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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- Creators: School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies
- Creators: Lee, Christopher
Description
Among the information learned and knowledge gained in a young adults first year of college, white privilege is arguably not the topic they are running home to share with their family during the semester break. Peggy McIntosh’s Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack essay, which first entered academia in 1988, attempted to better quantify students understanding of white privilege based largely on a set of 50 statements asking participants to evaluate their everyday experiences; centered largely on the influence that race has on those everyday experiences. The quantitative study I intend to distribute evaluates the effectiveness of Peggy McIntosh’s theories to identify white privilege in college students. The researchers will revise the 50 statements originally provided by McIntosh to 45 statements, making modifications to the existing language to ensure modern day relevancy. I intend to survey a sampling of young adults attending college with the revised survey created. The results will provide insight into the effectiveness of the Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack piece, which is widely distributed in 100-level Psychology, Women and Gender Studies, and Sociology classes, among others.
ContributorsMayon, Marli Jean (Author) / Swank, Eric (Thesis director) / Costello, John (Committee member) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Like many other works of climate fiction, such as The Sea and Summer and Here, Kim Stanley Robinson’s New York 2140 pictures a city of the future that has transformed as a result of the rising sea levels caused by a number of dramatic events due to human activity. As a larger genre, climate fiction can offer us a way to picture ourselves in a state of crisis still forthcoming and to help us better prepare for a future where drastic climate events are the new norm if not avert that future all together. Unlike other novels that focus on the anxieties felt over these changes, Robinson focuses on the logic that allows contemporary societies to refuse to confront climate change. The novel challenges the economic ideology that has brought us to our current state of climate denial—the novel is a critique of capital as much as it is a call to action to implement change in our struggle to save our planet.
ContributorsMiller, Jennie Jean (Author) / Hanlon, Chris (Thesis director) / Ramsey, Ramsey (Committee member) / School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (Contributor, Contributor) / School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Binaural beat therapy is one acoustics technique used in music; a technique utilized in the music most people listen to when they have trouble sleeping or concentrating. The binaural beats technique, along with other therapeutic methods in music, have always fascinated me. This topic is something that I’ve wanted to research for some time. So for this creative project I want to challenge myself. I am going to learn how to produce music intended for musical therapy. I’ll be implementing methods based on my research. I hope to produce a piece of music that can help others. My goal is to create a song that has the potential to be added to the vast online library of therapeutic music.
ContributorsRaymond, Connor Nelson (Author) / Gray, Nancy (Thesis director) / Lee, Christopher (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
This project was organized to analyze a multitude of data in order to determine the economic impact of a professional sports team starting in a particular location, or “market”. The thesis group (“group”) collected historical data on professional sports teams from 1975 to present, state economic data as applicable, and data indicating sports fan preferences and behavior. This data was collected, cleaned, and analyzed in order to understand trends and impacts of sports teams in local economies. The group looked at a number of statistical factors including team performance, championships, state GDP and employment, and digital trends regarding the sports teams. Using economic models and statistics, the group was able to derive insights on the factors that cause sports teams to influence the economy they are located in. Additionally, the group analyzed reporting on teams in particular markets, as well as the financing surrounding stadiums to provide a diverse perspective on the topic. At a high level, starting a professional sports team in a new market does not have a significant impact on the economy: the data did not demonstrate statistical significance and qualitative analysis proved that the impact of a new team is negligible. The following serves as documentation and explanation of the group’s analysis on this topic.
ContributorsFriedman, Jared Davidson (Co-author) / Conner, Joshua (Co-author) / McClain, Jacob (Co-author) / Foster, William (Thesis director) / Lee, Christopher (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The sports industry is unlike any other in that it connects individuals and consumers from destinations around the world with one common interest. That commonality can be as specific as a favorite player, team, league, or sport. All in all, it bands together entire communities with their passion for the game. American sports leagues such as the National Football League, National Hockey League, Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, and many more, have all revolutionized the way that businesses view marketing though a user friendly, interactive, marketing tool with a universal reach.
ContributorsMarker, Sierra Kamalani Akiko (Author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / Lee, Christopher (Committee member) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
This thesis project had three key components. First, we performed an extensive literature review of different types of feminist theories to better understand the scope of their definitions. We also reviewed several articles that examined how women, especially Latinas, seek to understand and negotiate their identity as feminists. Second, we conducted qualitative interviews with Latina college women in which they shared their college experiences, their thoughts on feminism, and how they believe the cultural values they were brought up with play a role in both. Finally, we developed a 12-minute documentary film containing excerpts from participants’ interviews that reflected a number of core themes. We invited participants to view the documentary and contribute to a post-film conversation with interested faculty members and students. The interactive post-film conversation served as a reflection and expansion of the themes in the film and challenged those that participated to explore avenues of resolution through family and communication.
The motivation for this project came from a place of reflection for what it means to be a feminist and Latina and how to navigate the values of both without compromising one over the other. After personally contemplating the meanings and process without coming to a concrete understanding, we were prompted to branch out and engage other Latina college students in a conversation about what it means for them, what unique challenges they may be facing, and how they may be seeking to answer questions surrounding their identity.
The motivation for this project came from a place of reflection for what it means to be a feminist and Latina and how to navigate the values of both without compromising one over the other. After personally contemplating the meanings and process without coming to a concrete understanding, we were prompted to branch out and engage other Latina college students in a conversation about what it means for them, what unique challenges they may be facing, and how they may be seeking to answer questions surrounding their identity.
ContributorsAlvarado, Ismail G. (Co-author) / Alejandro, Nathalie (Co-author) / Hall, Deborah (Thesis director) / Villegas-Silva, Claudia (Committee member) / School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies (Contributor) / School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Through a combination of understanding dehumanization and the killing that results from it, one should be able to understand the reason why dehumanization comes about. Mental, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds must be understood to see how dehumanization is a complex process that requires all three factors to be effective. This requires understanding how the human mind works and the social systems that form once communities are formed. Ideas such as pseudospecies and essences are created to add legitimacy to this social distancing as language is also implemented to further separate one’s group from others. With this understood, one can find examples throughout history as one group battles another. The best examples come from soldier’s as they talk about their experiences in war. This involves understanding that war is not how it is portrayed in media. Killing is something that goes against human nature and it requires great strength to accept taking another’s life. Along with this, it is a much more complex process where killing is not always the ultimate goal. It is a more communal effort of acting as a group so that the opposing army flees or surrenders. This does not always work and sometimes killing is an inevitability. Now, not all killing is the same as there are “distances” that make some forms of killing more acceptable than others. This is combined with a soldier’s conditioning and drills so that they can overcome this initial fear of killing. It is a slippery slope however, as dehumanization and killing can lead to greater atrocities as people abuse the power they are trusted with.
ContributorsJohns, Noah Peter (Author) / Manninen, Bertha (Thesis director) / Toth, Stephen (Committee member) / School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The topic of video games and their potential benefits had been researched and catalogued by a number of experts in the past when it came to aspects such as improving cognitive function and increasing learning capabilities. However, there was little research on how video games provide benefits to players in terms of mental and emotional growth and development. Yet, a game by the name of Octopath Traveler had been given little to no academic attention despite its interesting premise of eight separate characters following their own narratives and improving themselves over their journeys. This essay examined how Octopath Traveler provided deep messages and lessons on faith, perseverance, communication, and independence onto its player, ultimately assisting in their mental and emotional development and maturity. Each of the four messages is supported by two of the eight characters, and each character presented a differing perspective on the theme discussed; the characters Therion and Ophilia examined faith in both the self and others, the characters Alfyn and Primrose dissected perseverance regarding beliefs and goals, the characters Cyrus and Tressa discussed communication as a means of learning and as a means of interaction, and the characters Olberic and H’aanit examined independence regarding seeking a purpose and assisting the community as a whole. Octopath Traveler shows that video games can impart strong moral values onto individuals and help them develop both mentally and emotionally.
ContributorsSveinsson, Jordan Daniel (Co-author) / Sveinsson, Jordan (Co-author) / Garcia, Julie Amparano (Thesis director) / Devine, Theresa (Committee member) / School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Building on past research, this study addresses ways in which gay, Filipino men negotiate their dual minority identities and consider potential conflicts and/or methods in which being a sexual and ethnic minority work together in the development of one’s identity. Through qualitative interviews, this research examines the experience of eleven gay, Filipino men in the Phoenix, AZ and Los Angeles, CA metropolitan areas and explores way in which their identities create stress and conflict, but always ways in which these identities create positivity in relation to their dual minority status.
ContributorsPayton, John Sterling (Author) / Swank, Eric (Thesis director) / Fahs, Breanne (Committee member) / School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
This thesis analyzes the relationship between the themes of madness and immorality in two plays from William Shakespeare (Hamlet and Othello) and three stories from Edgar Allan Poe (“The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” and “The Black Cat”). In the beginning, this thesis provides a brief overview of the history of madness, focusing on humanity’s longstanding association of mental illnesses with immorality. Afterward, an analysis of the aforementioned works reveals connections and differences in how the works portray the relationship between the two themes. Throughout the analysis, the thesis includes information regarding each author’s historical context (specifically in regard to social, cultural, and historical associations between madness and immorality) to explore the authors’ depictions of their mad characters. The plays Hamlet and Othello indicate that madness, on one hand, results from God’s bestowment of rightful punishment on those that pursue revenge against His prohibition of seeking revenge. The plays, although primarily Othello on this second point, also suggest that madness originates from the influence of diabolical sources that gain control over those that pursue immoral actions. On the other hand, Poe depicts the relationship between madness and immorality slightly differently. In the works of Poe, immorality and madness connect in that madness triggers immorality. In the end, this analysis reveals how these works, differing slightly in the details, nevertheless show humanity’s old, prevailing association between madness and immorality.
ContributorsAragon, Maya (Author) / Fazio, Marsha (Thesis director) / Hattenhauer, Darryl (Committee member) / School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05