The COVID-19 pandemic has had an international impact since the novel coronavirus first surfaced in late 2019. Since then, different countries have taken different approaches to try and limit transmissions and deaths. While this is seemingly unprecedented in modern day times, many pandemics, or plagues, have happened relatively frequently in history. This paper examines three historical plagues through the lens of social psychologist Geert Hofstede’s six cultural dimensions to distinguish between cultures: power distance, individualism versus collectivism, masculinity versus femininity, uncertainty avoidance, long term orientation and indulgence versus restraint. This paper then applies these dimensions to the modern day U.S. and South Korea, two countries who have had different success in handling the COVID-19 pandemic. Through these dimensions, this paper aims to explain a factor in why South Korea has had better results than the U.S. It also recognizes that Hofstede’s cultural dimensions are not the only factor to affect the pandemic, and explores political influences in America through the lens of Henry David Thoreau and John Dewey. Overall, this paper argues that the U.S. has been unsuccessful in taming the pandemic because of certain cultural dimensions, such as more an individualist and indulgent culture, and its unstable and divisive political climate. Given this, the United States has a hopeful, yet arduous path moving forward with COVID-19 and future pandemics.

From exploring coffee plantations with an old Irishman in the mountains of Colombia to watching the sun set over the Strait of Gibraltar from the terrace of an ancient Moroccan cafe, this thesis sent Charles and Zane on an elaborate cafe-crawl across ten countries, with stops at a few of the world’s most interesting coffee houses. Some of these cafes, such as the world-renowned Caffé Florian (opened in 1720) and Caffé Greco (1760), are built on long-standing traditions. Others are led by innovators championing high-quality boutique shops, challenging mass production chains such as Starbucks and Tim Hortons. These newer cafes fuel a movement classified as the “Third Wave”. With a foundation gained from specialized courses with Patrick O’Malley, North America’s leading voice in coffee, Zane and Charles conducted first-hand research into the unique coffee preferences of multiple cultures, the emergence and impact of the Third Wave in these countries, and what the future may hold for coffee lovers.

This study is a systematic review of the current literature surrounding intergenerational trauma in Southeast Asian (SEA) immigrant/refugee families. This review was guided upon using the 2020 PRISMA criteria and framework. After a parallel search across several databases, 14 articles were qualified for inclusion after reviewing exclusion criteria. Across these articles, five main aims were examined: the effect of trauma on parent mental health, the effect on child mental health, the effect on parenting, the effect on family dynamics/relationship, and an exploratory aim on current recommended interventions. The literature indicated that negative mental health outcomes were often present in parents and affected the quality of parenting. Child mental health was negatively affected through close interactions with the parent. Certain parenting behaviors and styles were associated with traumatized parents, which led to the development of attachment issues in children. Family dynamics and relationships were impacted by conflicting cultures and beliefs they were raised with in the United States and the ones taught at home by their parents. Current recommendations for interventions involve therapy, understanding culture and context of trauma, and as well as utilizing the support and influence of the community. There are many gaps in current research and more examination of intergenerational trauma amongst SEA populations is needed to better understand this complex issue in order to improve the relationship between parents, children, and overall family suffering from the effects of intergenerational trauma. Further recommendations for research, gaps in literature, and implications for this study are explored.

The purpose of this paper is to examine cross-cultural differences between the United States and Turkey by coding multiple dimensions, such as parental intrusiveness, child persistence, and various others. The main research questions of this paper were as follows: (1) How does parental intrusiveness vary by country? (2) How does child persistence vary by country? and (3) Are parental intrusiveness and child persistence correlated, and if so, what is the direction of the correlation? The hypotheses were that (1) Turkish parents would score higher on parental intrusiveness, (2) American children would show higher levels of persistence, and (3) Parental intrusiveness and child persistence are correlated, with higher levels of parental intrusiveness resulting in lower levels of child persistence. While all of the hypotheses were supported with statistically significant results, it was found that in the U.S., higher parental intrusiveness does result in lower levels of child persistence, but in Turkey, parental intrusiveness was not a predictor of child persistence. The findings are therefore able to support cross-cultural differences in the correlation between parental intrusiveness and child persistence.

The goal of this paper is to examine the relevance of ethnic identity in young Latinos and Whites in the Phoenix area. Based on interviews with 30 Latino and White young adults, I explore how “Zoomers” and millennials think about their ethnicity. I found that Whites’ ethnic identity tends to be symbolic or meaningless as they attribute less importance to ethnic identity because it has low personal significance and is inconsequential in their daily lives. Latinos, with their stronger connection to the ethnic core, tend to describe their ethnicity as consequential due to their experiences of discrimination that make their ethnic identity less optional. This research has implications for those looking to better understand how different groups think about their ethnicity.