Digital Commons Network^™

The Relationship Between Resistance To Conformity And College Students’ Alcohol Use, Alcohol-Related Consequences Experienced, And Pbs Use, Melissa Ambrosino

Honors Theses

College students’ alcohol use has reached alarming heights in the past 25 years and shows no signs of slowing; experiencing alcohol-related negative consequences is on the rise for this demographic. Protective behavioral strategies (PBS) can help prevent negative consequences. This study sought to determine if relationships existed between resistance to conformity and college students’ alcohol consumption, alcohol-related negative consequences experienced, and PBS use. Data were collected via online surveys from students at a Southeastern mid-sized university. As hypothesized, resistance to conformity had negative relationships with alcohol consumption (r = -.094, p = .05 ) and number of alcohol-related negative …

The Identification Of Arachnid Species In The Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, Lauren Auer

Honors Theses

Despite the known diversity of arachnids in neotropical ecozones there has been little considerable movement towards creating a collective means for identification of arachnids in Belize. Previous studies on ecotourism indicate positive trends between biodiversity education and conservation concern. This study was conducted to engage in a field-based study of arachnids in the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary to determine the most frequently encountered arachnid species. For this study, four separate locations were surveyed within the Sanctuary: three trail sites and the main camp area. Each site was surveyed during two alternate time periods to account for diurnal and nocturnal species. …

The Practice, Regulation, And Political Context Of Midwifery In Mississippi: Attitudes Of Healthcare Professionals, Alexandria Broadway

Honors Theses

The current state-by-state system of midwifery regulation—or lack thereof—has made the issue a subject of debate amongst policy-makers, community-members, and healthcare providers as a whole. In Mississippi, the practice of midwifery is, at present, legal but unregulated, meaning there is no protocol for licensure, certification, or registration. In 2011, a bill that sought to require all non-nurse midwives in the state to become Certified Professional Midwives through the North American Registry of Midwives or a successor organization was proposed. Though the legislation passed the House of Representatives, it was never signed into law. This bill, along with past and current …

The Great Advertising Campaign: The Effectiveness Of British Petroleum’S Post-Oil Spill Campaign, Brianne Painia

Honors Theses

On April 20, 2010, one explosion on the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig in the Gulf of Mexico caused the greatest oil spill disaster in United States history. The effects of the spill were realized almost immediately. Seafood fishers lost jobs and product, the Gulf was tainted, and people around the nation realized the damage was not going to go away any time soon. The question asked around the nation was, “What are they going to do about it?” The “they” being British Petroleum, the owners of the ill-fated oil rig. BP did do something about it; they advertised. The corporation …

Differences In Race And/Or Gender In Attitudes And Beliefs Towards Obesity Among Students At The University Of Southern Mississippi, Erick Brown

Honors Theses

Overweight and obesity have been described by various experts as critical problems in populations around the world, especially in the United States. These issues are so characterized because they affect numerous facets of life in this society. Researchers in the medical community have repeatedly described the health-related risks associated with obesity rates, asserting that higher risks of debilitating or fatal disease are tied to one’s level of obesity. They also say that obesity rates of populations are related to other disease rates, and many imply or clearly state that obesity is the cause and therefore the problem to be contested. …

“Double-Crossed, So To Speak": Black Female Resistance To Gendered Oppression In The South, Amolie Egloff

Honors Theses

Despite the vast amount of research focused on slavery and the American South, studies focusing solely on the black female’s experience during this time period are a fairly recent development. In the existing literature, these women have been painted a helpless victim caught in the wrath of white men, black men, and even white women. This study presents the stories of black women courageously resisting oppression both while enslaved and just after emancipation from 1830 to 1890. The analysis of a handful of slave narratives taken by the Worker’s Progress Administration in the 1930s and 1940s established that because black …

Parental Involvement In Speech-Language Intervention, Victoria Beech Finley

Honors Theses

This thesis examines how parents of children who are successful in therapy are involved, from the parent’s perspective. Literature on parental involvement in therapy is limited, especially findings from the parent’s perspective. This thesis follows a phenomenological qualitative design. The investigator interviewed three mothers regarding their participation. The investigator then transcribed the interviews and cyclically analyzed them to find salient themes across all three. There were two shared themes, acceptance and emotions. It is hoped that this study will provide insight for other parents so that they can contribute to their children’s success in speech-language intervention.

Relevant Jesus: A Study Of The Integration Of Popular Culture Into The Christian Church, Amie Guenard

Honors Theses

The Christian church today takes on the characteristics of many centuries past in style and ritual. Some churches are choosing to embrace the culture of our booming entertainment industry in order to gain the attention of a “sights and sounds” generation. This research contains a historical review of the relationship between the entertainment world and the Christian church as well as a case study of First Hattiesburg Baptist Church of Hattiesburg, MS. The results of this research show that the deliberate incorporation of secular communication and entertainment strategies into the regular functions First Hattiesburg Baptist Church has had more positive …

Effects Of “Ecoeagle” Advertising Campaign On The Students Of The University Of Southern Mississippi, Zach Knight

Honors Theses

Advertising is at the core of the human experience. An ever-present facet in the life of every person, Advertising provides an excellent opportunity to transmit valuable information to audiences that normally would not be exposed to the desired message. At The University of Southern Mississippi, the university administration desired to educate students about the values and benefits of environmentally conscious decision-making. With this goal in mind, the university created the “EcoEagle” advertising campaign, a targeted approach designed to engage students through a variety of advertising media, with the desired end result of a more environmentally conscious student body. Now several …

Going Dutch: The Netherlands’ Maternal Health Care Framework As A Model For Sierra Leone, Emily Simmons

Honors Theses

The West African nation of Sierra Leone has received a large amount of attention for its especially high numbers of maternal mortality. Women in that country face a 1 in 8 chance of dying in childbirth or of related complications (WHO, 2011). In response, in 2010 Sierra Leone instituted a policy of free medical care to pregnant women and children under age 5. The Free Health Care Initiative, as it is called, emphasizes physician and clinical care, an approach that seems top-heavy considering the severe lack of physicians in the country. This study will compare the Free Health Care Initiative …

Understanding The Business Of Popular Songs, Jeremiah Stricklin

Honors Theses

This paper presents an analysis of Billboard Music Charts’ top twenty popular songs from the year 2011. These songs are studied to determine whether or not their songwriters adhere to hypothetical rules left by songwriting scholars from the past. The criteria for analysis include: length of introduction, length of the entire song, the presence of a memorable ‘hook’, the connection between tempo and key tonality, and the form of each song. The research concludes that, while songwriters typically adhere to a loose set of rules, they do not follow them exactly. Therefore, the success of a popular song cannot be …

A Comparison Of Van Hiele Levels And Final Exam Grades Of Students At The University Of Southern Mississippi, Cononiah Watson

Honors Theses

This research analyzed students final exam scores in a college mathematics class with geometric components and their van Hiele levels upon entering the class. After the class was completed, each student’s final exam grade was calculated. The researcher used a Spearman correlation to compare the two; the result was a correlation coefficient of 0.742. The researcher then reported that the results of the van Hiele test are a major component in predicting a student’s success in such a class.

Perspectives On Technology Change And The Marketing Of Real Estate, Sarah Stetelman

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Libertatem Religionis: Remembering Our Origins, Joseph Tramuta

Honors Theses

At a time when the Catholic Church in the United States is publicly berated with accusations of being an outdated, oppressive institution concerned only with depriving women of their reproductive rights and devaluing freedom of conscience, many contemporary Catholics and others see only the stubbornness and isolationism rather than the constructive good of the church or the scope, depth, and fluidity of the Catholic Church’s teachings about modern society. This paper will assess the extent to which American political thought is ingrained in the Dignitatis Humanae: The Declaration on Religious Freedom from the Second Vatican Council. It will include: a) …

"So God-Damned Far Away": Soldiers' Experiences In The Vietnam War, Tara M. Bell

Honors Theses

This paper is based off of a collection of Vietnam War letters that I processed at the Western Michigan University Archives and Regional History Collections. They are all written to a local woman, Carol, by five soldiers, named Mitch, Dennis, Ron, Willis, and Kenneth. Carol’s responses are not included in the collection.

Carol, Mitch, and Willis all graduated in the same class from Vicksburg High School. From using databases and yearbooks, I learned that Carol knew each of the soldiers from organizations they both belonged in. Although I could not exactly determine how Carol knew Ron and Kenneth, it seems …

Change In First-Year Women's Body Dissatisfaction In Relation To Drive For Thinness And Social Body Comparison, Marie L. Chardon

Honors Theses

Drive for thinness (DT) and social body comparison (SBC) have been highly correlated with body dissatisfaction, a robust risk factor for eating disorders; however, there is little understanding of how these two variables relate to increases in body dissatisfaction over time. In the present study, I investigated how high initial levels of DT and SBC correlate with changes in body dissatisfaction and ideal body by surveying 110 first-year women at the beginning and end of their first semester. There was no significant relationship between high initial DT and SBC and changes in either body dissatisfaction or ideal body. However, high …

Double Take Project: Using Applied Theatre For Campus Climate Change, Christina M. Cody

Honors Theses

Despite research gathered in the Campus Climate Report, I believe that it underrepresented the student experience of the social scene. The document primarily served as an identification tool for four major problems on campus: binge drinking, sexual assault, diversity, and disengagement in the classroom. Double Take Project also identifies similar issues however, this project uses theatrical techniques to gather the anecdotal reality of the student perspective. Double Take Project expands beyond the Campus Climate Report to inspire dialogue in a variety of student-to-student interactions and, more importantly, the project seeks action and solution plans.

The social scene dominates our culture …

The Use Of Excess Aircraft As Maximization Of Resources, Jean Paul Pion Garcia

Honors Theses

The United States currently has within just 6 airfields approximately 4,600 grounded aircraft. Out of these excess aircraft, approximately 66,900 metric tons of secondary aluminum could be extracted. All this amount of material equals to approximately 147 million US dollars if sold to the current aluminum market price; the United States government could save up to 450 million US dollars just in electrical power expenses by choosing to recycle these aircraft, instead of producing primary aluminum out of bauxite. Recycling all these aircraft, would also have a positive impact in the environment, since hundreds of acres would be freed from …

Differential Reinforcement Of Alternative Behavior In A Child With Autism, Mackenzie M. Sullivan

Honors Theses

Some children diagnosed with autism engage in aggressive behavior with different functions. There is a great need to find ways to reduce these behaviors to protect these children and make them more suitable to interact with other child in classroom settings. A Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior intervention was designed in an effort to decrease aggressive behavior in child with autism. The goal of the intervention was to train Brian, the single participant, to engage in more appropriate behaviors instead of aggressing toward other children. The participant was placed in a room with another child and instances were created where …

Incorporating Hispanic Culture Into A Secondary Instrumental Classroom, Alexander Armstead

Honors Theses

For much of history, there has been a long-standing belief of the superiority of Western art music; that it is more natural, complex, expressive, and meaningful than other musics. This standpoint is being challenged more than ever as advances in musicology, ethnomusicolgy, global communication and media bring musics of other nations and cultures to the doorstep of the American people. There are many benefits to teaching cultural music in the instrumental classroom, including social and musical components. These components have the ability to open the minds of students to a higher sense of community as they enter the "world village" …

In The Garage, Christopher James Hart

Honors Theses

In the Garage is an audio podcast containing works by student writers at Western Michigan University who read their stories to be recorded. Coalescing stories, music, and connective segues, the three episode series seeks to explore the theme of nostalgia through the works of student writers. In doing so, a cohesive narrative arc is achieved through the use of theme and connection. Recorded on GarageBand, an apple sound editing product, the project endeavors to bring together disparate stories, poems, and essays together into a collective and cohesive whole accompanied by various musical interludes. The author of the project provides introduction …

Simplifying Scholar Access - The Modernization Of The Lee Honors College Website, Sean E. Chiplock, Jeremy B. Conley

Honors Theses

As the undeniable breadth of the World Wide Web’s usefulness continues to expand at a rapid rate along with Western’s own marked growth in its faculty, buildings, and funding, so too does the demand to put that “wonder of the modern web” to use. Today’s rising scholars use the internet for their daily work now more than ever and this includes the rapid-fire atmosphere of college applications, visits, and considerations that go on near the end of high school careers. With dozens of college emails stuffing inboxes, students are accustomed to needing to learn a lot of information in a …

Curriculum Integration: History And Music Hand In Hand, Kathryn Wilburn

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Discovering Aristotle: An Examination Of His Life And The Development Of His Immutable Brilliance, Timothy H. Sparling

Honors Theses

A synoptic piece which addresses the life of Aristotle and analyzes the development of his philosophical thought, Discovering Aristotle: An Examination of his Life and the Development of his Immutable Brilliance reviews multiple facets of this thinker's being, ranging from his genealogy to his pedagogical and theoretical contributions, and serves as a standard of measurement through which his vast works may be studied, thus granting his "exoteric" or early works with a certain preponderance in the text itself. Additionally, a respectable number of appendices, which are extremely relevant to Aristotle's world, are also included in the work; these provide the …

Golden Rice: The Need, The Science, And Public Reception Of Gmos, Elizabeth A. Quemada

Honors Theses

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) affects people all over the world. The most severely affected individuals are those in countries where access to Vitamin A rich foods such as dark leafy greens and dark red or orange vegetables, along with liver, eggs, and cheeses are not readily available. Vitamin A deficiency most harmfully affects young children, where it is needed for correct development, and pregnant women, where Vitamin A stores are depleted. Several methods have been put into action over the years in severely affected countries to help combat VAD. There are programs to increase the availability of Vitamin A in …

A Single Spotlight: Solo Performance In Undergraduate Theatre, A' Mari Jo Rocheleau

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Spontaneous Recovery In Children With Expressive Language Delay, Jaimie Sierakowski

Honors Theses

By age 2, most children have an expressive vocabulary of approximately 200 words and begin to combine these words into meaningful phrases. However, some children acquire expressive language skills more slowly than others while displaying no signs of cognitive, receptive, or sensory delays. These children who experience an expressive language delay are often characterized in the literature as late talkers. Research shows that many of these children have delays early in childhood, but eventually catch up to their typically-developing peers, with no need for language intervention. Others, however, continue to experience expressive delays and. have an increased risk of developing …

Content Analysis Of Mathematical Concepts In Children’S Literature, Jessica John

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

The Honogenization Of Trombone Sound Preferences: The Effects Of A More Global Society On National Styles, Alyssa B. Madeira

Honors Theses

The trombone and music in general have been greatly influenced by globalization. Over the past few decades the ideal playing style of trombone has become increasingly similar throughout the word. The fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the integration of Eastern Europe into the rest of the Western world marked a turning point in the way that music was perceived and shared. More and more musicians began to blend their playing styles as they traveled across borders and oceans. Sharp contrasts by region in interpretation of literature and the ideal sound were common in the early 1990's, but …

Activity Choice And Extinction Intervention For Escape Maintained Behavior, Ali M. Markowitz

Honors Theses

Tantrums and non-compliant problem behaviors challenge children diagnosed with autism’s progress in early childhood special education classrooms by interfering with the child’s learning opportunities. Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder causing abnormal or impaired development in social interactions and communication (DSM-IV, 1994). This paper looks at a single case on a preschool aged child diagnosed with autism exhibiting tantrums and problem behaviors. These tantrums and non-compliant problem behaviors included kicking, scratching, screaming, hitting, flopping on to the floor or eloping (leaving the table, chair or work area). One study conducted showed that activity choice intervention decreases the occurrence of problem …