Matching Items (58)
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- Creators: School of International Letters and Cultures
Description
In a world where tweets, texts, posts, likes and favorites are a part of our daily lives, it's hard not to believe everything we see. Every little detail of one's personal life is easily shared with the world with the click of a button. And because of this, the beauty standards that society has created is jumping from the pages of magazines and TV shows to apps such as Instagram and Facebook. The majority of social media users are young teens and adults, but the popularity of these apps is rising among kids as young as five years old as well. These are some of the most impressionable years of one's life. So, by seeing these standards that qualify someone as "beautiful," individuals are likely to strive toward these standards. And while some may seem impossible to attain, individuals are willing to go to extreme lengths to get there. Qualities like the "thigh gap" are slowly becoming more popular, and are putting individuals at risk. In a country where the ideal woman is skinny, and most of the celebrities and models showcase these nearly impossible standards, it's hard not to fall into the trap. With the addition of editing software and filters to already existing social media applications, the ability to edit and enhance photos is in the hands of the user. Photos can be edited so dramatically different from the original that what we're seeing doesn't even exist. This project explores the false reality that social media is creating and the negative effects it has on young girls and women. It also offers a solution to the problem.
ContributorsHenry, Lauren Nicole (Author) / Sanft, Alfred (Thesis director) / Heywood, William (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / The Design School (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Musical interpretation is challenging when one's goal is to evoke an emotional response from an audience. In order to develop a well-informed interpretation of Mozart's Fantasia in D minor K. 397, a study was conducted on the historical background of the piece and various performances by well-regarded performers. Fantasias are written works, but improvisatory by nature. Mozart's fantasias were influenced by C. P. E. Bach's, which included sudden changes in emotion. An Emil Gilels performance provided a classically trained approach, while Mitsuko Uchida's performance provided an emotional approach. Colin Tilney and John Irving performances elucidated the sound of the instruments that Mozart would have been composing with. Altogether, the research culminated in an interpretation of the D minor Fantasia that endeavored to capture the essence of fantasy, improvisation and emotion.
ContributorsMo, Gina Nan (Author) / Emmery, Laura (Thesis director) / Creviston, Hannah (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Labyrinths is my Capstone/Honors Creative Project, blending my proclivity for music composition and the inspiring stories of Jorge Luis Borges. Originally, the project was outlined as a collection of five to eight songs named for and based on stories in Borges' collection Labyrinths, to be written, recorded, and performed by me. Over time other aspects were included, making me a director of a large-scale creative project which now included three other musicians and two artists. In this paper, I give a brief overview of Borges' life and the context surrounding his collection Labyrinths, an in-depth description of the project as a whole, liner notes for each song, credits, and three appendices. The liner notes are broken into four sections: a summary of the story, an analysis of the story and my interpretation of it (including my musical ideas for the resulting song), an effects list, and performance notes which include the text I read from each story in the performance and recordings. The first appendix is a collection of the sheet music scores for each song and the text document I used for the performance readings. The second appendix shows the art I was given permission to use, and how I modified them for my thesis. The third appendix contains my primary sources, secondary sources/suggested readings, and suggested websites and videos. Attached are the recordings of each song I made in Logic Pro 9, a video of the live performance, and an unedited audio recording of the same performance.
ContributorsVidean, Matthew Cutter (Author) / Stauffer, Sandra (Thesis director) / Feisst, Sabine (Committee member) / Downey, Ryan (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor)
Created2014-12
Description
This project creates a possible framework for the application of music therapy to reduce test anxiety in students. Although music therapy has grown in recent years as a treatment method for a variety of mental health and wellness problems, it has yet to be comprehensively applied to the specific issue of test anxiety. Some studies have examined the use of music in testing situations in order to reduce anxiety or improve academic performance. However, more in-depth music therapy interventions are a promising, largely untried treatment possibility for students suffering from this type of anxiety.
ContributorsCowan, Sarah Elizabeth (Author) / Crowe, Barbara (Thesis director) / Rio, Robin (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Music (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor)
Created2014-12
DescriptionThe city of Siena is picturesque as an almost perfectly preserved medieval fortress in the heart of Tuscany. But the true beauty stems from its unique, family-oriented culture.
ContributorsPrice, Tea Francesca (Author) / Silcock, Bill (Thesis director) / Dell'Anna, Antonella (Committee member) / Dodge, Nancie (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Inspired by my own experiences, I began this study to examine students' cultural engagement while studying abroad. Students' motivations to study abroad vastly vary and no two experiences are the same, due to the multitude of factors involved. Study abroad program providers and organizations frequently cite intercultural competence as a vital skill in the 21st century for all young professionals to build, and is often a goal of students to develop through their study abroad experiences. Before departure, some students may have a romanticized, grand vision of integrating themselves in a foreign culture and learning the language. Upon arrival, reality may prove to be quite different and students can get swept up in the novelty of living in a new environment and traveling with their new American friends from the same program. The vision of intercultural competence and foreign language acquisition gradually fades when realizing just how difficult they both are to achieve, especially in such a short time period. My hope is that this study can highlight issues that returned students of study abroad programs faced while abroad and can provide valuable insight for future study abroad participants into how to become more immersed in their host culture. By creating awareness of the merits of intercultural competence and the methods to develop it through study abroad, future students can become better equipped to have a more enriching experience. https://cultureasustudyabroad.wordpress.com/
ContributorsThoesen, Raquel Nathania (Author) / Scott Lynch, Jacquelyn (Thesis director) / Herrera Niesen, Carrie (Committee member) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
The purpose of this paper is to explore different aspects of participating in a study abroad program with a focus on the 2013 Critical Language Scholarship Program in Himeji, Japan. I had always wanted to study in Japan and was finally able to when I was selected for the CLS Program. The eight weeks I spent studying in Japan had a significant impact on my life, and I wondered if studying abroad has as much of an influence on other students too. The key questions in this research are: 1. What do students gain from studying abroad in Japan? What are the biggest benefits? 2. For what reasons do students decide to study in Japan? 3. What qualities make for a successful and beneficial language-learning program? The research was conducted through a fixed group who participated in in-depth qualitative interviews. The purposeful sample consisted of nine participants in the CLS Program (Japan 2013 institute) and several ASU faculty members. This paper also examines previous research that has been conducted relating to study abroad.
ContributorsPrang, Meiti (Author) / Silcock, Bill (Thesis director) / Wong, Elizabeth (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Although previous research has explored the relationship between social media use and well-being, many studies are contradictory of each other and conclude varying findings relating to social media use and outspokenness. This study explores the relationship between active and passive social media use, perceived social media expertise, and outspokenness using the potentially mediating variable of perceived social acceptance. 162 participants, recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and ASU’s SONA systems, completed a survey relating to their own use of social media, perceived social acceptance, and outspokenness. Contradictory to my first hypotheses, no significant correlations were found between social media use and social media expertise. However, correlation analyses revealed that active social media use is related to an increased amount of perceived social media expertise (r = 0.23, p < .004). Perceived social media expertise was significantly positively correlated with outspokenness (r = 0.19, p < 0.015); however, it was not correlated with perceived social acceptance. When examining these relationships separately by gender, a strong association was found for males between active social media use and outspokenness, whereas passive social media use and outspokenness were negatively correlated for females. The results of this study add to previous research in the field of social media and outspokenness and lend new ideas for future research on these topics, such as exploring the gender differences that are associated with these variables. Further research in the area is needed for a more complete understanding of how one’s social media use affects his/her outspokenness and how gender modifies these effects.
ContributorsRubino, Kelli Erika (Co-author) / Rubino, Kelli (Co-author) / Mickelson, Kristin (Thesis director) / Halavais, Alexander (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
This study looked at the Women's March's use of social media to communicate their organization's mission. Data was collected from their official Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts. Facebook posts were collected manually, Twitter data was collected with a Google Sheets add-on and Instagram was collected by Picodash. All the posts were shifted through multiple times to identify the key narratives of the Women's March. These narratives were then compared to the stated "Unity Principles" of the organization to see if they aligned with what the Women's March attempted to fight for. The five narratives were "everyone should have access to affordable health care," "women should have access to positions of power and be respected," "immigrants should be welcomed within the United States," "society will be stronger if it addresses issues intersectionally," and "everyone should be safe in the world and treated as equals." Analysis showed that each of these narratives reflected the "Unity Principles" in some form. While certain narratives were related to more principles than others, it does not diminish the importance of each message.
ContributorsLuckey, Alessandra Noel (Author) / Gilpin, Dawn (Thesis director) / Thornton, Leslie-Jean (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
The attainment of a meaningful existence is a one of the most fundamental human desires. While the pursuit for a meaningful existence is universal, the path to achieving it looks different for all people. An important aspect in achieving a meaningful existence is personal enlightenment that is attained through not only a profound understanding of one's own identity through reflection but also an awareness of the environment that has shaped that identity. The purpose of reflection should not be to attach blame or find excuses for the aspects of one's life that are unfavorable or shameful; rather, it should be to achieve the sense of inner peace that is integral in making informed and rational progress towards realizing aspects of an individual's life that bring meaning and happiness. The purpose of the following two sections is to demonstrate how an understanding of group-specific challenges regarding identity and upbringing may help those that identify with Chinese American or immigrant culture in their pursuit of a meaningful and satisfying existence. The first section provides a profile on some of the common issues facing Asian Americans, particularly how an immigrant approach to parenting can affect the degree of acculturation, mental health, and identity of immigrant children. The second section provides a personal backdrop to some of the themes discussed in the first section through an autoethnographic account from a Chinese American student. The purpose of the autoethnographic account is to demonstrate that leisure activities, such as music, can address issues regarding acculturation and identity that Asian Americans commonly face.
ContributorsWen, Charles H (Author) / Mantie, Roger (Thesis director) / Libman, Jeff (Committee member) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05