Right To Counsel: Improving Access To Justice In Us Indigent Defense Systems, Travis Hartman

Capstone Showcase

The Sixth Amendment guarantees the right to counsel for indigent defendants. Even though a constitutional right, indigent defense in the US suffers from significant problems. While scholars have attempted to provide solutions to the problems, a question persists, How are Indigent Defense Systems impacting how Access to Justice is being provided in the United States? To answer this question, a structured, focused comparison method was utilized to evaluate US indigent defense systems. Case studies were chosen based upon the delivery and majority of funding for indigent defense coming from counties. Right to counsel for Access to Justice was defined by …

Beneficial Roles The Sacred Can Play In Mental Illness, Katelyn Harper

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Religion and Spirituality are prevalent in and essential to one’s identity. This thesis seeks to answer the question what beneficial roles can the sacred play in mental illness? Believing in the sacred can provide additional support to those with a mental illness through a process called sacred coping. One’s sacred beliefs can be incorporated into previously established interventions, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), to provide a more tailored treatment option. In some cases, these interventions are more beneficial than traditional interventions. Barriers to the topic of acknowledging the sacred in relation to one’s mental illness include the decline in having …

The Fear Of Reinjury And Motivational Influences Contributing To An Athlete's Return To Sport, Erica Moyer

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ERICA MOYER

The Fear of Reinjury and Motivational Influences Contributing to an Athlete’s Return to Sport

Recovery from injury can be a difficult and lengthy process both physically and psychologically. Research that exists on the subject on injury recovery and return to sport mainly focuses on the importance of physical recovery, while discounting the psychological side. Fear of reinjury and motivation are two psychological concepts that contribute to an injured athlete’s decision of whether or not to return to sport. These factors are prominent during the recovery phase, up until and including a return to athletic competition. Self-determination theory provides …

The Effects Of Sexual Advertisements On Women’S Mental Health And Marketing, Kaitlyn Jones

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The following study analyzed the effects of sexually objectifying advertisements on self esteem, self objectification, affect, and restrictive eating behaviors. Previous literature supports the claim that sexual media can negatively impact the mental health of women, which includes variables such as lowered self esteem, higher levels of self objectification and higher levels of restrictive eating behaviors. Purchase intent was also analyzed in regards to objectifying advertisements and neutral advertisements. Forty-two female undergraduate students were recruited and were asked to answer purchase intent questions about six advertisements (either objectifying or neutral). After the advertisement section, questionnaires and an ice cream “taste …

Treatment Of Comorbid Anxiety Disorders In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Melissa Trout

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The research question under investigation in this paper is in regard to the treatment of comorbid anxiety disorders in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The investigation focuses on which treatment method is most effective in the treatment of the anxiety symptoms. While there are many methods to choose from, from psychosocial therapies to pharmacological therapies to alternative therapies, but the focus of this paper was on psychosocial therapy options. The research has shown that a modified version of a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) treatment program is the most effective in treating anxiety in children with ASD. Much of the …

Murdoch Murdoch: A Case Study In Threats To Ontological Security In Far-Right Propaganda, Julian Morein

Capstone Showcase

Adapting the Ethnographic Discourse Analysis method developed by Stanton Wortham and Angela Reyes this thesis traces the language employed in the ethno-nationalist web series Murdoch Murdoch. While not as widely known as other examples of the burgeoning landscape of far-right internet content such as news sites like InfoWars or Brietbart, Murdoch Murdoch can still reveal crucial details about how far right propaganda seeks to radicalize its viewers. This thesis argues that Murdoch Murdoch uses its visual and discursive indexicals to present a near absolute dichotomy between a Positive Self that consists of white ethno-nationalism, and a Negative Other that …

The Effects Of Virtual Reality In The Treatment Of Stroke Patients, Melissa Schoettle

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The Effects of Virtual Reality in the Treatment of Stroke Patients

Stroke patients face many challenges on their road to recovery. Patients may lose motor function, speech abilities, and other important cognitive functions. They go through various forms of therapy to help rehabilitate them and improve their cognition, including physical, occupational, and speech therapy. Physical therapy helps improve motor function and muscle control, occupational therapy improves those skills needed for success in work and life, and speech therapy helps patients recover the ability to speak and the cognitive processes to think and form words and sentences. While these therapies are …

The Pink And Blue Problem: Altercasting In Gendered Advertising, Abigail Benn

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When you meet a baby for the first time, and you don’t know its sex, if its wearing pink clothes, most people will automatically assume it’s a girl; or if they’re wearing blue clothes, it’s automatically a boy. The pink and blue problem is the enforcing of gender stereotypes through color, associated roles, and imagery. The root of this problem is that many people are unaware of the difference between “sex” and “gender”, and that they can be mutually exclusive. Your sex is the body you’re born with, and all the parts that come with it, while your gender is …

The Cultivation Theory And Reality Television: An Old Theory With A Modern Twist, Jeffrey Weiss

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George Gerbner, a Hungarian-born professor of communication, founded the cultivation theory, one of the most popular and regarded theories in the communications world. Developed in the mid 20th century, the theory focus on the long-term effects of television on people. Longer exposure to signs, images and people on television cultivates their perception of reality in the real world. The television became a household staple during this time. Families often spent time together watching programming together, however, it played out different effects for each person. Television's constant visual and auditory stimulation on a person made it easier to cultivate certain messages, …

Richard Dyer's Star Theory Applied To Musician/Actress: Lady Gaga, Allora R. Lee

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Richard Dyer’s Stars and general studies analyze the unusual phenomena surrounding influential film stars and their unmitigated power to compel and amaze those outside of the spotlight. His studies separate the theory into three intermingling parts: stars as a social phenomenon, stars as images, and stars as signs. There are many components in Dyer’s studies that can be extracted and used in analyses of particular actors and actresses. However, this does not solely revolve around film stars. In this analysis, I will be examining the famous pop music icon and recent actress, Lady Gaga. Through an analysis of her style, …

The Efficacy Of Ketamine In Adult Patients With Obsessive Compulsive Disorder With Symptoms Refractory To Standard Of Care Treatment., Brooke Thornton

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First line pharmacologic treatments for adult patients with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) involve selective serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SSRI/SNRIs). These drug classes often fail to deliver timely relief of symptoms as well as maintain longevity of symptom recurrence. This research analyzed the use of ketamine in adult patients suffering with OCD for the purposes of more efficacious management of symptoms. Although ketamine demonstrated a timelier relief of symptoms in some small clinical studies, its effects were ultimately unable to be sustained long term. Additionally, a wide range of adverse effects including dissociation, and rebound symptoms were observed. As a result, large …

Project Adkeyso: Addressing Female Genital Mutilation And Cutting In Somaliland, Ayanna Joyner

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Project Adkeyso: Addressing Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting in Somaliland

Ayanna Joyner

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Comfort Olorunsaiye

Female Genital Mutilation or Cutting (FGM/C) is the procedure of intentionally causing injury and altering the vulva of a young girl or woman for non-medical reasons. There are four types of FGM/C however, type III or infibulation, remains the most dangerous because the procedure consists of the narrowing of the vaginal opening by creating a seal with the labia majora through stitching. With infibulation, there will be a need for further surgeries or re-infibulation, which requires reopening of the stitches covering the vagina …

The Effect Of Deep Pressure Therapy On The Health Of Individuals With Developmental Disorders, Kaitlin Faulcon

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Many individuals with Autism (ASD), Anxiety, and other disabilities seek out tactile input, in the form of Deep Pressure Therapy, to calm themselves during stressful situations. First developed in Eastern culture and massage, Deep Pressure Therapy evolved into a mainstream technique used by various populations, including neurotypicals. Weighted blankets, compression vests, and other materials are useful in treatment but have their limitations as well. These garments and tools provide tactile input that positively impacts the individuals' biological functions, self-reported anxiety, and other essential factors. Other sensory treatments like exercise and swaddling provide similar effects but not specific to the deep …

Therapist Self-Disclosure And Recall Of Therapy Content, Shivani Mansharamani, Steven Robbins

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SHIVANI MANSHARAMANI

Therapist Self-Disclosure and Recall of Therapy Content

Research Mentor: Dr. Steven Robbins

Patients’ faulty memory of what they learned in therapy is often associated with poor outcomes. One way to improve therapeutic outcome is to improve patients’ memory of therapy content. Therapist Self-Disclosure (TSD) refers to a therapist’s disclosure of personal information to facilitate the client-therapist relationship. It has been employed as a tool to improve alliance and overall treatment outcome, and has often been used to prime more client disclosure. Past research on a memory support system has been unsuccessful at significantly improving client memory. In this …

Comprehensive Elderly Care: Moving Towards A Person Centered Care Model Of Dementia Care, Evan Cerebe

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Person Centered Care, or PCC is a framework of care which emphasizes the importance of individuality and individually based needs. This framework takes into account all aspects of the human being, such as their personality and personal history. This stands in stark contrast to the traditional model of care, the medical model, which focuses on the disease and its treatment, rather than the psychosocial needs of the individual. Proper care in the psychosocial realm is a necessity within elderly populations with Dementia. This is because Dementia manifests itself differently depending on the person. This, along with the incredible rate of …

The Effect Of Emphasizing Strengths On Readiness To Change, Taylor Dunn

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TAYLOR DUNN

The Effect of Emphasizing Strengths on Readiness to Change

Research Mentor: Dr. Steven Robbins

Researchers have called for the examination of what kind of discussion in therapy is the most beneficial. Although past literature calls for an emphasis on restructuring a client’s negative thoughts and behaviors, there has been an increasing amount of research on the benefits of using positive psychology interventions. “Strength-based approaches” in particular have shown to lead to an attainment of various clinical outcomes. This study attempts to analyze how an emphasis on character strengths influences a person’s readiness to change in comparison to a …

An Elite Squad?: Intimate Partner Violence Myths In "Law & Order: Special Victim Unit", Katelyn Ahern

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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is a long-running fictional crime drama centering on “an elite squad” (NBCUniversal 2019) of detectives. While the show touts a progressive image, it has been previously found to victim-blame, stereotype, and contain rape myths (Brinson 1992; Rader and Rhineberger-Dunn 2010; Rader, Rhineerger-Dunn, and Vasquez 2016). For the present study, I examined how intimate partner violence (IPV) myths are represented in episodes of Law & Order: SVU. I conceptualized IPV myths for use in this study using Peter’s (2008) Domestic Violence Myth Scale. It was found that characters on SVU overwhelmingly support myths more often …

Effective Interventions In Reducing Caregiver Burnout In Parents Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jenissa Rodriguez

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With the increasing number of children being diagnosed with autism there is also an increasing number of parents experiencing caregiver burnout because of this diagnosis. Experiencing burnout while caring for an individual who depends on you for quality care can have serious negative effects on the parent but also the individual who needs support. In the following literature effective interventions to reduce caregiver burnout in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder were analyzed. First, caregiver burnout in parents of children with autism was examined. Following, effective interventions such as different social support, education training, and mind-body interventions were analyzed …

Depression In Adolescence: Risk Factors, Prevention, And Intervention - An Argument For Trauma-Informed Care In The Community, Beauty Davis

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BEAUTY DAVIS

Depression in Adolescence: Risk Factors, Prevention, and Intervention - An argument for trauma-informed care in the community

Depression is an unfortunately common mental illness that can lead to negative life outcomes such as substance abuse, suicide, lower quality of life, and anxiety. The stage of adolescence is known as a pivotal, transitional time of life as there are many changes in an individual’s physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development. The research reviewed throughout this paper discusses risk factors that contribute to the development of depressive symptoms in adolescence. Observing how genetic, physiological, environmental, and social components contribute to …

Criminals In Action: The Cia And The Crack Epidemic, Krystine O'Connor

Capstone Showcase

The Crack Epidemic hit the United States in the early years of the 1980’s. Crack was cheaper to produce and therefore cheaper to distribute. The Crack Epidemic disproportionately affected black communities and created long lasting issues that crippled many communities for decades to come. Incarceration rates, death rates, gang violence, fetal death rates and long term health effects rose dramatically between 1980- 1995. With the epidemic reaching its peak and its effects becoming unavoidable, communities struggled to find a reason as to how crack had gotten into the country and into their cities. In 1996 a small town journalist from …

Habermas, The Public Sphere, And Wikileaks: The Public Sphere And The Right To Know, Mary Murray

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Jürgen Habermas, a German theorist, coined the public sphere as a place where citizens could interact, study, and debate issues together outside the realm of the home or family, which was defined as the private sphere. The public sphere can also be seen as a “manifestation of citizen sovereignty”. At its core, Habermas centered the public sphere around feudalism and the shift of one all-powerful individual reigning and representing the public to those citizens under the control of the state. Some critics argue voices encouraging the minorities were actually private voices leaking into the public sphere, while others argue the …

Edward Said’S Orientalism: Trapped In Time, Samantha Glass

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Edward Said developed his theory of Orientalism in 1978. His theory looked at how Western cultures have treated the East, which includes Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Africa. There is differentiation on what parts of the Occident view the Orient, as the United States has become more tied with the Middle East. In contrast, Europe’s vast history of trade and colonization has connected them with Africa and Asia. The image that has been created has belittled cultures, taken away their meaning, and risks the people in the culture from abandoning it altogether. When power becomes a significant part …

The Codification Of American Federalism: An Analysis Of Events Preceding The Ratification Of The United States Constitution, Timothy Spangler

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The focus of my project is American Federalism, a cornerstone of American political thought for centuries. American Federalism is a political system where power is divided between federated states and a central government, and the federated states retain a large portion of their original independence and police powers. The question this project seeks to answer is: How and why did the idea of a federated system, where the states retain their own sphere of sovereignty, become codified in American political thought? Scholars have attempted to answer this question, but their arguments look at American Federalism in a vacuum and ignore …

"Your Enemy Is Anyone Who Opposes The Fourteen Words" Murdoch Murdoch: A Case Study In Presentations Of Threats To Ontological Security In Far Right Propaganda, Julian Morein

Capstone Showcase

Adapting the Ethnographic Discourse Analysis method developed by Stanton Wortham and Angela Reyes this thesis traces the language employed in the ethno-nationalist web series Murdoch Murdoch. While not as widely known as other examples of the burgeoning landscape of far-right internet content such as news sites like InfoWars or Brietbart, Murdoch Murdoch can still reveal crucial details about how far right propaganda seeks to radicalize its viewers. This thesis argues that Murdoch Murdoch uses its visual and discursive indexicals to present a near absolute dichotomy between a Positive Self that consists of white ethno-nationalism, and a Negative Other that …

Democratization In The Post Soviet Space: A Case Study Of The Republic Of Georgia And Ukraine, Serena Anton

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In the early 21^st century, public unrest grew in the post-Soviet spaces with many demanding better democracy for themselves. This period, known as the Color Revolutions, swept across the Post-Soviet space with democratic and anti-corruption reforms at the forefront of policy. Yet, almost two decades later, democratic consolidation has crawled to a standstill amongst the region with many states experiencing democratic backsliding. The Republic of Georgia and Ukraine represent an interesting paradox as both states seemed to have beat the impossible and have continued their journey of democracy despite the current atmosphere in the region. Through a controlled comparative …

Understanding Universal Coverage: An Overview Of Universal Health Care & Studies Of Real-World Implementations, Amanda Dombroski

Capstone Showcase

The purpose of this project is to dispel the confusion and misunderstandings surrounding universal health care coverage. To do this, I will identify the four models of universal health care identified by scholars - Beveridge, Bismarck, National Health Insurance, and Out-of-Pocket - and provided real-world examples of these health care systems in practice through analyses of health care in the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada. The Out-of-Pocket model is not analyzed in practice, given it does not allow for equal access for all to health care. Through the identification and evaluation of the four forms of universal health care coverage, I …

International Policy And Climate Change-Induced Displacement Of South Pacific Island Nation Populations, Karissa Noragon

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Climate change has advanced significantly in the last few decades resulting in some of the predicted effects, such as sea level rise, to start to appear and to cause displacement, especially in more vulnerable, developing nations. Though current estimates have found that the majority of the displaced populations will be able to relocate within their country’s borders, there are some nations, such as many of the small island nations in the South Pacific, where internal relocation will not always be an option. The question that will be explored in this paper is, what are the limits to current international policy …

Factors And Alleviation Of Learned Helplessness In The Elderly, Ashley Eckett

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Learned helplessness is a condition caused by maladaptive thinking related to a sense of powerlessness. It can result from lack of control in the face of life challenges leading to a loss of hope, motivation, and an inability to take action. Learned helplessness can have negative effects on an individual both mentally and physically. In regards to the elderly population, it can cause premature death. Gaining a better understanding of learned helplessness can play a lead role in preventing it and its negative effects in the geriatric population. The aim of the literature review was to answer how to recognize …

Weight Stigma In Different Aspects Of Life, Emanuel Noyola

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Weight stigma is discrimination or bias against any individual who is perceived to be overweight or obese. It has recently been recorded that the effects of weight discrimination have an influence on three major areas of life which include schools, the workplace, and personal relationships. This is important as weight discrimination was found to mostly have negative effects in all these areas but was also found to be sometimes beneficial in others, such as retail. Past research has also shown that the effects of weight discrimination are 37 times worse among obese females compared to obese males. One alarming setting …

Improving Peer Relationships In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Heather A. Bounds

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Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often struggle to form lasting relationships with peers. This occurs largely for two reasons: Children with ASD experience different social needs and expectations, and typically developing peers (TYPs) tend to hold negative views of children with ASD. These negative attitudes can limit children with ASD’s access to peer interaction, increase their risk of victimization, and increase their likelihood of perpetrating physical aggression despite a lack of intent to bully. Educators often struggle with determining the best plan of action towards overcoming such conflicts and imbalance in these relationships between students with ASD and their …