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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- All Subjects: Globalization
DescriptionIn this study, the first two novels of Margaret Atwood's MaddAddam Trilogy are discussed in their global context as social commentary on the current system of global economics. The study focuses on the novels' depiction of the commodification of women's bodies and the bodies of animals as consumable products.
ContributorsManning, Devan Marie (Author) / Sadowski-Smith, Claudia (Thesis director) / Voaden, Rosalynn (Committee member) / Mallot, Edward (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
The drug wars in Mexico have claimed the lives, either directly or indirectly, of over 34,000 Mexican citizens since 2006. With such turmoil, the Mexican government has taken some desperate measures to contain the spread of violence. This includes what would be considered a distinct violation of the separation of church and state. A relatively obscure folk saint, La Santa Muerte, or "Saint Death," has gained international notoriety with the escalation in violence. With an image that has darker connotations than many mainstream Catholic saints, La Santa Muerte has become a source of contention in Mexico, both with the government and the Catholic oligarchy. This project focuses on analyzing the historical roots of Santa Muerte, her unique development and symbolic nature within the Mexican culture, the struggle between devotees and the Mexican government/Catholic Church, and her extension onto the global stage. In focusing on a relatively new area of academic study, this project will contribute to further research on similar topics.
ContributorsImpecoven, Claire Elizabeth (Author) / Sarat, Leah (Thesis director) / Puleo, Thomas (Committee member) / Sivak, Henry (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
The modern tetraploid species Gossypium barbadense L. (AD2) traces its origins to an allopolyploidy event between diploid progenitors G. raimondii (DT Genome, Americas) and G. herbaceum (AT Genome, Asia/Africa). In this study, nine fiber-related genes consisting of seven MYB transcription factors, a cellulose synthase homolog, and a tubulin homolog were resequenced across 54 G. barbadense lines spanning the wild-to-domesticated spectrum. Tests for nucleotide diversity (π), linkage disequilibrium (LD), and Tajima’s D were performed to examine the extent to which evolutionary forces have acted on these nine loci in G. barbadense. Results indicated that the AT-genome loci had significantly higher levels of diversity and lower levels of LD relative to homoelogous loci from the DT-genome. Additionally, all loci showed signatures of a population size expansion after a bottleneck or selective sweep and/or purifying selection. As previously shown for a sister tetraploid taxa (G. hirsutum), gene conversion resulting from a DT-genome allele invasion into the AT-genome likely explains the higher levels of diversity and lower levels of intragenic LD in the AT-genome. Given the relatively very low level of genetic diversity in elite lines, introduction of novel alleles from wild, land race, or obsolete lines into modern Pima cotton breeding programs is needed to expand the narrow gene pool of G. barbadense for continual yield improvements.
ContributorsNadon, Brian Davis (Author) / Gaxiola, Roberto (Thesis director) / Kusumi, Kenro (Committee member) / Dyer, John (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
The field of biologic research is particularly concerned with understanding nature's complex dynamics. From deducing anatomical structures to studying behavioral patterns, evolutionary theory has developed greatly beyond the simple notions proposed by Charles Darwin. However, because it rarely considers the concept of complexity, modern evolutionary theory retains some descriptive weakness. This project represents an explorative approach for considering complexity and whether it plays an active role in the development of biotic systems. A novel theoretical framework, titled the Genesis Mechanism, was formulated reconsidering the major tenets of evolutionary theory to include complexity as a universal tendency. Within this framework, a phenomenon, referred to as "social transitioning," occurs between higher orders of complexity. Several potential properties of social transitions were proposed and analyzed in order to validate the theoretical concepts proposed within the Genesis Mechanism. The successful results obtained through this project's completion help demonstrate the scientific necessity for understanding complexity from a more fundamental, biologic standpoint.
ContributorsMcAuliffe, Jacob (Author) / Laubichler, Manfred (Thesis director) / Armendt, Brad (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2013-05
DescriptionIn this project, I examine the effects of an expanding global marketplace on women. I explore the dynamics of patriarchy in society, the role of technology and communication, and the rise of manufacturing in developing countries.
ContributorsBaumann, Ria Whitney (Author) / Romero, Mary (Thesis director) / Chen, Huaiyu (Committee member) / Swadener, Elizabeth (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor)
Created2013-05