Barrett

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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Flicker: A Climate Fiction Novella and Analysis

Description
The novella Flicker by Rachel Ponstein is a climate fiction story. It draws influence from the post-apocalyptic and dystopian genres as well as classic gothic literature. The story utilizes elements of gothic literature including Freud's Uncanny, uneven framing, and bildungsroman. It also utilizes subhuman species to incite conversation about the…

The novella Flicker by Rachel Ponstein is a climate fiction story. It draws influence from the post-apocalyptic and dystopian genres as well as classic gothic literature. The story utilizes elements of gothic literature including Freud's Uncanny, uneven framing, and bildungsroman. It also utilizes subhuman species to incite conversation about the importance of perspective and the use of an alternative lens on the post-Reckoning world. The disaster story is ambiguous to focus the reader on the importance of the characters and their progress throughout the journey rather than the overall plotline. The analysis below serves as an explanation for the intentional decisions made to fit a sub-genre and engage the reader in an intellectual conversation about the issues broached.
ContributorsPonstein, Rachel Kay (Author) / Fette, Donald (Thesis director) / Hoyt, Heather (Committee member) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
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On the Nature of Truth; A Rebuttal to Post-truth

Description
Post-truth has become a household word since the start of 2016. Post-truth is the concept that facts are becoming less useful towards swaying popular opinion. Post-truth is based off the ideation that the truth is laced in the metaphysical, which means that facts are independent of the human mind. Post-truth…

Post-truth has become a household word since the start of 2016. Post-truth is the concept that facts are becoming less useful towards swaying popular opinion. Post-truth is based off the ideation that the truth is laced in the metaphysical, which means that facts are independent of the human mind. Post-truth states two methods in which we derive truth: one is an objective truth, or a statement based on scientific and statistical analysis; the other is or a subjective truth, or a statement based on a feeling or value. Objective truth and subjective truth are interpretations of the “truth”: where objective truths use objective methods, such as research and statistics, and subjective truths use subjective methods, such as emotions or values. Further interpretations of post-truth interpret post-truth being a struggle between the objective truth and the subjective truth, and that objective truths are the correct interpretation of the truth. However, the current interpretation of post-truth becomes problematic. The case studies presented show that something that could be considered a subjective truth is grounded in reality, even though it is objectively wrong. There are instances where statistical analysis fails in its goals to represent reality in both war and science. There are also instances where capitalizing on the strongest emotional aspect of an issue creates a better understanding of that issue. The objective and subjective truths may not conflict with each other, in fact they may inform each other. The thesis concludes that a different interpretation of truth should be used to understand post-truth.
ContributorsSora, Nicholas (Author) / Fette, Donald (Thesis director) / O'Neill, Joseph (Committee member) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05