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Uphams Corner And "Other" Spaces: Racialized Youth Identities In Boston's Cape Verdean Community, Jessica F. Pires

Honors Theses

While embarking on this thesis project I have begun by viewing Cape Verdean-Americanness and Uphams Corner as linked; to study contemporary Cape Verdean-American lived realities means consulting this neighborhood space, and the area is mutually dependent on its Cape Verdean residents. In the particularly unpredictable world of ethnographic field research, as I focused on the collection of narratives, a new and surprising actor emerged: the neighborhood space, around which crucial tensions revolve. It is vital to understand how neighborhood provides not merely the scenery behind actions but more importantly how, as a conceptual framework, it can also be constitutive of …

Attending Law School: Lucrative Or Lunatic?, Anna Lennep

Honors Theses

The total number of law school graduates for the class of 2011 was 43,979 and of the 42,411 graduates whose employment status was known by March 15, 2012, less than 55% of graduates had found long-term, full-time jobs in a field that required bar passage. Less than 63% of graduates had found any job in a field that required bar passage. With so many graduates and so few jobs, prospective law students must consider the risk that at- tending law school has become for many of its graduates. This thesis uses recent graduate data to analyze the current woes of …

France's Soul-Searching: Finding National Identity In Political Metaphors During The 2012 Presidential Election, Cody Leblanc

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the ways in which French national identity was constructed metaphorically during the 2012 presidential election. Due to the increased controversy surrounding the overt utilization of the term national identity following the 2007-2012 Sarkozy administration, candidates in the 2012 presidential election used metaphor as a means by which to define their own competing conceptions of French national identity. The goal of this study is to examine the phenomenon of national identity creation by addressing the following question: How does each principal candidate (François Hollande, Nicolas Sarkozy) in the French presidential election of 2012 use metaphor in order to …

When Cultures Collide: A Comparative Study Of The Culinary Cultures Of Uruguay And The Lebanese Community In The Mississippi Delta, Claire Nicola Reid

Honors Theses

Every world culture defines itself differently through the application of similar qualifying processes. Gastronomy is an important one of these processes. This thesis aims to explain how food both aids in and exists as a reflection of cultural identity by asking these questions: What are the specifics of how gastronomical processes are applied in Uruguay and the Mississippi Delta? Do the two regions share similar cultural identification structures? If so, in what ways are they similar, and what do these similarities mean in the context of identity construction? In doing this, | aim to explain why culinary practices, more so …

Immigration Stories And The Construction Of A Bilingual American Identity, Camden Bowman

Honors Theses

This project seeks to document first-generation, Spanish-speaking Americans' immigration stories by transcribing and translating their oral accounts from Spanish to English, in an attempt to increase understanding between Anglophone and Spanish-speaking populations. The project envisions immigration stories as the basis for a distinct American folklore, at the same time connecting Americans to their ethnic or national roots and distinguishing them from their ancestors, giving them a unique American identity. With this sort of nationalizing "myth" in mind, the project seeks to create a record of first-generation permanent Americans, painiting a picture of the beginnings of a new Spanish-speaking U.S. identity.

Understanding Expressive Writing, Lindsay C. Dever

Honors Theses

Expressing trauma, specifically through expressive writing, leads to better health, both physically and psychologically. Specifically, the relationship between expressive writing and higher rates of affective (emotional) word use can be explained by reappraisal, a technique that reduces stress through better understanding. Reappraisal is thus related to resilience, and both are correlated with secure attachment. Secure attachment, in turn, is best folstered by authoritative parenting. Because of this research we predicted that there would be a positive relationship between resilience, language use, and authoritative parenting. In this study, 100 college-aged participants reported perceived parenting style and resilience. We randomly assigned participants …

Mercutio And Romeo: An Analysis Of Male Friendship In The Renaissance, Christian Bacchiocchi

Honors Theses

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (1595/96) depicts the forbidden love of two young individuals -- Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet. Though many focus on the hardships they endure, a relationship briefly touched on is that of Romeo and his best friend, Mercutio. Mercutio is a very unique character to the play, constantly speaking against Romeo's actions of love and flamboyantly expressing his own opinions on the matter, bringing some scholars to suspect an underlying theme of homoeroticism. However, the tradition of male friendship in the Renaissance, partnered with Gale Edwards' theatrical production, provide the framework for interpreting their relationship to be …

"Tengo Cara De Ladron?" "Do I Have The Face Of A Thief?": An Investigative Study Of Stereotypes And Racism In Ecuador, Caryn Cortez

Honors Theses

Racism and stereotypes are still very apparent in Ecuadorian society, yet time and time again, I have found people who claim racism does not exist in Ecuador. Fascinated by how such an obvious (for an outsider) part of Ecuadorian society could be systematically denied by so many people who were part of that society, I decided to explore the issue of racism further and sought to find out, through the use of in-depth qualitative interviews and ethnographic research, how students at La Universidad Estatal de Cuenca narratively construct racial identity and racism.

Can Public Education Be Saved? An Argument For Educational Reform, Kathrine Hyatt

Honors Theses

Education, a key to later success, needs to be the number one priority. However, the American of public education has many systemic problems that are inhibiting children from reaching their full potential. This literature review first examines the colonial roots of American education and briefly tracks the development. Then, four major systemic problems are addressed: the over reliance on standardized testing, teaching methods and curriculum, lack of creativity, and how the cycle of poverty impacts learning. Finally solutions are discussed, with the ultimate recommendation being to adapt the Montessori Method.

The Sound And The Fury: Comparative Sociolinguistic Studies In German, Logan C. Pecinovsky

Honors Theses

The German nation has a long history of fragmentation, from the mini-states of the Middle Ages to the eastern and western republics of the recent past. These barriers affected the speech community in particular. Among the various borders that shifted through Central and Eastern Europe for centuries, dialects arose as a result of strong political and cultural identities. Without a strong centralizing force to integrate them, the many communities remained relatively homogenous, which provided fertile soil for unique linguistic development. The most recent partition of East and West scarcely lasted half a century and did not create a discrete speech …

Intelligibility And The Sinewave Speech Carrier Phrase Effect, Danielle R. Werle

Honors Theses

Several studies have examined the perception of sinewave speech. Early work showed that listeners could transcribe sinewave sentences. Recent work on sinewave vowels found that listeners could recognize sinewave speech at the phonetic level with moderate (about 50-55%) accuracy. Sinewave vowel intelligibility scores improve significantly when preceded by a sinewave carrier phrase, an effect that disappears when the carrier phrase is removed. The present study was designed to examine this carrier phrase enhancement effect and analyze whether listeners require the carrier phrase to be intelligible to produce increased intelligibility scores. Sinusoidal carrier phrases and /hVd/ syllables were generated from recordings …

What Makes A Man: Social Constructions Of Masculinity In The Works Of Stanley Kubrick, Michael Cory Taylor

Honors Theses

This study examines three male protagonists from films by Stanley Kubrick, and the original literary texts, with specific focus on the social influence of each character’s sense of masculinity. Much has been written about literature and film as a social critique, but there is a particular need for study through Kubrick’s lens. The original literary texts are Lolita, A Clockwork Orange, and The Shining. By considering the historical context of both the novel and its adaptation, it is possible to provide an indication of each protagonist’s effect on social constructions of manhood. It is also necessary to note the …

A Phylogeny Of Samydaceae Based On Nuclear Gbssi And Emb2765 Dna Sequences, Chelsa Williams

Honors Theses

Samydaceae are a tropical family of woody flowering plants, poorly known because they were once included in the ‘dustbin’ family Flacourtiaceae and because there are few economically important species. The family has recently been studied using DNA sequence data, but most of the data were from plastid DNA and some relationships had low statistical support. For this study, two nuclear regions, EMB2765 and GBSSI, were sequenced in order to affirm or refute the relationships inferred from plastid DNA and in order to find stronger statistical support for relationships. The data collected mostly affirm previously collected data from plastid DNA.

Questions Concerning Reasonable Religious Disagreements, Bradley Champine

Honors Theses

In this paper, I discuss Richard Feldman’s article “Reasonable Religious Disagreement”. In his article, Feldman argues that “reasonable disagreement” is not possible between two “epistemic peers” who have shared all of their evidence. Regardless of whether Feldman’s argument is valid, the two requirements (being epistemic peers and sharing all their evidence) he sets for ruling out a disagreement as reasonable could be impossible to meet in the very situations he is writing about. I argue that in situations of religious disagreements, from the outset the parties involved have reason to judge each other not to be epistemic peers, and that …

Weak Central Coherence Theory Problem Solving In Adults With Asperger Syndrome, Marie Ferderer

Honors Theses

This study examined the effect of Weak Central Coherence on problem solving strategies in adults with Asperger Syndrome. A group of adults with Asperger Syndrome and a group of Neurotypical adults were assessed using a riddle game. This game required participants to solve a riddle based on a cryptic language clue. The types of problem solving strategies employed by each group were recorded and compared in statistical analyses.

Significant differences in problem solving strategy were obtained for the two groups. The neurotypical group evidenced a strategy in which they considered the meaning of the language clue while attempting to solve …

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 …

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.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: Cold War For Kids, Kaitlyn Shaw

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

An Ethnographic Analysis Of The Struggles And Priorities Of Medical Missionaries Serving In The Dominican Republic, Randi Hafele

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

C'Est Ouf : L'ÉVolution De La Langue FrançAise Et Les ConséQuences Sociales, Hannah Kelley

Honors Theses

Cette dissertation vise à explorer le raisonnement complexe linguistique derrière la langue française officielle et le verlan, pour qu’on puisse mieux comprendre ce que le verlan est en train de faire socialement pour la communauté beur duquel il est venu. Pour nous situer d’abord un peu, on commence avec une histoire brève de l’immigration maghrébine (ou l’Afrique de Nord : l’Algérie, la Tunisie, et le Maroc) ainsi que les idéaux républicains de la France qui ont apporté la fierté légendaire en une langue française pure. Après, on examine la façon dont ses histoires interagissent aujourd’hui, ce qui laissent les identités …

Ogawa Mimei's Children's Stories: A Case Study Of The Rise Of Childhood In The Context Of Westernization And Japanese Modernization, Alexandra E. Kint

Honors Theses

In this thesis, I examine the influences of westernization, the tension between Japanese modernity and tradition, and the stories of Hans Christian Andersen on Ogawa Mimei’s children’s stories. I begin the body of my thesis with a brief historical background of Japan, beginning with the start of the Meiji period in 1868. Within the historical section, I focus on societal and cultural elements and changes that pertain to my thesis. I also include the introduction of Hans Christian Andersen in Japan. I wrap up the historical section by a description of Ogawa’s involvement in the Japanese proletarian literature movement and …

Transnationalism And Identity: The Concept Of Community In Ghanaian Literature And Contemporary Ghanaian Culture, Devin M. Geary

Honors Theses

In my thesis, I use anthropology, literature, and adinkra, an indigenous art, to study Ghanaian concepts of community from an interactive standpoint. While each of these disciplines has individually been used to study the concept of community, the three have not previously been discussed in relation to one another. I explore the major findings of each field—mainly that in anthropology, transnational informants find communities upheld; in literature, transnational characters find the opposite; and in adinkra, there are elements of both continuity and dissolution—to discuss Ghanaian constructs of community in the transnational world. Throughout time, there have always been transnational individuals …

Oil Wells And Well-Oiled Guns: The Resource Curse And Government-Directed Violence During The Arab Spring Uprisings, Vihara Anjalee Dharmaratne

Honors Theses

This thesis analyzes whether there is a positive correlation between the levels of government-directed violence and oil wealth, against the backdrop of the Arab Spring. Have governments of the Middle East and North African (MENA) states that possess more oil wealth used more violence on their protesting citizens than governments of states that have little or no oil wealth? Does the so-called “resource curse” apply to the outcomes of the Arab Spring? This thesis attempted to answer these questions by (1) studying the levels of government-directed violence in the Arab Spring uprisings and (2) examining the oil wealth and oil …

S㭠Se Puede... ¿Leer?: Assessing The Success Of The Cuban And Nicaraguan Literacy Initiatives, Camille Lyn Lesseig

Honors Theses

This research examines the literacy programs conducted in 1961 Cuba and 1980 Nicaragua. Given the similarities in the structure and implementation of the plan as well as the congruencies in rhetoric promoting the plans, this thesis explores the various internal and external variables that affected each country’s program to better understand the widely different results. To research these countries’ programs, I examined both primary and secondary source material related to each country, their educational programs specifically, as well as information about US foreign policy relationships with the countries during this time. Although both programs were initially successful in reducing illiteracy …

Ethnic Tourism’S Effect On Bai Ethnic Minority’S Identity In Dali, China, Tabitha Bandi

Honors Theses

This thesis focuses on the Bai minority group in the town of Dali, in China's Yunnan Province and examines the effect of ethnic tourism upon the identity ofthe Bai people. Through an analysis of governmental policies, both on the national and provincial level, economic policies, and different sources of Bai identity, such as travel magazines and articles, I have come to find that the Chinese state and Han Chinese have played a decisive role in the shaping and defining of Bai identity. Through the promotion of tourism and state policies, the Bai people have created a stronger sense ofidentity.

TABITHA …

Through The Eyes Of The Elder: Perceptions And Expectations Of Health Care, Micaela Marie Delashmit

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe elders' perceptions and expectations of healthcare. Qualitative in nature, this study was conducted in the methodology explicated by van Manen: hermeneuitc phenomenology. Data was collected in the form of personal interviews. Demographic data was collected to provide context for the study. Three essential themes, the future, time, and trust, and 10 subthemes emerged from analysis and further reflection upon the interviews of the participants. The them of the future included: concern for the future care of elders, financial concern, possible decline in the number or quality of healthcare providers, and …

Faulkner In Japan: A “Second Occupation”, Robin P. Helton

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

On The Fringes Of Peripheries: A Comparison Of The Working-Class Representations Of Larry Brown And Irvine Welsh, Christopher Paul Patterson

Honors Theses

In this thesis, I compare the fiction of Mississippi author Larry Brown and Scottish author Irvine Welsh, specifically in how they represent their respective regions’ working classes. The project concerns the genre of working-class fiction in both the American South and Scotland, as well as the general fields of Southern and Scottish contemporary fiction. The groundwork for this thesis began when I read Welsh’s Trainspotting while studying at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland during the spring of 2011.1 wanted to explore why Welsh’s working-class representations felt so similar to the Southern fiction I read at the University of Mississippi, …