Digital Commons Network^™

“Being A Chi O To A Fraternity Boy Is The Greatest Thing That Could Happen”: Reputation, Heterosocialization, And Status Among Sorority Women, Anne Elizabeth Harrington

Honors Theses

Since their establishment, National Panhellenic Conference sororities have existed to maintain traditional white femininity and womanhood in an age of women’s higher education. A central aspect of this traditional womanhood was marriage, so sororities focused heavily on appealing to and socializing with men, called “heterosocialization.” Drawing on in-depth interviews with 19 women affiliated with 8 National Panhellenic Conference sororities at Mississippi State University, I examine how a woman’s reputation and status – and thus her access to heterosocialization opportunities - in the Greek system is still dependent on her appeal to fraternity men. There is a clear and consistent, but …

Independent Investigations Of The Relationships Between Altruistic Behavior And Empathy With Depression, Colton Watson

Honors Theses

Depressive symptoms can influence a variety of individual factors, including altruism and empathy. The nature of that relationship, however, is poorly understood. Cross-sectional studies examining the empathetic and altruistic abilities of people with varying levels of depressive symptoms have produced mixed results, as both the magnitude and direction of any correlations between empathy or altruism and depression are varied. Thus, we aimed to examine the impact of depressive symptoms on self-report measures of altruistic behavior and empathy. Using the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptoms-Self Report (QIDS-SR) to measure depressive symptoms, the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) to measure empathy, and the …

Extinguish The Spark: Mass Protests As A Determinant Of Journalist Killings, 1992 - 2020, Ryan Jarratt

Honors Theses

Previous research indicates that civilian mass mobilizations in protest of the government can have profound negative effects on a state’s ability to govern. The most prevalent news sources in most localities are still traditional journalistic television and print publications. Citizens rely on journalists to track state abuse, misdeeds, and corruption, which affects when citizens mobilize against the state. The occurrence of protests, especially those involving protestor violence and lethal government responses, can seriously threaten a political regime and border on a civilian uprising. I contend that more frequent mass mobilizations in a state motivate the government to adopt a more …

"You Can Disagree Without Being Disagreeable": A Rhetorical Study Of Tweets About Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg And Amy Coney Barrett, Lauren Durham

Honors Theses

The selection, nomination, and swearing in of Justice Amy Coney Barrett took place amid an already tension-ridden political and cultural landscape. As a figurehead of women’s rights and equality, Ruth Bader Ginsburg did not want President Trump to choose her successor. Her dying wish was for her seat to be replaced after the 2020 presidential election. Nevertheless, Trump moved his Supreme Court nominee through the process at an unprecedented rate, and within six weeks of Ginsburg’s passing, a conservative constitutional originalist named Amy Coney Barrett took her place.

The nature of the Supreme Court position, the contrasts between the two …

Pro-Understanding: Understanding The Pro-Choice Catholic, Natalie Eilerman

Honors Theses

Abortion is a widely debated and polarizing topic in the United States. While many Catholic leaders and members tend to hold beliefs against abortion, some Catholics are pro-choice. This study explores the perspectives and experiences of this often-under-recognized group. Mixed methods research was conducted to analyze 1) how perspectives towards abortion are changing among Catholics in the United States (using data from the General Social Survey from 1977-2018), and 2) the experiences of college students at a private, predominately white, Catholic university in the Midwest who identify as pro-choice and Catholic. Quantitative analysis shows that Catholics’ attitudes towards abortion are …

Exploring Risk Factors For Maternal Mortality: A Qualitative Study, Grace Lowe

Honors Theses

Maternal mortality, the death of a woman during pregnancy or within one year of delivery, claims approximately 700 women annually in the United States. In Ohio, the rate is slightly less than 16 women each year. Knowledge and intervention of risk factors, particularly the non-medical factors for maternal mortality are crucial to preventing these deaths. This qualitative interview study with community health workers identified specific risk factors Ohio mothers face and how they are being addressed in the field by individuals who work directly with pregnant and postpartum women. The interviews uncovered various interventions that are recommended to reduce the …

Tiktok And The Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, And Two-Spirit People Movement, Meghan Leinhauser

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to analyze the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirited People (MMIWG2S) social movement via content analysis and interviews. The study includes analyzing a sample of 50 videos posted to the social media platform TikTok, and an interview with a user who posts videos about MMIWG2S. TikTok uses a unique algorithm to tailor users’ feeds based on the types of videos with which they watch and interact. This allows for the creation of an online community that shares common interests with one another, especially in a time where communication methods have changed significantly. …

Behold Your Mother: Wives And Mothers As Partners In Christ's Priestly Mission, Jordan Mccormick

Honors Theses

This research explores the Catholic Church's teaching on the priesthood of the laity and, specifically, how the lay priesthood of women, as wives and mothers, works in tandem with and complements the ordained priesthood. The concept of lay priesthood is rooted in our baptism - where we are invited into and given the power to participate in Jesus Christ's priesthood through our own prayers and sacrifices, our ministering to others, etc. In this study, the lives of five lay women from the 19th and 20th centuries, who are either canonized saints in the Church or who are on their way …

Ain't No Sunshine When They're Gone: Pollinators In A Solar Prarie, Brigid M. Morgan

Honors Theses

Around the world, pollinator populations are decreasing due to climate change, habitat loss and fragmentation, invasive species, pesticide use, and disease. A solar prairie can provide that habitat space with native plants to attract and promote the growth of native pollinator populations. In this study at the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio, I sought to find out if native pollinators were using the habitats inside and around the solar panels at Curran Place. By using pan traps weekly throughout the summer months to collect the insects, I found that native pollinators are using the habitats between the rows of …

Towards A "Pedagogy Of Beauty": The New Evangelization, English Education, And Renewal Of The Catholic School, Elena Niese

Honors Theses

In the complex cultural landscape of the modern world, evangelization, or the proclamation of the Gospel, cannot look the same as it once did. In 1975, Pope Paul VI addressed this need for renewal, calling for a “new evangelization.” Subsequent popes, including Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis, have continued to place this missionary impulse at the forefront of their initiatives. Yet, despite this emphasis, much remains elusive. What exactly is the new evangelization? This thesis will trace the evolution of the new evangelization from its conception to today, proposing how the English educator within the Catholic school can …

Contraceptive Knowledge Of Female College Students, Lina Perugini

Honors Theses

Background: Over 37% of teens (aged 15-19) and 62% of young adult (20-29) women use some method of contraception (Daniels, 2019). Women in college demonstrate inconsistent use and lack of knowledge about reproduction, menstruation, and contraception (Sutton, 2017). This study aimed to assess collegiate women’s knowledge of contraceptive and tested two hypotheses: (1) women in college will demonstrate a lack of knowledge about contraception; (2) those who use hormonal birth control will demonstrate significantly higher levels of contraceptive knowledge when compared to non-users. Method: 128 female college students completed an anonymous online survey that included demographic information, history of contraceptive …

Collection Of Accountancy Case Studies, Adam Lalejini

Honors Theses

The following collection of case studies examines various personal and professional topics in accounting. These topics range from personal research and reflection on important topics within the profession to a comprehensive case competition focusing on The Coca-Cola Company. Throughout the collection, theoretical accounting frameworks and solutions are applied to real world scenarios. In addition to theoretical frameworks, financial statements and relevant outside sources are used with applicable.

Reassessing The Parameters Of Phonotaxis In Female Acheta Domesticus, Jewel Murray

Honors Theses

To study phonotaxis in crickets a trackball system has been traditionally used, which consists of a spherical, air supported styrofoam ball placed in a soundproof container in which crickets are tethered to. Two computer mice detect its movement. A speaker is at one end of the container, and it is connected to a computer which generates calls with pre-set parameters. Once a cricket is attached to the trackball system, it can freely navigate toward the source of the sound, while the styrofoam ball remains stationary.

This apparatus has been used to measure the walking distance and angular orientation. When evaluating …

Phonotactic Tuning In Female Cricket Acheta Domesticus, Jessica Rim

Honors Theses

Phonotactic behavior of female cricket Acheta domesticus has been shown to vary among individuals. While some females are finely tuned to calls with syllable periods in the natural range of conspecific males, others respond phonotactically to a wider range of syllable periods and therefore lack the ability to discriminate between attractive and unattractive calls. When females are exposed to males but prevented from mating, their ability to discriminate attractive calls is reduced, suggesting that factors other than mating alter phonotactic behavior.

This study evaluated the effect of male exposure on females’ phonotactic tuning and responsiveness in relation to underlying neural …

Phonotactic Tuning In Female Cricket Acheta Domesticus, Jessica Rim

Honors Theses

Phonotactic behavior of female cricket Acheta domesticus has been shown to vary among individuals. While some females are finely tuned to calls with syllable periods in the natural range of conspecific males, others respond phonotactically to a wider range of syllable periods and therefore lack the ability to discriminate between attractive and unattractive calls. When females are exposed to males but prevented from mating, their ability to discriminate attractive calls is reduced, suggesting that factors other than mating alter phonotactic behavior. This study evaluated the effect of male exposure on females’ phonotactic tuning and responsiveness in relation to underlying neural …

The Importance Of Public Space During The Covid-19 Pandemic With A Case Study Of The City Of Kalamazoo’S Kik Pool, Natalie Baker

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Providing Culturally Competent Eldercare For Asian Americans, Britney Ngo

Honors Theses

As the Asian American elderly population continues to grow, it is important to acknowledge cultural factors that may impact their behavior, attitudes, preferences, and decisions in the context of eldercare. Cultural competency acknowledges and considers these factors while providing care that includes biophysical factors of healthcare as well as non-medical dimensions of care such as language and culture.

This thesis seeks to address the applications of providing culturally competent eldercare to Asian Americans and offer future recommendations to care settings that have limited resources by utilizing a multidisciplinary review of literature accompanied by interviews with representatives from On Lok, a …

Adapting, Overcoming, And Connecting: How College Sports Social Media Responded To Covid-19, Jackson Sepko

Honors Theses

This project, inspired by the researcher’s own experience as a digital media marketing assistant for Ole Miss Athletics, investigates how certain NCAA team accounts grew their social media engagement in the 2020-21 seasons despite the challenges and interruptions of COVID-19. First, metrics from data analytics firm SkullSparks were analyzed to determine which accounts increased their engagement metrics the most or performed strongly compared to their peers. Then, those accounts’ posts were analyzed using CrowdTangle, a Facebook-owned data analytics tool, and using Twitter’s advanced search features to see which posts overperformed compared to each account’s average posts.

From there, with an …

"A Woman's Lot To Suffer" : Recognizing The Intersectionality Of Oppression And Resistance In Min Jin Lee's Pachinko, Elianna Srikureja

Honors Theses

Min Jin Lee's novel Pachinko (2017) portrays the historically based lives of a displaced Korean family during Japan's colonization of Korea from 1905-1945. The novel's attention to the ways that colonial endeavors complicate Confucian family and national structures exemplifies the interrelation between gender and racial oppression facing Lee's Korean women in both the public and private domain.

However, by centering female voices all too often silenced, Lee also depicts resistance modes that subvert such oppression. Using feminist and postcolonial theory, historical analysis, and close reading analysis, this project examines both the construction of oppression and the subversive resistance measures taken …

Investigating The Relationship Between Identity Salience And Attitudes Of Groups, Grazia Dipierro

Honors Theses

A person’s political views are largely dependent on who they are, meaning a person’s identities may inform their political attitudes. The extent to which a person is made aware of an identity may influence how they view certain issues. For example, a white woman may view the same issue in two different ways depending on whether her racial or gender identity is activated. It is hypothesized that when participants are made aware of their racial identity, White participants will hold more conservative views, while non-white participants will hold more liberal views. Additionally, when made aware of a gender identity, white …

A Comparison Of Music Therapy Apporaches Utilized With Persons Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd), Sally M. Gibson

Honors Theses

Music therapy is a clinical practice wherein music is used in the context of a therapeutic relationship to address client needs relating to their physical, emotional, cognitive, social, and spiritual health and wellbeing. Two contrasting approaches to music therapy treatment have been identified by Bruscia (2014) as outcome-oriented and experience-oriented. Both approaches provide opportunities for clients to reach their health-related goals, but the planning and implementation of therapy is different from each approach. The purpose of this project was to examine how these two orientations are represented in the professional literature related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This paper includes …

Examining Katniss Everdeen's Gender Ambiguity In The Hunger Games : How Suzanne Collins Utilizes The Ya Genre To Resist Feminine Stereotypes, Moriah K. Mcdonald

Honors Theses

Even those who passively engage with modern media are likely to notice a binary frequently imposed on young adult women—that of the kind, reputable and trustworthy “good girl” or the mean, scandalous and deceitful “bad girl.” Such themes remain significantly featured in young adult (YA) literature, a genre specifically aimed at teenagers. Thus, in analyzing The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, I undertake a twofold analysis. I illustrate how Collins’s works tackle the specific issue of binary representation of women in the media, thereby validating the usefulness of the YA genre in commenting on current day issues facing teens.

Implications Of Facial Coverings On Communication, Katherine Giustino

Honors Theses

Nonverbal communication constitutes over half of communication in verbal communicators’ production. With so much lost to covering essential parts of expressing nonverbal communication, for example the mouth, this study aims to find how that impacts the general population’s ability to communicate effectively.

A study found that masks act as an acoustic filter for speech and can attenuate high frequencies (Marler & Ditton, 2020). At the most basic level, a facial covering creates a physical barrier to communication.

This study was designed in a survey format to gather data. A total of 95 participants completed the survey in its entirety. The …

Why Do Shadows Change Throughout The Day?, Caitlin M. Hallam

Honors Theses

In this lesson, elementary students use a hands-on demonstration to study why shadows change throughout the data. They collect data using a model of the earth and sun system, and then use their own shadows to verify their data collection.

The Syntax Of Passives And Related Constructions In Mandarin Chinese, Shangyan Pan

Honors Theses

This thesis discusses the Mandarin Chinese passive, a construction that differs in significant ways from its better known, European counterparts. While the passive is one of the most well-studied constructions in syntax, the passive in Chinese remains understudied and not as well understood. The thesis offers an analysis of multiple passive markers in Chinese, focusing on bei and gei. Superficially, the two markers both participate in passive and passive-like constructions. However, upon closer scrutiny, it is demonstrated that only bei qualifies as a true passive marker, while gei is shown to belong to a more general category of Non-Active …

The Role Of Socioeconomic Status In Cognition And Brain Health Across The Lifespan, Erica Chung

Honors Theses

Disparities in cognition are inevitable throughout the lifespan due to socioeconomic gaps. Individuals of lower socioeconomic status (SES) may have fewer access to environmental resources, especially with regard to education, than individuals of higher socioeconomic status. Differences in available resources from a young age may affect brain development, leading to detriments in cognition and behavior, further impacting socioeconomic success in adulthood. In the present study, we modeled the development of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and changes in cognitive function throughout the life trajectory in the Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research Rockland Sample. The DLPFC volume was predicted to …

Cultivating Family Empowerment In Schools: The Experiences Of Marginalized Families In Special Education, Rachel-Marie F. Sinco

Honors Theses

The provision of special education services to special needs students is largely upheld by federal and state policies and regulations, such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) which ensures that children with disabilities have the opportunity to access a free appropriate public education (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2004). However, marginalized families of low-income and linguistically diverse backgrounds continue to face barriers and challenges to effectively participate in their child’s education and secure the necessary and appropriate services for their child. Family Empowerment Centers on Disability (FECs) in California provide a policy solution to assist families navigate …

The Perceptions And Practices Of Japanese Identity In Contemporary France, Sara Gardner

Honors Theses

France is well known for promoting dominant white ideals of “Frenchness” over all others, stemming from the French republican ideal of culture-blind and colorblind universalism.. This universalism, however, is often criticized for glossing over individual heritage and struggles, and studies surrounding this issue often focus on ethnic groups that have made headlines, such as Muslim and North African populations in France. But what about less studied communities, such as the Japanese in France? These less studied populations are worth investigating as we can look at their experiences to further understand the impact of French nationalism. Through a primarily interview-based ethnographic …

Is France Having A Populist Moment?, Emma Gilmore

Honors Theses

The word populism is often thrown around in news media and academic scholarship, but there is a lack of understanding of what it actually means as a political theory. In France, the two presidential candidates that made it to the second round in 2017, Emmanuel Macron and Marine le Pen, were both called populist, despite having vastly different campaign strategies and messages. This study used a computer-based method to analyze Campaign books from 24 candidates beginning in 1981 that determined that Populist language is on the rise, but not as aggressively as news media suggests.

Epistemic Classism In Elite College Mathematics Education, Silas Olsen

Honors Theses

I observed a single introductory calculus class at an elite college, conducted three rounds of interviews throughout the semester with ten students, interviewed the professor, and took limited field notes during class time. In line with Bernstein’s (1964) work on social class and language, I found that there were codes of mathematical language that differed by social class, with more upper-class students fluent in elaborated mathematical code. More working-class students had to learn this language throughout the semester, as they were surprised at how abstract the class was. Working-class students saw math as not valuable, which can be viewed through …