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This paper is composed of six micro-biographies of inspiring female figures from history: Ziniada Portnova, Nancy Wake, Katherine Johnson, Sunitha Krishnan, Huda Shaarawi, and Fe del Mundo. Traditionally, historians have failed to portray the value of ordinary people who have accomplished extraordinary things. In attempting to change this, the purpose

This paper is composed of six micro-biographies of inspiring female figures from history: Ziniada Portnova, Nancy Wake, Katherine Johnson, Sunitha Krishnan, Huda Shaarawi, and Fe del Mundo. Traditionally, historians have failed to portray the value of ordinary people who have accomplished extraordinary things. In attempting to change this, the purpose of this project is to educate the public on the role that one person can play in the course of historical events and inspire others to follow the example of these women. Irrespective of geographic location, time period, or social position, each of these women have individually overcame the prevailing sentiment that their voices did not matter and maintained a desire to make a difference in their worlds in defense of their convictions. They made selfless sacrifices of action in order to advance their causes when the role of women was often overlooked. Despite the existing social boundaries and barriers, their confidence in themselves and the faith that they maintained in their convictions allowed them to successfully make a difference. The biographies will highlight the individual power of women who exercised their historical efficacy in the face of adversity. Beyond this written thesis, I am practicing public history by presenting these women at my defense as live women in costume. Similar to a museum exhibit, this use of visuals will further emphasize the reality of their lives, existence, and accomplishments. In narrating and presenting their stories, I hope to do two things. First, to give these women proper recognition for their courage, achievements, and strength. Second, to encourage you, the reader and audience, to believe in your power as an individual and to exercise your historical efficacy.
Created2019-05
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When, in 1958, Disney aired a program titled “Magic Highway USA” featuring autonomous vehicles directed by punch-cards, few would have predicted touchscreen reprogrammable devices. None could have foreseen a battery powered car capable of fully autonomous operation and a zero to sixty mph acceleration in 1.9 seconds. The 21st century

When, in 1958, Disney aired a program titled “Magic Highway USA” featuring autonomous vehicles directed by punch-cards, few would have predicted touchscreen reprogrammable devices. None could have foreseen a battery powered car capable of fully autonomous operation and a zero to sixty mph acceleration in 1.9 seconds. The 21st century has proven to be one of exponential technological advancement and stunning innovation, with few case studies more obvious than that of the progression of autonomous vehicle (AV) technology. Advances in transportation technology and robotics have, throughout history, pointed to the eventual development of fully autonomous vehicles; however, it is only within the last 10 years that innovation has met determination to leapfrog AV development to its current state. As this technology has developed, society has begun to realize its extensive social implications, both positive and negative, from extending mobility to the impaired to reducing the need to fill jobs in the transportation industry. With progress comes new challenges and as planners strive to get ahead of the pace of AV innovation, it is becoming increasingly apparent that questions of data security, privacy, regulation, and liability must be quickly addressed. Some also question the economic feasibility of AV and suggest that, unless new economic models are developed around the transportation industry, there is a significant risk of increased societal strain as a result of digital and economic inequality. As a consequence, industry, academia, and policy have all emerged to direct, manage, and govern this new and exciting space. Autonomous vehicles promise to move the world into a new era of almost limitless potential but only if society, industry, and policy are capable of moving with it.
ContributorsGalvin, Sarah Nicole (Author) / Krause, Stephen (Thesis director) / Anwar, Shahriar (Committee member) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Materials Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
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This thesis seeks to examine shortcomings in space law by focusing on two interconnected aspects: privatization and space debris. The aspects of privatization and space debris will be examined under the context of the Outer Space Treaty (OST) and other relevant legal instruments. Privatization and space debris are two current

This thesis seeks to examine shortcomings in space law by focusing on two interconnected aspects: privatization and space debris. The aspects of privatization and space debris will be examined under the context of the Outer Space Treaty (OST) and other relevant legal instruments. Privatization and space debris are two current challenges that the OST fails to regulate efficiently. While the OST was being drafted, the international community did not foresee problems such as privatization and space debris. This is significant because we are witnessing an increase in privatization of space activities and corporations as well as a massive accumulation of dangerous space debris. While the OST grants states the power to regulate private space companies and the accretion of space debris, national laws rarely align with the OST, leading to the abuse of international space laws. We will make recommendations at the end of the thesis in an effort to revise the use of soft language in the OST to attune national laws with international laws as well as address the growing ambiguity surrounding privatization and space debris.
ContributorsSimper, Elizabeth Mary (Co-author) / Simper, Elizabeth (Co-author) / Ziglin, Kathryn (Co-author) / Iheduru, Okechukwu (Thesis director) / Foy, Joseph (Committee member) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor, Contributor, Contributor) / School of Human Evolution & Social Change (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
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Description
In June of 2016, the United Kingdom held a referendum for its citizens to decide whether to remain a part of the European Union or take their leave. The vote was close but ultimately the U.K. decided to leave, triggering the two-year process of negotiations that would shape the U.K.’s

In June of 2016, the United Kingdom held a referendum for its citizens to decide whether to remain a part of the European Union or take their leave. The vote was close but ultimately the U.K. decided to leave, triggering the two-year process of negotiations that would shape the U.K.’s departure (Brexit). The question of what will become of the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is heavy with implications for the national identity of people living on either side of the border, and this makes it one of the more pressing concerns in Brexit discourse. This research analyzes how national identity is used as a rhetorical tactic in media to influence and persuade readers to vote in accordance with the author’s political goals. It does so by evaluating how borders shape national identity and analyzing newspaper articles from the two highest circulating Northern Irish daily newspapers (The Irish News and the Belfast Telegraph) during the week leading up to the June 23rd, 2016 referendum. In analyzing news articles relating to the Irish border issue of Brexit from The Irish News and the Belfast Telegraph during the time frame of June 16th-23rd, 2016, four analytical categories of how identity-related rhetoric was used were discovered: fear, self-interest, Irish Nationalism, and a negative association of the past. Further, it was hypothesized and confirmed the political leanings of the papers influenced which type of rhetorical tactic was used. In the broad realm of Brexit and media related discussion, this research could help strengthen understanding of how traditional media uses national identity to persuade readers to and influence voting behavior in the midst of such a divisive referendum.

Key Words: Brexit, Irish border, national identity, rhetoric, newspapers
ContributorsCaldwell, Tara (Author) / O'Flaherty, Katherine (Thesis director) / Ripley, Charles (Committee member) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor, Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
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When considering the differing worlds of moral ambiguity and the dismantling of moral absolutism, it’s clear that the two concepts work hand-in-hand. With the former expanding the grey area between good and bad while the latter questions whether or not the extremities of good and bad exist in the first

When considering the differing worlds of moral ambiguity and the dismantling of moral absolutism, it’s clear that the two concepts work hand-in-hand. With the former expanding the grey area between good and bad while the latter questions whether or not the extremities of good and bad exist in the first place, it becomes transparent (while examining the world through this viewpoint) that there are trade-offs in actions. This creative literature, Boy Mimics Man, explores this very concept of moral ambiguity. Can the past be enough to justify present or future actions?

Second, is/can religion be used as a lens to justify objectively oppressive things. With the novel set in 2027, this novel assumes complicity played out leading to a dystopian future where being gay and queer is illegal. Religion is the justifying indicator to push for advocacies that do more harm than good. But the objectively bad act is justifiable through the good lens of religious pursuit. With that said, is moral ambiguity used in a way to mask atrocities or justify them?


This creative writing piece is the set-up to moral ambiguity and the twists and turns that the protagonist will eventually take. To survive and thrive in this culture, what do we have to do to hide? When it comes to the exploration of religion, what components of religion justify treating people like second-class citizens? Or, what components of religion do we use unfairly to push an ideology that holistically acts against the best interest of the people?
ContributorsBui, Richard (Author) / Lowry, Elizabeth (Thesis director) / Rigoni, Adam (Committee member) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
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Abstract:
Given the incredible variety in ant nest architecture, this experiment sought to evaluate how the nest architecture of Harpegnathos saltator differs from other species’ nests. To achieve the ability to evaluate the structure of H. saltator nest, we created experimental colonies varying in size from 20, 40, 60, 80 workers

Abstract:
Given the incredible variety in ant nest architecture, this experiment sought to evaluate how the nest architecture of Harpegnathos saltator differs from other species’ nests. To achieve the ability to evaluate the structure of H. saltator nest, we created experimental colonies varying in size from 20, 40, 60, 80 workers of Harpegnathos saltator in five-gallon buckets of sand and then allowing the colonies to grow for four months and twelve days. To create the nest casts, we developed a charcoal kiln out of a galvanized trash can and used a ceramic crucible to hold the aluminum being melted. Using molten aluminum to create nest casts of each colony produced, we obtained three poorly developed nests and one decent nest. The decent nest cast, the 80 worker H. saltator nest, was lacking key features of H. saltator nests that have been excavated in the field. However, they do share many of the same structures such as the shaping of the chambers. The ability of the experimental colonies to excavate the soil provided in the buckets to them was likely halted by poor penetration of water into superficial layers of the soil, thus making the soil too difficult to excavate and form the structures that are key elements of the species nest architecture. Despite these key challenges which the colonies faced, the 80-worker colony showed extensive vertical development and did display features associated with natural H. saltator colonies. Thus, given the display of some key features associated with characteristics of the H. saltator nests excavated in the field, it can be said that with some modification to technique that this is a viable avenue for future study of nest architecture and colony structure.
ContributorsAnderson, Clayton Edward (Author) / Liebig, Juergen (Thesis director) / Pratt, Stephen (Committee member) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
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Description
Following the 2008 financial crisis, two social movements emerged in the United States, both attempting to address economic anxieties and grievances, though from very different ideological positions. The Tea Party Movement and the Occupy Movement arose within a few years of one another, and both sought to explain the

Following the 2008 financial crisis, two social movements emerged in the United States, both attempting to address economic anxieties and grievances, though from very different ideological positions. The Tea Party Movement and the Occupy Movement arose within a few years of one another, and both sought to explain the failure of the existing economic system, whether in terms of overregulation and government overreach, or in terms of political corruption and the failures of capitalism. Despite both movements seeking to address economic failures and anxieties, and both movements emerging within two years of one another, the Tea Party Movement and Occupy Movement had very different trajectories and outcomes. Putting aside the question of how to measure the success of a social movement, it is clear that the lasting effects of these two movements were quite different despite substantial similarities in the timing of these movements, and the economic anxieties which helped fuel them. While there are likely a constellation of factors which contributed to the differing outcomes between these two movements, the factors of interest in this analysis are the narratives espoused by these movements, and the relationship between narrative, and the organization and political activities of these movements.
ContributorsHallikainen, Hannah (Author) / Kubiak, Jeffrey (Thesis director) / Hechter, Michael (Committee member) / Chemical Engineering Program (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
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Evangelicals (particularly American evangelicals) have largely been seen historically as a monolithic group with similar viewpoints and actions across the board. The group has been tied to historically conservative values and is often held most responsible for the election of President Donald J. Trump. Additionally, American evangelicals have, as a

Evangelicals (particularly American evangelicals) have largely been seen historically as a monolithic group with similar viewpoints and actions across the board. The group has been tied to historically conservative values and is often held most responsible for the election of President Donald J. Trump. Additionally, American evangelicals have, as a whole, supported the modern State of Israel (both financially through individual donations and/or lobbying efforts and spiritually through prayer). Preliminary research suggested, however, that not all evangelicals have adopted this pro-Israel stance. After conducting 10 interviews (with subjects in the United States, Israel and the Palestinian territories) and researching the history of evangelicalism in these areas, it becomes apparent that evangelicals who are from or are currently living in the United States are much more likely to support the State of Israel than those who are from Israel or the Palestinian territories - though it should be emphasized that they claim their support is not unconditional, as several polls and general attitudes toward evangelicals may imply. Above all else, this essay seeks to prove that evangelicals are not a monolithic entity wherein all of its members harbor the same beliefs and attitudes. As the remainder of this essay will show, there is a wide spectrum of perspectives as it pertains to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which suggests that this conflict is not as polarizing within the evangelical community as one might think. Polls with numbers indicating that a majority of evangelicals support Israel might imply that there must then be conflict between those evangelicals and people who do not support Israel. Such polls neglect to highlight the nuance among members of the evangelical community, a fact that this essay will attempt to rectify.
Created2019-05
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From the Crusades to the Russian Pogroms and the Holocaust, Jews have had their citizenship taken away, and in some instances, been brutally beaten and tortured. The wide array of societies, which have partaken in the systematic subjugation of the Jews across centuries and millennia, has shown that anti-Semitism knows

From the Crusades to the Russian Pogroms and the Holocaust, Jews have had their citizenship taken away, and in some instances, been brutally beaten and tortured. The wide array of societies, which have partaken in the systematic subjugation of the Jews across centuries and millennia, has shown that anti-Semitism knows no bounds. As is the case with many groups of persecuted people, Jews are peripatetic, diasporic, and exilic. However, for the purpose of this thesis, the focus will revolve around the diaspora of Jews to America and their resulting involvement in American culture.
ContributorsGoldberg, Daniel (Author) / Mirvis, Stanley (Thesis director) / Tiechtel, Shmuel (Committee member) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
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Russian President Vladimir Putin is a revisionist leader seeking to restore Russia’s status as a great power and rival U.S. global dominance by constructing a multipolar world order at the expense of the United States. Putin’s aggressive tendencies are not limited to Europe and the former Soviet sphere as Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin is a revisionist leader seeking to restore Russia’s status as a great power and rival U.S. global dominance by constructing a multipolar world order at the expense of the United States. Putin’s aggressive tendencies are not limited to Europe and the former Soviet sphere as Putin has expanded his revisionist ambitions into other regional theaters, including the Middle East. Putin has pursued an active foreign policy in the Middle East, exploiting the volatile region plagued with a historical predisposition to great power competition as a crucial part of his revisionist grand strategy. Putin is a realist, and employs a ruthless strategy of pragmatic flexibility, capitalizing on historical relations between the Soviet Union and Middle Eastern regimes when possible, but is also skilled at adapting to new circumstances and developments, and exploiting them for Russia’s strategic benefit. Putin has engaged in heightened relations and involvement with Turkey, Iran, and Syria. In Turkey, Putin has taken advantage of that country’s central location and used Turkey as a hub for the expansion of the Russian energy industry, placing pressure on NATO and the European Union. Putin has opportunistically used Iran’s controversial nuclear program to Russia’s benefit by acting as Iran’s primary international sponsor and patron for its nuclear program, elevating Russia’s regional prestige as a rival to the United States, and countering American foreign policy objectives. Putin intervened decisively on behalf of the Assad regime in the Syrian civil war, thwarting U.S. calls for regime change in Damascus and forcefully asserting Russia as a formidable regional power with veto-authority in matters of global power dynamics at Washington’s expense. Putin’s achievements with Turkey, Iran, and Syria serve to complement his larger grand strategic objectives to rival the United States as a great power and to create a multipolar world order. Putin’s ruthless, opportunistic foreign policy poses significant challenges to U.S. foreign policy and endangers the liberal world order. Washington must come to terms with the threat posed by a revisionist Russia and adopt a more assertive policy toward Putin.
ContributorsMarch, Nicolas Robert (Author) / Drummond, Charles (Thesis director) / Carrese, Paul (Committee member) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05