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.
Researchers know that different types of self-construal (independent and interdependent) vary across different cultures. Individuals from East Asian cultures are more interdependent while individuals from Western cultures are more independent. Researchers also know that perceptions and understandings of beauty differ across cultures; however, there has been limited research on the connections between self-construal and beauty with minimal research on direct appearance enhancement products. Recently, new ways to present a positive self-image outside of cosmetics or direct appearance enhancement tools have emerged, and the question is raised as to whether these will also be determined by self-construal. We leverage work on the fluidity of self concept to argue that individuals with a more fluid self-concept (interdependents) will express more interest in appearance enhancement products. In the context of a Facebook ad study with Indian (interdependent) and American (independent) consumers, we demonstrate that interdependent consumers have greater interest in indirect appearance enhancing products, measured by click-through rate, compared to independent consumers.
Mind uploading is the process of uploading one’s consciousness into another entity, spanning across the internet or another body. This project analyzes the use of Freud’s theories of personality and his theories of the unconscious while understanding the appeal of mind uploading in two fantasy and dream-like films, Transcendence and Avatar. Mind uploading is a popularized concept with Transcendence and Avatar inspiring aspiring filmmakers and scientists with its imaginative and limitless qualities. Both films uniquely explore mind uploading with their own creative processes. The use of mind uploading in Transcendence highlights the blur between the realms of unconsciousness and consciousness, showing the destructive nature of mind uploading. In Avatar, mind uploading is shown as an evolutionary process in which the newfound unconscious has the potential to save and create new lives, giving characters within the film a second chance. These films reveal the interconnectedness of Freud’s theories of personality and how collaborative the mind can be to achieve a common goal.
This project analyzes the undying appeal for one of Avatar’s most notable characters: Prince Zuko. It discusses the already clear and established appeal for his character among fans. To complement this conscious appeal, it proposes there is an unconscious appeal for Zuko that the audience is unaware of. Using Kleinian theory discussing childhood development, there is a new angle of relatability that can be explored between viewers and Prince Zuko’s character. Specifically, Zuko experiences a shift and oscillation in Kleinian positions: the paranoid-schizoid and depressive positions. Zuko also demonstrates what Klein defines as seeking reparation. With this explanation, an unconscious perspective of appeal is revealed. This appeal is due to viewers relating to the struggles he endures because they lived through them as well.