Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Time Is A Construct(Ion): Heritage And Becoming In Quito's Historic District, Samuel Abate

Senior Projects Spring 2020

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

Family Separation Along The Us/Mexico Southwest Border: An Interdisciplinary Approach To Trauma, Human Rights And Childhood Needs, Christina G. Secor

Senior Projects Spring 2020

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Science, Mathematics and Computing of Bard College.

A Call For The Inclusion Of Nature In Class Struggle, Augusta Valerie Tiziana Spiro Jaeger

Senior Projects Spring 2020

Senior Project Submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

How Religious Influence Has Developed Sports Into A Faith Of Its Own, Dillon J. Daine

Senior Projects Spring 2020

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

Foreign In Their Own Country: A Critical Analysis Of Puerto Ricans In The United States, Sebastian R. Cardenas

Senior Projects Spring 2020

Foreign in their own nation? The neglected United States territory? The 51st state that never was? Regardless of which of these questions one chooses to look through the prism of, they are all applicable when it comes to discussing Puerto Rico and its staggering relationship with the United States. These questions are all significant in some way because they are indicative of patterns of interaction and an overall story that has developed over the years between the two respective sides. These questions give a window into the contentious history that the island has had with the United States since being …

The Effect Of Smartphone Separation And Dependence On Selective Attention, Immanuel Callum Zion

Senior Projects Spring 2020

The current study investigated the effect of smartphone dependence and subsequent smartphone separation on selective attention. Performance on selective attention tasks was operationalized as response time and accuracy on two versions of the stroop response inhibition task. Smartphone dependency was operationalized as a score which exceeds the cutoff on the Smartphone Addiction Scale Revised edition ( SAS-R). To create smartphone separation students were asked to place their smartphone in a provided basket during the experiment. It was hypothesised that students who are deemed smartphone dependent and then separated from their smartphones would perform worse across all blocks of the stroop …

Voice Of Silence: Women Inmates' Perspective On Sexual Violence In The Soviet Gulag, 1936-1956, Louisa Jane Fulkerson

Senior Projects Spring 2020

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

How Vending Machines Can Conquer Access To Better Quality Convenience Food, Tessa C. Greenhalgh

Senior Projects Spring 2020

As the food system has evolved it has been forced to include convenience. Changing life styles and big food companies have dictated a switch in expectations from our food. They have made it so that time and energy can be saved when it comes to producing, cooking or eating food. Technology has evolved beside convenience food, to sell or manufacture it and make it more convenient. One of these invention is vending machines. Automated food vending began with the Automat, which served fresh and healthy dishes but has come to dispense food that is mostly considered unhealthy. Vending machines are …

Can You See It?: Providing Visual Arts Access To Audiences With Visual Impairment And Blindness, Rowan A. Puig Davis

Senior Projects Spring 2020

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Arts of Bard College.

Health In The Musical Profession: A Human Rights Investigation At The Intersections Of Identity, Reputation, And Resources, Jillian P. Reed

Senior Projects Spring 2020

This project investigates the effects of illness, injury, and disability on professional musicians. Issues of the musician’s identity, importance of reputation, and disability stigma are explored through firsthand accounts of 15 musicians who faced health challenges during their careers. My original research also includes the data from 200 responses to my musicians’ health survey. The patchwork of resources available to these musicians is examined through the lenses of human rights claiming and humanitarian charity, with a focus on healthcare, interpersonal accommodations, and the currently insufficient legal protections for this population.

On a micro scale, this paper is about the experiences …

The Intersection Of Socioeconomic Segregation, The Black Voter, And Redistricting Within Tallahassee, Florida, Tsion Kiros

Senior Projects Spring 2020

This thesis explores answering the question of why Tallahassee is considered one of the most economically/racially segregated cities within America. This thesis also wants to create the argument on why and how socioeconomic segregation, black voting behavior, and redistricting all intersect with each other and help perpetuate the issue of economic stagnation among black people in Tallahassee. The first chapter consists of providing the historical context within Tallahassee dating all the way back to slavery in the mid-1800s when it was the slave trading capitol of the state. From there I focus on the transition from there to the era …

The Way You Hear It, The Way You Judge It: Moral Decision-Making And Moral Reasoning In Accented Speech, Yifan Gu

Senior Projects Spring 2020

The previous studies have shown that people make different decisions not only after reading and also listening to moral dilemmas in a foreign language (L2) than in a native language (L1). This effect is named Moral Foreign Language Effect (MFLE). Emotion, which is considered to play a pivotal role in moral judgments, is also found to have a close interaction with sounds. The current research aims to (1) investigate whether the sound of different languages (i.e. accents) can also trigger the MFLE in listeners’ moral decision-making and (2) examine the foreign accent effect on listeners’ moral reasoning pattern. Chinese ESL …

Existing But Not Living: A Discussion And Proposal For The Acute Social Withdrawal Syndrome Hikikomori In Japan, Andrea Michelle Otey

Senior Projects Spring 2020

This senior project is a comprehensive discussion of hikikomori syndrome. It intends to offer a deeper knowledge of the complicated acute social withdrawal phenomenon that is impacting the lives of millions of people worldwide, with a specific focus on its relevance within the country of Japan. This project sets out to look deeper into hikikomori’s meaning and prevalence, its receival in the world of psychiatry, and its placement within modern Japanese society. This project also offers a proposal for a potential method of treatment for hikikomori syndrome, wherein the structure of modern Japanese households is explored and the possibility of …

A Dance With Cranes: Grus Americana And The Promise Of Wilderness, Grace Elizabeth Drennan

Senior Projects Spring 2020

Is it possible to construct wilderness? To teach a bird to be wild? Study of the whooping crane (Grus americana) conservation effort shows how intrepid conservationists have worked to prevent this iconic species’ extinction. From the early years of the American conservation movement to the looming threat of climate change, this project attempts to track the ways care and control have influenced this endeavor in ‘saving’ this species, and examines these conservation practices from a multispecies perspective.

The Polyester Problem: Regulating The Polyester Industry Through The Lens Of Environmental Economics, Jo-Kel Cornejo Borthwick

Senior Projects Spring 2020

In presenting the history and utility of polyester fiber we gain a more in depth understanding of why it is such a prominent fabric today. Through the general evaluation of the global apparel industry, we gain valuable insight into the vast size and environmental impact of the entire industry. Presenting the global apparel industry is integral to the discussion of polyester due to their symbiotic relationship. In evaluating the environmental impact and externalities of the polyester industry, attention is brought to the problematic nature of the industry as well as the details of its environmental impact which include; excessive microfiber …

Yield Curve Theories And Their Applications Over Time, Michael Richard O'Donnell

Senior Projects Spring 2020

This thesis will analyze three theories that can explain the term structure of interest rates: The Unbiased Expectations Theory, the Duration Premium Theory, and Market Segmentation Theory. The paper will analyze what factors and expectations drive these theories, and how the Federal Reserve has shaped monetary policy within the context of these theories, from Paul A. Volcker to Jerome H. Powell. The paper will also analyze what narratives set out by the Federal Reserve, and their explanations of the yield curve/interest rate behavior through speeches delivered by the Federal Reserve Chairman and other Federal Reserve Governors.

The Modern Lawgiver And The Politics Of Refounding: What Political Refoundings Reveal About The Nature Of Democracy, Anastasia Elizabeth Teller

Senior Projects Spring 2020

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

I Pledge Allegiance To One Global Nation: Redefining Citizenship Through The Institutionalization Of Cosmopolitan Principles In Response To The U.S. Immigration System, Giselle Lucia Avila

Senior Projects Spring 2020

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College

Mothering On Maple Avenue: An Exploration Of African American Women’S Agency In Nineteenth Century Germantown, New York, Cheyenne R. Cutter

Senior Projects Spring 2020

National discourse on womanhood and mothering in nineteenth century America positioned these fields of women’s practices as sites of privilege for middle-class Anglo-American women, and as inaccessible to their African American contemporaries. After gaining their nominal freedom through New York’s manumission of enslaved individual around 1830, African American families had to confront their new reality to find ways to articulate their position within American society. How then, did the African American women of the Persons family, who occupied the Maple Avenue Parsonage in Germantown, New York during the nineteenth century, confront this new reality? What position within society did they …

Painting A Modern India: F.N. Souza, M.F. Husain, & Artistic Identity After Independence, Shay Afsheen Kothari

Senior Projects Spring 2020

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Arts of Bard College.

Feta, Blintzes, And Burritos: The Evolution Of The Diner And Immigrants' Role In Defining American Food Culture, Alexis Kimberly Maresca

Senior Projects Spring 2020

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

A Troop, A Raft, A Bed, Hanna Jane Guendel

Senior Projects Spring 2020

A Troop, a Raft, a Bed tells the interwoven fictional stories of three major animals (the mountain gorilla, the Adélie penguin, and the American eel) and four transitional animals (the white stork, the humpback whale, the common octopus, and the great white shark). The stories are told from the animals' perspectives, and are written with language that considers each animal's unique intelligence, mind, and behavior. These stories seek to communicate how animals around the world may be experiencing the various effects of climate change and global warming.

Rewriting The Haggadah: Judaism For Those Who Hold Food Close, Rose Noël Wax

Senior Projects Spring 2020

American Jews, specifically those who do not observe, often turn towards food as a performance of Jewish identity, both publicly and privately. Longing for roots, these Jews reach for a piece of Jewish culture that can make them not only feel Jewish, but also grounded in a longstanding tradition that explicitly ties Judaism to a dynamic food culture. In doing so they invent traditions, creating habits sometimes loosely based in prescribed or familial tradition, sometimes not at all. In this way, food, through invented traditions, allows modern non- observant American Jews to make their Jewish identity tangible.

Socio-Ecological Synergies For A Sustainable Onondaga Lake: Reckoning With The Complexities Of Restoration, Skyler Maassen

Senior Projects Spring 2020

For decades after industrialization and urbanization in its vicinity, Onondaga Lake in central New York State was considered "the most polluted lake in America." Recently, however, the system was declared recovered and ready for human use. Honeywell International Inc. – supervised by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the United States Environmental Protection Agency – and their partners completed considerable clean-up in the last twenty years. Efforts included dredging, capping, and habitat enhancements. While these efforts have led to renewed ecosystem services, the endpoints of ecological restoration are inherently unclear. Prompted by inconsistent theory and practice of …

From Belief To Action: Histories And New Directions Within The Youth Climate Movement, Christian Sabharwal

Senior Projects Spring 2020

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

Skateboarding, Space And Subculture: Indexing Skated Spaces And Their Urban Implications, Djimon Mark Gibson

Senior Projects Spring 2020

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

The Continuities Within The Ghanaian Festival Scene: The Performance Of Nation Building And Identity Formation, Doreen Gyimah Adutwumwah

Senior Projects Spring 2020

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

"Made In Bangladesh", Joya Alia Syed

Senior Projects Spring 2020

The 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh was the worst industrial disaster in modern times and began a turning point for change in the garment sector. This paper will uncover human rights violations such as the exploitation of garment workers, verbal and physical abuse as well as the right for workers to collectively bargain. The paper will begin with a brief background of the Bangladeshi garment sector, then the pressure of the “Fast Fashion” demand for the industry and gender dimensions. It will conclude with remediation efforts from local and international levels from social movements, campaigns, and programs such …

What Lies In The Market: The Untold Connections Between Dominicans And Haitians, Edwar C. Aviles Mercedes

Senior Projects Spring 2020

Submitted to the Divison of Social Studies of Bard College.

Constructing Guilt, Obstructing Truth: How The Spectacle Of Wrongful Conviction Reveals And Magnifies Fundamental Flaws In The Criminal Justice System, Fiona Marie Hession

Senior Projects Spring 2020

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.