Digital Commons Network^™

Racial Capitalism, The Precariat, And Us Immigration: Past And Present, Lily Dunkin

Scripps Senior Theses

Combining the lens of the political economic theories of Racial Capitalism and the Precariat, and applying them to a historical analysis of the US immigration system and its modern implications in US States, we are better able to understand to manner in which the immigration regime works to provide a cheap, exploitable labor force for US industry elites. By establishing and fortifying pre-existing racial hierarchies within the US while also utilizing the precariat’s philosophies on flexible labor and a lack of economic security, elites are able to weaponize the fear instilled by the US Immigration system and leverage their bottom …

Diversifying The Workforce: Women In Plumbing, Aviva Maxon

Scripps Senior Theses

Exploring the benefits and challenges of being women in plumbing through first person narratives.

Female Titin Mutant Mice Outperform Young And Old Males, Reese Ger

Scripps Senior Theses

Exercise performance is widely believed to generally be maximal among young males. However, little research has been conducted to investigate the impact of sex or age on muscle performance. This study investigated the effects of sex and age on forelimb and all limb grip strength performance in wildtype and titin mutant mice. Titin is the largest known protein, with known involvement in muscle function. The mice in this study were Ttn∆112-158 with a 75% deletion to the PEVK region of titin. Based on limited existing research, we hypothesized that wildtype mice would outperform all Ttn∆112-158 mice, males would outperform females …

An Investigation Of Empathy In Hcd, Zoey Lofgren

Scripps Senior Theses

Abstract

In this study, we investigated empathy within a human-centered design context. While empathy is a well-researched subject within the field of psychology, there is little experimental research on its application in design. As such, the term “empathy” is often thrown around with a lack of clarity about what it actually means in design courses. Empathy is a complex psychological phenomenon that allows us to respond to and understand others’ emotions, but it is unable to be “turned on.” This study specifically aims to address the question of whether or not empathy is actually used within design. Participants completed two …

Fetishized And Blamed: Attitudes Toward Asian American Women As Victims/Survivors Of Sexual Assault, Janey Matejka

Scripps Senior Theses

The present study sought to investigate whether there are differences in the perceptions of Asian American women as victims/survivors of sexual assault compared to White American women, as well as which factors may influence any differential attitudes. This study utilized an online survey format to present participants with a sexual assault vignette that featured either an Asian American woman or a White American woman as the victim. Participants (N = 256) were asked to assign blame to the victim and the perpetrator, as well as to categorize the vignette as either a crime or not. In addition, participants responded to …

Microbiological Investigation Of Local Native Clays And Samples From The Scripps Ceramic Studio, Kelly Fuller

Scripps Senior Theses

This study explores the relationship between microorganisms and clay using samples currently being utilized in the Lincoln Ceramics Studio at Scripps College. Clay science spans disciplines, from geology and soil science to industrial material development and artistic practices. Although biological processes have been thought to effect clay properties such as plasticity and malleability, the interplay between microorganisms and clay minerals has not been thoroughly investigated in the scientific community. Drawing from diverse disciplines, this research investigates the microbial ecology of clay bodies to unveil potential innovations in ceramics production. In this experiment, colony-forming unit (CFU) assays were performed in both …

Fugitive And Sumud Encounters: Geographies Of Black-Palestinian Transnational Refusal, Anna Babboni

Scripps Senior Theses

“Fugitive and Sumud Encounters: Geographies of Black-Palestinian Transnational Refusal” explores the parallel practices of Palestinian sumud, a “political-psycho-affective subjectivity” or philosophy of refusal that roughly translates to “steadfastness” from Arabic, and Black fugitivity, the practice by which Black folk find freedom and escape from the continual construction of Blackness as fungible object, rooted in histories of maroonage. Both practices of refusal are historically and spatially contingent, responding to conditions of settler colonial and anti-Black enclosure. However, when put into conversion, sumud and fugitivity are strikingly familiar in their methods of refusing liberal enclosure. In their overlap, sumud and fugitivity lay …

Subjectivity As A Predictor Of Adjective Ordering Preferences For Heritage Spanish Speakers, Louise Anne Schiele

Scripps Senior Theses

Adults, as well as children, tend to present adjective ordering preferences in their use of multi-adjective strings. For example, the ordering of “big blue bird” rather than “blue big bird” is reliably preferred for speakers of English. Subjectivity has been shown to be a robust predictor of these adjective ordering preferences, where less subjective adjectives are preferred closer to the noun. Still, much of the previous work on adjective ordering preferences has centered a monolingual experience, and has not considered if multilingual speakers differ in their presentation of these preferences, in any of the languages they speak. This study focused …

Demiana Ibrahim's Senior Recital: Music Across Continents And Centuries, Demiana Ibrahim

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis contains the recording and program notes of Demiana Ibrahim's Senior Recital in partial Completion of the Music major on the Performance track. The music performed is from a wide variety of composers, in addition to two transcribed from orchestral renditions by the performer herself. Beyond the composers expected in the Western canon, this performance includes music of North African origin, and highlights the first mainstream successful African American classical composer.

Conspiracy Theory Ideation In The Hypermodern Era: Epistemologies Of Conspiracy Communities On Reddit, Rachel L. Anderson

Scripps Senior Theses

Underpinning injurious right-wing political coalitions, anti-vaccination campaigns, out-group derogation, and, in drastic circumstances, instances of genocide, conspiracy theory informs myriad anthropogenic movements that jeopardize pillars of democracy and scientific reasoning. Yet, the label of “conspiracy theorist” is also manipulated and weaponized as a mechanism of social control. The epithet of conspiracy theorist may systematically deflect “questions or concerns about power, corruption, and motive” thus “demobilizing certain voices and issues in public discourse” (Husting and Orr 2007:127). The construction of conspiracy theorists as primitive champions of paranoid fantasy thus symbolically silences socially anomalous or embargoed discourse. Using a content analysis of …

Change Is Tradition: An Analysis Of The Passover Seder, Aviva Miller

Scripps Senior Theses

Through an examination of the origins of the Passover Seder and the Seder’s section on the four children, I argue that change and adaptation are essential components of the Passover traditions. These traditions have previously had to adapt, and must continue to adapt to the demands of changing historical circumstances. Creative adaptation that maintains roots in past iterations of the tradition will ensure that each generation feels the desire to continue passing down the Passover traditions.

Pinky Swear? We'll Be Together Forever: Queering Girlhood, Sophie Kim

Scripps Senior Theses

Throughout popular culture, friendships between girls are often portrayed as emotionally intimate partnerships. The fact that these relationships are rarely questioned about the possibility for attraction, while encounters between boys and girls often are, demonstrates the hegemony of the heteropatriarchal social order. The prevalence of passionate, partnership-like friendships among girls within mainstream society will be analyzed through a queer lens, positing that common conceptions of girlhood are inherently queer regardless of the presence of attraction. By conducting open-ended, semi-structured interviews, this qualitative research study aims to ask: how do young adults interpret their experiences with closeness in relationships with other …

Serving C*Nt: An Intersectional Historical Look At The Reclamation Of A Taboo Word, Dominique Godinez

Scripps Senior Theses

While the word cunt has been part of reclamation projects for over fifty years in the United States, particularly in the last year (2023) on social media platforms, the revalued word has gained popularity. With increased usage of a slur historically used against women, we’re left to wonder if reclamation is appropriate and who is participating in these processes. This thesis explores the trailblazers who began cunt’s reclamation –– Queer Ballroom performers and women-artists –– contextualizes its usage through widely understood reclamation principles, and offers considerations for cunt-curious folks. In a society that has othered and marginalized women and Queer …

The Female Force: Gender Salience And Political Interests In The 2011 Tunisian Revolution, Katherine Meagor

Scripps Senior Theses

To acknowledge the role of women and their rights in Tunisian society, the 2011 Tunisian Revolution offers a case study for the multi-faceted dimensions of political movements that affect civil society. With the understanding that women exercised political agency differently and were affected by the changing political opportunity structure, this study aims to address the following questions: how did women navigate their female gender identity and political interests during the 2011 Tunisian Revolution? How did gender identity affect female participation during the Revolution? How did the Revolution prompt activism among women? How did the intersection of various identities contribute to …

Subverting Gendered Destiny: Willa Cather's Revision Of The Bildungsroman In The Great Plains Trilogy, Lauren Marler

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis explores the question: How does Cather employ the Bildungsroman genre in My Ántonia, and what are the implications of this? I argue that Cather engages with the traditionally male Bildungsroman in order to expose the genre’s narrow ideas of success, specifically in its focus on social integration. As Cather transgresses the traditional Bildungsroman, she also revises female archetypes, such as those found in the Seduction Plot and the Marriage Plot, which present female coming-of-age stories as downward spirals: with protagonists ending up unhappy or dead. Instead, Cather imagines a hopeful ending for Ántonia which disrupts generic expectations …

The Effect Of Light Intensity On Wolf Spider Foraging, Julia Amoroso

Scripps Senior Theses

Light is of primary importance to most living organisms and most of the Earth’s natural processes. However, with rapidly expanding urbanization, humans have substantially impacted light metrics through the increase of artificial light. Artificial light pollution has been found to have a variety of behavioral and physiological effects on different organisms. However, less is understood about how light impacts community-scale interactions between different trophic levels. Here, we examined the influence of light exposure on nocturnal wolf spider (Schizocosa myccooki) foraging and interaction with red runner cockroach prey (Blatta lateralis). Of equal interest as the study …

She's More Than Just A Pretty Face: Redefining, Reimagining, And Retelling The Femme Fatale's Story In A Concert Dance Setting, Loren Mello

Scripps Senior Theses

The femme fatale remains a staple icon in the media zeitgeist – a power-hungry woman unafraid to wield her sexuality as a weapon against unsuspecting men. While this character has usually represented a socially unacceptable version of womanhood, this narrative feels particularly relevant within our current sociopolitical context – one in which repressive, “traditional” notions of womanhood and, more specifically, female sexuality are being promoted on the national stage. This thesis seeks to further develop the femme fatale character by offering insight into her personal experience of pursuing empowerment within a patriarchal structure that seeks to violently silence her, exposing …

Understanding Dictators' Violent Repression And How It's Remembered, Juliet Welk

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis examines the use of violent repression by dictators and the ways in which that violence is remembered, particularly through the lenses of literature and film. The first chapter will deal with the questions of when dictators choose to use violence as opposed to other forms of repression and against whom the violence is used. To do so, it will employ select cases to test a number of possible answers. The second chapter, written in Spanish, will analyze the memory of Francisco Franco’s dictatorship in Spain, focusing on the empowerment of previously-silenced voices. The third chapter, written in Italian, …

The Effects Of Seaweed Farming On Local Ecosystems In The United States, Reid Cohen

Pitzer Senior Theses

In my thesis, I explore how seaweed farming contributes to the regeneration of marine ecosystems, supports biodiversity, and assists in harmful nutrient removal. Seaweed farming is a relatively unexplored industry in the United States with huge carbon capturing potential. Seaweed farming poses a significant opportunity for a project that has the potential to sequester carbon, increase biodiversity, protect coastal ecosystems, naturally clean water, provide biofuel capabilities, substitute as livestock fodder which then decreases methane emissions, along with many more benefits. Kelp supports biodiversity in marine ecosystems and provides essential habitats for various species. The seaweed farming industry holds profound potential …

Paths To Belonging: How Chinese Parachute Kids Construct Identity Across Borders, Huiying Chen

Pitzer Senior Theses

Chinese parachute kids, defined as unaccompanied minor who study in foreign countries alone while their parents remain in China, represent a unique segment of international students.This research specifically focusing on Chinese parachute kids studying in the U.S. Grounded in interviews with nineteen individuals who were once parachute kids, this study challenges the popular view that all international students have monolithic experiences especially within the assimilationist framework.

I propose a typology of three orientations (the heritage, the instrumental, and the global) and argue that Chinese parachute kids’ orientation determines their sense of belonging and their approaches to embeddedness in American educational …

Roadblocks Ahead: High-Speed Rail Setbacks In The United States—Reflections And Ramifications, Sophie Dorn

Pitzer Senior Theses

This thesis analyzes the current state of High-Speed Rail (HSR) development within the United States and the reasoning behind its historical failure. Through frameworks such as funding and organizational structure of public or private entities (or both), this paper focuses on three case studies: The Northeast Corridor Improvement Project, Florida’s Brightline, and the California High-Speed Rail Project. With an additional scope of organizational studies, this thesis assesses the current state of HSR within the U.S. and considers approaches that could work best, given well-documented hindrances. Although originally hypothesized that a public-private partnership would be the most successful strategy for U.S. …

Corporate Influence At Public Universities: Upholding The Conventional Agricultural Paradigm, Michaela Jones

Pitzer Senior Theses

The agriculture sector is responsible for feeding the planet but faces many growing threats as climate change worsens. Conventional agriculture practices, which are widespread, are both contributing to climate change and likely to become less feasible in future years. Regenerative agriculture provides a possible path forward but is not widely studied at public and land grant universities where much agricultural research takes place, in part because of significant corporate influence at these schools. Corporate influence can take many forms, and can include research funding by individual companies or industry groups, philanthropic giving in the form of buildings, research centers, and …

Technology Affordances And Curriculum Flexibility In Higher Education Blended Learning, Clement Chimezie Aladi

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation explores technological affordances in blended learning, their influence on the flexibility of statistics and data science curricula, and students' satisfaction with learning. While blended learning is often perceived as a flexible learning approach, its correlation with flexibility lacks substantial evidence in existing literature. This study contends that technological affordances significantly impact curriculum flexibility in blended learning, an aspect currently underrepresented in blended learning educational literature. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of Technology Affordance and Constraint Theory (TACT) and Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge (TPACK), this research investigated six hypotheses to elucidate how technological affordances and the teacher's technology …

Character Of Coaching: The Work Of Instructional Coaches In K-12 School Districts, Lorra Wells

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This multiple case study explored the relationship between school district and school site environments and the character of instructional coaching. Across the US billions of dollars are spent every year on professional development for teachers, and over the last few decades, coaching, as a form of professional development, has grown in prominence. However, studies have identified that many coaches are spending only a fraction of their overall time engaging in high-leverage coaching practices with teachers. This study sought to explain the district and site environmental factors and the personal attributes of coaches that impact the work of coaches through close …

Mobile Food Displacement And Formalization: A Case Study Of Portland’S Block 216, Marcello Ursic

Pomona Senior Theses

Portland has been on the cutting edge of American mobile food for over fifteen years, becoming a critical darling in the popular and academic press for its role in trailblazing progressive mobile food policy buttressed by broad-based civic engagement. In recent years, Portland’s mobile food landscape has begun shifting as downtown development has picked up post-recession, displacing some of the oldest and most prominent city center food cart pods with others likely to follow. Meanwhile, a new breed of formalized, purpose-built food cart pods has gained ascendancy. Called “food courtyards,” their armored, insulated, and bourgeois character is distinct from traditional …

The Unseen River And Infrastructural Silences: The Santa Ana River And The Ontology Of Floods, Cooper Lennon Crane

Pomona Senior Theses

This article discusses the history of land development and infrastructure along the Santa Ana River in Southern California. The river plays a significant role in the landscape of many of Southern California’s cities and urban geographies but has been relatively underdiscussed in literature. This article approaches the river using a combination of historic ethnography and sociocultural theory to unpack the meanings of the infrastructure of the river and its relation to Southern Californians. From these meanings, the article places the river in context with environmental politics, urban development, and water management issues in California today. The article argues that the …

Lingering Presence: (T)Racing Chinese Community In The Borderlands, Reia Li

Pomona Senior Theses

By the mid-1900s, although there were only around 700 Chinese people in Tucson, Arizona, there were over 100 Chinese-owned markets. These small grocery stores were located in Mexican American barrios and served mainly Mexican, Indigenous, and Black people. Starting from these stores and moving to other spaces important to the Chinese community, this work explores race as a spatial process and space as a racialized project. Drawing on anthropology, geography, and Asian/American studies, this thesis (t)races the transformations of Chinese homes, grocery stores, and suburban spaces throughout the 20th century, examining the racial meanings that these places both emerged from …

Justice As Fairness Or As Inclusion: Putting Rawls In Conversation With The Bans On Transgender Athletes, Nicole Player

Pomona Senior Theses

The last decade has seen a flurry of anti-transgender bills introduced and passed in the United States, and the topic that has likely been the most hotly debated regards the dozens of state bans on transgender athletes. While most discussions of these bans go straight to a debate about physiology, this thesis centers instead on a question of justice. In the debate of whether to allow a transgender girl to compete in girls’ sports, is it more “just” to prioritize fairness in women’s sport, as these bans do, or is it more just to prioritize inclusion? This thesis, in finding …

Costuming The Californian Apocalypse: Sartorial Speculations Of Los Angeles's Future, Isabel Kramer

Scripps Senior Theses

With this project, I use fashion design as a medium to visually speculate a range of futures that exist in relation to different temporal apocalypses and dystopian world endings under the current capitalist structure. Three questions guided my thinking and creation of this project: What will people be wearing in 100 years in Los Angeles if we continue down our current path of late capitalism-induced climate change? How will this look differently for people who exist alongside different axes of oppression and who are affected by environmental racisms that manifest in the built environment of Los Angeles? How do dystopian …

Nitrate Contamination In Two California Groundwater Basins: What Creates Disparities?, Catherine Protiva

Scripps Senior Theses

Nitrate contamination is a major problem within California groundwater basins. A form of nitrogen, nitrates leach into groundwater aquifers from the surface where they remain for many decades. The most common source for the contaminant is agricultural sources like nitrogen fertilizer. Consequently, the problem is concentrated in regions of the state with a history of large-scale agricultural production. When water is pulled from contaminated basins and used as drinking water, the nitrates can cause serious negative health consequences, most commonly methemoglobinemia, also known as blue baby syndrome. In this thesis, I will examine what factors contribute to a region’s ability …