Digital Commons Network^™

Controlling Images: Black Male And Female Representations, Peyton Gindrow

Capstone Showcase

American culture has a very rich history that has shaped our society in the present day. One thing in history that has stayed with us throughout the years is racism. This phenomenon has had a big impact on our society throughout the years. And if it never came into existence, our world would be a much different place. Racism affects any and everything imaginable. It affects the way we see each other, communicate, and interact with each other. Slavery was a turning point for racism and it allowed for racism to flourish by dehumanizing people just because of the color …

“Try Getting A Reservation At Dorsia Now, You Fucking Stupid Bastard!” Hegemonic Masculinity In Slasher Films, Samantha Jackson

Capstone Showcase

This thesis aims to analyze and address the prevalence of hegemonic masculinity in the slasher subgenre of horror films. The research consisted of a content analysis of what the internet deemed the ‘best’ ten slasher films of all time. The content analysis was based upon R.W. Connell’s (2005) theory of hegemonic masculinity which stated the existence of hierarchical standards for masculinity that men are expected to achieve. Hegemonic masculinity was categorized into four themes. The themes were sexist ideology, sexual behavior, and physical and emotional violence. The research indicated that emotional violence occurred at the highest rate among the sample …

A Culture Of Institutional Racism: Housing Policies During The New Deal, Breyonna J. Bowen

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There currently exists a distressed relationship between African Americans and housing due to previously enacted policies. In looking at this issue, I aim to use the theory of institutional racism to explain how past housing policies that enforce and perpetuate discrimination have impacted this current relationship. Through the method of policy analysis, I attempt to pinpoint where past housing policies have failed to provide housing to many African Americans. I find that there are several policies that were enacted during 1930s and 40s, specifically the New Deal Era, that inflicted discriminatory housing policies on African Americans. The findings indicate that …

Symbolic Compliance Is Dangerous: Perceptions Of Sexual Assault And The Effectiveness Of Sexual Assault Prevention Programs, Anastasia Hicks-Hunter

Capstone Showcase

College campuses are considered safe havens for students, yet, sexual assault is a prevalent public safety issue for all students. Sexual assault is unwanted or non-consensual sexual activity that is inflicted upon the victim. Sexual assault survivors are put through a life-changing experience that causes negative holistic behaviors, which requires understanding, support, and legal action for them to achieve justice. In my research paper, I am exploring the perceptions of female college survivors of sexual assault and the effectiveness of sexual assault prevention programs.

“I’Ve Never Met Another Person With This Identity”: The Experiences Of Abrosexual Individuals On Tiktok, Eleanor Doughton

Capstone Showcase

Abrosexuality can be defined by an individual experiences changes in their perception of their sexuality; for instance, an abrosexual person could find themselves to be exclusively attracted to women for a time, and then experiences no sexual attraction months later. Unlike sexual identities such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, abrosexuality has not been previously studied. Previous research shows that social media and online sites provide spaces for positive identity development and support for gender and sexual minority individuals. Since abrosexuality had not been previously studied, it is important to ask about the experiences of abrosexual individuals on social media. …

“I’Ll Have What She’S Having!”: Depictions Of Orgasm In Heterosexual Pornography Labeled For Female Consumption, Kelley Anne Ambrose

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This research paper aims to discuss and bring awareness to orgasm representation within heterosexual pornography that is specifically labeled for female consumption. Major areas of focus are on the orgasm gap and clitoral stimulation, sexual satisfaction in heterosexual relationships, and aggressive and violent behaviors depicted in pornography and sexual interactions. These areas are crucial because current research is lacking; it is necessary for more research to be conducted that focuses on orgasm representation and satisfaction. If realistic depictions of sexual intercourse are shown in pornographic content, it may bring expectations for consumers that could lead to higher rates of sexual …

Naloxone/Buprenorphine, Methadone, Naltrexone And Their Role In Medication Assisted Treatment, Robert Barrett

Capstone Showcase

Abstract

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is an increasingly common diagnosis that has drastically increased in the last 5 years. Though multiple treatment modalities exist for treating OUD (naltrexone, buprenorphine, methadone), few studies have compared treatment outcomes in adults on long term therapy. This is an important topic to understand as providers as we will undoubtedly come into contact with patients either actively abusing opioid antagonists or in recovery from opioid abuse. Since the introduction of Oxycontin and subsequent over prescription of opioid analgesics, opioid overdoses have increased by over twelve-fold. Once providers began to realize a widespread pattern of abuse, …

Mental Distress Calls: Should Police Be Frontline Responders?, Audrey Suwarno

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Due to an over-reliance on law enforcement, police officers have become frontline responders to individuals suffering with mental illness, despite not being properly trained to handle such situations. Many studies have addressed officers’ feelings of incompetence and lack of preparedness when faced with an individual in distress. Without proper training, police tend to resort to force against individuals in mental distress, which can escalate the situation even further. This paper serves to analyze the excessive use of force that is commonly used amongst police officers during mental distress calls, as well as its potentially dangerous and fatal outcomes for individuals …

Covid-19 In Correctional Settings: How Has The Covid-19 Pandemic Impacted Prison Policies And Conditions?, Marissa Tepper

Capstone Showcase

Due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), the public has been advised to isolate and quarantine from one another. These social distancing practices have also been applied to institutions such as schools, universities, businesses, and even prisons. Within prisons, officials have been working with the medical community to determine the best course of action to contain the spread of the virus. The current proposed policies for prisons to contain COVID-19 are decarceration or medical isolation. However, in the medical community, there is some concern with implementing medical isolation in prisons. Under supervision of the prison officials, medical isolation could become …

Right To Counsel: Improving Access To Justice In Us Indigent Defense Systems, Travis Hartman

Capstone Showcase

The Sixth Amendment guarantees the right to counsel for indigent defendants. Even though a constitutional right, indigent defense in the US suffers from significant problems. While scholars have attempted to provide solutions to the problems, a question persists, How are Indigent Defense Systems impacting how Access to Justice is being provided in the United States? To answer this question, a structured, focused comparison method was utilized to evaluate US indigent defense systems. Case studies were chosen based upon the delivery and majority of funding for indigent defense coming from counties. Right to counsel for Access to Justice was defined by …

Defining, Differentiating, And Describing The Development Of Psychopathy, Kelly Haines

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Psychopathy is a popular phenomenon in the media today, with varying research on what the disorder truly entails. Psychopathy is described as a personality disorder that is categorized by antisocial behavior, lack of remorse and empathy, and egotistical traits. There are many similarities found between psychopathy and other similar disorders, such as sociopathy and antisocial personality disorder. ASPD is the clinical diagnosis that psychopathy and sociopathy both fall under. There are many different theories and areas of research taken into account for the development of psychopathy. The nature vs nurture debate has been closely aligned with this subject of research. …

An Elite Squad?: Intimate Partner Violence Myths In "Law & Order: Special Victim Unit", Katelyn Ahern

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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is a long-running fictional crime drama centering on “an elite squad” (NBCUniversal 2019) of detectives. While the show touts a progressive image, it has been previously found to victim-blame, stereotype, and contain rape myths (Brinson 1992; Rader and Rhineberger-Dunn 2010; Rader, Rhineerger-Dunn, and Vasquez 2016). For the present study, I examined how intimate partner violence (IPV) myths are represented in episodes of Law & Order: SVU. I conceptualized IPV myths for use in this study using Peter’s (2008) Domestic Violence Myth Scale. It was found that characters on SVU overwhelmingly support myths more often …

Violence And Mental Health: The Negative Outcomes Of Childhood Maltreatment, Serina Danner

Capstone Showcase

Childhood maltreatment (CM) is a phenomenon that impacts many, and has the ability to create lingering negative outcomes for people that experience it. CM comes in various forms. The three discussed throughout this paper are neglect, abuse and poly-victimization (experiencing more than one form of CM). Research has shown that people who experience CM have increased risk of falling into the cycle of violence. The cycle states that experiencing or being exposed to some form of violence as a child makes people more susceptible to perpetrate violence later in life. Research has also shown that someone impacted by CM may …

“We’Re Here, We’Re Queer, We Will Not Live In Fear!”: A Content Analysis Exploring Gender Disparity In The Public Reappropriation Of Lgbtq+ Slurs, Nicolas Hall

Capstone Showcase

As minorities, members of the LGBTQ+ community have faced many hardships throughout history, such as the use of language as a weapon against them. However, this research explores the public display of linguistic reappropriation of LGBTQ+ derogatory language and terms within the community. Throughout history, the use of slurs (e.g. faggot and dyke) and their social definitions have shifted from having no connection to the community to directly affected these individuals. These terms have been used to demonize members of the LGBTQ+ community for decades. Despite this reality, there are some scholars who suggest that these terms are being reappropriated, …

American Identities And The Consumption Of Japanese Homoerotica, Caitlin Joyce

Capstone Showcase

My thesis is a cross-cultural comparison of the consumption habits of Japanese and American yaoi or boy’s love (BL) fans, with a particular focus on how the motivations for consuming this type of media may differ between each group. Within my literature review, I start with the history of Japanese homoerotica, from Heian era writings and shunga artwork, to how this has evolved into the modern BL industry in Japan. Additionally, I examine where BL media fits into the landscape of both Japanese and global LGBT+ identity politics. Using identity construction and queer feminist theory, I explore how this type …

We Live In A Society: Violence And Radicalization In The Internet Manosphere, Emily Price

Capstone Showcase

In a world of incels, pick-up artists, and other Men’s Rights Activists, friction between the so-called Manosphere and contemporary feminist thought has led to documented violence with regards to American mass shootings. Starting with the violent outbursts of disaffected young men, I will work backwards to the point of contact between the man and the Manosphere. This piece seeks not to draw a connection between radical MRAs and violence – the mass shooters draw that connection themselves in their manifestos by outlining their dissatisfaction with society as it is, and particularly with what they perceive as a politically correct and …