Matching Items (274)
Description
Research on voter turnout has focused almost exclusively on the traditional, public elections at the local, state, and federal level. However, very little research has been done on voter turnout among college students for student government elections within universities. The purpose of this study is to evaluate voter turnout in undergraduate student governments as a function of social capital and information dissemination. Based on a survey of an organization at Arizona State University, there is no evidence a reminder of a civic obligation to vote increased a student's propensity to vote in a USG election or that social capital facilitates the treatment. Attitudes toward USGs and the internal nature of social capital relevant to the student body could explain the opposite intended effect.
ContributorsSonksen, Connor Levis (Author) / Ramirez, Mark (Thesis director) / Wright, Thorin (Committee member) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
A social phenomenon in the United States characterizes French language and culture by aristocracy and prestige, sometimes even going so far as to align francophones with pretentiousness or false sophistication. By means of etymological analysis of the registers of American politics, economics, higher education, fashion, and art, I present the remarkable consistency (if not disproportionality) of French-derived vocabulary within the lexicons of these upper class cultural territories. Final conclusion is reached using the analytic lenses of linguist Norman Fairclough and sociologist Thorstein Veblen in their respective works Language and Power and Theory of the Leisure Class, which together supply a sociolinguistic understanding of the French-elite nexus. Using such information, I seek to explain the phenomenon as an American ideological concept. As French expressions are substantially and conspicuously employed within the lexicons and customs of the aforementioned cultural territories of the American upper class, French lexicality and culture become entangled with high society (sociolexical entanglement) and popular aesthetics (vogue lexicality). This intermixture subsequently engenders a French-elite nexus that manifests through either lexical emulation or lexical disaffection. To illustrate this occurrence, I offer evidence of America's persuasion of its upper class's association with French by presenting relevant expressions in the class-pervasive medium of American cinema. I argue that, in entirety, these sociolexical components frame the development of a larger French-elite ideology.
ContributorsSeby, Charles Michael (Author) / Bahtchevanova, Mariana (Thesis director) / Poteet, Lesley (Committee member) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
My thesis examines the burden of proof in eminent domain valuation proceedings in the state of Arizona. The thesis begins by going back and looking at the history of eminent domain in the United States. This includes identifying the authorities with the power to condemn land and the examining constitutional amendment requiring the condemnor to pay the fair market value for the land it takes. From there, I look at the process of property value litigation and the potential combination of burden of proof on both the value of the land taken and severance damages. This is followed by an analysis of the current law in Arizona, and a comparison to the laws in the other 49 states to highlight trends throughout the nation. The thesis highlights the counterintuitive nature of the landowner bearing the burden of proving fair market value in Arizona while also pointing out that the majority of other states in the nation have similar laws. This law continues to exist despite a lack of historical precedent or justification, not only in Arizona, but also throughout the country. The thesis references different states' case law throughout and gives opinions of experts in this area of study. The final section examines the practical implications of the law as it exists in Arizona today. The law may continue to exist unopposed despite its counterintuitive nature, because it gives the defendant landowner's counsel the right to speak first and last in a trial and present their evidence first. This has the potential to offer an advantage large enough to justify an unwanted burden.
ContributorsRubinov, Daniel (Author) / Birnbaum, Gary (Thesis director) / Braselton, James (Committee member) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
This thesis serves as a business plan for an intellectual property law firm, Starr PLLC. The intellectual property law firm is intended to be started by two attorneys with 10+ years of experience. It is believed that the firm will be more profitable during the start-up phase if begun by attorneys with previous experience rather than recent law school graduates. Starr PLLC will gear its intellectual property services towards small business owners in the greater Phoenix area. Many small business owners seek intellectual property legal services from large firms where they do not to receive the service they deserve. Large law firms have several clients and often make themselves more available for larger well-known clients rather than small business owners. The needs of a small business owner often come in second to the needs of well-known clients. Additionally, small business owners are typically stuck with an inexperienced attorney handling a majority of their case when they use the services of a large law firm. Starr PLLC wants to change this by making small business owners the focus of its services and ensuring that their cases are handled by an experienced attorney. Starr PLLC would like to eventually expand to a mid-size firm with 30 \u2014 50 attorneys. Networking and marketing will be important to achieving that growth. For this thesis, current small business owners were interviewed and asked what they look for when seeking legal services. Half of the small business owners who were interviewed had sought intellectual property legal services prior to the interview and the other half had not. This allowed for insight from both types of clients. Additionally, several attorneys and the marketing director of a law firm were interviewed to gain insight regarding the operations of a pre-existing firm. The founding partner of a law firm was also interviewed and provided information on the many challenges that one must overcome to start a successful law firm. This business plan was structured around the responses received during these interviews as well as the ones previously mentioned.
ContributorsStarr, Lynnsee Irene (Author) / Dawson, Gregory (Thesis director) / Miller, Duane (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Hugh Downs School of Human Communication (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2015-12
Description
An important question that needs to be discussed is whether drug detection dogs can be used the same way as machines in assisting drug detection and how these drug detection dogs should be used under the Fourth Amendment. In answering these questions, the history, training, certifications, and case law relating to drug detection dogs should be reviewed. The dogs are powerful tools in the detection of narcotics, but it is critical to remember that they are only animals and far from flawless. They can make mistakes because of lapses in training, due to irregular training and certification standards, or cues, intentional or not, from their handlers. Under current precedent, walking around something, like a car, is not a search and does not require reasonable suspicion. A dog alert during this non-intrusive, superficial contact can give rise to probable cause to search. If the dog alert is not reliable, it can lead to many unnecessary searches that violate people's privacy. In order to protect Fourth Amendment rights from the, drug detection dogs need to be used carefully and with limitations. A dog's ability to smell is impressive and humans' ability to train them is vast, but a dog is just a dog. The limited accuracy of a dog sniff is not an issue when they are used to search for people in landslides or avalanches, because even 10% accuracy is helpful when trying to save someone's life. However, when a drug detection dog is used to establish probable cause for a search, accuracy becomes an issue. United States v. Place was based on faulty scientific evidence on the accuracy of dogs, and it set the standard for future drug detection dog cases. The courts need to revisit this issue in light of more recent information. Except in certain locations where Fourth Amendment rights are limited, drug detection dogs should only be used when reasonable suspicion of criminal conduct exists. This limitation, as well as enhanced training and certification standards, strikes the appropriate balance between living in a civilized society and living in a secure society.
ContributorsGodinez, Katherine Mary (Author) / Stanford, Michael (Thesis director) / Kirchler, Rebecca (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (Contributor) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
How are perceptions of morality and disgust regarding meat consumption related to each other? Which factor is more salient in determining one's willingness to eat the meat of a specific animal? How do these answers vary across religious groups? This study investigates the ways that concepts like morality and disgust are related to food preferences and hopes to shed light on the mechanisms that enforce culturally sanctioned food taboos. The study compares 4 groups of people in the U.S.: Christians (n = 39), Hindus (n = 29), Jews (n = 23), and non-religious people (n = 63). A total of 154 participants were given surveys in which they rated their feelings about eating various animals. Data from Christian and non-religious groups exhibited similar patterns such as a high likelihood of eating a given animal when starving, while results from Jews and Hindus were consistent with their religion's respective food taboos. Despite these differences, morality and disgust are strongly correlated with one another in almost all instances. Moreover, morality and disgust are almost equally important considerations when determining willingness to eat when starving.
ContributorsParekh, Shaili Rajul (Author) / Hruschka, Daniel (Thesis director) / Jacobs, Mark (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / Hugh Downs School of Human Communication (Contributor)
Created2014-12
Description
In my exploration of the expectations of customer service that people have in regards to their visits at Starbucks retail stores, I will utilize Laswell's Model of Communication and the theory of symbolic interactionism to guide my findings. These overarching ideas provide a foundation for understanding the communication process as a whole, and will therefore allow us to extract meaningful information from regular interactions between Starbucks employees and consumers. Additionally, my goal is for these discoveries to produce insight in regards to critical customer service qualities that other businesses should incorporate into their own customer service programs in order to find success.
ContributorsRomero, Felipe Antonio (Author) / Martin, Judith (Thesis director) / Robinson, Jennifer (Committee member) / Propes, Rebecca (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Hugh Downs School of Human Communication (Contributor)
Created2014-12
Description
The rise of Italian in Sicily contrasts with a fierce regional pride that makes it difficult to determine the possible fate of Sicilian. This project focuses on a sociolinguistic analysis of the dialect of Sicilian spoken in and around Catania, Sicily. While there are programs in place to protect the language, the institutionalization of Italian in Sicily may be encroaching on Sicilian's use, especially with younger generations. The lure of the more industrialized North creates a culture of immigration in Sicily, which increasingly rewards the use of Italian. Using information from background research, a survey analyzing sociolinguistic factors and the individual's fluency in and use of Sicilian was created. The data from the survey showed that while understanding of Sicilian was fairly universal among participants, an individual's use and proficiency in Sicilian were most influenced by age and current place of residence (inside or outside Sicily). Younger people tended to know and use Sicilian less, and older participants tended to be more confident in their abilities and to use Sicilian more often. This is slightly complicated by an additional trend among participants currently living outside of Sicily towards a lower level of use and knowledge of Sicilian. All participants placed a significant emphasis on maintaining the ability to speak Sicilian, and on Sicilian language as an integral part of Sicilian culture.
ContributorsScaduto, Leah Christine (Author) / Dal Martello, Chiara (Thesis director) / Adams, Karen (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Manifold is a short film produced, directed, and co-written as a thesis project. Synopsis: A working young adult realizes his ability to perceive and interact with the 4th Dimension. After using his ability to alter an impending death, he struggles to maintain his overwhelming gift. Now bound to his power, he must decide between losing his love and losing his future. Run Time: 13:47.
ContributorsEllis, Marc Steven (Author) / Ganssle, Gene (Thesis director) / Guerrero, Laura (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Film, Dance and Theatre (Contributor) / Hugh Downs School of Human Communication (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
Organizational research provides important insight to communication practices in an institution. The research study examines organizational communication within a large university setting. Utilizing the outreach department as a sample population, this paper discusses the differences in perception of the organization created by power structures. These areas are discussed with respect to the mission of an organization, the constant changes of a university environment and the value and appreciation of employees in the organization. Organizational analysis is an important part of improving the effectiveness and creating open communication throughout an organization.
ContributorsHodson, Katelin (Author) / Edson, Belle (Thesis director) / Franks, Tara (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Hugh Downs School of Human Communication (Contributor)
Created2014-05