Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Research In A Closed Political Context, Covid, And Across Languages: Methodological Lessons, Messages, And Ideas, Darzhan Kazbekova, Rebecca Schewe, Davor Mondom

Center for Policy Design and Governance

The brief provides a summary of "Research in a Closed Political Context, COVID, and Across Languages: Methodological Lessons, Messages, and Ideas," co-authored by Darzhan Kazbekova and Rebecca Schewe and published in the International Journal of Qualitative Methods.

Innovating Chinese Folklore: The Modernization Of The Eight Immortals Through Illustration And Licensing, Xiaodi Zhang

Theses - ALL

This thesis explores the traditional Chinese folk story "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea" and its related works, aiming to identify strategies for the preserving and advancing this folk-art form. The initial focus of this thesis is to analyze the folktale "The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea," which involves a description of each of the Immortals, their distinct personalities, and their individual magical objects. Through the analysis of artistic works associated with this folk tale, this thesis reveals the potential of integrating them with modern technologies and reimagining the characters, resulting in consistently generating engaging artworks. This approach effectively facilitates the …

Innovating Chinese Folklore: The Modernization Of The Eight Immortals Through Illustration And Licensing, Xiaodi Zhang

Theses - ALL

This thesis explores the traditional Chinese folk story "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea" and its related works, aiming to identify strategies for the preserving and advancing this folk-art form. The initial focus of this thesis is to analyze the folktale "The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea," which involves a description of each of the Immortals, their distinct personalities, and their individual magical objects. Through the analysis of artistic works associated with this folk tale, this thesis reveals the potential of integrating them with modern technologies and reimagining the characters, resulting in consistently generating engaging artworks. This approach effectively facilitates the …

Sac Newsletter 2023, South Asia Center

Newsletters from the South Asia Center

No abstract provided.

Watering The Desert, Draining The Oasis: Navigating Drought, Development, And Irrigation Politics In The Draa Valley, Morocco, Jamie Fico

Theses - ALL

No abstract provided.

Ideological And Strategic Influences On Hezbollah's Decisions To Deliver Social Service Provisions, Morgan Mcminn

Theses - ALL

Hezbollah is a unique organization that acts as a transnational group, an insurgent group and a major political party in Lebanon. Since the founding of Hezbollah, they have found social service provisions to be an important aspect of their organization and have had immense control over the territory, acting as a state within the state of Lebanon. Hezbollah offers an organizational structure, a conflict resolution mechanism, healthcare, education and much more to their primarily Shi'a constituents, however to other sects as well. My master's thesis seeks to examine the reasons that Hezbollah does offer these social service provisions. Through the …

The Politics Of Security: Syrian Refugees In The Middle East And Western Europe, Sefa Secen

Dissertations - ALL

Under what conditions do governments view and respond to the arrival of refugees primarily as a security threat? Comparatively analyzing the securitization of Syrian refugees in two pairs of countries, Turkey and Lebanon and Germany and France, this dissertation proposes a domestic political context-based theory and typology of securitization. Based on a quantitative and qualitative content analysis of the media data including mainstream national newspaper articles, political speeches, and policy documents, this research differentiates between different levels of securitization. It finds that moderate securitization was present in Lebanon during the early years of the refugee crisis (2013–2014) and coincided with …

Mental Health Service Use Disparities Among Latinx Communities: An Intersectional Examination Of The Role Of Skin Color, Acculturative Stress, Racial Discrimination, And Mental Health Literacy, Kirsis Allennys Dipre Montes De Oca

Dissertations - ALL

This study utilized logistic and hierarchical regression to examine the impact of skin color, acculturative stress, mental health literacy, and experiences of racial discrimination on the lifetime use of mental health services through an intersectional lens. More specifically, the current study examined the Latinx ethnic identity, US-born status, across the skin color spectrum to better understand mental health service use disparities. Participants' (n = 173) mental health service use was measured at two levels, first, the overall number of hours of sessions attended and second overall hours of sessions of specific types of mental health services attended. Results indicated skin …

North Korea's Policy Toward The United States: Rappochement To Confrontational Diplomacy In The 1970s And The 1990s, Seongryeol Kim

Dissertations - ALL

This research project challenges the common belief that North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons and their related delivery systems in the 1990s was a fundamental shift in its foreign policy objectives toward the United States. It argues instead that North Korea has continued to pursue the rapprochement policy announced by Kim Il Sung in the early 1970s. Its findings demonstrate that the shift from rapprochement in the 1970s to provocation in the 1990s was a tactical rather than a strategic change in North Korea's foreign policy. The U.S.'s indifference to the acute security anxieties caused by exogenous factors associated with …

Culture And Practice Within The Construction Industry In Kenya And Its Contribution To Income Inequality, Zachary Obwora Osolo

Theses - ALL

This research focuses on providing findings on the level of income disparity among construction workers in Kenya. The research has placed much of its emphasis on laborers working within the Nairobi metropolitan area and its surrounding areas, which have the largest groups of people representing construction workers in Kenya. It galvanizes mathematical principles to calculate income disparity gaps that result from economic policies and business practices in Kenya. This research seeks to contribute to the body of knowledge that can be used to establish a minimum wage for the construction worker in Kenya, by demonstrating how awareness of the existence …

Aesthetics Of Public Space : Taiwanese And Western Concepts Of "Public", Sin-Yu Lin

English Language Institute

It is not easy for Taiwanese people to tell the differences between public and private, for they tend to consider public space as "sharing space." How and when did this phenomenon occur in Taiwan? This article will discuss how people thought of public space from the Taiwanese and the western perspective.

Mobilization Of Women In Africa: The 2019 Sudanese Uprising, Mahder Serekberhan

Theses - ALL

In 2019 we witnessed the possibilities of a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-racial, multi-cultural, and multi-gendered democracy and a bottom-up democratization process led by women. Sudanese youth and women led and participated in mobilization and demonstration that not only reflected the mass character of the social formation, but also managed to subvert the Islamist military dependent capitalist state (and its apparatus). Over the span of 30 years, the regime, under Omar al-Bashir, managed to entrench and escalate structures and systems of exploitation and oppression necessary for capital accumulation. The intensified neoliberalization and militarization, at the expense of women's super-exploitation, was made possible …

Gender And The Political Economy Of Oil In The Niger Delta: A Feminist Critique, Nneka Eke

Dissertations - ALL

The exploitation of women's labor is central to the international political economy. Since the 1980s, the trend has been towards a 'feminization of labor' in which women are confined to low-skilled, low-paying, and mostly part-time work. The exploitation of women's labor is not just confined to waged labor, as women's domestic and subsistence labor is necessary to make the economy function but remains unpaid and undervalued. Despite these findings, studies on the oil political economy have not sufficiently dealt with oil's impact on women's labor. These studies—albeit in different ways—undertheorize the link between oil, women's labor (waged and unwaged), and …

"Black And African Cultural Influences On American Pop Culture", Bennie Braswell Iii

Theses - ALL

The aim of this thesis is to show the impact that Black and African culture has on the entertainment industry specifically in the USA. The first portion of the discussion retraces Black and African cultural influences in the 1920's, beginning with Black-owned newspapers, then on to comic books, until arriving in the 21st century with an exploration of such influences in the film and musical industries. An introduction of relevant African mythology figures will follow this historical look at cultural influences on entertainment. We will discuss the adaptations of these mythological figures in modern-day heroic beings. Providing detailed information about …

Sac Newsletter 2021, South Asia Center

Newsletters from the South Asia Center

No abstract provided.

Archaeology And Settlement Histories Along The Pra River, Southern Ghana, Circa 500 B.C. – Ad 1970, Samuel Amartey

Dissertations - ALL

Archaeological and historical data are used to examine transformations in settlement organizationand settlement patterns along the Pra River, southern Ghana, from the first millennium BC to the mid-twentieth century. The study’s focus is on Supomu Island and Wawase, two abandoned settlement sites located in the lower reaches of the Pra River, 15 kilometers north of the coastal trading and port town of Shama. Mapping of surface features, surface collections, shovel test pits, and test excavations are used to document intra- and inter-site artifact distributions. These lines of evidence are used in conjunction with historical sources to explore the processes of …

Mobilization Of Women In Africa: The 2019 Sudanese Uprising, Mahder Habtemariam Serekberhan

African American Studies - All Scholarship

In 2019 we witnessed the possibilities of a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-racial, multi-cultural, and multi-gendered democracy and a bottom-up democratization process led by women. Sudanese youth and women led and participated in mobilization and demonstration that not only reflected the mass character of the social formation, but also managed to subvert the Islamist military dependent capitalist state (and its apparatus). Over the span of 30 years, the regime, under Omar al-Bashir, managed to entrench and escalate structures and systems of exploitation and oppression necessary for capital accumulation. The intensified neoliberalization and militarization, at the expense of women’s super-exploitation, was made possible …

Access To Treatment For People With Hiv: Do Latin American Governments Cover Medical Treatment For People With Hiv-Aids Who Cannot Afford It?, Veronica M. Belmonte

English Language Institute

I will analyze different Latin American Supreme Court rulings in order to demonstrate that governments are obliged to cover universal medical treatments for people with HIV. This is a worldwide issue and UNAIDS is constantly working to protect this vulnerable group of people. We can see this progress in the following statistics.

The Issue Of Youth Unemployment In Bhutan, Tshering Wangdi

English Language Institute

As the problem of not being able to gainfully employ youths of Bhutan has become one of the main challenges faced by the government and society at large, this poster attempts to present the current youth unemployment scenario, the causes and impacts of youth unemployment, and some of the interventions initiatied to reduce the unemployment rate.

Sac Newsletter 2020, South Asia Center

Newsletters from the South Asia Center

No abstract provided.

Innovative Solution For Energy Supply In Rural Communities In Africa, Shilda Cardoso

English Language Institute

This research is a proposition of an innovative solution for energy supply in rural locations across Africa to stimulate social and economic growth. In the continuing unsolved problems in energy supply for rural communities across Africa, an Innovative solutions like solar energy can help change this status quo, and improve the lives of many people throughout the continent.

The European Warden; Reasons And Effects Of Immigration Through Libya., Anas Mustada Buhayh

English Language Institute

In 2009 250 000 people applied for asylum in the 27 EU member states, with most people immigrating through Libya In 2010 the Libyan dictator Moammar Gaddafi offered to stop the illegal immigration if the European Union paid him five billion euros The deal did not go through Traynor 2010 Journey In order to reach to the coast and be on one of the boats sailing to Europe, migrants can spend months and even years on the way Searcy and Barry 2017 The Sahara has become a center for human smuggling. Migrants are handed from one point to another and …

Sac Newsletter 2019, South Asia Center

Newsletters from the South Asia Center

No abstract provided.

Gender Differences In Child Care And Household Tasks: An Exploratory Study From An Indo-U.S. Perspective, Danielle Lippman

Honors Capstone Projects - All

The rate of immigrants coming from Asia in to the U. S. is growing at a rapid rate. However, research on Asian-Americans is scarce, particularly South-Asian-Americans. This group of immigrants face the same issues that the majority of immigrants coming to the United States face, but also face some additional unique challenges due to cultural background, religion, family expectations, and heritage. Most of these immigrants belong to transnational families. There are many discrepancies between what is expected of husbands and wives, especially when it comes to raising children and doing household chores in the Indian context. It is important to …

Sac Newsletter 2018, South Asia Center

Newsletters from the South Asia Center

No abstract provided.

Challenging Structures: A Case Study Of Middle East And North African States In The United Nations System, Emilie Scardilla

Honors Capstone Projects - All

This project consists of two complementary studies exploring structural challenges of the United Nations through a case study of the Middle East and North African states. The research focuses on the major organs of the General Assembly, Security Council, Peacebuilding Commission, and Human Rights Council to analyze and assess their representativeness and legitimacy. The project is framed as supportive of increased diverse representation in order to provide legitimacy to organs and policies within the United Nations.

Power Shift: Germany's Energy Transition, Gabrielle Lichtenstein

Honors Capstone Projects - All

This project is an analysis of the German energy transition, called the Energiewende, and the dual power shift that is underway in the country’s electric sector. It is both a physical shift from conventional fossil fuels to renewable energy, as well as a socio-political shift in power from centralized utilities to community ownership of energy. The project examines three policy mechanisms — the feed-in tariff, emissions trading, and auctions — through the lens of ordoliberalism, a German variant of economic liberalism that believes in state intervention to maximize fair market competition. Using qualitative research of Anglophone sources, this project draws …

Sac Outreach Bulletin 2017, South Asia Center

Newsletters from the South Asia Center

No abstract provided.

At Risk: Conflict Resources And The Right To Water In Sub-Saharan Africa, Madeleine Durbin

Honors Capstone Projects - All

This paper examines the relationship between water and natural resource extraction to expand the understanding of conflict resources to include water stress as a human rights violation. My research question asks how the human right to water can further our conceptualization of conflict resources and conflict risk. If we understand conflict resources broadly as those whose exploitation leads to human rights violations, then any resource extraction resulting in water stress should be considered a conflict resource, as it violates the human right to water and could lead to increased conflict risk. I examine diamonds and coltan as “widely accepted” conflict …

A Case Study Of The Yasuní-Itt: What Is New About The Twenty-First Century Socialist Development Model?, Haley Kulakowski

Honors Capstone Projects - All

© Haley Kulakowski 2016

Abstract

This paper explores and challenges the development strategies of Rafael Correa in Ecuador and, more generally, the new Latin American left through the Yasuní-ITT case study. Claiming to implement a post-neoliberal development model that stands to uphold the principles of buen vivir, post-neoliberalism, and the 2008 Ecuadorean constitution, the Yasuní-ITT case study seems less like a commitment to the rights of the Pachamama and the rights of indigenous tribes, and more like a political tactic, the creation of a hollow narrative that positions the new Latin American left as anti-Northern, anti- IMF, and as “post-neoliberal.” …