Matching Items (30)
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- All Subjects: Culture
- Creators: School of International Letters and Cultures
- Member of: Theses and Dissertations
- Resource Type: Text
- Status: Published
Description
The passage of 2007's Legal Arizona Workers Act, which required all new hires to be tested for legal employment status through the federal E-Verify database, drastically changed the employment prospects for undocumented workers in the state. Using data from the 2007-2010 American Community Survey, this paper seeks to identify the impact of this law on the labor force in Arizona, specifically regarding undocumented workers and less educated native workers. Overall, the data shows that the wage bias against undocumented immigrants doubled in the four years studied, and the wages of native workers without a high school degree saw a temporary, positive increase compared to comparable workers in other states. The law did not have an effect on the wages of native workers with a high school degree.
ContributorsSantiago, Maria Christina (Author) / Pereira, Claudiney (Thesis director) / Mendez, Jose (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
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
Arizona State University experienced some of its most explosive growth in the 1960s—doubling its enrollment in just seven years, expanding many programs and adding a college of law, and significantly augmenting its physical plant. This work examines the architectural and planning development of ASU in this decade and the surrounding years, coinciding with the presidency of Dr. G. Homer Durham, in various facets. Topics covered include the pedestrianization of the university campus, land acquisition and street realignment; the construction of newer and taller buildings to accommodate and expanded student population and educational program; and efforts to improve the university’s prestige through the use of modern architecture. ASU’s physical and human growth is compared to selected peer institutions. The legacy of the 1960s at ASU is also discussed within a historic preservation context.
ContributorsHumbert, Raymond Eugene (Author) / Zygas, K. Paul (Thesis director) / Spindler, Robert (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (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
According to the Tax Policy Center, a joint project of the Brookings Institution and Urban Institute, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) will provide 26 million households with 60 billion dollars of reduced taxes and refunds in 2015 \u2014 resources that serve to lift millions of families above the federal poverty line. Responding to the popularity of EITC programs and recent discussion of its expansion for childless adults, I select three comparative case studies of state-level EITC reform from 2005 to 2013. Each state represents a different kind of policy reform: the creation of a supplemental credit in Connecticut, credit reduction in New Jersey, and finally credit expansion for childless adults in Maryland. For each case study, I use Current Population Survey panel data from the March Supplement to complete a differences-in-differences (DD) analysis of EITC policy changes. Specifically, I analyze effects of policy reform on total earned income, employment and usual hours worked. For comparison groups, I construct unique counterfactual populations of northeastern U.S. states, using people of color with less than a college degree as my treatment group for their increased sensitivity to EITC policy reform. I find no statistically significant effects of policy creation in Connecticut, significant decreases in employment and hours worked in New Jersey, and finally, significant increases in earnings and hours worked in Maryland. My work supports the findings of other empirical work, suggesting that awareness of new supplemental EITC programs is critical to their effectiveness while demonstrating that these types of programs can affect the labor supply and outcomes of eligible groups.
ContributorsRichard, Katherine Rose (Author) / Dillon, Eleanor Wiske (Thesis director) / Silverman, Daniel (Committee member) / Herbst, Chris (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
In this work we analyze just what makes the topic of third party voting so intriguing to voters and why it is different than voting for one of the major parties in American politics. First, we will discuss briefly the history of politics in America and what makes it exciting. Next, we will outline some of the works by other political and economic professionals such as Hotelling, Lichtman and Rietz. Finally, using the framework described beforehand this paper will analyze the different stances that voters, candidates, and others involved in the political process of voting have regarding the topic of third party voting.
ContributorsMcElroy, Elizabeth (Co-author) / Beardsley, James (Co-author) / Foster, William (Thesis director) / Goegan, Brian (Committee member) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
A global trend towards cashlessness following the increase in technological advances in financial transactions lends way to a discussion of its various impacts on society. As part of this discussion, it is important to consider how this trend influences crime rates. The purpose of this project is to specifically investigate the relationship between a cashless society and the robbery rate. Using data collected from the World Bank’s Global Financial Inclusions Index and the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, we implemented a multilinear regression to observe this relationship across countries (n = 29). We aimed to do this by regressing the robbery rate on cashlessness and controlling for other related variables, such as gross domestic product and corruption. We found that as a country becomes more cashless, the robbery rate decreases (β = -677.8379, p = 0.071), thus providing an incentive for countries to join this global trend. We also conducted tests for heteroscedasticity and multicollinearity. Overall, our results indicate that a reduction in the amount of cash circulating within a country negatively impacts robbery rates.
ContributorsChoksi, Aashini S (Co-author) / Elliott, Keeley (Co-author) / Goegan, Brian (Thesis director) / McDaniel, Cara (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Pizza, Pasta, Parmesan, this is Italian cuisine? What is conceived by many to be Italian cuisine and way of life is actually a glamorized and artificial unification of a multitude of different regional sub-cultures. The aim of my project was to provide a means through which other students can come to understand the diversity and complexities that make up the Italian culture and cuisine. The way in which this is to be accomplished was through the creation of a syllabus for a course here at ASU. The project aims to encourage students to think critically about the Italian lifestyle and how food and culture are interrelated. It is imperative that stereotypes surrounding the Italian culture are broken down and for the culture to be understood through a new lens. The manner through which Italian culture is examined rests upon the culture's impact on cuisine and the cuisine's impact on the culture. Italy's connections to the Mediterranean are explored through the cultural impacts of exchange and the scientific evidence behind the Mediterranean Diet. It is critical to consider cuisine when attempting to understand the history and culture of a location. Prezzolini's quote, "what is the glory of Dante compared to spaghetti?" was the starting point to which the questions surrounding the importance of cuisine were considered. One of the most important goals was to foster self-reflection and growth. As many of the texts challenge the preconceptions that most American maintain about Italian society, it is imperative that students reflect upon their own cultures and biases. For a course to have a meaningful impact upon the students the students must take something away from the course. The method of analysis was an analysis of the texts given the goals of the syllabus expressed through the learning outcomes. I concluded that the syllabus overall was sound. There was a wealth of texts which were unbiased or provided ample critiques to other readings. The texts also encourage students to reflect upon their own cultures and beliefs.
ContributorsHallquist, Jessika Anne (Author) / Vitullo, Juliann (Thesis director) / Minardi, Enrico (Committee member) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
This paper entitled "An Analysis of Wage Stagnation and Inequality over the Past Half Century" is a literature review that examines and analyzes three main studies by Robert Lawrence, David Card and John DiNardo, and the Economic Policy Institute, and uses other works by a variety of economists to supplement that analysis. The paper aims to understand and precisely define the issue of wage stagnation and inequality and distinguish between the two. To do this, the paper looks at which groups are primarily affected, the different types of inequality that exist, in which time periods those types of inequality operate, any potential causes of the issue, and any potential solutions. The studies all agree that wage stagnation and inequality exist and each looks at middle earners \u2014 one looks at blue-collar workers and the other two choose the median earner \u2014 either way, the focus of the studies are those earners in the middle of the earnings distribution. Each study varies in its focus of the potential causes and solutions to the issue. Robert Lawrence, an international trade theorist, looks at the problem of wage stagnation and inequality through the lens of globalization and specifically if free trade is a key contributor. David Card, a labor economist, and John DiNardo look at the issue through the lens of technology change, specifically the Skills-Biased-Technological Change (SBTC) Hypothesis and question if technological advances are what caused this stagnation and inequality. The Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank, look at this issue through the lens of policy and question if poor policy regimes over the past half century have allowed wage stagnation and inequality to thrive. Overall, the three studies examined are similar enough in time period and subject studied, yet different enough in the lens through which the issue is viewed to provide a well-rounded summary and analysis of current literature by prominent economists on wage stagnation and inequality.
ContributorsFeldman, Rachel Erin (Author) / Mendez, Jose (Thesis director) / Hill, John (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12