Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection

The media often portrays and the public often percieves white women and women of color politicians experience feminist obstacles, such as the masculine-feminine double bind and being dehumanized in the same way. Many of these representations of women of color politicians in society do not incorporate the impact of intersectionality and confining gender schemas; therefore, women of color politician’s experiences are often lumped together with that of their white women counterparts. This phenomenon ultimately contributes to the persistence of color-blind racism in the United States, which negatively effects the life outcomes of women of color politicians and women of color in general. In effort to help lessen the effects of color-blind racism locally and in government, some tools on how to reflect on one’s own biases are provided and avenues for change are proposed.

With the passage of the Affordable Care Act, the health system in the United States is now being further challenged. There is bipartisan debate on how it can be reconstructed: one party states that the government plays too big of a role, while the other believes it plays too little. Regardless, Americans want change. Reconstruction is not a new topic by any means, and other countries have been forced to do so due to political violence. This paper explores the history and current healthcare organizations of Japan, Iraq, and Afghanistan. These countries have all encountered major political turmoil, which has led to the rebuilding of their respective healthcare systems. Though the United States is not facing political violence that will necessitate reorganization, the examination of nations that have been forced to do so offers lessons applicable to the healthcare system in the US.

With the passage of the Affordable Care Act, the health system in the United States is now being further challenged. There is bipartisan debate on how it can be reconstructed: one party states that the government plays too big of a role, while the other believes it plays too little. Regardless, Americans want change. Reconstruction is not a new topic by any means, and other countries have been forced to do so due to political violence. This paper explores the history and current healthcare organizations of Japan, Iraq, and Afghanistan. These countries have all encountered major political turmoil, which has led to the rebuilding of their respective healthcare systems. Though the United States is not facing political violence that will necessitate reorganization, the examination of nations that have been forced to do so offers lessons applicable to the healthcare system in the US.

Progress is a term used to describe advancement for humanity. It can be measured in many ways, most commonly by GDP, especially in the United States. One way of measuring progress can be to apply a wide range of elements that are used in measuring happiness, like well-being, education, social connections, health, and security. Happiness is useful in measuring individual progress by using subjective measurements and reflecting on one’s lifestyle, but it can also be useful in measuring societal progress. The World Happiness Report uses data to show how happiness can be used globally to measure progress by looking at aspects of well-being, conceptions of happiness, social media, biological components of happiness, and balance and harmony. Real life applications of this method exist with Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness that was started in 1972, where the country decided to reorganize their policies to align with these new ideals that placed its citizens happiness above all. If a similar thing is done in the US, where progress is defined not only by GDP but also by elements used in measuring happiness, then policies can be made with these ideals in mind that should benefit the citizens of the US. Areas that would greatly profit from this type of progress include education, healthcare, and the economy.

Found especially at the high school and college levels, the sport of cross-country running is practiced by athletes around the globe. Characterized by rigorous training, this sport is accompanied by challenges that test the perseverance and mental toughness of a runner. This thesis aims to answer the question, how is happiness achieved in running? Approaching this question from a phenomenological perspective, this project utilizes interviews that inquire into the lived experience of cross-country athletes to better understand how these athletes obtain fulfillment in running. Two groups of cross-country runners were interviewed for this thesis. The first group consisted of three male and four female current collegiate runners, who, at the time of being interviewed, actively ran for a college cross-country team. The second group consisted of four male and four female former cross-country runners, who previously ran for a structured high school team and still consider themselves to be consistent runners. This second group of runners run primarily on their own and have spent their time after their high school cross-country season navigating running in the absence of a team. Upon analyzing the answers to the provided open-ended questions, nine themes were discovered that give insight into how happiness is achieved in this sport: 1) One of the biggest motivators for running is self-improvement, 2) Running is a significant stress reliever and way to obtain a sense of freedom, 3) A team is a significant contributor to a cross-country runner’s happiness, 4) There is much pride and joy to be found in suffering, especially when that suffering is experienced with others in pursuit of collective betterment, 5) Former cross-country runners often undergo a significant shift in purpose within running after leaving their high school team, forcing them to find new ways to identify with running and achieve fulfillment, 6) While some collegiate runners experience increased running satisfaction in college, others are burdened by the heightened expectations of this higher level of competition, 7) The ways in which success is measured has a significant impact on a cross-country runner’s happiness, 8) A deeply rooted running identity can produce much happiness; however, the ways in which that identity expresses itself may negatively affect the runner, and 9) Cross-country runners reported wishing they took better care of their bodies. These themes highlight the importance of prioritizing one’s mental and physical well-being and adopting a more multifaceted approach to success that prevents an overemphasis of objective running improvement.

This thesis looks to explore the common barriers and perceptions surrounding sustainable living in westernized societies. We begin by understanding and explaining the complexity and importance of sustainability. Then we go on into a cultural comparison of sustainable lifestyles from places like Mongolia and Northern Arizona. After the comparison, we look deeper into mental barriers, perceptions, and influences that western minds have on the environment and how these beliefs affect their sustainable behaviors. After noticing these obstacles, we were able to research three key solutions to overcoming these barriers: daily practices, contextual motivation, and subjective values. Using these three solutions, this thesis builds out an implementation plan that allows you to help create a more sustainable lifestyle that you can start living out today.