Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Black Liberation Theology In The Civil Rights Movement: Contextualizing The Works Of James H. Cone, Ella Cox

Honors Theses

In recent years, the need for racial reconciliation within the American Church has become increasingly apparent. In order to move toward justice and promote diversity, however, White Americans must first develop a greater understanding of the Black struggle for equality and equity, which has been largely shaped by liberation theology. James H. Cone, known as the Founder of Black Liberation Theology, has authored many books on this topic, but his works lack the understanding and attention they merit in predominantly White circles. This thesis seeks to shed light on the importance of liberation theology to the Black American experience by …

Social Isolation-Political Domination, Charles "Trey" Nichols

Honors Theses

A study on the political drift of college students before and after Covid-19.

Pediatric Anxiety Disorders And Their Accommodation In The Classrom, Olivia Hobson

Honors Theses

This project is an exploration of the origins, neurology and impacts of pediatric anxiety disorders, as well as the research-backed best practices for their accomodation within the school classroom setting.

Female Electoral Success In State Legislative Races: A Case Study Review Of Gender Influence On Incumbency, Fundraising, Recruitment, And Policy, Izzy Baughn

Honors Theses

Since the beginning of recorded history, female representation in elective office has been drastically lower than that of the U.S. population. Over the years, there have been many records set for women in office, including the 28% of the 118th Congress represented by women. Considering both chambers of Congress, the House and the Senate, women account for 153 of the 540 seats of the body. This number marks a record high, demonstrating commitment and strength in numbers by women in politics. While 28% female is still a small number in comparison to the amount of women accounted for in the …

The Changing Role Of Women In Journalism, Caroline Derby

Honors Theses

Throughout the course of time, the role of women in journalism has changed tremendously. Women in journalism were considered inferior to men and had to fight their way up the ladder to be given the same roles and responsibilities as a man. However, when given breaking stories or interviews with heads of states, women still weren't paid as greatly as a man was, despite the level of work they were doing. We see the remnants of this in today's society. However, thanks to groundbreaking women in journalism, women are now able to be in positions, the same positions within a …

What We Do For Each Other: Assessing Disparity In K-12 Education Across The State Of Arkansas, Noah K. Sanders

Honors Theses

This thesis observes data and attempts to draw conclusions about disparities plaguing K-12 Arkansas schools inside and outside the classroom.

The Beliefs Of The Oldest Fraternity, Bella Blankenship

Honors Theses

The Freemasons have a belief system that follows believing in a God of some sort and that there is a sacred text to be used and that they rules and rituals that they must abide by. They use a variety of symbols to explain what they believe and have essential beliefs that all freemasons must follow. The Freemason belief system is full of inconsistent ideas about God, how to relate with others, and symbols that show how to live moral lives.

How Properly Contextualized Christianity Could Benefit Japan, Benjamin Highsmith

Honors Theses

This thesis aims to ask the question “how could Christianity, if properly contextualized, benefit Japan?” It does so through the use of academic sources, interviews, and personal observations. Topics covered include Japanese culture, its perception of Christianity, and the lifestyles of Japanese Christians. This thesis uses cultural concepts to explain how Christianity and Japanese culture might find themselves at odds, but also explains how Christianity could work in unison with Japanese culture in order to benefit Japanese society as a whole, defending its argument using Biblical concepts intertwined with Japanese values.

The Effects Of Exercise On Adults With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Addison Bates

Honors Theses

Exercise is essential for a healthy life and many people are unable to participate due to barriers. One population that seems to be extremely impacted by these barriers are persons with disabilities. People with disabilities are more likely to become obese and suffer from serious, chronic illnesses. There is a need for exercise programs catered to this population. There is a lack of exercise programs focused on people with disabilities, so through this research we are interested to see the impact of a 12-week exercise program and what results might occur from this lifestyle change. With the 12-week virtual program …

Monsters In Media: A Textual Analysis Of True Crime In Narrative Journalism, Rachel Sansano

Honors Theses

True crime podcasts are a favorite among listeners everywhere. Their dramatic, intriguing, real-world stories have a way of pulling in people. Once you have been sucked into this community there is no escaping. For armchair detectives everywhere, true crime podcasts are an entertainment staple. These podcasts tell us stories of the worst criminals known to man. But is there more to these episodes than just a surface-level story? What are the deeper messages that these podcasts are sending?

This paper will look at the use of new journalism styles in new media formats. More specifically, this article looks at narrative …

The Hidden Voices: Peggy Gilbert And The International Sweethearts Of Rhythm, Katelyn Still

Honors Theses

Women throughout history have had to contend with sexism and racism. A woman's voice was restricted and viewed as inferior in the south. This treatment was magnified in the world of jazz. Jazz was viewed as a boisterous male art form where a demure woman did not belong. A woman's musical voice, her form of expression, was often discredited by the public. Since women's talents were discredited, their musical voices were often hidden from history. This paper shines a light on the suppression of the female voice while uncovering the successful women of Peggy Gilbert and The International Sweethearts of …

A New Generation Of The Ncaa: How Two Major Rules Have Changed The College Landscape, Brennan Saunders

Honors Theses

This paper is designed to take a look at the effect of two new rule changes the NCAA has established within the past two years. Through an explanation of what led to the NIL and transfer portal rulings, what NIL involves, and the long-term effects that NIL and the transfer portal are going to have on future athletes’ decisions, we will find that the NIL and transfer portal are the biggest rule changes in NCAA history and will have major ramifications for years to come.

The Effects Of Parenting On The Behavior Of Children With Autism: A Meta-Analysis, Allison Martin

Honors Theses

Parenting impacts a child’s behavior, mental health, social relationships, cognitive development, and more. However, research has shown that parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) express more negative behaviors such as being overly controlling, hostile towards the child, and having poor communication with the child when compared to parents of typically developing children (Ku et al., 2019). The current study examines the effects of positive and negative parenting behaviors on the internalizing behaviors, externalizing behaviors, and social skills of children with ASD. A meta-analysis was done to analyze the effects of parenting behaviors on children with ASD. Twenty-one studies …

Two Peas In A Pod? An Investigation Of Friendship And Personality Perception, Josephine N. Collins

Honors Theses

This study investigated whether we can tell people are friends by looking at them. Participants viewed sets of four photos, two of which are friends, and rated personality, appearance, and friendship likelihood. I expected real friends to have higher friendship likelihood ratings and personality similarity. The results indicated self-other agreement among ratings of personality by real friends, but there were not significant patterns among the other variables.

The Artistic Mother Tongue, Hannah Perkins

Honors Theses

Art is the mother tongue of culture. William Cameron Townsend, pioneer missionary and founder of Wycliffe Bible Translators, said “The greatest missionary is the Bible in the mother tongue.” But the mother tongue of any people of any culture is more than just the spoken and written word. It is found in every artistic and visual expression of that people. How is the Bible, the everlasting truth of God, to be expressed through artistic expression in the ‘mother tongue’ of a people?

Often, Christianity is painted as the Westerner’s religion. Christianity is very ingrained into specifically America’s cultural identity. In …

The Democratization Of Finance Through The Banking Revolution And Financial Technologies In Brazil, Joao Rodrigues

Honors Theses

Every nation requires an adequate financial system to support the flow of funds between savers and borrowers, providing a safe and effective payment system. The Brazilian National Financial System (Sistema Financeiro Nacional - SFN) is recognized as one of the backbones of Brazilian development throughout the years, one of the explicit drivers of the ten largest world economies. Interestingly, institutions that established the country's financial system are vulnerable to structural change driven by continuous development created through new ideas, new challenges, and new opportunities.

The Elements Of Onstage Lighting And How It Could Impact The Emotion Of An Audience, Kailee Morehart

Honors Theses

Lighting, combined with other aspects of performance, can either make an experience extremely impactful for an audience or it can be completely unnoticed. Lighting is versatile in its ability to be manipulated in different ways to get the desired effect. In addition to having color, lights also have direction, shape, intensity, distribution, quality, movement, and may be changed over time. The combination of these elements can evoke certain emotions in an audience. Opportunities for creativity in this outlet should be explored in order to discover to what extent lighting can impact the emotions of an audience, if at all. In …

What Animals Teach Us, Christina Beger

Honors Theses

This thesis explored folktales from different cultures and compared and contrasted how those cultures viewed certain animals. From this research, I created and taught applicable fifth-grade English Language Arts lesson plans.

Meditation In Buddhism, Mbsr, And The Bible: Examining The Implications For Christian Counselors, Kara Delaune

Honors Theses

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) has become a popular treatment in clinical settings for a variety of conditions. The term mindfulness was first used in relation to the Satipaffhana Sutta. 1 This passage from the Buddhist texts contains instructions regarding sati, which roughly translates from the Pali language to English as mindfulness. Mindfulness is a key component of the Buddhist religion, finding its place in both the Threefold Way and the Seven Factors of Awakening, or Enlightenment. Mindfulness falls under the umbrella of meditation. 2 Meditation takes several forms. Meditation is extremely useful for Christians, but not every type of meditation …

One Creation: Examining Creation Myths Across Time And Culture, Scarlett Castleberry

Honors Theses

By looking at creation myths across various time, cultures, and languages, I was able to track similarities and find common threads between cultures that might not otherwise seem connected. What is remarkable is that these ancient texts often make connections before archeology or linguistics can.

Attention Platform 9¾: The Hogwarts Express Is Cancelled. Exploration In Cancel Culture, J.K. Rowling, And Beyond, Mallory Whitson

Honors Theses

In the past decade, the general public’s understanding of social media justice via the media has drastically changed the environment of the public sphere. This policing via the internet is known as ‘cancel culture.' In 2021, cancel culture is commonly defined as “a way of behaving in a society or group, especially on social media, in which it is common to completely reject and stop supporting someone because they have said or done something that offends you” (Cambridge). However, this definition only covers the surface of cancel culture. Not only is the support of a public figure withdrawn by their …

Lost In Translation: The Communication Differences Of Men And Women In Dating And Marriage Relationships, Jessica Daniell

Honors Theses

Communication between men and women may sometimes lead to confusion, frustration, misunderstanding, disagreement, or doubt. This is not because of the incompetency of one gender compared to the other, but in fact has much to do with the way in which males and females generally communicate and the reasons for why they do so. Communication styles develop beginning in infancy and are influenced by the interactions between the child and their parents and peers. Parents are highly instrumental to early childhood development; through both verbal and nonverbal communication with their children, they shape norms, values, and beliefs that are highly …

Sexual Abuse In The Protestant Church, Madeline Grace Knight

Honors Theses

Sexual abuse is a tragic reality of living in a fallen world. Though abuse of any kind is inexcusable, Christians know that it is the product of the evil, sinful hearts of mankind. Unfortunately, churches have not escaped the grasp of this evil; sexual abuse is as much a reality for God’s people as it is for the rest of the world. No one is untouchable, and everyone must be aware of the truth; however, I will caution readers that this paper discusses dark, horrible practices that can bother anyone, especially survivors and others with firsthand experiences of abuse. I …

Advocacy In The Youth Justice System As A Speech-Language Pathologist, Jennifer Johnson

Honors Theses

In this work, an overview is given of the prevalence of language disorders within the youth offender population along with its implication for you g individuals in the criminal justice system. An evidence-based argument is made for the need for speech-language pathologists to advocate for youth offenders with language disorders by educating relevant personnel and providing language therapy services to youth offenders who qualify.

Protective Services Or Protecting The Service? An Analysis Of The United States Child Protection System, Margaret Ann Donnell

Honors Theses

In its recent history, the United States child protection system has proven to fulfill a desperate need within our nation regarding the welfare and well-being of our nation’s children. An overview of the child protection system’s development shows tremendous progress has been made. And yet, what was created to be a solution to the growing number of children experiencing maltreatment in the form of abandonment, abuse, and/or neglect, has potentially become the very problem. Statistics illustrate just how serious the situation has and will continue to become if something is not done. Serious concerns have arisen and remain, and individuals …

The Challenges Of Deaf Women In Society: An Investigative Report, Megan Harris

Honors Theses

History has recorded the mistreatment of both Deaf people and women across time and cultures. The discrimination, struggle for rights, and the strides of progress thus far are congruent themes in both narratives, but neither expressly acknowledges the experiences of Deaf women, who encounter prejudice for both labels. In order to ascertain the breadth and magnitude of Deaf women’s challenges, their role and limitations in Deaf history, and their personal and social difficulties today were researched. These challenges are then illustrated by six personal accounts from modern Deaf women. The results of the study indicated that Deaf women experienced and …

Les Femmes Capables: A Supplementary Curriculum Teaching Survival English To Female Senegalese Ells, Abigail Morse

Honors Theses

My thesis examines the contrast between a Muslim man’s opportunity to learn English versus his wife's, who, in a traditional context, would be limited by social obligations to her home and family's welfare. I look specifically at the roles of Muslim Senegalese women. I provide basic cultural context and teaching methods to ESL teachers. I also provide basic vocabulary lists and lesson plans about important situations such as "going to the doctor." The language needed to complete daily tasks is not taught in general language classes, and my goal is to change that.

Women In The U.S. Congress: A Study On The Role Of Gender In Electoral And Legislative Processes, Selby Tucker

Honors Theses

Using a three-part methodology, I examined women in Congress by studying their campaign finances, bill sponsorships, electoral history, and personal testaments to draw conclusions about the ability of a woman to fairly participate in the legislative process.

Beyond Stereotypical Picture Books: An Inquiry Of Hidden Life Lessons From Patricia Polacco, Ruthie Lenards

Honors Theses

By applying a historical study of the author, Patricia Polacco, the thematic perspective is evident in her books. Many do not see those hidden life lessons due to the stereotypical norms of picture books. The reader will learn how Patricia Polacco's life lessons may not be hidden to the viewer.

The Trashy Americans, Megan Bayer

Honors Theses

The production and treatment of municipal solid waste is a growing issue in the industrialized world. This paper takes a look at how the U.S. became the leading per capita producer of municipal solid waste worldwide. It also examines how another industrialized nation, Sweden, has addressed this problem. It is the author's hope that this work will inspire others to take steps to help reduce our national and global impact on the environment.