Digital Commons Network^™

Sacred And Mortuary Landscapes In Iron Age Cyprus: A Gis Analysis, James P. Torpy

Senior Independent Study Theses

During the Archaic period (750-480 BC) the island of Cyprus underwent a dramatic transformation as new city-kingdoms rose to dominate the political landscape of the island. This shift resulted in increased competition for resources, establishment of political boundaries, and emergence of a pronounced social hierarchy within the new polities. While many of the large settlements that became centers of power during this time have been thoroughly studied, the manifestation of the large scale changes of the Archaic in the periphery have not been as fully investigated. The rural site of Athienou-Malloura, surveyed and excavated by the Athienou Archaeological Project …

I Don't Play Chess: A Study Of Chess Piece Generating Polynomials, Stephen R. Skoch

Senior Independent Study Theses

This independent study examines counting problems of non-attacking rook, and non-attacking bishop placements. We examine boards for rook and bishop placement with restricted positions and varied dimensions. In this investigation, we discuss the general formula of a generating function for unrestricted, square bishop boards that relies on the Stirling numbers of the second kind. We discuss the maximum number of bishops we can place on a rectangular board, as well as a brief investigation of non-attacking rook placements on three-dimensional boards, drawing a connection to latin squares.

Metamorphosis And Persona In Ned Rorem's Poems Of Love And The Rain, Jacob Boca

Senior Independent Study Theses

Ned Rorem’s 1963 song cycle for mezzo-soprano, Poems of Love and the Rain, presents settings of texts by eight American authors loosely centered on the subject of unrequited love. The cycle’s formal structure is particularly unique given that each text is set twice, with contrasting settings placed directly opposite each other along the cycle’s temporal plane. That is, the sequential ordering of texts, one to nine then back to one, yields an overarching pyramidal or mirror form. The following study examines text-music relationships, both at various moments within the cycle and between contrasting settings, with the ultimate goal of …

The Effectiveness Of The Strategies Interest Groups Use To Influence Health Care Reform In The United States: A Case Study Analysis Of President Clinton, Bush, And Obama's Health Care Reforms, Jacquelyn E. Hannan

Senior Independent Study Theses

This independent study explores the effectiveness of the strategies interest groups use to influence health care reform in the United States. This is done through testing three hypotheses The hypotheses are: 1) With all other things being equal, interest groups who are more active with the reform movement are more likely to be successful in their goals than those who are less active, 2) With all other things being equal, interest groups who are aligned with presidential health care reform initiatives are more likely to be successful in their goals than those who are not aligned, and 3) With all …

History In The Hand Through Functional Ceramics, Katherine E. Stephens

Senior Independent Study Theses

No abstract provided.

***Blksavage: A Study On The Elements Of Traditional Radical Black Political Theories & Their Contributions To Contemporary Black Political Thought, Jestin B. Kusch

Senior Independent Study Theses

What mechanisms of the Traditional Radical Black Political Theorists' ideologies have crossed into Contemporary Black Political Thought, and how can these elements contribute to the progression of African Americans and racial equality in the United States, today? I approach the theorists (Malcolm X; Huey Newton; Angela Davis; Tupac Shakur; and Patricia Hill Collins) from a historical/ theoretical perspective, while avoiding narrative explanations of each individuals lives. My goal In this study was to do a critical comparative analysis - both within the respective times (1960-1985; 1985-present), and through a cross time analysis to answer my research question. I finally offer …

'You Are Who We Say You Are': The Politics Of Ethnicity In Post-Genocidal Rwanda And Bosnia-Herzegovina, Stephanie A. Sugars

Senior Independent Study Theses

The establishment of peace in post-genocidal states is vital, as the experience of extreme division and violence can scar a population, contributing to violence and inequality moving forward. Existing literature on post-conflict transition and governance argues that two main systems are typically used: consociationalism and assimilationism. While consociationalism argues for heterogeneity in the state and assimilationism for homogeneity, both of these systems use the institutionalization of identity as a step in post-conflict recovery, through such means as proscribing or privileging particular identities. This study posits that this is inherently flawed, as attempts to institutionalize identity ignore its contextually fluid or …

Masculine Space: The Final Frontier; A Historical Analysis Of The Spatial Politics Of Gender Through The New Woman’S Access To Brassieres, Bicycles, And Higher Education In The United States From 1890-1930, Shelby Kirst Goldman

Senior Independent Study Theses

1890-1930 was a time of major social and cultural shifts as the Victorian conventions clashed with progressive and changing ideas of gender, race, and class, resulting in the liberated American New Woman. This thesis examines the transition of the opportunities for increased physical movement for women allotted by the popularization of the brassiere, bicycle, and access to higher education. Examining the brassiere and bicycles’ impact on women’s liberation lends insight into how the physical placement and movement of female bodies confronted gender norms, while expansion of women’s education made women intellectual threats to the patriarchal structure. My analysis of advertisements …

"If You Want To Test A Man's Character Give Him Power" Abraham Lincoln's Character And Use Of Strategic Action: An Analysis Of Presidential Decision-Making, Hannah Sharfman

Senior Independent Study Theses

The examination of President Abraham Lincoln’s performance in office through multiple political theories can help political scientists better understand the decision making process which led to both successful and unsuccessful decisions taken by arguably the most illustrious president in United States history. My research examines three of Lincoln’s major decisions while in office, using the cases of the Emancipation Proclamation (successful decision), the management of General McClellan (failed decision), and his suspension of habeas corpus (mixed decision). My aim is to discover can these theories focusing on presidential character or on the use of strategic action help to explain the …

Violence Without Verdicts: A Comparative Analysis Of Social Movements And Race Relations In The United States And South Africa, Madison Swoy

Senior Independent Study Theses

This paper explores the role that social movements play in weakening the racial hierarchies that continue to persist in contemporary United States and South Africa. A theoretical analysis of the function of social movements is followed by an historical survey of the racial hierarchies within these two countries, with particular attention paid to the countries’ respective eras of institutionalized racism characterized by the Jim Crow and Apartheid periods. After which, police brutality and service delivery are used to exemplify the structural racism that endures in each of these societies. These two issues also serve as the most galvanizing issues for …

Liberty, Security, And Judicial Review In The War On Terror: An Analysis Of Supreme Court Approaches To Deference In A Post-9/11 Context, Jacob Oppler

Senior Independent Study Theses

In times of war, the government acts to suppress threats to national security, often curtailing or restricting American civil liberties. Over the course of American history, the Supreme Court has reviewed this legal conflict between civil liberties and national security policies during war. Scholars generally observe the Court’s judicial review as deferential to the government. The War on Terror presents new and different challenges to American civil liberties. While this legal conflict has emerged again under the conditions of a war against terrorism, the war itself is markedly unlike past wars in American history. This research seeks to explain how …

The Role Of Political Culture In Understanding Inconsistencies Between International And Domestic Privacy Law In France And The United States, Mallory Kruper

Senior Independent Study Theses

In evaluating the role of international law, most scholarship focuses on how international laws, treaties and courts function and are enforced. However, to best understand how international laws are created, as well as how they are internalized within individual countries’ judicial systems, it is also necessary to look at the normative side of international law. This project applies the theory of transnational legal process to examine how recognized international norms are uniquely recognized by different legal systems. More specifically, I analyze how political culture affects the level of consistency between international privacy norms and domestic law through the study of …

Armed With An Easel: Understanding Artistic Political Praxis Through The Works Of Theodor Adorno And Chantal Mouffe, Evelyn Yu Yu Swe

Senior Independent Study Theses

This Independent Study is divided into four chapters. The first chapter examines the role of capitalism in the formation of our culture. The argument presented here is that culture plays an important role in reinforcing modern neoliberal capitalism and that neoliberal capitalism has massive control over the dissemination of culture and the arts. The chapter concludes that it is necessary to utilize socio-cultural means in combating the influence of capitalism, and there does indeed exist emancipatory potential in artistic political praxis.

The second chapter focuses on Theodor Adorno’s aesthetic theory in articulating his conception of the emancipatory potential of art. …

Beyond Ss: An Analysis Of Alternative Risk Measures, Jai Kedia

Senior Independent Study Theses

Investors require a return from investing in stock securities that adequately compensate the investors for the risk level assumed. Therefore, any calculation of expected returns from a stock requires knowledge of the risk of the security. While there is no strong consensus on an ideal risk measure, traditionally risk has been conceptualized as volatility and is measured by the ß of the stock or portfolio. This paper hypothesizes that alternative risk measures such as higher order moments, size, leverage, and price-to-book value add explanatory power to the ß when predicting stock returns. Empirical analysis is conducted using both regression and …

Learning Emotions: A Software Engine For Simulating Realistic Emotion In Artificial Agents, Douglas Code

Senior Independent Study Theses

This paper outlines a software framework for the simulation of dynamic emotions in simulated agents. This framework acts as a domain-independent, black-box solution for giving actors in games or simulations realistic emotional reactions to events. The emotion management engine provided by the framework uses a modified Fuzzy Logic Adaptive Model of Emotions (FLAME) model, which lets it manage both appraisal of events in relation to an individual’s emotional state, and learning mechanisms through which an individual’s emotional responses to a particular event or object can change over time. In addition to the FLAME model, the engine draws on the design …

The Domestication And Migration Of Zea Mays L. In Association With Holocene Climatic Variance, Kelsey L. Salmon Schreck

Senior Independent Study Theses

Maize is known to have originated in Mesoamerica from which it spread north and south, adapting to many varied climatic and environmental conditions. This study details the origin of the species Zea mays L. The teosinte hypothesis and the concepts of seasonality and scheduling are employed to discuss the domestication of maize by means of human selection. This information is used to highlight the basic circumstances necessary for maize agriculture to be adopted by a human population. Furthermore, climate is examined through the minimum and ideal environmental conditions needed for the successful growth of maize. Environmental cues play a profound …

A Summary And Reflection Of The Percussion Repertoire For My Senior Recital, Christopher Scimecca

Senior Independent Study Theses

No abstract provided.

Tuteo O Ustedeo: Un Estudio De Las Formas De Tratamiento En Las Publicidades De Escaparates / Tutoiement Ou Vouvoiement: Une Etude Des Formes D'Adresse Dans Les Publicités Des Vitrines, Charlotte M. Klein

Senior Independent Study Theses

In both French and Spanish, there exist two pronouns of the second person singular form of address: tu/vous and tú/usted, respectively. While the first of each pair is typically considered the ‘informal’ pronoun of address, the second is more ‘formal’, creating a complicated distinction that every person must resolve when speaking. This project analyzes the difficulty of choosing between the two forms of address through the lens of politeness theory, emphasizing the concepts of solidarity and power as well as other important factors that contribute to this complex decision. To show how the pronouns are …