Digital Commons Network^™

Pseudo-Archaeology: The Appropriation And Commercialization Of Cultural Heritage, Alecia Bassett

Spectrum

Heritage can be defined as the use of the past to construct ideas about identity in the present. The past that this definition references is most commonly linked to tangible objects, and therefore archaeological artifacts. As such, archaeology becomes inexorably linked with cultural heritage in that many cultures are dependent on archaeological objects helping them continue to define their identity. However, there are various threats to cultural heritage, especially as more groups of peoples attempt to evoke objects as belonging to their own cultural background. This has been happening throughout history, but in the nineteenth-century pseudo-archaeology became a new threat. …

2012: The End Of The World As We Know It?, Evelyn French

Spectrum

Many so-called “2012 doomsayers theorists,” such as John Major Jenkins and Jose Arguelles successfully convinced a portion of the modern Western world that the ancient Maya had predicted the end of the world. They swayed many into believing that the world was supposed come to a violent end on December 21, 2012. This important date is referred to as the end of the “Great Cycle” of 13 Bak’tuns, according to translations of the ancient Maya hieroglyphic texts. But what evidence, if any, in the archaeological recorded suggested a cataclysmic collapse in support of these doomsday predictions? Here, I explore the …

Cacao’S Relationship With Mesoamerican Society, Hillary Christopher

Spectrum

We know what we eat, but do we eat what we know? Our diet extends far beyond nutrients and food availability—we imbue food with cultural significance. The meaning and use of a particular food is subject to change over time, but the fact that it holds a place in society remains constant. Improving technologies and intensified globalization have dispersed foods across the world and through time. An excellent example of such a food is Theobroma cacao L., now commonly known as chocolate (for a brief history of the plant, see McNeil 2006:1-28). It has a long history in human culture. …

Little Black Boxes: Legal Anthropology And The Politics Of Autonomy In Tort Law, Riaz Tejani

The University of New Hampshire Law Review

[Excerpt] "Law’s interdisciplinary turn toward social sciences suggests a growing realization that jurists may not be independently equipped to explain the world in and upon which they act. But if law embraces empirical social science for its usable output, it struggles to make sense of the more interpretive disciplines such as anthropology. This has proven to be a major setback for both law and anthropology and confounds the historically productive rapport between the two fields stretching back more than a century. While it may be tempting to conclude that today’s legal academic misunderstands the interpretive turn in anthropology, that conclusion …

How Christianity Is Experienced On A College Campus, Catherine Lee

Perspectives

This is a qualitative study of the experiences of traditional college students who choose to attend a Christian organization on the University of New Hampshire campus. Information was gathered through both ethnographic research and two indepth interviews. The results of this study showed that college had a significant impact on how religion was experienced, whether it increased religious inclinations or decreased them. The social expectations of the Christian organization represented a specific way of life, with specific rules to follow. Most students expressed dedication to these rules and adopted them into their own life. A few members chose to only …

Differences In Information And Computer Technology By Socioeconomic Status, Gender, And Age, Alexandru Panait

Perspectives

This literature review will evaluate how information and computer technology (ICT) use differs by socio-economic status, gender, and age in social science research. After an introductory section, each of the three independent variables will be introduced and the findings within the literature pertaining to each variable will be discussed. As part of that discussion, I will also compare results cross-nationally to determine if significant relationships related to use are consistent across nations. Since a majority of the articles reviewed are quantitative in nature, most of my review will discuss each variable's statistical significance and whether it has a positive or …

Adolescent Initiation And Maintenance: An Analysis Of The Roles Of Self-Efficacy, Sensation Seeking, Parents, And Peers, Benjamin Bullock

Perspectives

Alcohol use among adolescents is a public health concern. Research of the predictors of adolescent alcohol initiation and use are necessary to better combat the negative impacts associated with alcohol use by youth. Due to social influences, adolescents develop a sense of self-efficacy and sensation seeking, which can guide them to get involved in early alcohol use. Both parents and peers have a great deal of authority to push one to have certain beliefs about drinking alcohol. The goal of this literature review is to better understand how the personality characteristics of self-efficacy and sensation seeking influence alcohol initiation and …

Biographies, Perspectives Editors

Perspectives

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Comm-Entary, Spring 2013 - Full Issue

Comm-entary

In this issue:

Analysis of Women in Education by Elizabeth Griffith

An Analysis of Embodiment and Emotion Display in Context by I Ian Gausch

Interracial Couples in Romance Films by Nyomi Guzman

Fashion and Religion by Alyssa Melone

Setting Boundaries When Social Media is Used in Schools by Gennifer Davidson

Shooting the Sh*t: An analytical essay by Theodore Brown

Small Businesses and The Internet by Rachel Strauss

Smartphones: The Freedom that Binds by Kimberly Hede

Religion, Spirituality and So You Think You Can Dance by Kayla Doyle

The Rhetorical Influence of Music on Political Communication by Laura McGee

Setting the …

Demystifying “Pornography”: Tailoring Special Release Conditions Concerning Pornography And Sexually Oriented Expression, Laura A. Napoli

The University of New Hampshire Law Review

[Excerpt] “This article examines the design of special release conditions and the problems that arise when such conditions do not comport with constitutional standards. Part I provides a general overview of the First Amendment issues that often arise with respect to special release conditions. Part II discusses the current state of the law and classifies the types of bans defendants have encountered in supervised release conditions. Part III explains the factors that are frequently considered in assessing the validity of special release conditions, and Part IV suggests a new approach for evaluating the constitutionality of special release conditions. The article …