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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A recent trend in literary research has focused on how authors' use of space reveals underlying motivations and conveys thematic information. In this thesis, the role that space plays in Dostoevsky's portrayal of freedom in the novel Crime and Punishment is analyzed with a focus on the physical spaces of

A recent trend in literary research has focused on how authors' use of space reveals underlying motivations and conveys thematic information. In this thesis, the role that space plays in Dostoevsky's portrayal of freedom in the novel Crime and Punishment is analyzed with a focus on the physical spaces of St. Petersburg, the mental spaces formed by characters in the story, and how the barriers to the realization of freedom manifest in both. Although Dostoevsky is one of the most notable authors of the Petersburg genre and there has been a lot of discussion about his treatment of individual freedom, there hasn't been a close analysis done in the field that addresses freedom through the analysis of spatial motifs. While all of the characters exist in a common space, they each show a unique approach to their environment due to their personal ideologies, suggesting that they each also realize a varying degree of freedom. I closely analyze the characters Raskolnikov, Svidrigailov, Katerina, Luzhin, Marmeladov, Sonya, and Porfiry as examples of the hierarchy of realized freedom that they attain in the book as seen through their ideologies in interaction with space. Looking at how Dostoevsky presents the environments of the text as either reflections or sources of conflict for characters' mental ideologies, one can see that freedom requires both interaction with the real world as well as a stable lens through which one may perceive it, ultimately necessitating that individuals embrace the potential of suffering as well.
ContributorsVanderveen, Lexie Michael (Author) / Popova, Laura (Thesis director) / Stoff, Laurie (Committee member) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description

This thesis examines the influence of the Communist International (Comintern) on communist parties in Germany and Spain in the early years after the Russian Revolution. Specific attention is focused on the process of bolshevization, through which communists in other countries were forced to use the theory and tactics of the

This thesis examines the influence of the Communist International (Comintern) on communist parties in Germany and Spain in the early years after the Russian Revolution. Specific attention is focused on the process of bolshevization, through which communists in other countries were forced to use the theory and tactics of the Bolsheviks in Russia, and the impact of this process on the March Action (1921) and German October (1923). This study questions the current historiographical dichotomy of bolshevization, which focuses on control and freedom in the relationship between the Comintern and national communist parties. Instead, the study suggests that exploring the theory and practice of bolshevization may elucidate complex realities and shed light on the influence of the Comintern on revolutionary movements.

ContributorsDurland, Cassidy (Author) / Mann, Yan (Thesis director) / Stoff, Laurie (Committee member) / Kucherenko, Olga (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Historical, Philosophical & Religious Studies, Sch (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor)
Created2023-05
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Description
Music both created and consumed by Soviet soldiers during the war in Afghanistan provides an insight into their opinions and criticisms of the war. Music allowed soldiers to vent, to give voice to their experiences, as well as to rationalize their participation in the conflict, enabling them to inject their

Music both created and consumed by Soviet soldiers during the war in Afghanistan provides an insight into their opinions and criticisms of the war. Music allowed soldiers to vent, to give voice to their experiences, as well as to rationalize their participation in the conflict, enabling them to inject their personal opinions and perceptions of the war into memorable and poetic forms. Through analyzing the Soviet songs about the of Afghan war, we can create a chronological timeline charting the development of resentment and disillusionment among Soviet soldiers: the initial patriotic songs borrowed from prior conflicts soon declined in popularity, replaced with mournful songs reflecting soldiers’ nostalgia for home and fear of death in their daily lives. Their lyrics reveal feelings of anxiety, disenfranchisement and abandonment, all resulting from the Soviet state’s ineffective handling of the war. In addition to songs produced by soldiers themselves, bands within Soviet borders such as Kino also wrote songs about the conflict, using their star power to draw attention to the conflict in their own fashion. By tracking both the creation and spread of these songs about the Soviet-Afghan war (referred to in this essay as either the “Soviet-Afghan War” or, more simply, the “Afghan War” as it is known in Russian), we can find vital, overlooked expressions of if not protest then discontent - among the many bubbling to the surface during the last decade of the USSR. This thesis therefore presents a chronological analysis of representative songs from the Soviet-Afghan war that also takes their popularity and methods of propagation -- the material technologies that allowed for this music to be spread -- into account, plotted alongside the major turning points of the war. It uncovers an otherwise forgotten form of discourse between soldiers about both the war itself, as well as the Soviet government, exploring the political implications of the war’s musical memorialization.
ContributorsBellard, Alex (Author) / Schmelz, Peter (Thesis director) / Stoff, Laurie (Thesis director, Committee member) / Historical, Philosophical & Religious Studies (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
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Description

The popularity of feminism is growing. Every day more people claim to be feminist and work is done to end the control of patriarchy. Feminism though, because of its different waves and isolated recognition in the media, the actual goals seem unclear to males in particular; it is predicted

The popularity of feminism is growing. Every day more people claim to be feminist and work is done to end the control of patriarchy. Feminism though, because of its different waves and isolated recognition in the media, the actual goals seem unclear to males in particular; it is predicted that this increase in popularity in conjunction with the lack of clarity contributes to the development of toxic masculinity. “Feminism” is defined by bell hooks as a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression and “toxic masculinity” is a specific model of manhood, geared toward dominance and control and fear of the opposite. To understand the relationship between the two, the documentaries The Mask You Live In and Miss Representation were reviewed as well as books by bell hooks and C.J. Pascoe. Popular culture articles contributed to contemporary views at the public level. Using the knowledge gained from the literature, further research was done through one-on-one interviews with males age 18 to 32. Much of the literature does support toxic masculinity being encouraged and reinforced in varying ways including through the lack of acceptance of femininity and society’s strict gender roles. The interviews were inconclusive in defining a direct relationship between feminism promoting the development of toxic masculinity.

ContributorsPorche, Jade M (Author) / Fedock, Rachel (Thesis director) / Alberts, Janet (Committee member) / Stoff, Laurie (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05