Digital Commons Network^™

An Incomplete Necrography Of The Gilbert Farmstead: A Case Study Of The Reinforcement Of A Southern New England Settler-Colonial Narrative And The Silencing Of Indigeneity At An Early American Living History Museum, Aiden Chisholm

Senior Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

Renewal To Wreckage: Redevelopment In New Haven And The Oak Street Project, Harrison Silver

Senior Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

“I Am The Democratic Party”: The Role Of Washington Experience In Democratic Presidents’ Success, Coleman P. Mcjessy

Senior Theses and Projects

Upon his election to the presidency, Joseph R. Biden Jr. was the first Democratic President elected in a half century with extensive “Washington experience,” that is experience as a Senator, Congressman, or Cabinet Member. In doing so, he brought a different perspective to the White House, one that was familiar with the electoral, legislative, and organizational institutions that the leader of the Democratic party must manage. In addition, this experience has led Biden to be more trusting of the formal Democratic Party infrastructure and therefore more able to use it to support his goals. In comparison to former Presidents Clinton …

A Tale Of Two Sides: An Analysis Into Which Demographics The English Department Attracts And Why, Jennifer Mendez

Senior Theses and Projects

This paper aims to provide a more in-depth focus on the English Department in college/university settings, specifically at Trinity College. Additionally, it looks at the structure of its current curriculum and whether or not it attracts students of color to the department, and why?

Variation In Covid-19 Outcomes In The United States: A Policy Perspective, Lauren Mcrae

Senior Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

Backsliding: Donald Trump, Conspiracy Theory, & Democratic Decline, Hannah Kessel

Senior Theses and Projects

The relationship between conspiracy and democratic decline is well established in political theory. The tradition of American conspiracy imposes fear, mistrust, and unreality on citizens, which threatens the legitimacy of democratic institutions. Democratic electoral processes rely on a shared sense of objectivity and truth. Without this, electoral legitimacy crumbles. Twitter’s emergence as a new medium for political discourse alongside the Donald Trump presidential administration have jointly posed unique challenges to American democracy within this theoretical framework. The impacts of social media on the electoral process are unmeasured, and the implications of a conspiracy-minded president are unprecedented. I observe this relationship …

Left At The Door Of Trinity- Community Based Organizations And Their Role In College Success At Trinity, Karolina Barrientos

Senior Theses and Projects

Community-based organizations, (CBOs) have given a specific subset of students opportunities for higher education. These organizations tasked themselves with providing students from historically marginalized backgrounds, typically students of color from lower social-economic statuses, the resources to access top-tier colleges and universities. This transactional trend can be identified in institutions like Trinity, a private liberal arts college that inherently upholds white supremacy and capitalism. In organizations streamlining students into these institutions, it eventually became clear that access to these organizations is not enough to ensure their success and clear implementation of college success was necessary. Leading me to my research question, …

Covid-19 And Anxiety And Depression Prevalence In College Counseling Centers, Elizabeth Densen

Senior Theses and Projects

Today more than ever, college students in the United States feel increased stress, leaving them more vulnerable to mental illnesses like depression and anxiety. With the Coronavirus-19 pandemic running rampant throughout the world, mental health concerns have been at the forefront of our issues, especially in the already vulnerable college population. While counseling centers have been present in colleges since the 1900s, their roles have significantly changed especially in the context of COVID-19. Therefore, due to the novelty of the virus, there is little research on the effects of COVID-19 on college students’ mental health and what that means for …

Predictors Of Prescription Stimulant Medical Misuse And Diversion: Conduct Problems And Perceptions Of Risk, Alice Verdier

Senior Theses and Projects

For the past decade, researchers have been warning of the impending possibility of a prescription stimulant crisis and consequently, an epidemic (Faraone et al., 2020). With the rise in legitimate prescriptions for stimulant medications, there is a greater possibility for these medications to be medical misused or diverted. Medical misuse is the “inappropriate use of a stimulant medication that was initially prescribed for the treatment of ADHD” such as taking too much or too little or using through alternative routes of administration (Sepúlveda et al., 2011, p. 551). Diversion is “transfer of medication of one patient for whom it is …

Changes In College Students' Substance Use Habits And Motivations During Covid-19, Madelyn Shapiro

Senior Theses and Projects

The aim of the current study was to better understand changes in college students’ substance use habits and motivations, specifically regarding alcohol, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. College students are deemed to be a high-risk group when it comes to substance use disorders and at risk to develop mental health disorders, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these issues. Emerging adults’ drinking may not have changed drastically during the pandemic; however, a subset of individuals might have been more vulnerable to increased drinking. Participants consisted of junior and senior college students (N=20) between the ages of 20 and 23 …

Phosphorus And Metal Cycling In A Drinking Water Source, Amanda Modica

Senior Theses and Projects

This project sought to investigate the cycling of phosphorus and metals in Lake Auburn, a drinking water source, specifically to analyze the impacts of an alum treatment on the lake for the purpose of decreasing concentrations of eutrophication-promoting phosphorus. The alum addition was performed in the summer of 2019 in two phases. Water samples were collected from the surface to the deepest point at five sites around the lake from February 2019 to November 2021. Data showed that the added alum slowly sank to the bottom of the lake. Total and dissolved metals data showed increased metals concentrations at sampling …

Tolstoy's View Of Free Will Through Natasha Rostov And Anna Karenina, Karina Smith

Senior Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

Parents Accessing Special Education Services During The Covid Pandemic, Julianne Petrillo

Senior Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

Gender Performance In Contentious Politics: A Case Study Of The 2020-2021 Protests In Belarus & The 2013-2014 Euromaidan Protests In Ukraine, Darya Maliauskaya

Senior Theses and Projects

This thesis aims to explore women’s participation in contentious politics in post-Soviet Eurasia states. In both Belarus and Ukraine, women were both visible and invisible drivers of demonstrations: attending marches, creating solidarity chains, supporting other protestors, providing medical assistance, participating in peace-keeping, etc. By performing different gender roles and utilizing particular gender symbols, women were able to claim their presence in these protest spaces. However, such moments of upheaval tend to create both opportunities and threats for women. The thesis will identify what gender roles, symbols, and discourses women utilized in the 2020-21 Belarus uprising and the 2013-14 Euromaidan protest …

Egoism: A Case Study Of The Relationship Between Self-Interest And Ethics, India Rhodes

Senior Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

The Restitution Of Nazi-Looted Art In The United States: A Legal And Policy Analysis, Katharine J. Namon

Senior Theses and Projects

Restitution of Nazi-looted art in the United States is a complicated legal and policy issue. Victims and their heirs seeking restitution of their stolen art frequently encounter inconsistent legal standards at the state, federal, and international levels. Moreover, there are many different parties involved in these cases, including countries, museums, private collections, auction houses, heirs, and individuals who may have an interest in the particular work of art. Ethics must also be considered, and in the past, international principles for nations have been established to guide the process of delivering victims of wartime looting justice. Unfortunately, the current legal framework …

The Quizzical Queerness Of A Generation Left Alone With Their Queries: How The Covid-19 Pandemic Has Affected Queer Trinity Students, Cj Donohoe

Senior Theses and Projects

This paper analyzes the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic as it pertains to queer students at Trinity College in Hartford, CT. Themes of a fuck-it mentality, increased time with family, and broader engagement with the LGBTQIA+ community on social media reinforced queer young people's identities, causing them to be more comfortable and confident in these identities. This research is a qualitative study of 10 queer-identified students at Trinity College and is grounded in theoretical frameworks by Judith Butler and Michel Foucault.

The Vanishing Arab Adult: A Male Coming Of Age Crisis Driving Social And Political Change In The Jasmine And Egyptian Revolutions, Antonio Guirola

Senior Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

Does Attachment Style, Personality, And Intercultural Effectiveness Impact The Intent To Study Abroad, Elizabeth Kiely

Senior Theses and Projects

Research studies have shown that there is a relationship between attachment, personality and adjustment. This present study examined the impact of attachment style, personality, and intercultural effectiveness on an individual’s intent to study abroad. I predicted that those with secure attachment would be more likely report an intent to go study abroad than those with insecure attachment. I also predicted that students with high levels of extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness would be more likely to abroad then those with high levels of neuroticism. Lastly, I predicted students with high levels of intercultural effectiveness would be more likely to go …

How Do Arts Programs Facilitate Emotion Regulation In The Prison Setting?, Dana Parker

Senior Theses and Projects

Reentry and prison arts programs provide an opportunity for rehabilitation that facilitates healthier emotion regulation (ER), relationship building, and self-esteem. To measure the effects of arts-based interventions on ER, formerly incarcerated people completed a questionnaire that included three different measures: the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire Short-Form (CERQ-Short), the Emotion Regulation Strategies for Artistic Creative Activities (ERS-ACA), and the Self-expression and Emotion Regulation in Art Therapy Scale (SERATS). Results showed that there were significant differences between males and females on their scores on ER subscales, where women more often than men employed positive ER strategies. In support of my hypotheses, higher …

Online Therapy’S Influences On College Student’S Emotional Health, Zhihan Zhang

Senior Theses and Projects

Based on previous research, online therapy has been find as effective as traditional face-to-face therapy in reducing emotional health-related symptoms. Still, people tend to prefer face-to-face therapy more. Using theories from previous research, we adopted the “Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale” (DASS-21) to study our hypothesis that effective scores on DASS-21 will not differ between the students receiving the online therapy and face-to-face therapy. Also, the “Satisfaction with Treatment Questionnaire” has been used to study our hypothesis that students will prefer face-to-face therapy. This study examines the effectiveness of online therapy and the population’s preferences while focusing on Trinity college …

Human Rights & God: Universality, Human Dignity And Moral Absolutism, Caleb Yoon

Senior Theses and Projects

While the current human rights tradition has come out of a common sentiment to move away from religion—for religion has, historically, been an immense source of human rights violations—the origins of human rights need to be considered, and perhaps more importantly, why human rights must exist in the first place. In his article “No human rights without God,” Daniel Philpott contends that three essential characteristics of human rights necessitate the integration and acknowledgment of God: universality, human dignity, and their “trump card status” (Philpott, 2014). Philpott counters the notion that reason alone can establish human rights’ universality, focus on human …

Curcumin Regulation Of Oligodendrocyte Differentiation And Development, Anna Tangiyan

Senior Theses and Projects

Curcumin is a naturally obtained hydrophobic polyphenol that is under investigation for its potential benefits in multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment. MS development involves two main stages in its pathophysiology – the establishment and progression of inflammation that causes blood and brain barrier (BBB) damage, followed by neurodegenerative mechanisms that result in myelin sheath disruption and oligodendrocyte apoptosis. These immunopathological and neurodegenerative processes lead to disrupted remyelination in MS, which has been previously associated with the oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs). Specifically, disrupted OPC differentiation has been hypothesized to have a large role in impaired remyelination in MS. Curcumin’s immunoregulatory, anti-apoptotic, anti-oxidant, …

La Literatura De Los Depuestos, Asesinados Y Desaparecidos: Rodolfo Walsh Y El Papel Del Periodismo Investigativo En La Argentina De La Segunda Mitad Del Siglo Xx, Jay Park

Senior Theses and Projects

Las obras de Rodolfo Walsh destacan el papel crítico de la escritura (periodística y de crónicas) como mecanismo para abordar la opresión tanto política como social en una sociedad dominada por la inestabilidad política y por la prevalencia de regímenes opresivos. A través de un análisis de sus obras Operación Masacre (1957), Quién mató a Rosendo? (1969) y Carta abierta de un escritor a la Junta Militar (1977), este ensayo buscará delinear la naturaleza de la escritura testimonial como una herramienta para documentar la injusticia y galvanizar a un público que está siendo oprimido y limitada su acción.

Patria, Padre Y Exilio: La Estética Epifánica De James Joyce En ‘Últimos Atardeceres En La Tierra’ De Roberto Bolaño, Peter Finucane

Senior Theses and Projects

Although Roberto Bolaño’s outwardly irreverent, stridently innovative fictions might not show it, the Chilean author read widely. Beyond the primary, ample influence of Jorge Luis Borges in Bolaño’s literary production, I believe James Joyce to be a clear second. This thesis uncovers the Joycean aesthetic specifically in Bolaño’s short story “Últimos atardeceres en la tierra,” (2001) where I contend that the author succeeds in joining the violence of Latin American fiction with the generative epiphany of the European Joyce, particularly from A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916). I suggest that Bolaño does so in order to …

The Nazi Aesthetic: Nuance And Contradiction In Systematic Art Theft And Collection Efforts, Katharine J. Namon

Senior Theses and Projects

Nazi art collecting and looting was a strong and persistent undercurrent throughout World War II. The public and private practices of Nazi officials reveal both their aesthetic tastes and obsession with establishing themselves as highly educated, cultured patrons of the arts. Although the party’s artistic preferences are hard to define, it is evident that their stance on what constituted fine art and culture was entirely illogical, inconsistent, and incongruent. By examining their motives for acquiring such an astounding amount of art, the artistic tastes of individual Nazi officials, and the public exhibitions they held to advertise their values, one can …

At The End Of The Day We All Want To Get High, Karolina Barrientos

Senior Theses and Projects

The consumption of cannabis is nothing new to college campuses and with the legalization of cannabis in Connecticut, it will for certain continue at Trinity College. However historically research centered on cannabis has focused on its negative impacts and not on its benefits or its impact on positive experiences. In examining my habitus, Trinity College, through a sociological lens, I wanted to examine the interactions once builds on campus in relation to cannabis and uncover is it is racialized in any way. Trinity as inherent white supremacist institution, and the experiences of students of color often differ from their white …

Characterizing Prospective Memory Errors And Their Neuropsychological Correlations In Persons With Ms, Caitlyn Nguyen

Senior Theses and Projects

Background: Prospective memory (PM) or “remembering to remember” is an important cognitive domain for everyday tasks. PM errors (e.g., loss of content, task substitution, or loss of time) have been noted in certain neurological disorders, with detrimental effects on a person’s quality of life and independent functioning. While PM deficits have been documented in multiple sclerosis (MS), little is known about the specific errors made.

Objectives: 1) To characterize types and frequencies of PM errors and 2) investigate whether other cognitive processes (i.e., processing speed and verbal learning) or personality traits (i.e., Five Factor Model of Personality) are …

Live As Fireflies: The Narration Of Traumas In Two Films, Tucker Obrien

Senior Theses and Projects

The films To Live, directed by Zhang Yimou 1994 in China, and Grave of the Fireflies, directed by Isao Takahata in Japan, tell the stories of two families’ daily life as they endure the aftermath of historical tragedies in the 20^th century. Affected by the histories of China and Japan in the twentieth century, the actions and thoughts of the characters embody different forms of their traumas. I argue that these two films depict traumatic expressions of the Chinese and Japanese people to their respective historical tragedies, through the abnormal behaviors and uncanny psychologies of the characters. The visualized …

The Methods Of Oppression Of Women In 1800s Germany Vs. Today, Amina Taher

Senior Theses and Projects

Women have faced many injustices, pain, and struggles over time. This thesis focuses on the methods by which women were oppressed in 1800s Germany vs. today. At first, I use a number of popular fairytales, novels, and scholarly articles/books to discuss the role of women in German society in the 1800s. Furthermore, I talk about the different methods used to oppress and abuse women in modern times, mainly focusing on the role of social media as a tool of oppression. Finally, I emphasize and debate the similarities and differences between the different oppression forms over time.