Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

How To Discuss Politics Without Wanting To Kill Someone, Jessica Craven

Senior Honors Projects

Studies conclude that from 1990 to today, American society has become increasingly politically polarized, making cooperation among people who hold opposing views difficult and striking compromise on issues increasingly unlikely. Polarization is a major impediment to effective policy-making and communication; which is necessary for policy decision-making and implementation.

The first step to effective cooperation is an open conversation between opposing sides. This project seeks to determine methods, based on moral framing, that create an open conversation between proponents of opposing views on a given political issue. The national gun debate, gun rights versus gun control, was used to create political …

Sometimes Laughter Is The Best Medicine: Stand-Up Comedy, Humor, And Healthcare, Haran Mennillo

Senior Honors Projects

While for many healthcare is no laughing matter, humor can be a valuable tool for physicians. Hospitals and other healthcare environments can be very stressful places for patients, many of whom are having the worst day of their lives. Humor is an excellent medium through which doctors can connect with their patients, improving the doctor-patient relationship. Patients will often use humor as a way to cope with their stress, and doctors with a sense of humor are able to better connect with their patients. This use of humor has many applications across different fields of medicine, including pediatrics, oncology, palliative …