Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Honors Theses

Discipline
Institution
Keyword
Publication Year
Publication Type

Articles 3691 - 3720 of 5361

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Practical Cosmopolitans: The Diversity Of A Changing Indian Ocean, 1500-1750, Jordan Seitz Apr 2015

Practical Cosmopolitans: The Diversity Of A Changing Indian Ocean, 1500-1750, Jordan Seitz

Honors Theses

The Indian Ocean has served as a catalyst for trade throughout history, connecting multiple cultural and geographical spheres. My goal was to dissect the ways in which social and cultural norms were impacted by the large amount of diversity found within Indian Ocean port cities between 1500 and 1800. Specifically, I chose to investigate the possibility of the creation of a virtue of diversity, similar to the concept of Cosmopolitanism. In this case, this would mean a variety of people who differ in cultural, ethnicity, and religion sharing mutual respect within a particular space. Among the factors which shaped these …


Examining The Role Of Self-Esteem In The Association Between Emotional Vulnerability And Psychological Well-Being, Kathryn Schilling Apr 2015

Examining The Role Of Self-Esteem In The Association Between Emotional Vulnerability And Psychological Well-Being, Kathryn Schilling

Honors Theses

The purpose of the proposed study was to examine the association between emotional vulnerability and psychological well-being, and test whether the association varies based on level of self-esteem. Researchers define psychological well-being as an appraisal of one’s life where a person gives conscious evaluative judgments about one’s satisfaction with life as a whole (Grossi et al., 2013). Emotional vulnerability is defined as the degree to which a person renders himself or herself exposed to the emotional pain of rejection. Experiencing social rejection has a negative effect on self-esteem, however, having high self-esteem may buffer the self against the pain of …


The Second Punic War: The Turning Point Of An Empire, Timothy Edward Schaefer Apr 2015

The Second Punic War: The Turning Point Of An Empire, Timothy Edward Schaefer

Honors Theses

Though the foundation of the Roman Empire is considered by some to be in 27 BC with Octavian’s acceptance of the name Augustus, its origins were in fact in the late 3rd Century BC with Rome’s involvement in the Second Punic War. The nearly 20 year war pitched Rome against Carthage in what became a turning point in Roman history. Rome would undergo economic changes that led to the establishment of the practice of Roman aristocrats paying extra costs of the war in an exemption of military service. During the war, Rome’s armies were active farther abroad for greater lengths …


Horses: How Saddle Style Defines A Culture And The Skeletal System, Brandy Morgan Mar 2015

Horses: How Saddle Style Defines A Culture And The Skeletal System, Brandy Morgan

Honors Theses

This paper examines the way in which various parameters affect injury type and prevalence in horse eventing. The human-horse relationship has a long history that has continued to evolve, and their relationship is still strong today, especially in the role of sports and entertainment. In equestrian sports, horseback riding has been found to be extremely dangerous in terms of prevalence and severity of injury. This paper evaluates how saddle style, the sex of the rider, rider experience, and nature of event impacts injury patterns specifically within horse eventing which utilizes an English styled saddle.


Horses: How Saddle Style Defines A Culture And The Skeletal System, Elizabeth Brandon Mar 2015

Horses: How Saddle Style Defines A Culture And The Skeletal System, Elizabeth Brandon

Honors Theses

Throughout history different cultures have been greatly impacted by horses and their uses. Today horseback riding is still a very popular sport, and though it is more dangerous than other forms of transportation, such as motorcycle riding, horseback riding is still used in entertainment, occupational, and leisure activities. Saddles have long been an important piece of equipment for riding. As the horse became a mode of transportation, many cultures had their own saddle style, but today there are two prominent saddle styles, the western and english styles. The western saddle style is used more for leisure, occupational, and rodeo riding. …


Title Not Available, Tori Paille Mar 2015

Title Not Available, Tori Paille

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


Creating Como-Pickton: A Study On The Integration And Consolidation Of Como-Pickton Consolidated Independent School District, Austin Baxley Mar 2015

Creating Como-Pickton: A Study On The Integration And Consolidation Of Como-Pickton Consolidated Independent School District, Austin Baxley

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


"Will The Sun Come Up In The Morning?" : The 1999-2000 Conflict Between Summerhill School And The British Department For Education And Employment, Emily Kerwin Jan 2015

"Will The Sun Come Up In The Morning?" : The 1999-2000 Conflict Between Summerhill School And The British Department For Education And Employment, Emily Kerwin

Honors Theses

On March 23, 2000 a group of school children sat in the Royal Courts of Justice in London and voted to accept an agreement between Secretary of State for Education David Blunkett and their school, Summerhill School in Leiston, Suffolk. This vote ended a year-long fight to keep the school from closing. Carmen Cordwell, the chair of that meeting later remarked, "This is our charter for freedom. After 79 years, this is the first official recognition that A.S. Neill's philosophy of education provides an acceptable alternative to compulsory lessons and the tyranny of compulsory exams. With this one bound, we …


School Gardens: Cultivating A Child’S Nutritional Habits, Environmental Knowledge, And Sustainability Practices, Jeffrey Meltzer Jan 2015

School Gardens: Cultivating A Child’S Nutritional Habits, Environmental Knowledge, And Sustainability Practices, Jeffrey Meltzer

Honors Theses

School gardens have existed since the late nineteenth century and today are becoming increasingly popular in many parts of the world, including where I studied in Maine and Australia (AUS). Multiple organizations support school gardens in Maine, including the Maine School Garden Network, which has over 125 registered school gardens. In AUS, the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation primarily supports the school garden movement and has over 800 registered school gardens. While many researchers have studied school gardens, few have compared two countries, focused on environmental sustainability, or investigated Maine in particular. This thesis combines information from literature reviews, and …


Queering The Production Of Sexual Knowledge: Narrative Strategies, Gender Politics And The Promise Of Feminist Focus Groups, Madeline J. Hunsicker Jan 2015

Queering The Production Of Sexual Knowledge: Narrative Strategies, Gender Politics And The Promise Of Feminist Focus Groups, Madeline J. Hunsicker

Honors Theses

Dominant public discourses structure our interpretations of sexual acts in decidedly gendered ways, shaping our understandings of sexual experiences and embodiment. As a result, current understandings of term such as “virginity” evoke cultural standards of womanhood, whiteness, monogamy, and tradition that both reflect and reinforce contemporary society’s hetero-patriarchal relations of power. The narratives available for girls and women to make sense of the first sexual experiences are policed by dominant sexual discourses that privilege male pleasure (Kozma, 56-59), which can limit the narratives of actual sexual experiences and subjugate gynogentiric discourses of sexual knowing (Medley-Rath 26). In the absence of …


The Growing Crisis In Maine: Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, Olivia Avidan Jan 2015

The Growing Crisis In Maine: Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, Olivia Avidan

Honors Theses

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) is a Maine epidemic. In addition to having medical repercussions, NAS is intrinsically linked to social, political and economic factors. NAS is a conglomeration of symptoms, short-term and long-term, that affect a child that has been exposed to opioids in utero. These factors that impact NAS are interdependent. The past decade is characterized by a dramatic rise in NAS cases in Maine. This paper explores the social, political and economic landscape surrounding NAS in an effort to describe fully the syndrome’s effect on both individuals and the community as a whole.


A Constellation Of Caring: The Dynamic And Fluctuating Nature Of Pediatric Cancer Care, Anne Friedrich Jan 2015

A Constellation Of Caring: The Dynamic And Fluctuating Nature Of Pediatric Cancer Care, Anne Friedrich

Honors Theses

This honors thesis explores the fluctuating and dynamic nature of pediatric cancer care. I discuss the ways in which pediatric medical providers make meaningful interactions both for themselves and for their patients by enacting a caring liminality that allows them to fight disease while also creating a more personal, relational, and social moment of care. Providers care and work in shifting landscapes of care, what I call carescapes. The carescapes of the built environment, of value, and of physical movement all make the provider’s liminality visible. Ultimately, I argue that care is a way of being in the world, …


The Influence Of Normative Feedback On Stigma Of Mental Health, Carly A. Taylor Jan 2015

The Influence Of Normative Feedback On Stigma Of Mental Health, Carly A. Taylor

Honors Theses

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI; 2012) reports that the greatest barrier preventing college students from seeking help for a mental illness is stigma. Previous research has yet to develop an effective stigma reduction intervention targeting college students.Therefore, the purpose of the following research was to examine whether the administration of personalized normative feedback (PNF) could reduce personal stigma and correct the perception that others stigmatize mental illness. It was hypothesized that participants at baseline would expect others to hold more stigmatizing views compared to themselves. In order to correct this misperception and reduce stigma, half of the participants …


Co-Authorship In Action: Curation & Collaboration In American Post-Judson Dance, Sara Gibbons Jan 2015

Co-Authorship In Action: Curation & Collaboration In American Post-Judson Dance, Sara Gibbons

Honors Theses

This essay aims to illuminate and champion concert dance through an investigation into a sliver of American postmodern dance, which I term post-Judson dance, in an attempt to better understand, define, and assert dance in academe, art, and culture. This thesis examines the use and benefits of collaboration in today’s dance devising processes and the influences that constructed collaboration as a choreographic working method. Through historical, theoretical, contemporary, and practice-based evidence, this essay argues that through choreographer and performer participation, leading to the transformation of content, style, structure, and discovery, choreographers harvest an expansive collection of information that they use …


Investigating The Endogeneity Of Risk Attitudes: Experimental Evidence Involving Cooperation And Competition, Erik Solli Jan 2015

Investigating The Endogeneity Of Risk Attitudes: Experimental Evidence Involving Cooperation And Competition, Erik Solli

Honors Theses

Individual decision making is at the core of microeconomics. Rarely, however, are decisions made in environments without some element of uncertainty or even in isolation. While people may differ in their inherent willingness to take on risk, their preferences could change when new information is learned or a new relationship is fostered. I designed an experiment in which participants were asked to make investment decisions involving different levels of risk. The participants completed task between these gambles which allowed me to introduce competitive and collaborative relationships. I was interested in: (1) understanding the factors that are important to explaining risk …


Sociological Effects Of Wind Farms In Maine, Jeanne E. Barthold, Jeanne Barthold Jan 2015

Sociological Effects Of Wind Farms In Maine, Jeanne E. Barthold, Jeanne Barthold

Honors Theses

Renewable Energy is an extremely important topic in today's energy discussions. In Maine, with the motivation of Governor Baldacci, there was a rapid push towards utilizing wind energy, starting with the Wind Energy Act in 2008. While the theory of wind farms and wind energy seems intelligent at a first glance, it is not an energy source that lacks issues. Many of the Maine wind farms constructed in the last ten years have had a large impact on human health, altered the beauty of Maine, created a change in wildlife habitats, and completely torn apart communities. Every new energy source …


Assessing The Carbon Impacts Of Colby College’S Biomass Plant, Alice Hotopp Jan 2015

Assessing The Carbon Impacts Of Colby College’S Biomass Plant, Alice Hotopp

Honors Theses

Biomass energy plants are considered to be carbon neutral systems under some definitions. However, this concept of carbon neutrality needs to be rethought in order to understand the true carbon impact of biomass plants upon global climate change. A biomass plant’s wood source, the extent to which the biomass plant emits carbon dioxide, and the timescale over which the biomass plant emits carbon should all be taken into account. In this study, I consider the Colby College biomass plant’s role in carbon cycling. Colby’s Physical Plant Department provided me with information on how much carbon (tons of woodchips) is used …


Nurturing Environmental Literacy At Colby College: Higher Education And The Environmental Crisis, Molly Nash Jan 2015

Nurturing Environmental Literacy At Colby College: Higher Education And The Environmental Crisis, Molly Nash

Honors Theses

The environmental crisis will affect all people, career paths, and academic disciplines. Acknowledging this, does higher education have an obligation to educate all students for environmental literacy (EL)? This study reviews literature on how to effectively assess and implement EL initiatives and highlights how other colleges successfully nurture EL in all students. This study also uses quantitative and qualitative survey measures to understand student levels of EL at Colby College and to highlight specific programming or curriculum that leads to high EL levels in students. Findings include significantly different EL scores between environmental studies student respondents and respondents in all …


"Trying To Resurrect People": Musical Theater And Theater For Social Change In Witness Uganda, Emilie Jensen Jan 2015

"Trying To Resurrect People": Musical Theater And Theater For Social Change In Witness Uganda, Emilie Jensen

Honors Theses

In spring 2014, the musical Witness Uganda premiered at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, MA. Written by Griffin Matthews and Matt Gould, the show takes on the problematic idea of aid work in the United States and worldwide. In this thesis, I look at Witness Uganda in relationship to theater for social change. Theater for social change is theater that actively works for social justice. In studying Witness Uganda, I investigate the possibilities and challenges of creating a piece of commercial musical theater that could be considered theater for social change.


L’Identité Libanaise Dans La Mémoire Littéraire De La Guerre Civile, Sarah J. Rockford Jan 2015

L’Identité Libanaise Dans La Mémoire Littéraire De La Guerre Civile, Sarah J. Rockford

Honors Theses

Sampling prominent works of Lebanese literature, this paper seeks to unpack the legacy of the Lebanese Civil War (1975- 1990) in the collective memory and identity of Lebanese.


The Dark Side Of Volunteering : When Helping Might Hurt, Emily Morse Jan 2015

The Dark Side Of Volunteering : When Helping Might Hurt, Emily Morse

Honors Theses

This paper examines the relationship between implicit theories of intelligence and social dominance orientation (SDO) in the context of volunteering. While there is still little research on the subject, it has been shown that un- and undertrained volunteers often do more harm than good in the community. Community-based learning courses that send students out into vulnerable communities are common at most colleges and universities today; so examining the reasons why students volunteer as well as how effective they believe volunteering to be is important in order to help them avoid causing harm to vulnerable populations. Survey data from 261 college …


From Prisons To Asylums, And Back : Mental Health Policy In The Age Of Neoliberalism, Michele Martin Jan 2015

From Prisons To Asylums, And Back : Mental Health Policy In The Age Of Neoliberalism, Michele Martin

Honors Theses

This thesis seeks to explain why rates of severe mental illness in the criminal justice system have risen steadily throughout the past three decades, despite an increasing acknowledgement of the importance of mental health to overall health. Legislative, scientific, and societal advances have aimed at increasing access to and bolstering the quality of mental health care. Yet, the large numbers of severely mentally ill persons residing in the criminal justice system imply care in the community is not adequately serving their needs, or that, for whatever reason, they are not seeking care. I begin my analysis by considering mental health …


Is Positive Affect A Mediator Of The Association Between Emerging Adults' Relationship Quality With Mothers And Friendship Quality?, Nil Horoz Jan 2015

Is Positive Affect A Mediator Of The Association Between Emerging Adults' Relationship Quality With Mothers And Friendship Quality?, Nil Horoz

Honors Theses

The present study aimed to examine positive affect, an index of psychological well-being, as a mediator of the association between relationship with mothers and samesex friendship quality among emerging adults. Participants (N=394) were recruited from two small liberal arts colleges on the east coast of the United States. To be included in the study, participants needed to be the same sex, attend the same university and have been friends for at least four months. I hypothesized that positive affect was one possible pathway through which relationship with mothers predict same-sex friendship quality among emerging adults. Results replicated previous research and …


Shifting Perceptions : Exploring With The Rubber Hand Illusion, Avery Harrison Jan 2015

Shifting Perceptions : Exploring With The Rubber Hand Illusion, Avery Harrison

Honors Theses

In two experiments, we explored the boundary conditions for evoking the rubber hand illusion (RHI). In the first study, we hypothesized that we could elicit more vivid RHI experiences using personal cell phones than using wooden blocks as external objects because we interact with our phones and they are familiar objects. The cell phone condition elicited a weak illusory experience but it did not significantly differ from the wooden block condition. In the second study, we hypothesized that manipulating the size of rubber hands used for the illusion would affect size estimates of objects. Participants who experienced a strong RHI …


Reproductive Health Care Resources & Decision Making For Women In A "Delivery Desert" In Maine, Gianna C. Dejoy Jan 2015

Reproductive Health Care Resources & Decision Making For Women In A "Delivery Desert" In Maine, Gianna C. Dejoy

Honors Theses

This case study examines the reproductive health care resources available to women living in a “delivery desert” context in Maine, as well as the personal and cultural factors that influence their reproductive health behaviors. Through ethnographic methodology and in-depth interviews, I demonstrate how cultural influences converge with issues of quality health care accessibility to affect reproductive health outcomes. The island is isolated from reliable, quality biomedical care, with the nearest hospital offering labor and delivery services located over an hour’s drive away. I define this situation as a “delivery desert”, describing the phenomenon of centralizing maternity care which endangers pregnant …


Boss Lady: How Female Chinese Managers Succeed In China's Guanxi System, Charles Palmer Withers Jan 2015

Boss Lady: How Female Chinese Managers Succeed In China's Guanxi System, Charles Palmer Withers

Honors Theses

This project examines how female Chinese managers within China's traditionally male-dominated, guanxi-related private sector are coming into their own as leaders of the new Chinese economy. In this project, guanxi (关系) is defined as interpersonal relations and connections and research hinges around investigating how female Chinese managers use, or do not use, guanxi in their careers and personal lives. After establishing a background of preexisting scholarship, this project implements a Case Study Analysis chapter on three self made female entrepreneurs followed by an Interview Analysis chapter conducted with four female managers that took place in May, 2014. The goal of …


A Tapestry Of War: Three Veterans' Stories, Clancy Lane Smith Jan 2015

A Tapestry Of War: Three Veterans' Stories, Clancy Lane Smith

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to record and preserve the memories of American war veterans living in the Oxford area. The researcher interviewed local veterans and recorded their recollections in a narrative way, similar to how a feature story is written for publication in a newspaper or magazine. The results of this project demonstrate the stark contrast in a veterans' experiences based on differences in background, faith, family and decision-making. The stories are written so that they might be passed on to future generations.


Occupational Fraud: A Survey, Elizabeth Carroll Jan 2015

Occupational Fraud: A Survey, Elizabeth Carroll

Honors Theses

This paper examines the issue of occupation fraud in today's corporations. It provides an overview of the types of occupational fraud and how they usually occur. This paper also explains the attributes of the typical fraudster and describes warning signs that management should look out for in their company. It analyzes the regulations and polices put into place to combat the growing issue of fraud. It also provides a look at cyber-fraud, which is an increasing problem due to society's reliance on technology. It explains why fraud prevention is so important in corporations, whether small or large, and emphasizes the …


Communication Sciences And Disorders (Csd) Graduate Students' Preparedness To Work With Individuals Who Are Bilingual, Elizabeth M. Harbaugh Jan 2015

Communication Sciences And Disorders (Csd) Graduate Students' Preparedness To Work With Individuals Who Are Bilingual, Elizabeth M. Harbaugh

Honors Theses

This study addresses the overall competence of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) graduate students working with individuals who are bilingual. It examined the different CSD graduate programs in the United States and identified key variables that lead to students' preparedness. The author surveyed 238 individuals, consisting of first and second year graduate students and individuals working in their clinical fellowship from 30 different graduate programs. The data were collected from both Mississippi and the total population and were compared as an example of possible future research pertaining to SLP preparedness needed when working with individuals who are bilingual. The results …


Pro-Aromatic Dye Components For Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells: Thienothiophene And Indolizine, George A. Puneky Jan 2015

Pro-Aromatic Dye Components For Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells: Thienothiophene And Indolizine, George A. Puneky

Honors Theses

Four D-π-A dyes based on a 3,4-thienothiophene Ï€-bridge were synthesized for use in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). The pro-aromatic building block 3,4-thienothiophene has been reported to stabilize dye excited-state oxidation potentials. This lowering of excited-state energy levels permits for increased absorption into the near-infrared (NIR) region using relatively low molecular weight dyes. Strong donor functionality based on triaryl- and diarylamines are employed in the dye designs to raise both the ground and excited-state oxidation potentials to values capable of generating DSC devices with good open-circuit voltages. Solubility, aggregation, and TiO2 surface protection were addressed by examining an ethylhexyl alkyl chain …