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Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities

Dress And Womanhood Of Ancient Rome, Eliza Burbano Jun 2016

Dress And Womanhood Of Ancient Rome, Eliza Burbano

Honors Theses

Fashion transcends its own role of imagery, as it becomes the medium through which individuals express their place in society. Fashion history would not consider the ancient world as part of the history of the discipline. Nevertheless, the function of dress in ancient cultures like that of Rome has definitely helped shape social hierarchies that are still present today. Clothing structured Roman society deeply, just as class, race, and sexuality did. Scholar Kelly Olson (2002) defines the function of clothing as part of a sign system. This study argues that dress in ancient Rome goes beyond this idea, in that …


Primality Proving Based On Eisenstein Integers, Miaoqing Jia Jun 2016

Primality Proving Based On Eisenstein Integers, Miaoqing Jia

Honors Theses

According to the Berrizbeitia theorem, a highly efficient method for certifying the primality of an integer N ≡ 1 (mod 3) can be created based on pseudocubes in the ordinary integers Z. In 2010, Williams and Wooding moved this method into the Eisenstein integers Z[ω] and defined a new term, Eisenstein pseudocubes. By using a precomputed table of Eisenstein pseudocubes, they created a new algorithm in this context to prove primality of integers N ≡ 1 (mod 3) in a shorter period of time. We will look at the Eisenstein pseudocubes and analyze how this new algorithm works with the …


Saving Socrates: A New Socratic Portrait, Anthony Lobrace Jun 2016

Saving Socrates: A New Socratic Portrait, Anthony Lobrace

Honors Theses

In 399 B.C. Socrates was indicted on charges of asebeia, or impiety and corrupting the youth. He was brought before a jury of some 500 Athenians in a type of trial known as agon timetos, or “trial of assessment”. Casting their votes, the vast majority of the jurors found Socrates guilty of the offenses he was accused of. A week later he drank a cup of hemlock and died in his prison cell. In what follows I will draw a new portrait of Socrates. This will be constructed from details found in Aristophanes’ the Clouds, as well as Socratic dialogues. …


The Smiling, The Sick, The Suffereing: Snapshots Of Syrian Displacement, Karlee Anna Bergendorff Jun 2016

The Smiling, The Sick, The Suffereing: Snapshots Of Syrian Displacement, Karlee Anna Bergendorff

Honors Theses

Photographic images of Syrian refugees - smiling, sick, or suffering - on the news and in the ads of human rights organizations have been employed to mobilize governments, armies, or businesses. These images are effective in mobilizing various forms of support or intervention because they have a strong emotional impact on the mass public. The emotionally driven connection between spectator and refugee, however, raises some troubling questions about whose interests the images serve, and how they are used for various efforts. Is it possible to depict the suffering of Syrian refugees without violating their dignity, agency, and autonomy? I argue …


Women: Indisputable Fans Of Baseball: An Ethnographic Study Of Female Baseball Fans, Shea Barickman Jun 2016

Women: Indisputable Fans Of Baseball: An Ethnographic Study Of Female Baseball Fans, Shea Barickman

Honors Theses

Baseball is known as America’s Pastime and has been a strong symbol of masculinity in American culture. The ratio of female to male fans, however, is actually the most equal of any major professional sport in the United States. This thesis examines that paradox. Drawing on participant observations at games, interviews with fans and an ethnographic study of a sports radio station in Kansas City, I find that the increasing participation of female fans is a result of baseball being experienced and marketed as a family-oriented game. This family experience gave women a point of entry and women have stuck …


La Paisana Jacinta: El Programa Que Causa La Risa Para Algunas Y El Sufrimiento Para Otros, Rachel Wyman Jun 2016

La Paisana Jacinta: El Programa Que Causa La Risa Para Algunas Y El Sufrimiento Para Otros, Rachel Wyman

Honors Theses

Examino el papel de la comedia en La Paisana Jacinta en la naturalización de la discriminación racial. La identidad denigrada que se asigna a La Paisana Jacinta origina en los estereotipos populares de la población indígena en Perú, no es solamente una interpretación de la cultura andina migrante. Entonces, analizo los comentarios de los usuarios fans en las redes sociales para entender como el programa ha ganado popularidad, incluyendo la reacción a la censura del programa. También, examino la reacción de las organizaciones humanas y indígenas que desean imponer la censura y el fin inmediatamente del programa. La Paisana Jacinta …


Uncharted Territory: Critical Social Artistic Practices In The 21st Century, Kyra M. Detone Jun 2016

Uncharted Territory: Critical Social Artistic Practices In The 21st Century, Kyra M. Detone

Honors Theses

Since the early 1990s, the American art world has witnessed the rise of critical social artistic practices that are largely collaborative projects driven by participatory experiences between artists and community. With its roots in the activist, protest, and public art movements beginning in the late 60s, socially engaged art steps out of traditional viewing spaces like the museum and directly confronts society’s object-based and monetary understanding of art. Driven by process and dependent on coalition building, creative problem solving, and public service rather than profit, socially engaged critical practice is complex and demands a new vocabulary through which to critique …


Game Of Thrones And Ancient Rome, Alexander Arnold Jun 2016

Game Of Thrones And Ancient Rome, Alexander Arnold

Honors Theses

Ancient Roman society to this day influences different aspects of modern life. One of these aspects includes visual media and entertainment. Renowned by ancient sources and secondary sources as one of the most successful and powerful empires throughout history, the actions of the Romans inspire spectacles of amusement on contemporary award-winning movies and television shows. This would include movies like Gladiator and Spartacus along with television shows like Rome. This study investigates the award-winning, HBO television series Game of Thrones. The show is adapted from a novel series entitled A Song of Ice and Fire, written by George …


Une Analyse Des Réponses À La Montée De L’Islam Radical En France, Austin Bannister Jun 2016

Une Analyse Des Réponses À La Montée De L’Islam Radical En France, Austin Bannister

Honors Theses

My study begins with a close look at the Parisian “banlieue” and popular imagery associated with it. When the large wave of immigrants came to France in the 1950’s, they were very poor and settled in the outskirts of Paris. Today, even some sixty years later, this “banlieue” is roughly synonymous with “slums” or “shantytowns” and is associated with criminal activity, very poor inhabitants, and violence. A distinction between beautiful Paris and the rundown banlieue is defined not only by the appearance of their respective buildings, but by the lives of their inhabitants as well. There is a clear social …


Expressive Writing As A Coping Mechanism For Caregivers Of People With Parkinson's Disease, Sarah Beck Jun 2016

Expressive Writing As A Coping Mechanism For Caregivers Of People With Parkinson's Disease, Sarah Beck

Honors Theses

Caregivers face challenges that take a tremendous toll both mentally and physically, while also having to experience their changing relationship with a loved one who continuously deteriorates. (Ornstein, Gaugler, Devanand, Scarmeas, Zhu, & Stern, 2013). The purpose of my study will be to examine if utilizing expressive writing (EW) can benefit caregivers of loved ones with Parkinson’s disease. I hypothesized that EW would help alleviate caregiver burden, and decrease negative mood and healthier coping means, while caregivers who write within a positive framework will experience the greatest alleviation of burden, better reported mood, and coping means. In this study the …


A Gilded Cage: A Feminist Analysis Of Manor House Literature, Katelyn Billings Jun 2016

A Gilded Cage: A Feminist Analysis Of Manor House Literature, Katelyn Billings

Honors Theses

This thesis focuses on women struggling with social rules and gender restrictions in Victorian and Edwardian English manor houses. The culture of the manor home had an incredibly powerful impact on the female protagonists of the literary texts I analyze, and in this thesis, I demonstrate how it stifled the growth and agency of women. With the end of the age of the British Great Houses in the twentieth century, there was the simultaneous rise of the New Woman, an emerging cultural icon that challenged conservative Victorian conventions. With the values and ideologies surrounding the New Woman in mind, this …


La Epoca De #Nofilter: El Impacto De Los Medios Sociales En La Imagen Corporal Latina, Rebecca Calvo-Cruz Jun 2016

La Epoca De #Nofilter: El Impacto De Los Medios Sociales En La Imagen Corporal Latina, Rebecca Calvo-Cruz

Honors Theses

Compartiendo fotos se ha convertido en un medio fundamental de comunicación que ofrece a los usuarios la oportunidad de un examen constante de sí mismos y otros. De hecho, a medida que más plataformas de medios sociales basados en fotos, como Instagram, ganan popularidad, cada vez es normal para los adultos jóvenes compartir fotos personales con el mundo en línea. Este año, el 54% de los usuarios del Internet mayores del año 18 dicen que “publican fotos originales en línea”, en comparación con 46% en 2012 (Duggan 2013). En Facebook, hay casi 300 millones de fotos publicadas cada día, que …


American Popular Culture, Politics, And Comedy: How Saturday Nigh Live Delivers The "News", Jillian Callanan Jun 2016

American Popular Culture, Politics, And Comedy: How Saturday Nigh Live Delivers The "News", Jillian Callanan

Honors Theses

Saturday Night Live has delved into the realm of politics throughout its forty-one seasons as a means of generating humor through satirical and parodical representations of politicians. This thesis explores Saturday Night Live during election years in particular, when the show generates a great deal of its content from the surrounding political atmosphere to comment on the issues at hand in a way that most often contrasts the style of reporting done by traditional hard news programs. The increasing role of entertainment in news delivery sheds light on the blurred lines between news and entertainment news, and this thesis will …


Boudicca's Rebellion Against The Roman Empire In 60 Ad, Daniel Cohen Jun 2016

Boudicca's Rebellion Against The Roman Empire In 60 Ad, Daniel Cohen

Honors Theses

This paper examines the rebellion of Boudicca, the queen of the Iceni tribe, during the Roman Empire’s occupation of Britannia in 60 AD. The study shows that had Boudicca not changed her winning strategy in one key battle, she could have forced the Roman Empire to withdraw their presence from Britannia, at least until it was prudent to invade again. This paper analyzes the few extant historical accounts available on Boudicca, namely those of the Roman historians Tacitus and Cassius Dio, to explore the effectiveness of tactics on both sides of the rebellion. The sources reveal that Boudicca enjoyed initial …


Constructing A Narrative Of Irish Republicanism 1913 - 1921, Christopher Graff Jun 2016

Constructing A Narrative Of Irish Republicanism 1913 - 1921, Christopher Graff

Honors Theses

The Easter Rising of 1916 and subsequent Anglo-Irish War were two seminal events in contemporary Irish history, and are especially pertinent as the 100th anniversary of the Rising approaches this year. In this thesis, I examine the underlying causes of the Easter Rising, specifically the growing influence of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and an increase in Irish Nationalism. I then trace the planning, preparation, and execution of the Easter Rising, which was not a popular uprising, but rather an armed insurrection led by a small group of militarized radicals. I also analyze the political, social, and economic consequences of the …


Reading Between The Lines: Verifying Mathematical Language, Tristan Johnson Jun 2016

Reading Between The Lines: Verifying Mathematical Language, Tristan Johnson

Honors Theses

A great deal of work has been done on automatically generating automated proofs of formal statements. However, these systems tend to focus on logic-oriented statements and tactics as well as generating proofs in formal language. This project examines proofs written in natural language under a more general scope of mathematics. Furthermore, rather than attempting to generate natural language proofs for the purpose of solving problems, we automatically verify human-written proofs in natural language. To accomplish this, elements of discourse parsing, semantic interpretation, and application of an automated theorem prover are implemented.


Democracy And Citzenship: A Counterintuitive Relationship Examined Through Ancient Athens And The Contemporary Crisis, Shivangi Mehta Jun 2016

Democracy And Citzenship: A Counterintuitive Relationship Examined Through Ancient Athens And The Contemporary Crisis, Shivangi Mehta

Honors Theses

Ancient Athens is often valued for being the birthplace of democracy, a form of government that is often believed to be “by the people, for the people.” With democracy came the emergence of citizenship. In ancient Athens, citizenship was created to outline the political community by defining who belonged to the community and who was excluded from it. Through time, as countries have been claiming they are becoming more democratic, more restrictions have been imposed. These restrictions have created boundaries, thus excluding individuals from citizenship status causing them to lose their rights and abilities, specifically in areas such as political …


Love Shouldn't Hurt: Akrasia As An Explanation For The Perpetration Of Domestic Violence, Elizabeth Murad Jun 2016

Love Shouldn't Hurt: Akrasia As An Explanation For The Perpetration Of Domestic Violence, Elizabeth Murad

Honors Theses

Domestic Violence (DV) is a prominent issue that affects people of all demographics, and can be defined as the perpetration of psychological, emotional, physical, or sexual abuse against (typically) an inferior other. A dear friend, Alex, lost her life at the hands of her boyfriend of almost two years, and I still struggle to understand how one could do such an atrocious thing to a loved one? The Perpetrator, Clayton, claimed that he “just snapped” when he “killed [his] girlfriend.” It is from this case, and more specifically the statement: “I just snapped,” that I have based my research; I …


L' Obscurite' Manifestee (A Manifested Obscurity), Roswald Morales Jun 2016

L' Obscurite' Manifestee (A Manifested Obscurity), Roswald Morales

Honors Theses

There are three directors that have revolutionized the world of French cinema by bringing to the forefront topics that make its audiences uncomfortable. Abdellatif Kechiche, director of the film Black Venus (2010), Ousmane Sembène, director of the film Black Girl (1966), and Céline Sciamma, director of the film Girlhood (2014) have become renowned for discussing the portrayal of black women in French society. This is a topic at hand that reveals the devastating truth behind French society in regarding black women during various eras. Black Venus narrates the life of an African woman during the slavery period in Europe. Black …


Caesars And Corleones: Augustan Rome And The Godfather, Edythe Malara Jun 2016

Caesars And Corleones: Augustan Rome And The Godfather, Edythe Malara

Honors Theses

What do The Godfather and the Roman Empire have in common? This thesis will compare the Augustan period of the Roman Empire and Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather. Themes such as power, religion, family, and morality play a large role in The Godfather as well as in the life of Augustus. Even the personal character of Augustus seems to parallel the character of Don Vito Corleone. First, a historical background is provided about Augustus, the empire he ran, and how he ran it. I examine excerpts from famous authors of antiquity such as Suetonius, Cassius Dio, and Horace. I also …


'And I Am A Material Girl': How Aesthetics And Material Culture Fashion Femininity In Edith Wharton's The Age Of Innocence, From Text To Film, Avery Novitch Jun 2016

'And I Am A Material Girl': How Aesthetics And Material Culture Fashion Femininity In Edith Wharton's The Age Of Innocence, From Text To Film, Avery Novitch

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the role of aesthetics and material culture in Edith Wharton’s 1920 novel The Age of Innocence and in Martin Scorsese’s 1993 film adaptation. In Wharton’s Old New York, material opulence is arguably the most essential aspect of culture. Newland Archer is the primary authority on fashion and taste within the narrative, and is thus charged with enforcing standards of socially constructed Victorian femininity with regard to his two romantic interests, May Welland and Ellen Olenska. Scorsese’s film uses mise-en-scène to echo the detail rich design aesthetic found in Wharton’s prose; however, the film’s abandonment of Newland’s distinctly …


Les Reincarnations De Carmen: La Creation D'Un Mythe, Mary Kathryn Pope Jun 2016

Les Reincarnations De Carmen: La Creation D'Un Mythe, Mary Kathryn Pope

Honors Theses

Carmen, the title character of Prosper Mérimée’s 1845 novella, has taken on many lives in the creative world. Adaptations of her story have been produced over the past 150 years in operas, ballets, and films. With each new reincarnation of Carmen, her identities as a femme fatale, gypsy, and sorcerer have been altered in order to appeal to her audience. Carmen’s character changes with the audience, presented as relatable and desirable to each new generation. Each piece represents Carmen in a new light, and I explore what allows this character to be able to be altered time and time again …


Baby Cribs In Prison Cells: Assessing Opinions About Prison Nursery Programs By Humanizing Incarcerated Mothers, Erin Ostheimer Jun 2016

Baby Cribs In Prison Cells: Assessing Opinions About Prison Nursery Programs By Humanizing Incarcerated Mothers, Erin Ostheimer

Honors Theses

Through my research, I analyzed prison nursery programs in the United States. Prison nurseries are programs that exist in nine states that allow mothers who are pregnant when they are incarcerated to keep their infants with them in prison for a finite amount of time. Previous scholarship on the topic has shown that prison nurseries are effective in reducing rates of recidivism and fostering a bond between mother and infant. My research explored the question of why these programs are so rare given their success. I assessed Union College student and professor attitudes about maternal incarceration to better understand how …


Remember The Holocaust And The Killing Fields: A Comparative Study, Ilan Levine Jun 2016

Remember The Holocaust And The Killing Fields: A Comparative Study, Ilan Levine

Honors Theses

Why is the Holocaust almost universally remembered as the most horrific event in the modern age while the Cambodian genocide is hardly remembered both in and outside of Cambodia? Do the two events share similar aspects despite their differences, and what implication does that have on a wider understanding of both genocides? This thesis explores these questions by examining how the Holocaust and Cambodian genocide (killing fields) have been remembered over time. Examining both shows the respective roads of memorialization that each have taken and reveals where the two catastrophes share major aspects: notably, the tactics used by the perpetrators, …


Yellow Window Into The Soul: Creative Explorations Of Surrealism, Elora Weil Jun 2016

Yellow Window Into The Soul: Creative Explorations Of Surrealism, Elora Weil

Honors Theses

My thesis is a collection of surrealist short stories. The inspiration for my thesis came from Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis, published in 1915. I drew the majority of my inspiration from the concept of making a normal situation completely abnormal. My stories range from horrifying to humorous to historical fiction, but all are tied together by their surreal elements. I tend to end my stories on cliffhangers, which are intended to leave the reader pondering what it is that they have just read. Two examples of my stories are, “The Girl With Kaleidoscope Pupils” and “Har Har Ganga.” “The Girl With …


Voices Trapped Within The Portrait: Annetje Kool Pieter Vanderlyn And The Expectations Regarding Gender In Public And Private Spheres In A Burgeoning Nation, Abigail Hollander Jun 2016

Voices Trapped Within The Portrait: Annetje Kool Pieter Vanderlyn And The Expectations Regarding Gender In Public And Private Spheres In A Burgeoning Nation, Abigail Hollander

Honors Theses

The main subjects of this study, Pieter Vanderlyn, the attributed artist of “A Portrait of Annetje Kool” (c.1740), and Annetje Kool, the sitter, both had subversive identities relative to the sociocultural expectations of New Netherland, a Hudson River Valley based settlement. The oil portrait on canvas depicts a young woman in an elaborate dress with lace and gilt embellishments. To understand this portrait’s historical context, this thesis examines how male and female voices functioned on the margins of the moral boundaries that shaped expectations of gender appropriate thought and action during the colonial, revolutionary, and post-revolutionary eras in New York …


The Persistence Of Patriarchy In Latin America: An Analysis Of Negative And Positive Trends, Eliza Burbano Jun 2016

The Persistence Of Patriarchy In Latin America: An Analysis Of Negative And Positive Trends, Eliza Burbano

Honors Theses

The last 25 years have seen the rise of women as political leaders in Latin America. There are now three female presidents, including Michelle Bachelet (Chile), Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (Argentina), and Dilma Rousseff (Brazil). This sociopolitical progress owes its success to the consolidation of democratic institutions, a strong feminist movements such as Argentina’s “Movimiento Nacional de Mujeres” and a strong regional push towards egalitarian legislation. According to ECLAC there are a number of important feminist movements in the region that catalyze egalitarian legislative changes. #NIUNAMENOS is one of such campaigns promoting zero tolerance against gender violence and aims is …


Cartooning For Peace? The Necessity Of Political Cartooning To Democracy And Understanding The Struggle Of Inclusion Exclusion And Citizenship For French Muslims, Ashley Enger Jun 2016

Cartooning For Peace? The Necessity Of Political Cartooning To Democracy And Understanding The Struggle Of Inclusion Exclusion And Citizenship For French Muslims, Ashley Enger

Honors Theses

This combined thesis for Political Science and French and Francophone Studies will address the issue of political cartooning in relation to democracy. This thesis will show how political cartooning explores the ambiguities and contradictions of citizenship for Muslims in France. Cartoons reveal the ostracizing of citizens, the challenges of integration, and the difficulties of discovering an identity as an immigrant through explicit, shocking, and often uncomfortable imagery. By analyzing the backlash against cartoons, the effects of cartoons on the Muslim minority in France, and the ways in which traditional French cartooning has the potential to be a positive force for …


An Interdisciplinary Approach To Domestic Violence In The Legal System: The Importance Of Victim Advocates, Joanna Chalifoux Jun 2016

An Interdisciplinary Approach To Domestic Violence In The Legal System: The Importance Of Victim Advocates, Joanna Chalifoux

Honors Theses

Domestic violence is an aspect of the legal system where there typically is a lack of communication among the institutions involved. Therefore, the benefit of an interdisciplinary approach to domestic violence in the legal system is assessed by emphasizing the importance of the presence of victim advocates in the courtroom. In this dissertation, the issue will be evaluated through a feminist point of view— with the belief that domestic violence is a gendered phenomenon in which the majority of the perpetrators are male and the victims are female. In order to research this, several judges, lawyers, and victim advocates who …


Detection And Depletion Of Digital Cameras: An Exploration Into Protecting Personal Privacy In The Modern World, Jessica Sanford Jun 2016

Detection And Depletion Of Digital Cameras: An Exploration Into Protecting Personal Privacy In The Modern World, Jessica Sanford

Honors Theses

As all forms of technology become more integrated into our daily lives, personal privacy has become a major concern. Everyday devices, such as mobile phones, have surveillance capabilities simply by having a digital camera as part of the device. And while privacy and secrecy seem to go hand in hand, it is not always the case that one does not care about privacy because they have nothing to hide. For example, everything from unflattering photographs to being unknowingly and perhaps criminally surveilled, are ample reasons to desire some means of combatting the not so candid presence of digital cameras in …