This report presents the initial development of the protective enclosure and power system of the anti-poaching system that can be implemented in wildlife sanctuaries around the world.
ContributorsCarver, Cameron River (Author) / Paine, Dr. Garth (Thesis director) / Schipper, Dr. Jan (Committee member) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The Tale of the Tigers is a children’s picture book in which a tiger named Guava is transported from his world of Serenia to our world. In an attempt to find someone to help him with this situation, Guava meets another tiger named Papaya. After having his prey scared away by Guava, Papaya begins to explain the different hardships and dangers that tigers face in their natural habitat. Papaya also teaches Guava about the different programs and activities that humans have been doing to help increase and restore tiger populations. At the end of the story, Guava returns to his world and spreads awareness to those that live in Serenia about how tigers are threatened in other places and what’s being done to help them. Papaya uses basic ecological concepts to explain the importance of tigers in their ecosystem. These concepts include habitat loss, trophic levels, landscape fragmentation, and poaching. The story also incorporates different conservation methods, including captive breeding and the use of camera traps.
ContributorsMooney, Lena (Author) / Jesse, Lewis (Thesis director) / Meloy, Elizabeth (Committee member) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The way the public perceives law enforcement influences how communities function. Identifying how individuals develop their perceptions of law enforcement is critically important. Mainly, their experiences with officers determine how perceptions of law enforcement are developed. Analyzing perceptions of law enforcement can help people understand relationships that officers have with community members and determine the type of impact that officers have on certain populations such as the youth. This study examines youth perceptions of law enforcement. The youths’ perception of police is an important perception to analyze. It is important because their perceptions have the power to create change or influence other people their age. It has been seen that the youth “create meaningful institutional change in their communities”. The research and findings on perceptions of law enforcement are important because they could help explain whether there is a correlation between crime rates in the community and perceptions of law enforcement from community members. It can also help identify how much the youth population is willing to rely on law enforcement and whether they trust and respect them. The youth are exposed to factors in their community that can influence certain attitudes and perspectives. In this research, a study from Elementary schools in Compton, CA is analyzed to identify youth perceptions of law enforcement. The research questions addressed are: Is there any correlation between crime rates in the community and perceptions of law enforcement? Can a program implemented into schools improve youth perceptions of law enforcement? How much are the youth willing to rely on law enforcement?
ContributorsRodriguez Villarreal, Elizabeth (Author) / Fine, Adam (Thesis director) / Trinkner, Rick (Committee member) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor, Contributor) / School of Social Work (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Personal experiences with body image dysmorphia and an eating disorder necessitated that I do a thorough investigation into why they happened and why I felt this way about my body. For this project, not only was I motivated by my own struggles, but I noticed that these experiences were shared among my family, my friends, and my fellow peers in the dance community. We had been struggling since childhood. I began to realize that these behaviors and thought patterns were manifestations of apology, an apology that women have been learning, living, and spreading since our beginnings. Why do women apologize? How does this apology affect how we view, treat, and navigate our bodies in space? In what ways can dance be the mechanism by which we remove apology and individually and collectively find joy, freedom, and liberation? Not only was I interested in understanding the ‘why’, but I was deeply interested in finding a solution. Research for this thesis came from written materials, stories that the dancers and I shared, and choreographic research in the body. The final goal was to create a community-based performance of dance, spoken word, and storytelling that demonstrated the findings from each of those questions and catalyzed a conversation about how we can liberate ourselves. We used rehearsals to explore our own experiences within apology and shame, while also exploring how the ways in which we practice being unapologetic in the dance space can translate to how we move through the world on a daily basis.
Through a deep analysis and application of Sonya Renee Taylor’s book The Body Is Not An Apology, I discovered that apology is learned. We learn how to apologize through body shame, the media, family/generational trauma, and government/law/policy. This apology is embodied through gestures, movement patterns, and postures, such as bowing the head, hunching the shoulders, and walking around others. Apology causes us to view our bodies as things to be manipulated, discarded, and embarrassed by. After recognizing why we apologize and how it affects our bodies, we can then begin to think of how to remove it. Because the body the site of the problem, it is also the site of the solution. Dance gives us an opportunity to deeply learn our bodies, to cultivate their power, and to heal from their traumas. By being together in community as women, we are able to feel seen and supported as we work through uncharted territory of being free from apology in these bodies. By dancing in ways that allow us to take up space, to be free, to be unapologetic, we use dance as a practice for life. Through transforming ourselves, we begin to transform the world and rewrite the narrative of how we exist in and move through our bodies as women.
Through a deep analysis and application of Sonya Renee Taylor’s book The Body Is Not An Apology, I discovered that apology is learned. We learn how to apologize through body shame, the media, family/generational trauma, and government/law/policy. This apology is embodied through gestures, movement patterns, and postures, such as bowing the head, hunching the shoulders, and walking around others. Apology causes us to view our bodies as things to be manipulated, discarded, and embarrassed by. After recognizing why we apologize and how it affects our bodies, we can then begin to think of how to remove it. Because the body the site of the problem, it is also the site of the solution. Dance gives us an opportunity to deeply learn our bodies, to cultivate their power, and to heal from their traumas. By being together in community as women, we are able to feel seen and supported as we work through uncharted territory of being free from apology in these bodies. By dancing in ways that allow us to take up space, to be free, to be unapologetic, we use dance as a practice for life. Through transforming ourselves, we begin to transform the world and rewrite the narrative of how we exist in and move through our bodies as women.
ContributorsWaller, Marguerite Lilith (Author) / Fitzgerald, Mary (Thesis director) / Britt, Melissa (Committee member) / Lerman, Liz (Committee member) / Dean, Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts (Contributor) / School of Film, Dance and Theatre (Contributor, Contributor) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Climate change, as it becomes more prevalent, is putting a much harsher strain on the resources of the world, specifically food, energy, and water. With this in mind, now is the time to make a change and begin working towards a more sustainable future for everyone. Arizona is an especially susceptible location that has the opportunity to be the leader of this change. In order to effectively manage this movement through governance, a food-energy-water nexus approach is required. This approach recognizes and accounts for the intricate relationships between these industries in order to promote more resilience and balance throughout the nexus. While the main focus in Arizona tends to be on water, and rightfully so, it is important to understand the intricacies of the food, energy, and water systems together. Right now, the system is fragile and needs a new, more complex approach. Ultimately, legislation that intertwines water rights with agriculture regulation and energy production goals, while also including equity and justice measures, have the capacity to work towards limiting the effects of climate change that Arizona will see. Arizona has the opportunity here to either provide a cautionary tale to other regions of how mismanagement can lead to destruction or can showcase the legislative success that the nexus governance approach can provide.
ContributorsKonopka, Violet (Author) / York, Abigail (Thesis director) / Richter, Jennifer (Committee member) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
There is little research on volunteer tourism to primate sanctuaries. The purpose of this study was to help fill this knowledge gap and gain insights into how animal sanctuaries with volunteers in Costa Rica can be improved operationally to strengthen their conservation efforts. My research questions were: 1. How does volunteer tourism with primates in Costa Rica affect volunteers? 2. How does this volunteer tourism affect Costa Rica’s environment? The methodology used was an exploratory qualitative design that included a literature review of previous research and case studies and a visit with interviews at a primate sanctuary in Costa Rica. The findings did not generate sufficient data to answer the first research question. I did find that altruism was a key factor in recruiting effective volunteers. The study also found that conservation in Costa Rica relies on volunteer tourism to fill a human resource gap. This research will allow sanctuaries in Costa Rica to respond better to protect biodiversity.
ContributorsCavalier, Rebecca (Author) / Chhetri, Nalini (Thesis director) / Castillo, Elizabeth (Committee member) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
This thesis project had three key components. First, we performed an extensive literature review of different types of feminist theories to better understand the scope of their definitions. We also reviewed several articles that examined how women, especially Latinas, seek to understand and negotiate their identity as feminists. Second, we conducted qualitative interviews with Latina college women in which they shared their college experiences, their thoughts on feminism, and how they believe the cultural values they were brought up with play a role in both. Finally, we developed a 12-minute documentary film containing excerpts from participants’ interviews that reflected a number of core themes. We invited participants to view the documentary and contribute to a post-film conversation with interested faculty members and students. The interactive post-film conversation served as a reflection and expansion of the themes in the film and challenged those that participated to explore avenues of resolution through family and communication.
The motivation for this project came from a place of reflection for what it means to be a feminist and Latina and how to navigate the values of both without compromising one over the other. After personally contemplating the meanings and process without coming to a concrete understanding, we were prompted to branch out and engage other Latina college students in a conversation about what it means for them, what unique challenges they may be facing, and how they may be seeking to answer questions surrounding their identity.
The motivation for this project came from a place of reflection for what it means to be a feminist and Latina and how to navigate the values of both without compromising one over the other. After personally contemplating the meanings and process without coming to a concrete understanding, we were prompted to branch out and engage other Latina college students in a conversation about what it means for them, what unique challenges they may be facing, and how they may be seeking to answer questions surrounding their identity.
ContributorsAlvarado, Ismail G. (Co-author) / Alejandro, Nathalie (Co-author) / Hall, Deborah (Thesis director) / Villegas-Silva, Claudia (Committee member) / School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies (Contributor) / School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05