Digital Commons Network^™

Towards A Queer Weimar Cinema: Spaces, Narratives, And Influences, Elizabeth M. Lynch Sullivan

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Arts of Bard College.

Conversations In The Dark, Rasheeda Janay Graham

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Languages and Literature of Bard College.

Grand Gestures, Oscar Danielson Haas

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Whether it be in a single sculpture or a large installation, I seek to create a reciprocal relationship between the viewer and my work, making the audience feel as though they are living amongst the sculptures, sensing each piece’s emotions and intentions. By working at full scales that mimic those of our everyday lives, I attempt to personify each piece and imply a sort of sentience within them. I want each individual viewer to have their own idea of how a piece might move or act once unfrozen from its place in the gallery. Each piece in my show is …

Partial Emulation Of The Nintendo Game Boy, Ian Thomas Brassard

Senior Projects Spring 2023

“Emulation” is when one uses software to simulate the function of hardware. This project is a partial emulation of the Nintendo Game Boy. Specifically, it is an emulation of the Game Boy’s CPU, which is called the Sharp SM83 CPU. In the background, the reader is briefly introduced to both the function and history of emulators and their relationship to video games. The report moves on to detail the process of making this emulator, and discusses the similarities and differences between it and the original hardware. Technical details about the exact functions of the emulator are included. The process and …

Birdlime, Zoey Rose Collea

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Languages and Literature of Bard College.

The Black Ancestral Artist Path, Cerina Zuleica Shippey

Senior Projects Spring 2023

The Black Ancestral Artist Path is a project dedicated to uncovering the migratory pattern between Black American Creatives from NY to Paris. Why has this trend continued today from those of the Lost Generation? What about France entices the American? And how does living there change their art and sense of self? This project also compared Black French artists and their understanding of the French colonial empire. When these two groups are brought together, how do they learn from one another? Black Americans are forced to reckon with the both the freedom and the privilege they experience being able to …

Heritole, Rayelle Damarus Cato

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Languages and Literature of Bard College.

This project is the first few chapters of my novel in progress titled “Heritole”. The story is in the perspective of Nia Sinclair telling the story of when she attended her first year of Datiam Academy, one of the most prestigious schools for (Obsidite) witches. With the help of her new friends, Devyn and Medora, they help her navigate her first year and prepare for The Game, a competition where witches face off to see who is the best witch amongst them. Nia must make the decision …

The History Of Teaching The Holocaust In Public Secondary Schools In The United States, From The 1960s To The Present, Julia Highbury Spenser

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

Using Berries To Turn Sunlight Into Electricity: Taking Advice From Mother Nature Because She Has Already Mastered The Art Of Using Solar Energy, Quincy Ross

Senior Projects Spring 2023

As we try to stop anthropogenic climate change, we need to find energy sources that don’t involve burning fossil fuels. The Earth is constantly being hit with energy in the form of sunlight, we just need to figure out how to use it, thankfully plants have already gotten very good at photosynthesis. Solar energy is being improved at an exciting rate but has some material downsides when it comes to raw material mining. Dye sensitized solar cells, though having a lower efficiency than traditional photovoltaics open up opportunities for improving solar energy in many other aspects, such as reducing material …

It's Hard To Believe There Are People There, Lily Rose Peña

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Arts of Bard College.

Mind Over Body: A Comparison Of Psychobiological Versus Physiological Focused Distance Runners, Adam Laurence Beach

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Previous research has shown that psychology can have significant effects on endurance performance. According to exercise physiologist Samuele Marcora all performance gains in endurance racing are due to a reduction of perceived effort at a given pace (Sherman, 2021). The proposed study will compare athletes focusing on reducing perceived effort at a given pace over a four month training period with athletes focused on improving physical fitness over the same period. The fitness group will complete workouts designed to maximize physiological indicators while the perceived effort groups will complete workouts designed to reduce perceived effort while running at a given …

Endure, James C. Toomey

Senior Projects Spring 2023

The work is tubular: fistulous, circulatory.

It starts out as a body and obscures into something sprawling and replicating, perhaps cancerous.

Some parts are handmade paper. I begin with a pulp and strip it in water, then pour it into thin sheets— it dries practically weightless. It shrivels and shrinks and clings to itself, tenderly. It leaves caverns inside.

The work withers how I might expect skin to act when it is no longer living. I was sixteen when I held my father while he died. When I peel away my paper sheets, it is how I imagine it might …

Provisional Food Security: The Role Of Emergency Food Systems In An Evolving Landscape, Luca Walker Tagliati

Senior Projects Spring 2023

A lasting consequence of Reagan administration rollbacks in government food assistance programs is the safety net of private food provision organizations. Over the decades that these private assistance agencies grew in scope, food justice movements began sprouting up around the country that sought to address rising food insecurity and other inequities of dominant food systems. Today, private food provision organizations and food justice movements make up a large portion of emergency food systems response, forcing food insecure individuals to rely on overburdened pantries and volunteers who depend on coherent community strategy to succeed. Oftentimes, vulnerable populations are excluded from these …

Create Space–Create Communal Change: An Exploration Of Tactics Used By Augusta Savage And Theaster Gates, Ardel'paschal P. Sampson

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Arts of Bard College.

Don’T Talk To Me Until I’Ve Had My Coffee: An Analysis Of Colombia’S Changing Coffee And Agricultural Sector In The Face Of Climate Change, Nita Vemuri

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

Abstract

“With each year that passes, Atlantic and Pacific cyclone generating areas have experienced higher sea surface temperatures and increases in the intensity and duration of tropical storms.” (Sherbinin et al., 2007) While climate change remains a myth to some, it has become a reality for many, especially those whose livelihoods depend on climate-vulnerable fields and occupations. Latin American countries are especially subjected to climate change consequences because of their vast agricultural sectors and their reliance on ENSO (El Nino Southern Oscillation) patterns, “There is a clear relationship …

Thrift : A Respelling Of Home, Penelope B. Bernal

Senior Projects Spring 2023

The first commercial thrift stores were established in the late 19th and early 20th century. Labeled as ‘charity stores’, the first thrift stores were tied to philanthropic missions, creating a bond between charity and capitalism. However, thrift stores have expanded beyond philanthropy and have evolved into community spaces. Inspired by Audre Lorde’s A Respelling of my Name, the goal of this project is to provide the reader with an intimate view of thrifting through the conversation of three main topics : As Is, One-of-a-Kind, and Community.

Pendjur For Baba, Mina Emilia Dahl

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Languages and Literature of Bard College.

Wilde Bühne: An Exploration Into The Revolutionary Potential Of Art, Antonia Salathe

Senior Projects Spring 2023

You will often hear it said that art does not belong in the space of the political.

Politics is practical, and yet we cry over legislative losses and march in the streets when we are seared by flames of indignation. We paint murals over boarded-up windows, film history as it happens, and go to the club after a long day at work. We sketch lovingly the faces of those lost senselessly, we sing to the rooftops when all hope seems lost, and we speak poems like pounding hammers when no one is willing to listen. We scratch verses into foam …

Another Tool In The Birth Bag: A Sociological History Of "Gossip" In American Childbirth, Theodora K. Stone

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

Ya Llegamos | We Are Here, Audrey Hermila Salgado

Senior Projects Spring 2023

ya llegamos | we are here, a Senior Project submitted to The Division of Arts of Bard College, is piece on gender and migration. It is a play that explores how family dynamics, class issues, education, and gender play a role in why people leave their home country. It explores the journey and relationship of Saturnina and Francisco as they travel across the Mexico/U.S. border.

Más Grande Que Una Isla, Georgi Elizabeth Valero

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Más Grande Que Una Isla is a film about the political leanings of Cuban-Americans in Miami-Dade County, highlighting the dissonance in supporting policies that negatively affect the immigration process for others when they were incredibly privileged in the programs and opportunities available to them. It explores these political beliefs by tracing back to their origination, drawing out the privilege in the Cuban immigration experience that has existed for over half a century, leading us back to the present. While the film extends to a broader discussion, exploring the views of the Cuban community in Miami, it is personal at its …

The Chicken Or The Egg: A Proposed Longitudinal Study On Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder And Memory Impairment, Hominy Tara Mcmahon

Senior Projects Spring 2023

After experiencing trauma, some people go on to develop PTSD while others do not. Resilience and response to treatment also differ depending on the individual. To date, little research has been done to narrow down the reasons for these differences. Therefore, the main goal of this proposed 3-year longitudinal study of PTSD is to better understand the temporal relationship between the development of PTSD and structural changes in the hippocampus. Since PTSD is a costly disorder and disproportionately affects those serving in the military, this study may help determine better prevention tactics and treatment plans for those entering the military …

The Comforts Of Knowledge: The Consolation And The Therapeutic Qualities Of Philosophy, Katelynn Bennett

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Languages and Literature and The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

International Students' Experiences In A Liberal Arts College Environment: A Study Of Migration Motives, Academic And Social Integration, And Career Aspirations, Elizabeth Coromoto Liotta

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Global student flows are increasing at an unprecedented rate (Bound et al. 2021). Given the rapid diversification of the US higher education system, this study examines international students' motivations for selecting an American liberal arts college, their integration experiences in this context, and their future goals upon graduation. It highlights the uniqueness of liberal education as a pull factor, as well as the specific challenges international students face while adapting to a new social and academic structure. Conducting eighteen in-depth interviews with international juniors and seniors enrolled in a liberal arts college on the US East Coast, I discuss the …

Plurality, Precarity, Nos/Otras: Searching For A New Guarantee Of Dignity In The Contemporary World, Antonia Salathe

Senior Projects Spring 2023

One cannot comprehend the topography of our contemporary globe without seeing the chain-link lines that fractalize sand, sea, and soil. Contemporary global politics is marked by a refugee crisis of colossal proportion. At its core, the contemporary refugee crisis is perpetuated by the fact that there is no framework to apprehend the personhood of the refugee, let alone an organized and attentive global process for directing the flow of vulnerable persons toward safety.

I argue that in order to ease the burdens placed on vulnerable people we must return to philosophy and look at the refugee crisis for what it …

Teacher Diversity Training: Revealing Biases And Changing Practices, Deva Grumet Bass

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Black students are disciplined in K-12 schools at higher rates when compared to their White peers. Research has shown that this inequality in treatment can be traced back to the teachers' biases and prejudices against students of color. Lack of support from teachers can harm students’ academic achievement and overall success outside of school as well. In response, various programs have been implemented to help teachers better support all of their students. For example, Social Emotional Learning (SEL) has been successful at helping teachers facilitate learning in an emotionally sensitive way. This program began as an initiative to help teachers …

Rethinking Humanitarian Aid For Palestinian Refugee Camps In Lebanon: A Critique Of The Accessibility And Quality Of Career-Building Services For Displaced Palestinian Women, Emily I. Costello

Senior Projects Spring 2023

This project focuses on the humanitarian aid present in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. More specifically, it seeks to understand the organizations and kinds of programs for career-building services that are available to displaced Palestinian women in these camps. The project first seeks to collect information about the quality, quantity, variability, and sustainability of the programs that are present in the camps. Once this information is collected, this project seeks to understand how both humanitarian organizations and women define the need for career-building services, as well as the ways in which the current programs either sufficiently meet this need or …

Nurturing Numbers, Maya Elena Miggins

Senior Projects Spring 2023

How do we tend to community, as a gardener tends to a garden? A garden is meant to sustain, to feed, to support. Nurturing Numbers, calls to focus the continuous need for active care within predominantly white institutions towards students of color. Within these institutions, students of color work tirelessly to build resources from scratch for the student body. Nurturing Numbers was created as a communal space of healing and rest for students of color that live within the Bard Community. Through a series of expressive arts workshops that I developed over the Fall semester, Connecting Roots, Mending Space, and …

"We Have Nothing To Lose But Our Chains": Paving The Way To A New Horizon For Marginalized Youth, Soledad Aguilar-Colón

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Languages and Literature and Social Studies of Bard College.

Rendering The Cyberfag: An Examination On The Spatial Sociology Of Grindr, Matthew Paul Gershovich

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Rendering the Cyberfag: An Examination on the Spatial Sociology of Grindr attempts to dissect, theorize, and expose the current dismality of gay existence and space in direct correlation with the inception of the digital realm. The investigation begins by establishing a lexicon of socio-spatial attributes that aim to establish the reader within a basis of the spatial vulnerabilities attached with queer identities. A contextualizing chronology of aspects of queer history is presented; beginning with the act of cruising, and its subsequent demise during the AIDS epidemic. In parallel, the thesis follows the creation of the internet, which birthed gay anonymous …