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"You Do Not Want To Go To The Island: "A Rhetorical Panorama Of "The Island", William Logan Barron

Senior Honors Theses

The first glance at the tropical haven emerging from the luminous teal waters arouses an awe of such a paradise. The inhabitants of a facility in the Michael Bay film, The Island, daily abide in that awe, assured in their eminent continuance succeeding a lethal global contamination. Their perception, however, is limited.

The inhabitants are components of a rhetorical vision and their view of the Island is less that panoramic. Through a rare analysis of film, the device of Fantasy Theme Analysis, devised by Ernest Bormann, interfaced with a notion of vampiring, an unobstructed cyclorama of the Island is made …

"Some Spirit Was Pursuing All Of Us": Literary Perspectives On Death, Tess Stockslager

Senior Honors Theses

This paper will pursue the theme of death as a transgression against the created order through the works of five authors-the Apostle Paul, William Shakespeare, Alfred Telmyson, Dylan Thomas, and J.R.R. Tolkien-while also providing a brief overview of the perspectives on death presented in each author's writings. The paper will demonstrate that although the five authors treat death with varying degrees of positive and negative tone, often in proportion to the orthodoxy of their Christian beliefs, their writings are in agreement that man was not created to die, and that death should not be spoken or written of lightly.

The Traveling Salesman Problem: Deceptivley Easy To State; Notoriously Hard To Solve, David Biron

Senior Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to give an overview of the history of the Traveling Salesman Problem and to show how it has been an integral part of the development of the fields of Integer Programming, and Combinatorial Optimization. The thesis starts in the 1800s and progresses through current attempts on solutions of the problem. The thesis is not meant to describe in detail every attempt made, nor to describe an original solution, but to provide a high level overview of every solution attempt, and to guide the reader on what has been done, and what still can be …

A Piece Of The Educational Puzzle, Lauren D. Fowler

Senior Honors Theses

The quality of education in America has not paralleled her vast achievements. In an effort to lessen mediocrity within the educational system, the standards-based education movement has begun to establish levels of information taught at each grade level. This educational reform which attempts to raise the quality of education across the nation has been implemented locally through the Virginia Standards of Learning. The Standards of Learning framework highlights the necessity of proficient communication for the sake of the future ambitions of students. Such an objective has been attained through grammatical instruction of Standard English integrated within the language arts. Although …

Economic Value Added: The Accurate Method Of Company Valuation And Just Compensation For Management, Brett Kimball

Senior Honors Theses

Shareholders rely on accounting figures that do not indicate true performance and are known to be easily manipulated. Manager incentives, which are focused on these figures, must be changed in order to reward managers for honest corporate governance. The pursuit of corporate governance requires adjustments to internal reports and valuation methods. Economic Value Added (EV A) is a method that truly measures economic value and requires managers to return the cost of capital to lenders and shareholders. Some companies that have not required a minimum return from investment projects have gotten themselves into financial ruin arid even turned to corrupt …

The Ecology Of The Peaks Of Otter Salamander (Plethodon Hubrichti) In The Contact Zone With The Redback Salamander (P. Cinereus), Andrew B. Kniowski

Senior Honors Theses

The Peaks of Otter Salamander Plethodon hubrichti is found only in the Peaks of Otter area in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia where its range is completely surrounded by the Redback Salamander P. cinereus. In 2005 we conducted a mark-recapture study in the contact zone of P. hubrichti and P. cinereus. From a 10 × 10 m site a total of 349 (including 131 recaps) P. hubrichti and 229 (including 63 recaps) P. cinereus were collected. The number of salamanders collected at the surface correlated with the number of days without rainfall prior to a collection event which was …

“A Most Modest Wish”: The Ideal Form Of Dostoevsky’S Russia, Beth Darlene Ridenoure

Senior Honors Theses

Nineteenth-century Russia experienced a crisis of identity rooted in cultural ambivalence. Adoption of Western ideals seemed necessary to effect modernization, but westernization ran counter to the growing trend to idealize native Russian culture. Indecisive governmental policies evidenced this ambivalence, as did the developing Russian literary tradition. Relying on a traditional link between politics and religion, the literary elite created a uniquely Russian ideal identity, the authority of which was legitimized by the use of religious language. The problem Russia faced was to resolve the tension between this ideal and the reality of existing social and political forms.

Although Russia’s government …

Impact Of Premarital Preparation Programs, Nicole Elise Humphrey

Senior Honors Theses

Premarital preparation is usually a requirement for marriage when a couple chooses to many in a religious institution. For centuries pastors have counseled couples before they walk down the aisle. Recently there have been developments in premarital preparation with the creation of premarital inventories. There is also an increased interest in Community Marriage Policies. This paper evaluated current status of premarital preparation. The city of Lynchburg, VA received attention by the researcher and there was an evaluation of the current needs for premarital preparation of engaged couples. Goals were created based on the needs and actions were carried out by …

Minority Presence And Portrayal In Mainstream Magazine Advertising, Megan Kathleen Joiner

Senior Honors Theses

In the spring of 1997, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly published a study by Lawrence Bowen and Jill Schmid entitled "Minority Presence and Portrayal in Mainstream Magazine Advertising: An Update." The two professors of communication had selected editions from 1987 and 1992 of nine mass circulation magazines with a significant minority readership and coded every advertisement in those magazines for minority presence and portrayal. They found that the use of African-Americans in magazine advertisements had increased since the results of past studies had been published, but that the use of Hispanics and Asians remained minimal. They also found that the …

Constructing One Component Of A Survey Instrument To Measure The Influence Of An Athletic Trainer's Worldview In His Decision Making Process, Daniel Preusser

Senior Honors Theses

Athletic trainers are often put in situations where they may be pressured to make morally compromising decisions regarding issues ranging from insurance fraud to substance abuse. The Athletic Training Department at Liberty University seeks to produce findings based on the results of a survey focusing on the role that an athletic trainer's worldview plays in these decision-making processes that shows a correlation between an individual's worldview and the types of decisions he makes. It is the goal of the Liberty University Athletic Training Program to determine how significant the effects of an athletic trainer's worldview would have on the decisions …

Alcohol Behaviors And Attitudes: Liberty University, Lucas E. Vannoy

Senior Honors Theses

The Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study (CAS) is an ongoing, multiyear study that has included to date over 14,000 students at 120 four-year colleges throughout America which accesses alcohol attitudes and behaviors. The purpose of this research is to extend that study by altering the instrument used in the CAS, making it more relevant to Liberty University students. Few institutions, if any, which were studied previously, strictly prohibit alcohol use for all students. Therefore, the research will also assist in determining if Liberty University policies against drinking alcohol are stringent enough to discourage the act. The binge …

The Experiences Of Childbirth: Personal Stories Of Mam Women From Comitancillo, Guatemala, Kristina Cottrell

Senior Honors Theses

This phenomenological research study examines the attitudes and actions that surround the experience of childbearing among women in a Maya-Marn community of highland Guatemala. This area typifies the indigenous underprivileged population of Central America that has attracted international attention for poor maternal-child health outcomes and resistance to attempts at bio-medical interventions in obstetrics. Interviews were conducted among women with obstetrical experience wherein they described their traditional practices and attitudes towards modern medical care during childbirth. It was found that participants preferred traditional methods of care, but were willing to integrate bio-medical care into their realm of experience in the event …

Kierkegaard And The Freedom Of The Will, Joseph F. Super

Senior Honors Theses

Mid-nineteenth century Denmark was a center of Lutheran Christianity characterized by dry, passionless, ritualism. All citizens were member of the state church, and thus considered Christian, but the churches themselves did not proclaim the Gospel in a way commensurate with their namesake, Martin Luther. Into this spiritual wasteland stepped Soren Kierkegaard. An outspoken critic of the Danish Church, Kierkegaard sought to proclaim the true Christianity to the people of Denmark. Generally, Kierkegaard's writings reflect the central theological tenets of the refol1ner himself, but many places in his writing appear to reflect some sort of synergistic position with regards to salvation. …

The Effect Of Summer Enrollment In The Boys And Girls Club On Adolescent Peer Attachment, Erik Donavan Henkel

Senior Honors Theses

The formation of friendships is an important developmental step for adolescents. Peer attachment is an attachment relationship that adolescents develop with their closest friends. Research studying peer attachment has divided it into three major categories: trust, communication, and alienation, the later of which is an inverse measure of peer attachment. Youth organizations like the Boys and Girls Club of America (BGCA) offers places outside of school where adolescents can socialize with their peers. This study measured whether the BGCA had a significant impact on increasing peer attachment, trust, and communication while reducing alienation. Adolescents were tested at a local BGCA …

The New York Stock Exchange: Generally Accepted Accounting Principles Versus International Financial Reporting Standards, Heather Bolling

Senior Honors Theses

Due to the growth of international business transactions and cross-border expansions, acceptable accounting principles and guidelines are among the most controversial issues being debated in the business arena. Current regulations require that any business listing with the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) report financial statements in compliance with the United States' Financial Accounting Standards Board's (FASB) set of standards, also known as the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). However, many countries follow the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) upheld by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). The NYSE's requirement causes both trouble and confusion for foreign companies. Should the NYSE …

Northern Saw-Whet Owl Summary And Comparisons Of Camp Hydaway And Surrounding Virginia Coastal Plains And Mountain Regions, Tanner Eiden

Senior Honors Theses

Migrating Northern Saw-whet Owls were captured and banded at a site in the Virginia Piedmont in the fall of 2005, and the results were compared with the results of banding from the previous three years. The results were also compared to similar efforts to monitor migration that were made on the coastal plains and the mountain regions of Virginia in these same years. Migration volume was higher in the mountains compared to the piedmont and coast, and the mountains experienced the earliest migration peak, followed by the piedmont, and then the coastal plain. There was not a significant difference between …

The Effects Of Family Background And Religion On Leadership, Holly R. Hastings

Senior Honors Theses

This study examined the role of family background and religion in predicting leadership skills. Research showed that the impact families and religion have on children and adolescents is significant, influencing children's attributes, habits, and beliefs for their entire lives. The experiment tested university student leaders for a significant effect of family background and religious upbringing on their leadership skills. The subjects were given an informed consent form, a demographics survey, the Santa Clara Religious Faith Questionnaire, and the Student Leadership Practices Inventory. Results are expected to show that a student from a non-divorced, stable family and a religious upbringing will …

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Healing The Body And Mind, Ann Galgano

Senior Honors Theses

Each day hospitals strive to provide optimal care for physically traumatized patients. While the word "trauma" is often associated with the physical injuries of patients in an emergency room or an intensive care unit, the meaning may be significantly different to the one who has been traumatized. At a glance, a patient who enters the hospital as a victim of sexual assault or a motor vehicle accident (MV A) may appear to have sustained only a severe physically traumatic event. If one looks closer and uses other senses such as hearing, touch, and personal, intimate eye-to-eye communication, then one would …