Matching Items (12)
Description
A recent trend in literary research has focused on how authors' use of space reveals underlying motivations and conveys thematic information. In this thesis, the role that space plays in Dostoevsky's portrayal of freedom in the novel Crime and Punishment is analyzed with a focus on the physical spaces of St. Petersburg, the mental spaces formed by characters in the story, and how the barriers to the realization of freedom manifest in both. Although Dostoevsky is one of the most notable authors of the Petersburg genre and there has been a lot of discussion about his treatment of individual freedom, there hasn't been a close analysis done in the field that addresses freedom through the analysis of spatial motifs. While all of the characters exist in a common space, they each show a unique approach to their environment due to their personal ideologies, suggesting that they each also realize a varying degree of freedom. I closely analyze the characters Raskolnikov, Svidrigailov, Katerina, Luzhin, Marmeladov, Sonya, and Porfiry as examples of the hierarchy of realized freedom that they attain in the book as seen through their ideologies in interaction with space. Looking at how Dostoevsky presents the environments of the text as either reflections or sources of conflict for characters' mental ideologies, one can see that freedom requires both interaction with the real world as well as a stable lens through which one may perceive it, ultimately necessitating that individuals embrace the potential of suffering as well.
ContributorsVanderveen, Lexie Michael (Author) / Popova, Laura (Thesis director) / Stoff, Laurie (Committee member) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
The purpose of this thesis project is to situate emotional knowledge of conventional and alternative menstrual products within cultural processes that construct menstrual shame and taboo. This study employs both quantitative and qualitative research methods - a survey distributed via snowball recruitment and an age-selected follow-up oral interview- to analyze emotions associated with specific menstrual products. I find that fear and disgust are the two most significant emotions to influence menstrual product choice - fear associated predominantly with penetrative internal products and disgust associated with external products that do not sufficiently contain the chaotic flow of menstrual blood. Ultimately, I argue that menstrual disgust and shame born from the construction of the menstruating female body as anarchic, threatening, and inferior to the male body permeates the daily lives of women through their relationships to and emotions towards menstrual products, their periods, and their bodies in general. I discuss how these relationships are modulated throughout the lifecycle by approaches to formal menstrual education approaches that instill shame and disgust, as well as the embodied experiences of pregnancy and birth. I also discuss implications for activist approaches to menstrual education and present the issue of menstrual suppression via birth control.
ContributorsMurray, Sarah Anne (Author) / Loebenberg, Abby (Thesis director) / Graff, Sarah (Thesis director) / Stoff, Laurie (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-12
Description
My thesis explores the role that implicit gender bias plays in the courtroom. From personal experience, I have seen the way that gender has been a factor in the courtroom as a result of both competing in and coaching Mock Trial. As a competitor, my gender was always a factor in that I was told that I couldn't do something because I am female. As a coach, I found myself reinforcing these ideas of gender because that was what I was taught, even though I didn't agree with them. I decided to explore the role of gender in the courtroom using Mock Trial as a framework to study how implicit gender biases is present. As a result of my research, I argue that implicit gender bias is present in the courtroom, and that these biases create barriers for female success. I have conducted research based on a variety of sources, beginning with looking at the role women have historically played in the courtroom to current issues facing women attorneys today. I have researched the role of implicit gender bias and studied how these biases impact women and hinder their success. I conducted research through distribution of the coach survey and analyzed the responses. From these finding I have concluded that implicit gender bias is a factor in the courtroom and that these biases tend to negatively affect women competitors. I conclude that that more research and studies need to be done to make individuals aware of how implicit gender bias functions in the courtroom and how coaches in Mock Trial may be contributing to the reinforcement of these biases.
ContributorsDuarte Luna, Ariana Maria (Author) / Stoff, Laurie (Thesis director) / Amazeen, Nia (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
The Vietnam War had a lasting effect on both the men and the women who served. While there appears to be plenty of research on how the war impacted the lives of the men, there is very little publicity given to how the war impacted the women, despite the extensive documentation in the forms of oral histories and studies. By looking at oral histories and various studies on different aspects of service, such as PTSD, experience, combat exposure, and gender in the conflict, this study recognizes the gaps in the examination of the nurse's experiences in Vietnam. It strives to contribute to the process of forming a more comprehensive study of how the war impacted the women who served. This study will answer the following questions: How did the experiences of the Vietnam War change the lives of the women who served as nurses? What struggles did they face while in service and when they returned home? How did the war impact them psychologically and, thus, change their behavior? Since the majority of the women who served were Army medical personnel, this study will focus on that population. This study begins with an investigation of their prewar lives, their reasons for joining the Army Nurse Corps, and their experiences in basic training. It analyzes their services in Vietnam by examining their experiences, gender roles, and working conditions. Finally, it explores the impact of the war on their lives, through an analysis of their homecoming, the controversy of Agent Orange, and PTSD. It shows how many of these factors would overlap with their experiences, causing trauma and a change in the behavior of these women. In many cases, the nurses changed from innocent and sheltered to depressed, angry, and struggling with their memories. Their experiences before, during, and after the war changed their perceptions of the world and themselves, resulting in increased anxiety, the need for adrenaline, and isolationist behaviors. The war was indiscriminate, and therefore, had a similar impact on both the men and women involved.
ContributorsHommel, Chiara (Author) / Longley, Kyle (Thesis director) / Stoff, Laurie (Committee member) / Giner, Oscar (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
In responding to any human rights violation, two questions often arise: what can be done, and who should do it? In response to the horrible violation that is sex trafficking in Russia and Ukraine, this paper will explore the historical, social, political, and economic context that facilitates trafficking, identify common understandings of the issue and corresponding approaches, and attempt to synthesize an approach to combatting sex trafficking that will be most effective in Russia and Ukraine. I will argue that an effective anti-trafficking strategy requires four axes of approach, and that current efforts in Russia and Ukraine are currently insufficient in meeting the demands of those axes.
ContributorsJay, Emily (Author) / Stoff, Laurie (Thesis director) / Von Hagen, Mark (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
The aging apartment blocks (nicknamed “khrushchyovka”, or plural “khrushchyovki” for Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev) of the former USSR are facing demolition, despite the fact that many low income families still depend on these units for housing. This paper researches the development of the khrushchyovka and its estate leading up to the post-Soviet period and examines case studies to assess how these buildings can be modernized to spare them from demolition and to continue to serve as a reliable low-cost housing option. Studying how other projects have addressed similar problems in their architecture, these findings will be synthesized to present a full but minimally invasive khrushchyovka retrofit prototype, with improvements that will culminate in a more energy efficient, sustainable, and comfortable living environment for residents. This prototype provides a standardized template of services and improvements to be made, and can be adjusted to include specific features that meet the needs of a certain climate or location. In the early 1960s during the Khrushchev administration, these housing blocks made from prefabricated insulated concrete panels were constructed all over the USSR to alleviate housing shortages. A lot of them have an in practice service life of 150 years, meaning that many are incredibly durable with millions of people still living in them today. With their small size (ranging from 323 to 646 ft² depending on the number of bedrooms), they continue to be a suitable housing choice for low income small families and young people (Aliashkevich 31). Amid the threat of demolition to make way for cheaply made luxury-priced condos, many residents in the former USSR contend that their beloved khrushchyovki should be preserved (Watson), as they still have the capacity to be renovated in the interest of energy efficiency, cost savings, and community comfort.
ContributorsAndres, Christine (Author) / Perkins, Samantha (Thesis director) / Stoff, Laurie (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / The Design School (Contributor)
Created2021-12
Description
This thesis examines the influence of the Communist International (Comintern) on communist parties in Germany and Spain in the early years after the Russian Revolution. Specific attention is focused on the process of bolshevization, through which communists in other countries were forced to use the theory and tactics of the Bolsheviks in Russia, and the impact of this process on the March Action (1921) and German October (1923). This study questions the current historiographical dichotomy of bolshevization, which focuses on control and freedom in the relationship between the Comintern and national communist parties. Instead, the study suggests that exploring the theory and practice of bolshevization may elucidate complex realities and shed light on the influence of the Comintern on revolutionary movements.
ContributorsDurland, Cassidy (Author) / Mann, Yan (Thesis director) / Stoff, Laurie (Committee member) / Kucherenko, Olga (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Historical, Philosophical & Religious Studies, Sch (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description
Psychological studies and feminist theories have determined the existence of many forms of
male bias in the English language. Male bias can be traced through American history in the form of laws of coverture and the categorization of women in law. Taking into account the connections between sexist language, history, and law, this paper investigates 1) how and why legal language is biased, 2) why male bias has persisted in law over time, and 3) what impact male-biased law has on women. The works of ancient philosophers, feminist historians, psycholinguistic scientists, and modern philosophers of law are used to explain the patriarchal gender hierarchy’s influence on law. Case law and legal policies demonstrate that sexism has been maintained through history due to the preservation of male-biased language and the exclusion of women from the public sphere. Today, the use of masculine generics continues to taint the legal profession by reflecting, rather than denouncing, its patriarchal roots.
male bias in the English language. Male bias can be traced through American history in the form of laws of coverture and the categorization of women in law. Taking into account the connections between sexist language, history, and law, this paper investigates 1) how and why legal language is biased, 2) why male bias has persisted in law over time, and 3) what impact male-biased law has on women. The works of ancient philosophers, feminist historians, psycholinguistic scientists, and modern philosophers of law are used to explain the patriarchal gender hierarchy’s influence on law. Case law and legal policies demonstrate that sexism has been maintained through history due to the preservation of male-biased language and the exclusion of women from the public sphere. Today, the use of masculine generics continues to taint the legal profession by reflecting, rather than denouncing, its patriarchal roots.
ContributorsHabib, Shanika Sabin (Author) / Stoff, Laurie (Thesis director) / Fedock, Rachel (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
During the First and Second World Wars, the totality of global war and the involvement of the United States necessitated the use of American women within military medical services as nurses. Military nursing served as a catalyst for professionalizing nursing as well as the entrance women into US military jobs. This thesis explores American women’s military nursing roles during WWI and WWII within the historical context of the precedence set for female nurses’ involvement in wartime medical service in both the American Civil War and the Spanish Civil War. In so doing, it seeks to answer specific research questions focused on nurse’s wartime experiences, the formality of their role, and public perceptions of female nurses. I will examine the change over time of these issues and reasons for their evolution.
ContributorsGlew, Haley Nicole (Author) / Stoff, Laurie (Thesis director) / Foote, Nicola (Committee member) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
This thesis examines the influence of the Russian oil firm Lukoil on the economic and cultural landscape of the town of Kogalym. Analyzing the propensity of Lukoil to facilitate the creation of both physical and cultural infrastructure, I scrutinize the effects of intervention for the sake of profit. Especially in rural Siberian towns that are in close proximity to petroleum reserves, oil companies often fund cultural tradition, identity, and education projects. In doing this, these corporations decide which elements of Russian culture are worthy of celebration and remembrance. I further argue that vulnerable people are typically subjugated by oil firms in the pursuit of revenue. Able-bodied men are exploited for their labor, women are counted on to turn temporary settlements-which I define as "shift cities"-into thriving cities, and indigenous Russians are expected to give up land that could aid in the oil production process. With seemingly endless wealth at its disposal, companies like Lukoil attempt to instill "ideal" values into the residents of their cities in an attempt to curate a group of people that feel indebted to the firms for funding their livelihoods. By autonomously deciding what defines Russian identity, I argue that these oil conglomerates ultimately exert financial and cultural control on the people they purport to be helping. This is not without consequence, and I carefully explore the unintended effects of this intervention, such as the rise of illicit economies, arrested development shift cities, the plight of indigenous Russians who find themselves in land disputes with oil firms, and the environmental consequences of the imperfect Russian oil infrastructure.
ContributorsPeist, Emerald Celine Brewer (Author) / Stoff, Laurie (Thesis director) / Popova, Laura (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05