Matching Items (403)
Description
Joseph Rotblat (1908-2005) was the only physicist to leave the Manhattan Project for moral reasons before its completion. He would spend the rest of his life advocating for nuclear disarmament. His activities for disarmament resulted in the formation, in 1957, of the Pugwash conferences, which emerged as the leading global forum to advance limits on nuclear weapons during the Cold War. Rotblat's efforts, and the activities of Pugwash, resulted in both being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1995. Rotblat is a central figure in the global history of resistance to the spread of nuclear weapons. He also was an important figure in the emergence, after World War II, of a counter-movement to introduce new social justifications for scientific research and new models for ethics and professionalism among scientists. Rotblat embodies the power of the individual scientist to say "no" and thus, at least individually, put limits of conscience on his or her scientific activity. This paper explores the political and ethical choices scientists make as part of their effort to behave responsibly and to influence the outcomes of their work. By analyzing three phases of Rotblat's life, I demonstrate how he pursued his ideal of beneficial science, or science that appears to benefit humanity. The three phases are: (1) his decision to leave the Manhattan Project in 1944, (2) his role in the creation of Pugwash in 1957 and his role in the rise of the organization into international prominence and (3) his winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1995. These three phases of Rotblat's life provide a singular window of the history of nuclear weapons and the international movement for scientific responsibility in the 50 years since the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. While this paper does not provide a complete picture of Rotblat's life and times, I argue that his experiences shed important light on the difficult question of the individual responsibility of scientists.
ContributorsEvans, Alison Dawn (Author) / Zachary, Gregg (Thesis director) / Hurlbut, Ben (Committee member) / Francis, Sybil (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (Contributor) / School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
As technology becomes more available to the public, cybercriminals are able to utilize these tools to circumvent outdated modes of protection and steal this information. My aim with my thesis is to understand the effects of cyberterror and cybercrime on the United States and the world and help spread awareness to the public and encourage proactivity in taking the proper steps to protect your information and stop those who would try and take it.
ContributorsLeung, Kevin (Author) / Fehler, Michelle (Thesis director) / Heywood, William (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (Contributor) / The Design School (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
In today’s economy, advertisers understand that sex sells. The foundations of this concept, however, are influenced by patriarchal expectations that women are first and foremost sexual objects for men. Women are sold beauty and demeanor expectations for them to utilize when making themselves attractive for men and men are sold the idea of beautiful, docile women. This dynamic perpetuates strict definitions of acceptable gender displays and reinforces socially permitted gendered behavior. As a society in the 21st century, we understand the damage of sexist ideals, but where we fall short is in the monitoring of channels that perpetuate and maintain those stereotypes and how affected the public really is by the male gaze, and lack of a female gaze, in media. In this paper, I search for a female gaze, but in doing so recognize the inequalities inherent in yet another gendered practice of looking and instead steer the conversation towards personalized perspectives informed by an understanding of the dominant practice of looking and its inverse.
The primary perspective from which people are depicted in media today is shaped by the male gaze. The male gaze is comprised of patriarchal ideals and relies on the understanding that the spectator or viewer is a standard human being, which heteronormativity tells us is a man. From this perspective, the scope of visual representations of men and women in media has been molded after the hierarchized gender displays within which masculinity has primacy over femininity. By presenting a limited spectrum of behavior acceptable for men and women, the media hegemonically manipulates the social constructs of gender and gendered behavior across all levels of society.
This honors thesis applies semiotic and feminist methodologies to engage visual forms of media through art, film, and social media to challenge the social constructs of gender perpetuated and reinforced by dated stereotypes of gender and gendered behavior. First, the theoretical foundation will provide a framework for semiotic and feminist analysis of visual representations of gender in media. Then, I will present data representing the real-world impact that this social construction of gender has on adolescents in America using The State of Gender Equality for U.S. Adolescents, published by Plan International Inc. I will then bring together the explicated methodologies and evidential data alongside my own experiences as a female consumer of visual media to reveal alternative practices of looking that do not revolve around patriarchal norms, looking for a female gaze. In doing so, I hope to present recourse in the face of persistent use of sexist imagery across all levels of our culture and every medium of visual self-expression by providing tools that can be used to interrogate gendered perceptions and inform self-examination in pursuit of a feminist practice of looking.
The primary perspective from which people are depicted in media today is shaped by the male gaze. The male gaze is comprised of patriarchal ideals and relies on the understanding that the spectator or viewer is a standard human being, which heteronormativity tells us is a man. From this perspective, the scope of visual representations of men and women in media has been molded after the hierarchized gender displays within which masculinity has primacy over femininity. By presenting a limited spectrum of behavior acceptable for men and women, the media hegemonically manipulates the social constructs of gender and gendered behavior across all levels of society.
This honors thesis applies semiotic and feminist methodologies to engage visual forms of media through art, film, and social media to challenge the social constructs of gender perpetuated and reinforced by dated stereotypes of gender and gendered behavior. First, the theoretical foundation will provide a framework for semiotic and feminist analysis of visual representations of gender in media. Then, I will present data representing the real-world impact that this social construction of gender has on adolescents in America using The State of Gender Equality for U.S. Adolescents, published by Plan International Inc. I will then bring together the explicated methodologies and evidential data alongside my own experiences as a female consumer of visual media to reveal alternative practices of looking that do not revolve around patriarchal norms, looking for a female gaze. In doing so, I hope to present recourse in the face of persistent use of sexist imagery across all levels of our culture and every medium of visual self-expression by providing tools that can be used to interrogate gendered perceptions and inform self-examination in pursuit of a feminist practice of looking.
ContributorsPreston, Phoebe Jane (Author) / Gaffney, Cynthia (Thesis director) / Kirsch, Sharon (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
In my Honors Thesis, I endeavor to complicate and to respond to conventional debates over historical periodization and the problem of what it means to be "modern." I understand the modern as a conceptual product of discourses surrounding religion, science, and industry. Specifically, the modern era has been defined as one in which the forms of rationalization associated with quantitative and experimental scientific methods and large-scale, technologically sophisticated industrial production have surpassed the "irrational" superstitions associated with religion. Critical responses to this definition have largely had the goal of supplanting it with another way of conceiving of the historical discontinuity between the "modern" and the "non-modern." In three essays, I aim to complicate the terms (religion, science, and industry) in which these debates have been conducted and to relate them to one another both historically and conceptually. As opposed to the goal of re-defining the modern, my goal in these essays is to complicate the existing definitions and to reveal and challenge the ideological motives of historical periodization. I illuminate the connections of the modern conception of "religion" to a colonial system of power, between scientific development and changes in economic and religious thinking, and between contemporary technological and industrial projects to an "enchanted" view of the world. In tracing these connections, I am indebted to conventional discourses of modernization, Max Weber's theory of "disenchantment," and recent scholarship on the use of materialist methods in the study of history. In these essays, I move beyond the critical project of "re-imagining" the modern, and illuminate some of the ideological commitments of that project that I consider untenable. In addition to a more sophisticated historical understanding of the meaning of religion, science, and industry, what I aim to achieve in my thesis is a better framing of some of the largest problems faced by contemporary humanity, including the looming risks of ecological, economic, and geopolitical collapse. In this framing, I situate these risks in the context of their connection to strategies of historical periodization, and argue that managing them will require a radically new view of religion, science, industry, and the roles that they play in producing historical discontinuity.
ContributorsNeibergall, William (Author) / Bennett, Gaymon (Thesis director) / Suk, Mina (Committee member) / School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Analysis into the political career of Texas state senator George Ruby provides invaluable insight to the African American experience during Reconstruction in Texas as a whole. Juxtaposing the needs vocalized by African American communities and the actions taken by Ruby, the Freedmen’s Bureau, and other Texas politicians, helps identify how racial politics dictated the lives of Texas African Americans. Ruby’s rise to power can also be utilized as a historical blueprint for how leaders in marginalized communities can become impactful and obtain power within a racially-biased societal structure. Ruby’s rise and fall in Texas politics is tragic as he finds himself forced to separate from his loyal African American support base—deciding to cater to the needs of elite white Texans to help ensure political favor on both sides of the political and racial spectrum. However, Ruby’s legacy remains one of great success as he managed to break the mold forced upon so many African Americans during Reconstruction and enact lasting change in the marginalized Texas African American communities.
ContributorsCourson, Shawn Thomas (Author) / Schermerhorn, J. (Thesis director) / Delmont, Matthew (Committee member) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (Contributor) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
African American females must endure the distinct intersection of anti-black racism and misogyny, or misogynoir, which persists through the perpetuation of stereotypical images. The endurance of these controlling images adversely impacts young black girls in unique ways that often go unnoticed. Black and Pink: The Intersection of Blackness and Girlhood in America examines the historical origins of misogynoir in America and its continued impact on modern black girls using the lens of bell hooks' literature. This includes how black females are masculinized, sexualized, and impacted by Eurocentric beauty standards in America. and These themes are further explored through a series of watercolor paintings, inspired by hooks' memoir, Bone Black.
ContributorsHayman, Adanna Michelle (Author) / Kim, Linda (Thesis director) / Meders, Jacob (Committee member) / School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
The human hairless gene (HR) encodes a 130 kDa transcription factor that is primarily expressed in the brain and skin. In the promoter and 5'-untranslated regions (5'-UTR) of HR, there are three putative consensus p53 responsive elements (p53RE). p53 is a tumor suppressor protein that regulates cell proliferation, apoptosis, and other cell functions. The p53 protein, a known tumor suppressor, acts as a transcription factor and binds to DNA p53REs to activate or repress transcription of the target gene. In general, the p53 binding sequence is 5'-RRRCWWGYYY-3' where W is A or T, and R and Y are purines or pyrimidines, respectively. However, even if the p53 binding sequence does not match the consensus sequence, p53 protein might still be able to bind to the response element. The intent of this investigation was to identify and characterize the p53REs in the promoter and 5'-UTR of HR. If the three p53REs (p53RE1, p53RE2, and p53RE3) are functional, then p53 can bind there and might regulate HR gene expression. The first aim for this thesis was to clone the putative p53REs into a luciferase reporter and to characterize the transcription of these p53REs in glioblastoma (U87 MG) and human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cell lines. Through the transactivation assay, it was discovered that p53REs 2 and 3 were functional in HEK293, but none of the response elements were functional in U87 MG. Since p53 displayed a different regulatory capacity of HR expression in HEK293 and U87 MG cells, the second aim was to verify whether the p53REs are mutated in GBM U87 MG cells by genomic DNA sequencing.
ContributorsMaatough, Anas (Author) / Neisewander, Janet (Thesis director) / Hsieh, Jui-Cheng (Committee member) / Goldstein, Elliott (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Black American art and artists have dramatically impacted U.S. and world history and culture. This is a creative and historical project for Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University. I have virtually curated works from Black American artists throughout the 17th and 21st centuries that show the emergence of Black history and the art that expressed it. The project is a timeline of various media, such as sculpture, painting, and poetry. This text comes with a Squarespace site where these works are displayed with introductory information that resembles those of a didactic label at a museum. Growing up as a little kid, I was always intrigued by history and the arts, but I barely learned about the art Black Americans created in school. With this project, I hope to share this research with a broader audience to learn more about the rich historical context of black art and to feel represented. Seeing yourself in an artwork that moves you inspires the artist within you; it did for me.
Link to the website: https://grasshopper-pike-6cd5.squarespace.com/contact-me
ContributorsLee, Brielle (Author) / Haines, Chelsea (Thesis director) / Stancliff, Michael (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Art (Contributor) / School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies (Contributor)
Created2024-05
Description
This study focuses on the connection between musical rhythm and dyslexia. Dyslexia has long been a disability that has been studied, but not one that researchers have a particular or in-depth treatment for. There has been a long time of research on the connection between dyslexia and creativity. This has led to looking at how dyslexic students are often found in art schools and engage in creativity. This has led to a new wave of research into EEG and how dyslexia occurs, including what causes dyslexia. This connection is proposed through the temporal sampling deficit hypothesis that theorizes “neuroelectric oscillations that encode incoming information at different frequencies could explain the perceptual and phonological difficulties with syllables, rhymes and phonemes,” (Goswami, 2011). My research aims to go further into the theory that dyslexia is caused by phonological perception and rapid timing skills (Overy et al., 2001). Music has many of these underlying deficits within it, so my theory is that dyslexic people have rhythm deficits, therefore, music therapy would be helpful in learning dyslexia. This paper does not find a negative correlation between dyslexia and rhythm. The trend points to dyslexic participants responding to claps faster and more accurately. All participants made a trend of fewer errors and faster responses the second time they heard a clap pattern. This leads to an inconclusive conclusion that requires more investigation to confirm whether this is statistically significant.
ContributorsSarraf, Maya (Author) / Bristol, Rachel (Thesis director) / Peter, Beate (Committee member) / Kim, Yookyung (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies (Contributor)
Created2024-05
Description
As a first-generation American whose family left Chile during the first years of the dictatorship period (1973-1990), I am separated from the reality that many Chileans lived through: a world of cultural repression, censorship, exile, and violence. This three-day film festival is a compilation of films that have helped me connect with my heritage and create a fuller understanding of Chilean history, but is also an invitation for a wider audience with a lesser connection to actively build their own memory of the Chilean dictatorship.
ContributorsFencken, Sofia (Author) / Luna, Ilana (Thesis director) / Sarreal, Julia (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies (Contributor) / School of Art (Contributor)
Created2024-05