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
In today's dynamic societal landscape, the critical evaluation of public policies holds paramount importance. This thesis project, undertaken by a Barrett Honors student of Public Policy, endeavors to contribute to this essential discourse by creating a policy critique podcast.
The primary objective of this project is to produce two podcast episodes that delve into the intricacies of housing policy. Through a meticulous examination, these episodes will dissect the implications of the selected housing policy. By offering a nuanced perspective, the podcast aims to illuminate the complexities inherent in housing policy issues, enriching the understanding of listeners.
This thesis project represents a scholarly endeavor to engage in informed discussions about the efficacy and implications of policies, specifically housing policies. Through the medium of podcasting, the project seeks to bridge the gap between academic research and public discourse to foster a deeper understanding of housing policy among a diverse audience.
Ultimately, this thesis project aims to contribute to the ongoing dialogue surrounding public policies, particularly in the realm of housing policy, by providing listeners with valuable insights and fostering critical thinking about contemporary policy challenges.
ContributorsCruz, Corinn (Author) / Uebelherr, Joshua (Thesis director) / Gaughan, Monica (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Public Affairs (Contributor)
Created2024-05
ContributorsCruz, Corinn (Author) / Uebelherr, Joshua (Thesis director) / Gaughan, Monica (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Public Affairs (Contributor)
Created2024-05
ContributorsCruz, Corinn (Author) / Uebelherr, Joshua (Thesis director) / Gaughan, Monica (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Public Affairs (Contributor)
Created2024-05
Description
Education in state politics is critical for undergraduate students in the School of Politics and Global Studies at Arizona State University. At our four-year universities, the only Arizona state politics courses that are taught are to fill teacher certification requirements. This project intends to propose alternative pedagogy to an existing Arizona State University course titled POS 417 - "Arizona Politics". Through reviewing the literature surrounding discipline-based learning, simulations, and active learning findings concluded that students benefit from engagement and active participation in simulated activities, in addition to longer retention of material. In addition to literature, interviews with two former practitioners and responses from a short student attitude survey coincided these findings. Overall, SPGS and Arizona State University would benefit from a simulated Arizona state politics course being available to them.
ContributorsNiehoff, Megan (Author) / Woodall, Gina (Thesis director) / Lennon, Tara (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Comm (Contributor) / Hugh Downs School of Human Communication (Contributor)
Created2024-05
Description
This paper explores political indifference in Arizona State University undergraduate students. Indifference is growing at an alarming rate, and as of the last 50 years, young voters between the ages of 18 and 29 have the lowest voter turnout rate. This analysis into ASU students finds that a combination of identity, media, and uncertainty play a large role in political indifference through the lens of communication theory.
ContributorsAhmad, Fajr (Author) / Edson, Belle (Thesis director) / Bryant, George (Committee member) / Symonds, Adam (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Hugh Downs School of Human Communication (Contributor)
Created2023-12
Description
Gerrymandering involves the purposeful manipulation of districts in order to gain some political advantage. Because legislators have a vested interest in continuing their tenure, they can easily hijack the redistricting process each decade for their and their political party's benefit. This threatens the cornerstone of democracy: a voter’s capability to select an elected official that accurately represents their interests. Instead, gerrymandering has legislators to choose their voters.
In recent years, the Supreme Court has heard challenges to state legislature-drawn districts, most recently in Allen v. Milligan for Alabama and Moore v. Harper for North Carolina. The highest court of the United States ruled that the two state maps were gerrymandered, and in coming to their decision, the 9 justices relied on a plethora of amicus briefs- one of which included the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method, a computational method used to find gerrymandering.
Because of how widespread gerrymandering has become on both sides of the political aisle, states have moved to create independent redistricting commissions. Qualitative research regarding the efficacy of independent commissions is present, but there is little research using the quantitative computational methods from these SCOTUS cases. As a result, my thesis will use the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method to answer if impartial redistricting commissions (like we have in Arizona) actually preclude unfair redistricting practices.
My completed project is located here:
https://dheetideliwala.github.io/honors-thesis/
ContributorsDeliwala, Dheeti (Author) / Bryan, Chris (Thesis director) / Strickland, James (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor)
Created2023-12
ContributorsDeliwala, Dheeti (Author) / Bryan, Chris (Thesis director) / Strickland, James (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor)
Created2023-12
ContributorsDeliwala, Dheeti (Author) / Bryan, Chris (Thesis director) / Strickland, James (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor)
Created2023-12
Description
For this study, my overarching goal was to understand the possibilities of humanity’s future in space exploration. Addressing the future of space exploration not only opens doors for a multitude of discoveries but may answer questions that can be essential to our survival on Earth. This study, more specifically, aimed to determine how college students at Arizona State University, engineering and astronomy students in particular, visualize the future of space exploration, as in the future, they will become the leading experts at the forefront of all space-related developments. The method through which I have conducted this study is a short survey, consisting of a variety of questions, designed to encourage students to develop their own unique interpretations of space exploration and ultimately, its imminent future. The results ultimately demonstrated that most participants in the study believed that political obstacles were the most prevalent concern in the further development of space exploration. There also appeared to be a moderate outlook on the future success and vitality of space exploration among student scientists and engineers. From a statistical standpoint, there appeared to be no alarming difference of opinion between these two ASU student groups.
ContributorsMontano, Sebastian (Author) / Voorhees, Matthew (Thesis director) / Aganaba, Timiebi (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / School of Earth and Space Exploration (Contributor)
Created2023-12
Description
The Crystals in All of Us is a children's book creative project that is meant to reflect the impact a community has on a child, and vice versa. Made specifically for the special needs students I work with, it is a generalizable lesson. It incorporates various art principles, as well as child and human development theories, such as Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development.
ContributorsRoodettes, Nicolas (Author) / Fonseca-Chavez, Vanessa (Thesis director) / Williams, Wendy (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor)
Created2023-12