Digital Commons Network^™

Conspiracy Theories And The Zika Epidemic, Shawn Smallman

International & Global Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

After a Zika outbreak began in Brazil in April 2015, narratives blamed the virus on a variety of international actors, including chemical companies and the Gates Foundation. Many of these narratives drew upon older conspiracy theories that had circulated in Latin America during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic. Whether these narratives denounced transgenic mosquitoes or pesticides, they reflected not only the fear created by a mysterious wave of birth defects but also a profound mistrust of health authorities and transnational corporations. This paper will examine the narratives that circulated on YouTube, blogs, podcasts, and other alternative media sources, which typically …

Assessing Scrum Project Management And Teamwork In Electrical And Computer Engineering Courses, Branimir Pejcinovic, Robert B. Bass, Phillip Wong

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Teamwork and project management are essential skills for engineering students, as recognized in the proposed new ABET topic area 7. Our team of instructors exposes students to project management techniques at multiple levels within our undergraduate ECE program. By learning project management early and practicing it often, students improve their teamwork efficacy in projects, courses, and in their future careers. Scrum is a cyclical project management technique commonly used in high-tech industries. Scrum provides a framework that facilitates teamwork through an adaptable and incremental process. Our variant of scrum is tailored to students working on engineering projects in a higher-education …

Impaired Fear Recall In A Mouse Model Of Traumatic Brain Injury And Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Natasha Avalon Gardner

University Honors Theses

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) have been studied extensively. However, there is little research examining the interaction between the two. An understanding of this interaction is considered important because it is a common comorbid diagnosis. In this study, we use a mouse model to look at how TBI+PTSD interact to influence contextual fear learning, generalization, and extinction. We employed Controlled Cortical Impact (CCI) and Single Prolonged Stress (SPS) as models of TBI and PTSD, respectively. Fear conditioning and PTSD involve overlapping neural pathways including the amygdala, hippocampus, and medial prefrontal cortex which makes contextual fear conditioning …

Pedestrian Observation And Data Collection Curriculum Guide, Jennifer Dill, Tara Beth Goddard

TREC Final Reports

This guidebook provides a comprehensive set of class exercises suitable for students in courses related to travel behavior, traffic safety, urban planning and design, community health, or civil engineering. Exercises include activities developed through this project as well as an extensive set of educational materials drawn from online resources. The exercises developed as part of this project focus on pedestrians. They include elements of both traditional traffic counts and behavioral components, the latter of which are often lacking from current data collections efforts. By encouraging students to consider behavioral interactions of roadway users, these exercises can provide students with field …

How Green Is Our Valley?: Five-Year Study Of Selected Lis Journals From Taylor & Francis For Green Deposit Of Articles, Jill Emery

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

This study reviews content from five different library and information science journals: Behavioral & Social Sciences Librarian, Collection Management, College & Undergraduate Libraries, Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship and Journal of Library Administration over a five-year period from 2012–2016 to investigate the green deposit rate. Starting in 2011, Taylor & Francis, the publisher of these journals, waived the green deposit embargo for library and information science, heritage and archival content, which allows for immediate deposit of articles in these fields. The review looks at research articles and standing columns over the five years from these five journals to see if …

Posttraumatic Growth Moderates The Effect Of Posttraumatic Stress On Quality Of Life In U.S. Military Veterans With Life-Threatening Illness Or Injury, Erin Martz, Hanoch Livneh, Steven M. Southwick, Robert H. Pietrzak

Counselor Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

• Facilitating PTG among U.S. Veterans who experienced life-threatening illness or injury can help to bolster quality of life of those individuals.

• It is particularly important to facilitate PTG for those Veterans who, in addition to experiencing life-threatening illness or injury, have experienced PTSD during their service.

• It should not be expected that PTG will eliminate co-occurring distress, such as posttraumatic symptoms.

• This study indicated that across the five interactions that were studied, the participants who reported higher levels of PTG actually experienced higher QoL under increased levels of PTSD.

The Influence Of Information On Public Support For Solitary Confinement: A Test Of Belief Updating And Confirmation Bias, Kayla J. Labranche

Dissertations and Theses

There is limited research measuring public opinion about the correctional practice of solitary confinement (SC). Given that public opinion can influence policies, it is important to determine whether or not one's beliefs can be updated upon receiving information about the use and effect of SC. Prior research indicates that public opinion is malleable, and thus, may be susceptible to modification. Though, people may be more willing to update their beliefs when the information they receive confirms their existing beliefs (i.e., confirmation bias). This study used an experimental design in which participants were asked to provide their opinions on a series …

Pathways To Kindergarten Growth: Synthesizing Theories Of The Kindergarten Transition To Support Children's Development, Rita Yelverton

Dissertations and Theses

The transition into Kindergarten is a critical time for children's development--children's patterns of academic development and engagement with school often start in Kindergarten and persist throughout their academic careers. This is a developmental period that is marked by many changes in children's lives, and therefore it is not a surprise that many children struggle during this transition. These struggles are more common for children who are living in poverty, and although there have been national initiatives to address opportunity gaps in access to early education, investigations into the effectiveness of these programs in promoting children's Kindergarten development have shown mixed …

Why The Gender Of Traditional Authorities Matters: Intersectionality And Women’S Rights Advocacy In Malawi, Ragnhild L. Muriaas, Vibeke Wang, Lindsay J. Benstead, Boniface Dulani

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Traditional leadership often coexists with modern political institutions, yet we know little about how traditional and state authority cues—or those from male or female sources—affect public opinion. Using an original survey experiment of 1,381 Malawians embedded in the 2016 Local Governance Performance Index (LGPI), we randomly assign respondents into one of four treatment groups or a control group to hear messages about a child marriage reform from a female or male traditional authority (TA) or parliamentarian. In the sample as a whole, the female TA is as effective as the control (i.e., no endorsement), while other messengers elicit lower support …

James Baldwin's Another Country (1962) As Representation Of Queer Identity Formation In Accordance To Space, Thomas Conway

University Honors Theses

James Baldwin’s Another Country (1962) offers a unique stance of how identity formation occurs as queer individuals interact with heteronormative spaces they inhabit. In this Honor’s Thesis, I am to detail how Baldwin’s novel bridges the interdisciplinary gap between Literature and Queer Theory when concerned with queer identity. Heteronormative culture aims to suppress queer ideology to maintain its own superiority, ultimately exhibiting how spaces created with a strict alliance to norms positions a barrier that queer individuals must encounter and resist, functioning as the entrance of queer space. While interacting with the boundaries of normative culture and space, the implications …

R.I.P (Race In Portland), Christian J. Orellana Bauer

University Honors Theses

R.I.P (Race in Portland) is a music album centered around race in the United States as well as Portland, OR. The written portion of the album accompanying the music itself is a paper which investigates the history of politicized music, discusses the use of hip hop as a tool for social and political conversation as well as critiques of the genre, and draws connections between the album (R.I.P) and the genre itself. The work hopes to expand the conversation about race beyond the genre of hip hop which currently is mostly where this conversation takes place in the medium of …

Treading, Not Running, Victoria A. Rielly

University Honors Theses

Treading, not Running is a 60 page graphic novel following teenage runaway Rat on an emotional road trip, as they befriend the housekeeping robot they had been planning to sell for drug money.

Reducing Turnover In Small Businesses Through Efficient And Effective Onboarding Techniques, Andrew Davidson

University Honors Theses

Employee turnover is a costly and common issue in the modern US workforce. As American worker engagement remains stagnant, employers must look at ways to ensure maximum employee retention. Onboarding is a universal process that all employees undergo when joining a business, as well as an effective way to manage turnover and ensure that employee remains at the company longer. With a lack of academic literature based on onboarding methods tailored to small businesses, there is a clear need for managers to be able to access the same quality of information as their larger competitors. Using a literature review and …

Controversy Advertising: An Exploratory Study On Controversy Advertising And Its Effects, Yun Kuan

University Honors Theses

This is an exploratory study on the effects controversial social issues in advertising has on consumers. As the current political climate becomes more and more charged, corporations are joining in on the conversation, producing advertising categorized as “controversy advertising”. However, controversy advertising hasn’t been deeply explored, and its effectiveness and goal is unclear. Data for this research is gathered through secondary and primary research, including a literature review, an interview, and a survey where respondents were asked to react to two controversy advertisements. Between secondary and primary research, this study examines how controversy advertising impacts the way people view the …

Music And Ireland's National Identity: Connecting Folk Music And Cultural Theory Through Emotional Sociology, Alexandra Habecker

University Honors Theses

Music has been a crucial component of every major social movement in history. Though studies have shown that music and other areas of the arts are a product of the surrounding world in response to their own historical context, I propose that music can and has directly impacted society through the effects of music on the human emotional response. By looking at cultural theory through a musicological lens and using Ireland's rich and rooted musical culture as an example, this thesis suggests that with further research into the connection between music and emotions, along with expanding interest in the growing …

The Semiotics Of Wine Labeling: A Study Of Millennial Perception, Abby Williams

University Honors Theses

Research shows that Millennial customers rely on a front package label as their primary purchase factor when determining a product's worth, but there is little research as to what each element on a label communicates to a customer, and specifically, to a Millennial customer.

Traditional semiotic analysis uses a qualitative approach to discover how attitudes and perceptions of brands are communicated to the consumer. The semiotic method looks to the subconscious consumer interpretations of emblems, icons, fonts, colors and other visual graphic components of a brand to uncover how different elements communicate to an individual.

It is also known that …

Changing Consumer Behavior Towards Mindful Consumption Through Social Proof To Decrease Environmental Harm, Vineta I. Gleba

University Honors Theses

This thesis describes overconsumption as a cause of climate change and environmental problems. It expands on the idea and definition of mindful consumption to include nine different consumer behaviors people can adopt to decrease their carbon footprint and harmful impacts on the environment. Research shows there is a value-action gap between what consumers value and their purchasing patterns. Therefore, this thesis demonstrates how to use the marketing tactic of social proof to change consumer behavior towards mindful consumption and close the value-action gap. Following suggested approaches of organizations applying social proof messaging to the nine mindful consumption practices, two case …

Intergenerational Value Transmission Based On Culture, Naomi Miu

University Honors Theses

This study explored the way in which culture impacts value transmission between parents and children. Specifically, I used previous literature to inform the defining of individualism and collectivism and how value transmission allows for these cultures to be preserved through the generations. Transmission of values was analyzed by conducting six semi-structured, in-depth interviews which resulted in findings that built on previous literature. I found that the values that the participants held came from cultural, parental and religious influences. Collectivist participants more consistently identified with maintaining similar values as their parents into adulthood while individualist participants reported more autonomous tendencies in …

War Of Words: Applying Communication Theory And Technology To Understand The 2016 Us Presidential Election, Louis Pino Bello

University Honors Theses

This paper is a qualitative analysis of news reports, broadcast media, tweets, posts, memes, books, biographies and textbooks which uncovers how technology was used to filter through millions of American voters, create or exploit ideological divisions, customize and deliver propaganda via fake news to dramatically sway the outcome of the 2016 US Presidential Election. Russian interests were able to exploit social media networks, to deliver customized messaging designed to leverage communication theory common to the social sciences to demonize a candidate and possibly install the highest ranking foreign asset in the history of The United States of America. All of …

A Functional Application Of The Gut-Brain Axis: A Proposed Nutrition Intervention For The Treatment Of Depression, Tory H. Kusich

University Honors Theses

In the last 10 years, research on the human microbiome has grown exponentially due to the increasing understanding of its effects on human health. The gut-brain axis has become one area of focus, linking gut health and mental disorders. This review of the literature will examine the connection between depression and gut health, primarily mediated by the gut microflora. Due to the complex nature of studying the gut-brain axis and the heterogeneity of depression, recent studies have faced some difficulty in finding significant results based on isolated nutrients, foods, supplements, or probiotics. This proposal seeks to build on prior research …

The Role Of Hegemonic Masculinity In Gay Men's Health Disparities, Andrew M. Edwards

University Honors Theses

This study was undertaken to better understand how gay men’s subjection to hegemonic masculinity relates to gay men’s health disparities. Statistically, gay men are subject to numerous health disparities, most notably regarding their sexual health, substance use, and mental health. Masculinities are a relevant framework to contextualize these disparities, as masculinities, and specifically hegemonic masculinity, affect how the gay man engages with himself and society. Employing a qualitative, cross-sectional design, this study utilized in-depth, semi-structured interviews with ten gay men residing in the Portland-metro area. Participants detailed a thematic sociocultural framework in which gay masculinity performance is ubiquitously graded on …

Evaluating Mobile-Based Educational Adventure Games For Language Learning, Deana Jackson

University Honors Theses

Despite there being many gamified apps, such as vocabulary trainers, on the market for language learning, there are not many that use communicative and task-based methods for instruction (e.g. adventure games). Well-designed games are intrinsically motivating to play even if they are long and challenging, and as Gee (2007) pointed out, facilitate learning. The Goethe Institute, a German language and culture institute, has tapped into the allure of adventure gaming and combined it with the benefits of communicative language learning. This study examines the strategies of these mobile-based adventure games for learning German and evaluates the principles of game design, …

Aftermath: Photographs After 9/11, Ground Zero, And The Myth Of American Exceptionalism, Victoria M. Arredondo

University Honors Theses

The events of September 11^th, 2001 rattled the U.S. public and left them in need of direction when approaching death and grief. Thousands of photographs were taken on 9/11, however, not many were taken of the construction occasionally referred to as "ground zero." In this project, it is demonstrated just how the photographs in two individual projects Aftermath: World Trade Center Archive by Joel Meyerowitz and Aftermath: Unseen Photos by a New York City Cop by John Botte, both perpetuate the myth of moral exceptionalism in the United States post 9/11. Using ideas put forth by Roland Barthes …

Day Of Self-Care At Trillium Family Services, Courtney M. Bladen

University Honors Theses

This paper is the documentation of the planning, execution, and reflection of the event Day of Self-Care at Trillium Family Services Parry Center. Self-care is a tool used by many people to make sure they are taking care of themselves mentally and physically. Before the actual event, I researched self-care and different ideas that could be done at the event. This research included journal articles, volunteering, exploring my own self-care, and collaborating with staff at Trillium. When planning the event, we relied on donations from the community for supplies that were required, making sure that we followed the quarterly timeline, …

Stress Compulsion: The Creation And Curation Of An Art Show, Shannen Muhl

University Honors Theses

Shannen Muhl created and curated an art show discussing the anxieties and mannerisms living within a city scape. This show included original paintings, sculptures, videos, and performances.

Grieving Through Day Of The Dead: The Influence Of Culture On Processes And Resources, Sadie Layne Rockford

University Honors Theses

Day of the Dead is a festival that takes place in Mexico every year. The purpose of the festival is for loved ones to further mourn and honor their deceased. The festival includes many independently effective psychological components as well as beneficial sociological processes. The festival is an accurate reflection of the overall conceptualization of death and grief of Mexico’s culture and history. This literature review analyzes how Day of the Dead further influences communities interactions with the expression of grief and the mourning process. Parson’s sick role is used to analyze the expression of grief relative to social expectations, …

Community Music For Human Development: A Brain-Centered Approach To Outreach, Jesse M. Hamlin

University Honors Theses

In an effort to combat the harmful physiological, societal, and psychological effects of the cutting of arts and music program budgets in public schools, and close the achievement gap for those in lower socioeconomic classes and underrepresented populations, this thesis created a functional community music training program, especially for homeless youth in Portland, OR. The author reviewed current literature across disciplines to form a curriculum based on evidence in psychological, educational, and cognitive neuroscience research. The curriculum was collaboratively formed with active music training professionals. The intervention was piloted via the ongoing collaboration between Portland-based arts-integrated science outreach group NW …

“Living Day By Day” Refugees Of Color Navigate Gentrification And Racism In Portland, Oregon: A Sense Of Place, Serena Dressel

University Honors Theses

This research highlights the impact that rising rent prices have on refugees' sense of place in Portland. The majority of Oregon’s refugee population arrive in Portland, the fourth fastest gentrifying city in the United States. Refugees receive eight months of financial assistance upon arrival, an average of $339 per month. Employees from the Immigrant Refugee Community Organization were interviewed including refugees, an asylee, and immigrants from Bhutan, Myanmar/Burma, Chad, Iraq, and Somalia. One employee from Catholic Charities was interviewed. Positive perceptions include natural amenities, that it is considered safe and small, the progressive political climate, and community presence & support. …

Fat Fiction: Normalizing Fat Bodies In Literature, Sophia K. Merrell

University Honors Theses

Using the framework of fat studies, I work to analyze current fiction novels featuring fat female main characters. Through this analysis, I highlight the ways in which our current literature surrounding fat bodies utilizes highly stigmatized, fat phobic language and ideas to develop these characters. This results in the continued development of anti-fat/anti-fatness ideas rather than affirming fat bodies and identities. I offer potential means of moving forward into a more fat accepting society that develops complex fat characters in literature (and other forms of arts/media) who are not simplified to common tropes and stigmatized language surrounding fat and the …

Veganism Through A Racial Lens: Vegans Of Color Navigating Mainstream Vegan Networks, Iman Chatila

University Honors Theses

This study seeks to explore the diversity in perspectives regarding veganism and its intersections with race, food justice, and other identities such as class and gender, in order to answer the following research questions: Do the experiences of vegans of color differ in their relationships to other members of the vegan community? How do vegan politics intersect with racial politics and food politics? Do vegans of color show discomfort or resistance to whiteness and white privilege within mainstream vegan networks? Seven semi-structured interviews were conducted among vegans of color, as well as three interviews among white vegans to use this …