Digital Commons Network^™

Writing An Existential Novel: An Environmental And Philosophical Exploration, Julia Whinston

Honors College

Halfway Through the Wood is a creative project guided by the question, does nature have intrinsic ethical, philosophical, and/or spiritual value, or do we project it there? As a subsidiary question, is our relationship with nature akin to our relationship with ourselves? The novel begins with a “man versus nature” conflict, exploring human relationships to land, then moves on to a conversation about self, which ultimately leads to an incredulous/existential discourse about interconnectedness. The novel explores the implications of experiencing grief alongside natural systems, and concludes that enmeshing oneself within a natural system is vital for discovering meaning after experiencing …

The Penobscot Nation, The State Of Maine, And The River Between Them, Jarred Haynes

Honors College

Since the arrival of Europeans in North America, Native Americans have been enticed into deceptive treaties and agreements that dispossessed them of their land, significantly alter their autonomy, and infringed on their sovereign rights. Sticking with this tradition, the State of Maine, today, is apprehensive to recognize Wabanaki sovereign rights, as guaranteed in federal Indian law. The rights and benefits that tribes have in other states, such as federal legislation regarding tribal healthcare, are withheld from Wabanaki Nations. This trepidation leaves Maine’s Native peoples vulnerable to political exploitation and environmental degradation. I endeavor to understand how Maine’s Land Claims Settlement …

Madonna, Monster And Other Stories: Surrealist Short Fiction, Katherine Skvorak

Honors College

Surrealist literature has a long history of excluding female writers from the conversation, and as a result, women surrealists often wrote to critique the male/female binary and examine the oppressive forces denying their work. Madonna, Monster and Other Stories acts as a continuation of the female surrealist legacy and a further exploration and critique of invisible authorities that govern societal standards, create belief systems, and control logic and reason. Using methods created by the surrealist movement, such as the Exquisite Corpse exercise, image collaging, and automatic writing, these stories embrace the unconscious, the dreamlike, and the uncanny to break down …

Feelings In Politics: How American Foreign Policy Can Benefit From Interpersonal Communication, Paden K. Stanton

Honors College

Misperception clouds good decision-making in international politics. American foreign policy doesn’t currently allow for ample strategic communication training for the President of the United States to prevent misperception from becoming an issue in international relations. Looking at influential political theorists, it’s easy to discover that they all warn of the detriment that comes with an ineffective communicator in the highest power position in the country.

My research provides an overview of different perceptions formed by the United States and China of each other throughout the Presidency of Donald Trump and his counterpart in Beijing, President Xi Jinping. By analyzing the …

Trauma And Attachment In Sierra Leone, Alli Dellamattera

Honors College

The purpose of this thesis is to propose a training workshop, called “Attachment Theory Workshop and Self-Paced Refresher Training.” The goal of this training is to increase attachment between caregivers and trauma-impacted children in Sierra Leone. Prior to presenting this training, this thesis first reviews both psychological and sociological perspectives of attachment, with a focus on classical attachment theory. Next, from a sociological lens, I examine the significance of culture and attachment. Then, I contextualize the current status of Sierra Leone, including, the traumas the country has faced, and how attachment is affected by such traumas.

To better implement the …

Are Schools Educating About Poverty? University Students’ Perceptions Of K-12 Poverty Education, Rachel E. Sirois

Honors College

Research shows that there are disparities in academic outcomes between students living in poverty and those who are not. Poverty will affect all areas of a child’s life. There is potential that with increased poverty education in schools, students will come to better understand their role in the causes and consequences of poverty, and in working to eradicate poverty.

Eighty- six undergraduate students enrolled at the University of Maine participated in this study. Participants completed a survey designed to gain insights into their recollection of poverty education during their primary and secondary school years. Results showed that enrolled students did …

Restorative Justice: A Comparative Analysis Of Campus Implementation, Cameron M. Huston

Honors College

Restorative justice has been used in many student conduct programs at colleges and universities in the United States. Although there is a strong sense of advocacy for the implementation of campus restorative justice programs, many schools shy away from establishing such programs due to a perceived lack of additional funding, staffing, or other resources. This research examines the factors that contribute to the successful implementation of campus restorative justice programs. The theoretical framework examines the principles of participatory democracy to better understand what might motivate a campus to adopt this alternative strategy of addressing student conduct issues. Comparative analysis of …

Effects Of Arsenic Responsive P21 On Innate Immunity And Apoptosis In Zebrafish, Gabriel O. Vachon

Honors College

Arsenic is a heavy metal that is frequently found in drinking water, especially well-water in the Northeastern United States. Arsenic is thought to be involved with numerous negative health conditions. This project examined the impact of this environmental toxicant, on the zebrafish innate immune system. Specifically, this project characterized the gene encoding for the protein p21. The particular gene is cdkn1a (will be referred to here by its product "p21" both for the protein and gene itself which will be italicized) and had increased expression as a result of arsenic exposure from a previously complete microarray analysis. In attempt to …

“Well, He Just Lost Man Points In My Book:” The Absence Of Volunteerism Among First-Year College Men, Joshua Bernstein

Honors College

A significant amount of research has been conducted on volunteerism in America. The majority of this research, however, can be characterized as comparing gender differences between men and women, grouping men and women as one representative group, or neglecting college students all together and focusing on adult volunteers. Given the benefits of volunteerism, the lack of involvement among college men, and the increasing need for volunteers in non-profit and civic organizations, this study documented reasons for the lack of volunteerism among first-year undergraduate men at a mid-sized research university in the northeast. Qualitative in nature, several themes appeared through a …