Digital Commons Network^™

Wooster Magazine: Fall 2018, Caitlin Paynich

Wooster Magazine: 2011-Present

The fall 2018 issue of Wooster magazine highlights the success of the Wooster’s Promise campaign including the completion of the Ruth W. Williams Hall of Life Science with comments from Dean Fraga, Danforth Professor of Biology and Mark Snider, Robert E. Wilson Professor of Chemistry, who served as “shepherds” for the project. Each of the campaign priorities are explored including financial aid, featuring students Kiera Parker-Emerson ’19 and Brendon McBride ’20, and academic strength featuring Erzsébet Regan, Whitmore Williams Assistant Professor of Biology, and Daniel Bourne, Flo Kurtz Gault Endowed Chair of English. Under the priority of experiential learning, an …

Hidden Science Superstars: Making Diversity Visible To Increase Inclusion, Mae Evans, Irene Herold, Zachary Sharrow

All Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Commencement 2018 The College Of Wooster

Commencement Programs

This program holds the information about the commencement ceremony for the graduates of the class of 2018. This ceremony took place on Monday, May 14 in the Scot Center at the College of Wooster. The Commencement address was given by Dr. Eboo Patel. The Senior Class Welcome was given by Dana Michelle Smith and Avi Vajpeyi. This booklet also contains those who were conferred on August 21 and December 31 of 2017.

Juvenile Corrections In The Era Of Reform: A Meta-Synthesis Of Qualitative Studies, Anne M. Nurse, Jub Sankofa, Alexandra Cox, Jamie Fader, Michelle Inderbitzin, Laura Abrams

All Faculty Articles

In this article, the authors synthesize knowledge from select qualitative studies examining rehabilitation-oriented juvenile residential corrections and aftercare programs. Using meta-synthesis methodology, the authors extracted and coded content from 10 research studies conducted by five authors across criminology, sociology, and social welfare disciplines. The total number of published works based on those studies analyzed was 18. Collectively, these studies offer insight into three major components of the juvenile correctional experience: therapeutic treatment and evidence-based practices, the shaping of identities and masculinities, and preparation for reentry. This analysis is particularly important as the United States is currently in an era of …

Wooster Magazine: Spring 2018, Caitlin Paynich

Wooster Magazine: 2011-Present

The spring 2018 issue of Wooster magazine examines what inspires the different types of directions students can go in their Independent Study project. This issue also as notes distinguished alumni (Richard Kerr ’68 and David Douglas ’71) and covers current events on campus such as the Galpin sit-in. The I.S. Students profiled are: Justine Walker ’18 (physics and theater and dance), Harry Todd ’18 (English), Hannah Sexton ’18 (biology), Brandon Bell ’18 (geology and history), Meg Itoh ’18 (communication studies and Chinese), Meonyez Goodwin ’18 (women’s, gender, and sexuality studies), Jack Marousek ’18 (business economics), Sidney Irias ’18 (sociology), and …

The "Absolutely" Indefensible Conception Of Reality, Akiksha Chatterji

Black & Gold

In this paper, attempt to argue against a strict 'scientistic' conception of reality, namely, the absolute conception of reality posited by Bernard Williams. Such a view problematically equivocates what is objective with what is absolute, generating a sharp Science/Ethics dichotomy; where scientific claims are objective and ethical claims are either subjective or relative. I contend that the absolute conception of reality is indefensible and consequently that, the 'absolute' ought not to be conceived of as the 'objective.'

Succor In Smoke: A Historical And Comparative Analysis Of Incense And Moxibustion As Similar Agents Of Edification And Self-Cultivation, Hannah E. Matulek

Black & Gold

Since its origins in the Shang Dynasty nearly 3,000 years ago, traditional Chinese medicine has undergone many dramatic shifts and adapted to a wide range of cultural, social, religious and foreign pressures. One of the most notable changes is the attribution of the etiology of disease (as well as general poor health and behaviors) from volatile and dissatisfied external forces to manageable internal forces. This allowed for a flourishing of thought in Chinese medicine, for once granting an individual the power to influence his or her own health. Three religions—Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism—were also introduced to China at this time, …

Schumann’S Frauenliebe Und Leben: An Analysis Of “Nun Hast Du Mir Den Ersten Schmerz Getan”, Emily Schwitzgebel

Black & Gold

"Nun hast du mir den ersten Schmerz getan" ("Now you have caused me pain for the first time") is the eighth and final song in Robert Schumann's Frauenliebe Und Leben song cycle, based upon a poem cycle by Adelbert con Chamisso, which follows the stages of love as told by the woman—the narrator. Unique from the previous seven songs in both content and musicality, this song mourns the loss of the woman in the poem’s husband. Schumann uses techniques such as tonal unclarity, dynamics, tempo markings, and a lack of cadences in order to connect the music to Chamisso's words, …

Tuned In: An Investigation Of The Use Of Group Amplification Systems For Students, Including Those On The Autism Spectrum, In First Grade Mainstream Classrooms, Emily Velichka

Senior Independent Study Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the academic benefits and challenges, if any, of utilizing a group amplification system in first-grade mainstream classrooms. More specifically, this study measured the influence of a group amplification system throughout language-based tasks, such as spelling accuracy. A total of 33 first-grade students, including two students reportedly diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), participated in the study, with 17 students in Classroom A and 16 students in Classroom B. This study’s experimental procedures included a spelling pretest, two intervention activities, and a spelling posttest, administered over the course of four days. The …

#Quitbullyingme: Teachers’ And Speech-Language Pathologists’ Perceptions Of The Academic, Social, And Emotional Impact Of Cyberbullying On Individuals Who Stutter, Claire Dunwoodie

Senior Independent Study Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine Teachers’ and Speech-Language Pathologists’ perceptions on the academic, social, and emotional impact that cyberbullying has on individuals who stutter. This study also looked at Teachers’ and Speech-Language Pathologists’ management skills of cyberbullying when cyberbullying arose with their students or clients. The researcher created a survey which included Likert-type questions and open response questions to address these topics. As concluded from the results of this study, Teachers and Speech-Language Pathologists both believe that students and clients who stutter are impacted the most emotionally, directly associating with cyberbullying. In addition to this, the results …

Selections From Bouwsma's Commonplace Book From 'The Blue Book' On: "The Meaning Of A Word", Ronald E. Hustwit Sr., O.K. Bouwsma

O.K. Bouwsma Collection

Notes for graduate seminars in 1970-71 on Wittgenstein’s Blue Book.

The notes collected here were written for students in Wittgenstein seminars at the University of Texas in the academic year 1970-71. The typed notes from those seminars all focus on the opening sentences of The Blue Book: "What is the meaning of a word?" As was Bouwsma's practice, he wrote in his commonplace book preparing for the weekly seminar meeting. Some students in the class would volunteer to transcribe these preparatory notes and the department secretary would mimeograph them for distribution to the graduate students in the seminar. The …

Sports Analytics With Computer Vision, Colby T. Jeffries

Senior Independent Study Theses

Computer vision in sports analytics is a relatively new development. With multi-million dollar systems like STATS’s SportVu, professional basketball teams are able to collect extremely fine-detailed data better than ever before. This concept can be scaled down to provide similar statistics collection to college and high school basketball teams. Here we investigate the creation of such a system using open-source technologies and less expensive hardware. In addition, using a similar technology, we examine basketball free throws to see whether a shooter’s form has a specific relationship to a shot’s outcome. A system that learns this relationship could be used to …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Perceptions Of Campus Climate And Academic Competence, Cheyenne Mcqueen

Senior Independent Study Theses

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of Exposure To Unbalanced Sex Ratios On Perceived Vocal Attractiveness, Taylor N. Sikich

Senior Independent Study Theses

The population sex ratio greatly impacts human behavior, especially mating patterns. Recent research shows that visual exposure to unbalanced sex ratios influences perceived facial attractiveness for opposite-sex faces. When opposite-sex faces are scarce in exposure, subsequent opposite-sex faces are rated as more attractive than when they are plentiful during exposure. The current work examines an auditory analog of this effect by exposing listeners to unbalanced ratios of male and female voices and measuring the perceived attractiveness of subsequently presented opposite sex voices. A 2x2 ANOVA was conducted with participant sex and sex ratio exposure as the between-subject factors. Results showed …

The Stigmatization Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder As Influenced By Gender, Evelina Alex

Senior Independent Study Theses

Children who are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder are inherently more vulnerable to stigma in ways that children without this diagnosis are. The current study was an experimental study in which attitudes towards children with and without Autism were measured through a vignette along with an attribution questionnaire. The purpose of the questionnaire, modified from Ling, Mak, & Cheng (2010) was to analyze peoples’ perceptions about the actions of children with and without Autism. The questionnaire examined sympathy, helping behavioral intention, punitive behavioral intention, perceived controllability, and anger. Disability status was defined as the first independent variable, with gender being …

From Retribution To Restoration: An Analysis Of Restorative Justice As A Policy Reform Effort To Dismantle The School-To-Prison Pipeline In New York City Public Schools, Leigh T. Yartz

Senior Independent Study Theses

This Independent Study explores and examines restorative justice as a policy reform effort made by schools, specifically in New York City, to address a phenomenon known as the school-to-prison pipeline. While it has been found that zero tolerance policies fuel this pipeline through the criminalization of minor infractions, this study argues that using restorative justice policies to manage disciplinary matters within schools creates an avenue to dismantle this pipeline. This occurs through establishing a more inclusive school climate, thus leading to lower levels of punitive discipline and school push out, which ultimately lessens the rate at which youth come into …

Crime Around The World: Using Mathematical Modeling Techniques To Model Aggregated Worldwide Crime Rates, Kelly M. Steurer

Senior Independent Study Theses

This aim of this study was to determine what affects aggregate crime rates around the world. This thesis used Mathematical Modeling techniques to build generalized linear models for homicide rates and burglary and housebreaking rates using the following predictive factors: economic indicators, education rates, government quality indicators, ethno-linguistic fractionalization, GDP per capita and its growth, drug consumption rates, and age and gender ratios. We used a series of factor selection techniques including linear and stepwise regressions, principal component analysis, and regression analysis to select factors to use to build final models of homicide and burglary and housebreaking.

Attachment Style And Romantic Satisfaction As Predictors Of Relationship Visibility On Facebook, Amanda I. Wells

Senior Independent Study Theses

The current study investigates the influence of adult attachment style on romantic posting behaviors on Facebook. Attachment theory has been widely used to examine behaviors and attitudes within romantic relationships, but little research has been done to extend these findings to the context of social media. A survey of 212 participants was conducted using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. The results of a linear regression analysis showed that attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety predicted lower levels of romantic satisfaction, a finding reflective of previous attachment research (Hazan & Shaver, 1987). Two separate regression analyses were conducted to examine possible predictors of participants’ …

Resilience In Stem Students: An Analysis Of The Demographic, Intrapersonal, And Interpersonal Predictors Of Resilience, Catherine B. Kuzmishin

Senior Independent Study Theses

This study is interested in the relationship between students of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and resilience. Specifically, this study aims to identify demographic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal predictors of resilience in STEM students. It was hypothesized that coping would mediate the relationship between anxiety and STEM students’ resilience. Data was collected to determine the predictors of resilience. There was no difference in STEM and non-STEM students’ resilience. With males demonstrating slightly higher resilience than females, however there were no racial group differences in resilience. Hierarchical linear regression analysis revealed that locus of causality significantly predicted resilience, specifically, that STEM …

Logic -> Proof -> Rest, Maxwell Taylor

Senior Independent Study Theses

REST is a common architecture for networked applications. Applications that adhere to the REST constraints enjoy significant scaling advantages over other architectures. But REST is not a panacea for the task of building correct software. Algebraic models of computation, particularly CSP, prove useful to describe the composition of applications using REST. CSP enables us to describe and verify the behavior of RESTful systems. The descriptions of each component can be used independently to verify that a system behaves as expected. This thesis demonstrates and develops CSP methodology to verify the behavior of RESTful applications.

Masculinity (De)Construction And Policing: A Comparative Study Of Representation, Policies, And Legitimacy, Sarah Huffman

Senior Independent Study Theses

The culture of policing oftentimes equates police competency with masculinity, valorizing physicality and bravery, but at the expense of other characteristics included in policework such as service and protection. The introduction of more female officers into police services leads the question as to how their increased representation (de)constructs traditional masculinist attitudes and affects gender inclusive policy and actions of a police service, encompassing police response to cases of domestic and sexual violence. This study investigates whether higher gender equity in a police service increases gender inclusive policy and actions by the police and whether this factor, in turn, increases public …

The First But Hopefully Not The Last: How The Last Of Us Redefines The Survival Horror Video Game Genre, Joseph T. Gonzales

Senior Independent Study Theses

For this study, I applied generic criticism, which looks at how a text subverts and adheres to patterns and formats in its respective genre, to analyze how The Last of Us redefined the survival horror video game genre through its narrative. Although some tropes are present in the game and are necessary to stay tonally consistent to the genre, I argued that much of the focus of the game is shifted from the typical situational horror of the monsters and violence to the overall narrative, effective dialogue, strategic use of cinematic elements, and character development throughout the course of the …

Americanized Chinese Dishes As Heritage Food And Bridging Identities, Megu Itoh

Senior Independent Study Theses

Chinese food has become ingrained in the lives of everyday Americans. But while ordering Chinese takeout is now an ordinary occurrence, Chinese food culture still experiences the lasting consequences of discrimination in the United States. First viewed as the uncivilized other and later as the exotic other, the status of Chinese food has shifted overtime. Chinese food has also experienced changes in its actual form, adapting to the American palate by adjusting flavor and presentation. My research explores the ways in which this Americanized Chinese food has impacted the identities of Chinese restaurant workers, and continues to manifest change within …

Manipulating Diversity: A Rhetorical Analysis Of Annalise Keating’S Intersectional Portrayal Of Race And Sexuality On The Primetime Television Show How To Get Away With Murder, Melany Le

Senior Independent Study Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the intersectional portrayal of the character Annalise Keating as a black queer woman, navigating complex interracial relationships and highly institutionalized environments of legal and higher education systems throughout the first two seasons of How to Get Away with Murder. Utilizing ideological criticism, this research found that despite her marginalized identities, Keating carefully constructs her image to resemble a white, heterosexual woman in order to alleviate, or completely avoid oppression from the major institutions that govern her life and work. Additionally, Keating’s experiences and actions are unique within the world of How …

The Role Of Children In Seventeenth-Century Dutch Paintings: Social Distinction And National Identity, Helena Enders

Senior Independent Study Theses

No abstract provided.

Power, Profit, And Political Participation: How Neoliberal Rationality Limits Citizen Influence In A Democracy, Emma Woods

Senior Independent Study Theses

Democracy’s promise is that citizens hold the ultimate power in government. However, the ascension of neoliberal rationality, an economic rationality that focuses primarily on economic growth with political activity being secondary or merely instrumental to economic growth, acts as a threat to that promise. This paper offers a critical analysis of political participation in a democracy, using two theoretical frameworks, liberalism and neoliberalism. Based in these theoretical frameworks, it provides an analysis of how changes in individual conceptions of self have institutional effects on politics. Laying out the framework of neoliberalism, tracing its ideological roots in liberalism and its subsequent …

Big Book In A Small Pond: An Investigation Of Preschool Teachers’ Use Of Emergent Literacy Strategies When Reading Big And Typical-Sized Picture Books Aloud, Sara Beckstrom

Senior Independent Study Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency with which preschool teachers use a variety of instructional strategies to promote students’ emergent literacy skills during group read-aloud time. These strategies included print-referencing, dialogic reading techniques, and Shared Book Experience practices. More specifically, the researcher compared the teachers’ use of these strategies when reading typical-sized books versus big books. A total of eight preschool teachers participated in this study. The researcher filmed each participant reading two children’s books aloud—one big and one typical-sized, and the videos were transcribed and coded for read- aloud behaviors. The teachers’ use of emergent …

An Analysis Of The Ego-Depletion Effects Of Emotion Versus Attention Draining Tasks: Even Emotionally Arousing Depletion Tasks Do Not Show An Ego-Depletion Effect, Savannah Binion

Senior Independent Study Theses

The theory of ego-depletion has come under intense scrutiny within the past few years. Beginning around 2010, researchers conducted meta-analyses and large replication studies that have investigated this topic, and found a wide range of evidence for and against the existence of an ego-depletion effect. Although the goal has been to determine whether this effect exists or not, the research has proved that the answer may be more complicated than that. The purpose of the current research was to examine the different theories about self-control, and to test two specific depleting tasks against a control group. The depleting tasks were …

Encrusting Sclerobiont Paleoecology And Bioerosion Of Oysters In The Type Campanian (Upper Cretaceous) Of Southwestern France, Macy A. Conrad

Senior Independent Study Theses

The Campanian Stage of the Upper Cretaceous was established by Henri Coquand in 1857 based on a sequence of richly fossiliferous shallow water carbonates in the Charente and Charente-Maritime departments of southwestern France. One of the most common macrofossils is the gryphaeid oyster Pycnodonte vesicularis (Lamarck, 1806), which often forms extensive shell beds. This bivalve lived primarily on soft marly substrates, forming hard substrate islands. They frequently supported sclerobiont communities comprising encrusters (diverse cheilostome and cyclostome bryozoans, foraminiferans, oysters, bivalves, sabellid and serpulid polychaetes, calcareous sponges), borers (the sponge borings Entobia, the worm borings Maeandropolydora and Caulostrepsis, the barnacle borings …

You've Got A Friend In Me: The Effects Of Lgbtqia+ Legislators On Same-Sex Partnership Rights In Latin America, Danica Genners

Senior Independent Study Theses

Scholars have debated how descriptive representation might operate as a vehicle for furthering minority rights. Rarely discussed in this literature is the role that the election of LGBTQIA+ politicians can have on overall approval of LGBTQIA+ rights within a country. This study aims to identify the various effects that LGBTQIA+ sexual minority federal representatives in Latin America have on public opinion on pro-LGBTQIA+ policies. Using a multi-year, cross-national survey of eleven Latin American countries my study tests whether the election of a LGBTQIA+ representative is related to more progressive views on same-sex marriage. This study finds that the election of …