Matching Items (116)
Description
Over the past several decades, cyberbullying has increasingly become one of the most dangerous threats to an adolescent’s mental health. Heather Springer, writing for the American Psychological Association, projects that roughly 33% of American teenagers are affected by cyberbullying while on social media (Springer). This startling percentage, compounded by an escalating need to combat cyberbullying’s negative impact on mental health, has catalyzed a wave of psychological research to explore the ways in which social media impacts teens. Over the years, researchers have produced a plethora of publications on the subject, inspiring families to pursue cyberbullying prevention for their loved ones. However, despite this surge in anti-cyberbullying interest, few researchers have attempted to coalesce these psychological findings with computer applications, and fewer still have sought to prevent cyberbullying through the strengthening of parent-teen relationships (Silva et al., 2019). Because of this, the BullyBlocker team, led by Dr. Yasin Silva and Dr. Deborah Hall, has spent the past couple years developing a mobile application called ActionPoint. Our team hopes that through this app, the risk of cyberbullying is drastically decreased and even prevented.
ContributorsLorenz, Maggie Kay (Author) / Silva, Yasin (Thesis director) / Hall, Deborah (Committee member) / School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
This thesis aims to explain how a child can deal with loss through a children's book that I have written and illustrated. The goal is to have a child, as young as the age of seven, be able to pick up the book and come away with an initial understanding of how grief affects people. There are references to other works of literature similarly dealing with the above topic. The different stages of grief are examined, as well as the ways in which grief can be handled. Facial expressions and body language are crucial to understanding others' pain and grief, so this thesis delves into how to translate different expressions and actions, and how artwork and illustrations can portray these same ideas. The story from the book is interwoven throughout the thesis, so as to show my reasoning for each section of the text. Finally, there is a full analysis of the text as well as the illustrations that explains why the text is fitting for each section of the story.
ContributorsFauste, Cristina Maria (Author) / Lewis, Stephen (Thesis director) / Gruber, Diane (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (Contributor) / School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies (Contributor)
Created2015-05
DescriptionA creative literary review of the Black Literary Tradition, with a creative literary collection of poems, short stories and flash fiction by the author.
ContributorsHall, Margaret (Author) / Stancliff, Michael (Thesis director) / Graham, Lance Professor (Committee member) / School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-12
Description
Bertolt Brecht, a noted East German poet and playwright, wrote in his poetry collection, Svendborg Gedichte (translated as Svendborg Poems), a question and answer which resonated not only in his own time, but throughout time: “In the dark times/Will there also be singing? /Yes, there will also be singing. /About the dark times” (Brecht). When Brecht wrote this poem, he was writing about the Nazi Germany which he had been exiled from, but a similar type of darkness has also spilled into today’s time period in forms including but not limited to political division, economic disparity, and environmental distress. At times, this can be understood as being similar to an apocalypse, or the time period which can be assumed as being world-ending. While the truly apocalyptic nature of today is debatable, the reporting style around these events has twisted this time period to be inarguably dark.
However, just as Brecht says, there is still singing.
Since the 2016 election, news media has become nothing if not more apocalyptic in reporting style. As a result, other forms of media, such as songs, literature, and artwork, have been reacting in two distinct modes: first, through a realism in describing the pain of those going through the events, and second, through a blind romanticism of the truth.
In this essay, I describe the origin of apocalyptic rhetoric, and the way that this type of rhetoric has unfolded throughout a few key moments of human history. From there, I move into a discussion of song as one form of a reaction to this, making sure to keep intact the dichotomous lines as described earlier. As an emblem of this reaction in the post-2016 era, I then analyze modern apocalyptic thought, and as an example of this reaction, I analyze the song “This is America” by Childish Gambino. I then look towards the future and theorize as to what type of singing will come from future dark times.
However, just as Brecht says, there is still singing.
Since the 2016 election, news media has become nothing if not more apocalyptic in reporting style. As a result, other forms of media, such as songs, literature, and artwork, have been reacting in two distinct modes: first, through a realism in describing the pain of those going through the events, and second, through a blind romanticism of the truth.
In this essay, I describe the origin of apocalyptic rhetoric, and the way that this type of rhetoric has unfolded throughout a few key moments of human history. From there, I move into a discussion of song as one form of a reaction to this, making sure to keep intact the dichotomous lines as described earlier. As an emblem of this reaction in the post-2016 era, I then analyze modern apocalyptic thought, and as an example of this reaction, I analyze the song “This is America” by Childish Gambino. I then look towards the future and theorize as to what type of singing will come from future dark times.
ContributorsSamie, Yumna (Author) / Kirsch, Sharon (Thesis director) / Wise, Greg (Committee member) / School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies (Contributor) / School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-12
Description
Among the information learned and knowledge gained in a young adults first year of college, white privilege is arguably not the topic they are running home to share with their family during the semester break. Peggy McIntosh’s Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack essay, which first entered academia in 1988, attempted to better quantify students understanding of white privilege based largely on a set of 50 statements asking participants to evaluate their everyday experiences; centered largely on the influence that race has on those everyday experiences. The quantitative study I intend to distribute evaluates the effectiveness of Peggy McIntosh’s theories to identify white privilege in college students. The researchers will revise the 50 statements originally provided by McIntosh to 45 statements, making modifications to the existing language to ensure modern day relevancy. I intend to survey a sampling of young adults attending college with the revised survey created. The results will provide insight into the effectiveness of the Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack piece, which is widely distributed in 100-level Psychology, Women and Gender Studies, and Sociology classes, among others.
ContributorsMayon, Marli Jean (Author) / Swank, Eric (Thesis director) / Costello, John (Committee member) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Like many other works of climate fiction, such as The Sea and Summer and Here, Kim Stanley Robinson’s New York 2140 pictures a city of the future that has transformed as a result of the rising sea levels caused by a number of dramatic events due to human activity. As a larger genre, climate fiction can offer us a way to picture ourselves in a state of crisis still forthcoming and to help us better prepare for a future where drastic climate events are the new norm if not avert that future all together. Unlike other novels that focus on the anxieties felt over these changes, Robinson focuses on the logic that allows contemporary societies to refuse to confront climate change. The novel challenges the economic ideology that has brought us to our current state of climate denial—the novel is a critique of capital as much as it is a call to action to implement change in our struggle to save our planet.
ContributorsMiller, Jennie Jean (Author) / Hanlon, Chris (Thesis director) / Ramsey, Ramsey (Committee member) / School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (Contributor, Contributor) / School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
This thesis project had three key components. First, we performed an extensive literature review of different types of feminist theories to better understand the scope of their definitions. We also reviewed several articles that examined how women, especially Latinas, seek to understand and negotiate their identity as feminists. Second, we conducted qualitative interviews with Latina college women in which they shared their college experiences, their thoughts on feminism, and how they believe the cultural values they were brought up with play a role in both. Finally, we developed a 12-minute documentary film containing excerpts from participants’ interviews that reflected a number of core themes. We invited participants to view the documentary and contribute to a post-film conversation with interested faculty members and students. The interactive post-film conversation served as a reflection and expansion of the themes in the film and challenged those that participated to explore avenues of resolution through family and communication.
The motivation for this project came from a place of reflection for what it means to be a feminist and Latina and how to navigate the values of both without compromising one over the other. After personally contemplating the meanings and process without coming to a concrete understanding, we were prompted to branch out and engage other Latina college students in a conversation about what it means for them, what unique challenges they may be facing, and how they may be seeking to answer questions surrounding their identity.
The motivation for this project came from a place of reflection for what it means to be a feminist and Latina and how to navigate the values of both without compromising one over the other. After personally contemplating the meanings and process without coming to a concrete understanding, we were prompted to branch out and engage other Latina college students in a conversation about what it means for them, what unique challenges they may be facing, and how they may be seeking to answer questions surrounding their identity.
ContributorsAlvarado, Ismail G. (Co-author) / Alejandro, Nathalie (Co-author) / Hall, Deborah (Thesis director) / Villegas-Silva, Claudia (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
Through a combination of understanding dehumanization and the killing that results from it, one should be able to understand the reason why dehumanization comes about. Mental, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds must be understood to see how dehumanization is a complex process that requires all three factors to be effective. This requires understanding how the human mind works and the social systems that form once communities are formed. Ideas such as pseudospecies and essences are created to add legitimacy to this social distancing as language is also implemented to further separate one’s group from others. With this understood, one can find examples throughout history as one group battles another. The best examples come from soldier’s as they talk about their experiences in war. This involves understanding that war is not how it is portrayed in media. Killing is something that goes against human nature and it requires great strength to accept taking another’s life. Along with this, it is a much more complex process where killing is not always the ultimate goal. It is a more communal effort of acting as a group so that the opposing army flees or surrenders. This does not always work and sometimes killing is an inevitability. Now, not all killing is the same as there are “distances” that make some forms of killing more acceptable than others. This is combined with a soldier’s conditioning and drills so that they can overcome this initial fear of killing. It is a slippery slope however, as dehumanization and killing can lead to greater atrocities as people abuse the power they are trusted with.
ContributorsJohns, Noah Peter (Author) / Manninen, Bertha (Thesis director) / Toth, Stephen (Committee member) / School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
South Sudan is the world’s newest nation, having gained its independence in 2011. Despite significant promise, South Sudan faces many serious internal issues. Among the most pressing is the treatment and status of women and, in particular, their lack of involvement in the economy and in academia.
Women’s Education (WE) is our proposed nonprofit designed to address these problems by providing business education, financial assistance, and academic services to women business owners operating in South Sudan. We believe our targeted intervention in these areas will result in improved social and economic standing for women, the natural byproduct of which is an improved country with increased stability.
In the first half of this paper, we explore the social and historical context of South Sudan to illustrate both the need for (and viability of) of our organization. We outline what we will do to achieve our goal of equality within the business and academic sectors for women, and the effects such equality will have upon society.
In the second half of the paper, we address the logistics behind our operations, including our mission and vision, client needs, budget, management strategies, and other internal and external factors that need to be considered.
KEY WORDS: South Sudan, Gender, Business Education, Academic Intervention, Economy, Societal Infrastructure
Women’s Education (WE) is our proposed nonprofit designed to address these problems by providing business education, financial assistance, and academic services to women business owners operating in South Sudan. We believe our targeted intervention in these areas will result in improved social and economic standing for women, the natural byproduct of which is an improved country with increased stability.
In the first half of this paper, we explore the social and historical context of South Sudan to illustrate both the need for (and viability of) of our organization. We outline what we will do to achieve our goal of equality within the business and academic sectors for women, and the effects such equality will have upon society.
In the second half of the paper, we address the logistics behind our operations, including our mission and vision, client needs, budget, management strategies, and other internal and external factors that need to be considered.
KEY WORDS: South Sudan, Gender, Business Education, Academic Intervention, Economy, Societal Infrastructure
ContributorsPeter, Achirin (Co-author) / Castillo, Gemma (Co-author) / Goldman, Alan (Thesis director) / Samuelson, Melissa (Committee member) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies (Contributor) / Thunderbird School of Global Management (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
In this paper, we offer three legal bases for the continued legality of abortion in the U.S. in alternative to the current rationale set by Roe v. Wade. After a brief history of abortion law and rhetoric that shows the abortion debates to center on unanswered assumptions about the value and nature of human life, we first propose, through philosophical analysis, that an embryo does not merit the same legal protections as a born human because the status of being unborn marks it as fundamentally different from one. Secondly, we examine the legal principle of bodily integrity and demonstrate its clear application to the pregnant women, whose right over her own body, we argue, is unjustifiably curtailed by anti-abortion laws. Finally, we proffer that abortion is justified even if we grant the embryo personhood by applying the legal concept of medical power of attorney to the rights that parents have over their children.
ContributorsSalazar, Jakob Andrew (Author) / Huntington, Patricia (Thesis director) / Kim, Linda (Committee member) / School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies (Contributor) / School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05