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.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 100
Filtering by
Description
#VanLife is a long-time, up and coming lifestyle movement on social media centered around the process of leaving the traditional nine-to-five work week for a life on the road in a camper van. While the ‘hippie-esque’ vagabond lifestyle has its humble roots long before the turn of the century, the inception of social media platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest have fueled the more recent popularization of a full-time life on the road. #VanLifers often freelance on the road, work part time jobs, or gain sponsorships to help fund their traveling and humble lifestyle.
As the #VanLife craze continues to grow, new businesses are finding ways to meet the demand in the market. For #Vanlifers who own and operate their own camper vans, specialized companies like GoWesty, Vanagain, and Boxeer offer a full range of parts, upgrades, and custom mechanical and systems conversion kits to keep these vans on the road as OE manufacturers discontinue production on these parts. For those who have an itch to try out the #VanLife for a shorter period and without the financial commitment, companies like Roamerica, TontoTrails, and adventureRIGS offer nightly and weekly rental opportunities on fully-outfitted campervans ready to hit the road.
For my Honors Project I wrote a complete analysis on the history, development, and modernization of the #VanLife movement. With plans to take to the road for an extended period of time after graduation, I also developed a complete financial plan for a one-year #VanLife experience. The financial plan includes a comprehensive set of budgets that scrutinize the start-up an operational costs of the #VanLife and associated travel.
As the #VanLife craze continues to grow, new businesses are finding ways to meet the demand in the market. For #Vanlifers who own and operate their own camper vans, specialized companies like GoWesty, Vanagain, and Boxeer offer a full range of parts, upgrades, and custom mechanical and systems conversion kits to keep these vans on the road as OE manufacturers discontinue production on these parts. For those who have an itch to try out the #VanLife for a shorter period and without the financial commitment, companies like Roamerica, TontoTrails, and adventureRIGS offer nightly and weekly rental opportunities on fully-outfitted campervans ready to hit the road.
For my Honors Project I wrote a complete analysis on the history, development, and modernization of the #VanLife movement. With plans to take to the road for an extended period of time after graduation, I also developed a complete financial plan for a one-year #VanLife experience. The financial plan includes a comprehensive set of budgets that scrutinize the start-up an operational costs of the #VanLife and associated travel.
ContributorsRischitelli, Noah Gary (Author) / Garverick, Michael (Thesis director) / Dawson, Gregory (Committee member) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
In Spring 2015, I decided to study abroad in Granada, Spain. After scouring the Internet, I realized there was a lack of resources and information for study abroad students coming to the city. I decided to use my thesis project as an opportunity to create a multimedia, interactive e-book to help prospective study abroad students. This book walks them through what steps they need to take to prepare themselves and functions as a guide for when they arrive. It is a culmination of my own research, interviews with locals and surveys amongst other study abroad students.
ContributorsLongbons, Chandler Tenell (Author) / Thornton, Leslie (Thesis director) / Roschke, Kristy (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Today's prison industrial complex in the United States often dehumanizes inmates simply because they are criminals. Members of the free society are generally too far removed from the inside of prisons that most people do not see the harsh and cruel conditions for and treatment of prisoners. As a Dance and Justice Studies major at Arizona State University, I was curious about how to intertwine my interests in dance and justice. This paper chronicles my exploration of adding a human rights issue to my dance practice through choreographing a solo dance performance based on Cleve Foster's unusual experience on death row. Research on theories of prison and punishment in American society combined with physical research in the dance studio enabled me to create a solo performance that shed light on the inhumane conditions for and treatment of prison inmates in today's society. Through the process, I found that some elements of my dance practice stayed the same, while others changed. This informed me of what continuously remains important to me, while allowing me to expand my personal dance practice. I ultimately discovered a bridge between my two passions, dance and justice, and learned a meaningful way to convey a contemporary social justice issue to the general public.
ContributorsKerr, Elena Marie (Author) / Schupp, Karen (Thesis director) / Vissicaro, Pegge (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts (Contributor) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / School of Film, Dance and Theatre (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
This project explores the dimensions that affect the success of a nonprofit organizations' web presence by using a dance and health nonprofit website as the foundation of the research and redesign. This report includes literature and design research, analysis, recommendations and a journal of the web design process. Through research, three categories were identified as the primary dimensions affecting the success of a website: content, technical adequacy and appearance. Furthermore, website success is influenced by how the strength of individual categories relies on one another. To improve the web design of Dancers and Health Together Inc., content implementations and redesign elements were both research and personal preference-based. The redesigned website can be found at www.collaydennis.com and will become inactive after May 31, 2015.
ContributorsDennis, Collay Carole (Author) / Coleman, Grisha (Thesis director) / Hosmer, Anthony Ryan (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Woman with Wanderlust is a travel blog made to break down the stereotypes of female travelers as they are portrayed in mass media. The idea came to me when I was preparing to study abroad in Morocco and every person I talked to felt the need to remind me how dangerous the world was for a woman on her own. There were many references to the popular movie ‘Taken’ starring Liam Neeson. When I decided I wanted to continue the blog on my backpacking trip through Europe, once again ‘Taken’ was referenced but people also insisted I was going to fall in love with an Italian man and never come home. It felt, to me, that the world saw the female traveler as naive and weak or in need of a man in her life. In contrast men are often encouraged to take years off to travel, to seek adventure or find themselves.
I decided I could use my education from the Cronkite School in writing, photography and social media to produce a resource for women looking to travel abroad. I could tell stories of my personal experiences that could both inspire and prove that a solo trip can be done. I also wanted to touch on topics that are not generally covered by popular travel blogs since they are specific to women. Topics like how to dress, making sure you travel during the day if you’re traveling alone and finding birth control or feminine hygiene products when you are traveling.
I funded the trip myself and currently the blog is designed, written and photographed entirely by me. Moving forward I would like to feature other women on my blog, especially those who have made travel a priority or a career. I plan on continuing to build the blog, hopefully gaining sponsors and becoming a more well known resources, and helping change the landscape of travel and travel blogging to become more female friendly.
I decided I could use my education from the Cronkite School in writing, photography and social media to produce a resource for women looking to travel abroad. I could tell stories of my personal experiences that could both inspire and prove that a solo trip can be done. I also wanted to touch on topics that are not generally covered by popular travel blogs since they are specific to women. Topics like how to dress, making sure you travel during the day if you’re traveling alone and finding birth control or feminine hygiene products when you are traveling.
I funded the trip myself and currently the blog is designed, written and photographed entirely by me. Moving forward I would like to feature other women on my blog, especially those who have made travel a priority or a career. I plan on continuing to build the blog, hopefully gaining sponsors and becoming a more well known resources, and helping change the landscape of travel and travel blogging to become more female friendly.
ContributorsMcfarland, Cydney Grey (Author) / Amparano, Julie (Thesis director) / Hawken-Collins, Denise (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
This project, which consists of a review article and an applied creative project, proposes mirror neurons as being a physiological mechanism for motor imagery. The review article highlights similarities between motor imagery research and research on mirror neurons. The research is roughly divided into three types of studies: neuroimaging studies, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electromyography (EMG) studies, and electroencephalography (EEG) studies. The review also discusses the associative hypothesis of mirror neuron origin as support for the hypothesis and concludes with an assessment of conflicting research and the limitations of the hypothesis. The applied creative project is an instructional brochure, aimed at anyone who teaches motor skills, such as dance teachers or sports coaches. The brochure takes the academic content of the review and presents it in a visually pleasing, reader-friendly fashion in an effort to educate the intended audience and make the research more accessible. The brochure also prescribes research-based suggestions for how to use motor imagery during teaching sessions and how to get the best benefits from it.
ContributorsNgai, Valerie Christina (Author) / Hoffner, Kristin (Thesis director) / Glenberg, Arthur (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Dance studios often have a high tuition rates, which makes learning technique from a dance school difficult to attain. For AZ Hype Hip Hop Squad no circumstance can keep them from dancing. This 14-year-old team has made their mark in dance competitions nationwide. The only problem is: this nationally ranked team lingers unrecognized. AZ Hype is a non-profit dance team that practices wherever they can find a space. They practice anywhere from school cafeterias to driveways, parks to backyards and parking lots. What gives this team their competitive edge is that nothing keeps them from dancing and they draw inspiration from outside of the walls of a studio. The team consists of 18 to 30 dancers each year and is divided into two age groups; a junior and senior team. The dancers range from six to 25 years of age. The team has one coach, one stereo and a room full of trophies and championship banners. The coach, Tara Delgado, is a 5th grade history teacher who has been coaching AZ Hype for 14 consecutive years. She continues to teach and inspire kids in the Valley. Though years go by her personal dance skills and creativity to choreograph and mix music strengthens and improves. She is more than just a dance coach to the kids who make her house their home. A public relations campaign for AZ Hype Hip Hop Squad was created to benefit the team in many ways. For the duration of the team's existence, they did not have a website, social media management, community support, sponsors, practice space, or any news media connections. The goal of the campaign is to gain exposure but also gather sponsors to lift the burdening costs of competitions, uniforms and practice spaces. The plan would serve as an outline to utilize social media, reach out to local media and contact various dance and youth supporters. In this campaign, testimonials have been gathered to uncover the true need and impact of the dance team. Without schools teaching dance or other performing arts, many youths lose out on the opportunity to ever learn. In addition to research, collateral material will be made and used for marketing and information as well as a strategic fundraising and branding plan. This plan will encourage and help implement the transition from a group of dancers to a 501c(3) nonprofit.
ContributorsAhmadpour, Shirin Jose (Author) / Hultsman, Wendy (Thesis director) / Delgado, Tara (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / School of Community Resources and Development (Contributor)
Created2014-12
Description
Inspired by my own experiences, I began this study to examine students' cultural engagement while studying abroad. Students' motivations to study abroad vastly vary and no two experiences are the same, due to the multitude of factors involved. Study abroad program providers and organizations frequently cite intercultural competence as a vital skill in the 21st century for all young professionals to build, and is often a goal of students to develop through their study abroad experiences. Before departure, some students may have a romanticized, grand vision of integrating themselves in a foreign culture and learning the language. Upon arrival, reality may prove to be quite different and students can get swept up in the novelty of living in a new environment and traveling with their new American friends from the same program. The vision of intercultural competence and foreign language acquisition gradually fades when realizing just how difficult they both are to achieve, especially in such a short time period. My hope is that this study can highlight issues that returned students of study abroad programs faced while abroad and can provide valuable insight for future study abroad participants into how to become more immersed in their host culture. By creating awareness of the merits of intercultural competence and the methods to develop it through study abroad, future students can become better equipped to have a more enriching experience. https://cultureasustudyabroad.wordpress.com/
ContributorsThoesen, Raquel Nathania (Author) / Scott Lynch, Jacquelyn (Thesis director) / Herrera Niesen, Carrie (Committee member) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Armenia is a radiant and unique country, known primarily for its vast history, delicious food, and traditional folklore dance. Although Armenia was constantly ravaged by invading armies, the nation was strong enough to retain its own identity and culture. The rich dance heritage remained a living tradition into the 20th century, when the Turks tried to destroy the dance heritage and left fragments of the dances. Even though many of these fragments were lost due to urbanization, the dance techniques are still continuously studied by scholars and people all around the world. For my creative project, I chose to perform an Armenian Folk Dance, as dance is an immense part of Armenian’s lives, and is an essential part of the Armenian cultural heritage. Dance is one of the primary ways by which one can observe and gain understanding of the Armenian people, their identity and culture. Dance is a way for Armenians to express themselves, as it is a form of art which combines elements of their rich culture, event-filled past, and their spiritual nature. The folklore dance has always sustained a leading role throughout Armenian history, as it runs through the blood of Armenians, being passed down from generation to generation. The Armenian people have survived and endured various historical challenges, but they have been able to preserve their unique dance elements and forms. To this day, Armenians continue to use dance to keep their culture and identity alive. It is a way to express freedom, and celebrate that even though we as a nation have faced many hardships, us Armenians have survived, and will always continue to survive with our faith, passion, determination, and strong will.
ContributorsKaprelian, Daniella Mary (Author) / McILwraith, Heide (Thesis director) / Alford, Eddie (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / College of Letters and Sciences (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Students not only deserve to be actively involved and engaged in learning content knowledge, but it can in fact help them learn better. Arguably too few classrooms actually utilize teaching methods that support this kind of environment. There is perhaps fear that methods like integrated curriculum may detract from student knowledge. The purpose of this intervention study was to determine how the integration of dance and social studies with an anthropological framework effects student learning of content knowledge in social studies, as well as student attitude toward the topic. Research questions that were addressed in this study are the following: (a) How does the integration of dance and social studies with an anthropological framework affect students' chapter test scores when compared to typical instruction?; (b) How does the integration of dance and social studies with an anthropological framework affect students' attitude toward social studies when compared to typical instruction?. Participants were two 6th grade classes at the same elementary school. As a supplement to a unit on Ancient Egypt, the experimental group received four intervention lessons, taught by the investigator, incorporating creative dance to encourage student exploration and increased understanding of content. An anthropological framework was also implemented to foster respectful investigation of culture. Results show that at posttest the intervention group had significantly higher content knowledge, as measured by a chapter test, compared to the control group. This suggests that this program did in fact help students to reach a better understanding of content. Though surveys showed no difference in attitude between groups or over the course of the study, qualitative student responses from the experimental group suggest extremely positive feelings towards concepts covered in the intervention lessons.
ContributorsSmith, Karli Elizabeth (Author) / Kulinna, Pamela (Thesis director) / Vissicaro, Pegge (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Film, Dance and Theatre (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor)
Created2015-05