Digital Commons Network^™

The Rhetoric Of Landscape: Through Oil And Water, Alexandrea Davis

Honors Theses

“The Rhetoric of Landscape: Through Oil and Water” analyzes five water resources—Lake Erie, Lake Powell, the Aral Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Great Barrier Reef—and uses the visual rhetoric introduced by an accompanying series of oil pastel illustrations to compare how the beauty of the landscapes equates to their true states. This project discusses the harmful effects of human activities on water bodies, first through direct pollution and ultimately through anthropogenic climate change. Furthermore, a final summary covering the history of environmental initiatives in the United States and the idea of “wicked problems” offers an overview of reasons …

The Evolution Of Cancer Research And The Dietary Intervention That Could Save Lives, Kara Starkweather

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Ministry With Community: Analysis Of Public Relations Issues And Proposed Solutions, Sarah Piper

Honors Theses

Although Millennials are not yet in their primacy as nonprofit donors, forward-thinking nonprofits are changing how they conduct business to better engage millennials in anticipation of their future rise to primacy. Accommodating the desires and expectations unique to the members of this generation is challenging for many organizations because effectively engaging with millennials requires a shift in organizational communication and engagement practices. This project seeks to build a body of relevant knowledge that can be used by Ministry with Community, a local nonprofit organization, to evolve its current engagement and communication practices to better appeal to local millennials. To build …

The Role Of Social Media In Small Museums In Michigan, Kaitlin Mcgrath

Honors Theses

Social media is now firmly ingrained in the daily life of many people. In order for museums to remain relevant in society, institutions like museums need to learn how to integrate this new technology into their practices. Small museums especially may have the most to gain from utilizing this technology in their institutions. These museums usually do not have access to as many resources as their larger counterparts. The challenge for museums is knowing how to use social media effectively. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of social media in museums with a focus on small …

The Changing Geopolitical Dynamics Of The Middle East And Their Impact On Israeli-Palestinian Peace Efforts, Daniel Bucksbaum

Honors Theses

In this thesis the status and feasibility of the two-state solution, the primary and most widely-accepted potential resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will be analyzed. It considers aspects such as physical challenges (geography and topography of the land), regressive and damaging actions to the peace process by Israelis and Palestinians, and the newly developing changes in regional alliances and interests in the Middle East. The status of the traditional two-state solution, due to its history, obstacles, and current regional developments, has implications for future negotiations and have changed the direction of peace talks. Dramatic shifts in regional interests and the …

American Muslim Women: Feminism, Equality, And Difference, Amber Coniglio

Honors Theses

American Muslim women face constant surveillance, stress, and pressure to change and adapt to mainstream society. In the United States, Muslim women find ways to negotiate their identities, express their concerns, and learn through their faith by means of Islamic scholarship, Islamic feminism, and reinterpretations of the Quran. They are reconciling their multifaceted identities with better understanding of sacred text as well as solidifying their desired gender roles within their communities. They are challenging norms and creating new spaces for themselves within the ummah as well as the United States. American Muslim women find courage, strength, and autonomy through Islamic …

Party Identification At Western Michigan University, Melissa Heinz

Honors Theses

A high self-monitor is an individual who changes his/her political views to improve an impression made to others. This past election contained very controversial candidates making individuals very reluctant to show strong support for either party. My thesis topic examines the link between self-monitoring and party identification after the controversial election. I will be testing to see Western Michigan University students’ willingness to disguise political views based on what others think of them by using three different versions of the same survey. Many students are in positions on campus as well as off campus that require them to present themselves …

Kalamazoo Fc Social Media Plan, Brittney Wojcik

Honors Theses

Social media presents itself as a far-reaching and cost-effective tool to not only reach, but also to engage with potential audiences. As social media usage is becoming more commonplace, it is increasingly important for companies to understand their place within the social media realm.

Kalamazoo FC is a local semi-professional team in their third year of play. They are looking to expand their target market to include those of millennials, college students, and Latinos. Herein lies a comprehensive social media plan that contains detailed information regarding the team, new markets targeted, and social media platforms currently used by the team. …

Comparisons Between Chinese And Japanese Characters, Ahmina Graves

Honors Theses

The complexity of the Chinese and Japanese writing systems has intrigued those in the West from their first encounter with the characters. Though the two languages are very different, they share components of their writing systems that have been adapted to each language. This paper looks at the differences and similarities between the two strikingly different languages, as well as the effects on literacy the complexity of the orthographies has had in East Asia. The reforms created by each respective government and the motivations behind these reforms is also explored, as well as the future of the use and form …

Business Plan: Consulting Firm Focused On Manufacturing Digitalization, Edward Mulford

Honors Theses

The goal of this paper outlines a business framework for the development of a digitization consulting firm focused on the manufacturing sector. The firm’s goal is to help organizations in Michigan leverage technology to keep their business vibrant and workers skilled. The primary services for the firm will be related to the implementation of products and services within Industry 4.0, the cyber-physical smart factory industrial revolution. The beginning of the paper explains the ecosystem surrounding digitalization as well as the nine technologies (ex: big data, simulation, additive manufacturing) driving the innovation. The framework for this business plan uses the business …

Do Students Feel Safe On Campus? A Policy Evaluation Of The Clery Act, Amanda Sidwell

Honors Theses

The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (the Clery Act) is federal policy aimed at creating safer college campuses. It attempts to provide students with statistics on crimes that occur on campus and inform them of the security policies and various resources available to them. The Clery Act also mandates that institutions of higher education (IHE) send out alerts of emergencies that occur on campus.

So how safe do Western Michigan University (WMU or “Western”) students feel on campus? This study attempted to answer this question by asking students through a survey. The students’ …

Crafting Fear: The Horror Film Trailer, Courtney Dreyer

Honors Theses

My research project investigates horror film trailers in an effort to define the characteristics of this genre and discuss its ideological implications. Focusing on theatrical trailers for American wide-release horror films between 2013 and 2017, I closely viewed a sample of forty trailers to inform my investigation. Horror trailers create an intense emotional experience of both dread and fear, tending to follow a similar narrative structure and employ a common set of stylistic techniques to achieve this emotional intensity. The shared stylistic techniques include elements such as tight framing, innocent imagery, and genre misdirection. The repetition of these elements promotes …

17th Edition Of The Laureate, Jessie Fales

Honors Theses

The Laureate is an undergraduate literary journal sponsored by the Lee Honors College at Western Michigan University. As Editor in Chief of the 17^th Edition, I coordinated the journal’s publication over the course of an academic year. The editorial process follows methodical stages, which have become standard over The Laureate’s lifetime—recruiting submissions, selecting submissions, coordinating with the design center, and hosting a launch party, etc... Of course, every editor has a unique experience, but we must honor the journal’s entity as something larger than ourselves—this journal has existed long before my time, and I hope it keeps on …

Planning A Year End Formal, Anna Volkman

Honors Theses

The intended outcome of this project was to create an event not only to celebrate the successes of the Department of Dance at Western Michigan University, but also to gain visibility for the student-ran organization, Orchesis Dance Society while emphasizing the power art has to unify communities. This project is an example for the organization and the Department of Dance as to how events like this are important for visibility, community involvement, and the celebration of art’s power. I created a year-end formal as an example of how art brings communities of people together and should be celebrated in order …

Ipads And Chromebooks: Current Trends In Personal Device Use For Students Of Northeast Texas School Districts, Sarah Mcsparrin

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

School Shootings: A Nexus Of Adolescent Masculinity, Bullying, And Homophobia, Jack Marsden

Honors Theses

Though overall gun violence has plummeted since 1993, multi-victim school shootings have increased in frequency over the last fifty years and the number of adolescent perpetrators has more than doubled since 1996. I borrow from Kimmel and Mahler’s (2001) format to examine seven shootings that have occurred in the fifteen years since their paper’s original publication. I replicate their qualitative methodology and conduct my own analysis of these attacks. My findings suggest that these boys that open fire are mired in a history of routine, merciless bullying and that the content of the bullying is homophobic in nature. I also …

The Litmus Initiative - Enabling Teachers To Recognize Domestic Human Trafficking, Bethany Hansen

Honors Theses

Every day, an estimated 100,000 residents of the United States are sold for sex. At least half of these victims are under the age of 18. Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST) has tragically plagued the U.S. for decades and even centuries, but it has only come into the public spotlight within the last fifteen years. As a result, there are few widespread sources of information about DMST, and even fewer resources for victims and survivors. DMST is a branch of human trafficking, which the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 defines as “(A) Sex trafficking in which a commercial sex …

Lee Honors College Mobile Application, James Ward

Honors Theses

In the spring of 2018 three Computer Science students Benjamin Campbell, James Ward, and Peter Shutt created a mobile application. This app was developed over the span of two semesters for their senior design project; a capstone to their degrees.

Their client, The Lee Honors College at Western Michigan University --referred to as LHC and WMU respectively hereafter-- has a plethora of academic and social information, and a large demand for access to it. This information includes building hours, contact information, health resources, a LHC specific course catalog, social media posts, event descriptions, and much more. The volume of information, …

Excuse The Mess, But We Live Here: Roseanne In The Meme World, Meghann Holt

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

When Law Enforcement And Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder Meet: Asd Knowledge And Confidence In Law Enforcement Officers In The Commonwealth Of Kentucky, Nicholas P. Hoffmann

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine the current training practices, as well as the knowledge and confidence that law enforcement officers possessed with regards to interacting with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as reported by the officers. It is expected that the level of training will be highly inadequate in the Commonwealth of Kentucky due to lack of available training and resources available to officers, as well as the lack of mental health training requirements. This project does not seek to criticize officers, but rather to assess the current overall status of their training as well as …

For The Ones Who Come After You, It Will Be Easier: An Exploration And Analysis Of Eugenics In The Reproductive Dystopian Genre, Morgan Manning

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Vaccine Refusal Dilemmas, Yessica Garcia

Honors Theses

The topic of the thesis is vaccine refusal dilemmas. The focus is on the current issue of the decreasing immunization rates in children. Children are a vulnerable population and rely on their parents to make healthcare decisions for them. This thesis will address the parents’ standpoint on immunizations, the providers’ standpoint on the situation, and the sources of vaccination information available, then determine vaccine refusal dilemmas that may result. The main population of focus will be pediatric patients including their families and their providers. Dilemmas associated with vaccine refusal and/or hesitancy will include present and existing issues as well as …

Experiences With Diversity: Microaggressions, Religiosity, And Psychological Wellbeing In A Diverse College Sample, Jessica Ann Stelfox

Honors Theses

This study examined students' beliefs about the existence of racial discrimination on Andrews' campus and their experience with behaviors classified as microaggressions. We used a survey composed of the following measures: Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (Hill and Argyle, 2002), Intrinsic/Extrinsic Religious Orientation (Francis, Fawcett, Robbins, & Stairs, 2016), Social Dominance (Pratto, Felicia, Sidanius, Stallworth, & Malle, 1994), and Racial and Ethnic Microaggression (Nadal, 2011). Pearson's R correlations and Qualitative Comparative Analysis (Thiem, 2016) were used to analyze subjects' responses (N-147). We found low overall levels of microaggressions across campus and focused our detailed analyses on three specific microaggressions: microinvalidations, 80% of …

Experiences Of Asexual People In The Lgbtq+ Community, Z Rankin

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Ripple Effect: An Examination Of Surfing As A Force For Positive, Lasting Personal And Societal Change, Sam A. Hayworth

Honors Theses

This study aims to demonstrate how the spiritual, sacred, and metaphysical components of surfing empower the activity as a force for positive, personal and societal change in a community. While many surfers are drawn to surfing for its spiritual attributes, traceable to its roots in ancient Polynesia, there are many others who embrace the sport for purely non-spiritual reasons. Quantitative data was collected by the research team to show how the differing views of these two groups of surfers affect three main areas: environmental ethics, personal growth and maturation, and general community outreach. The results of the study proved all …

The History Of The Future: A Creative 26th Century Article On The 2016 Presidential Election, Spencer J. Chowning

Honors Theses

As technology has grown in recent decades, many fields of study have been affected. This thesis will consider how technology might continue to impact the field of the historian and what historical research and writing might look like in the distant future. This project will attempt to demonstrate the potential sources of a future historian, how those sources might have been stored, how historians might interpret those sources, and what historical writing itself might look like. This thesis will demonstrate these aspects in a creative manner in the form of a future historical scholarly article from the 26^th century …

Recognizing The Beauty And Science Of Diversity: A Tale Of Orchidaceae, Claire M. Kelley

Honors Theses

This honors thesis is a study of the diversity of the Orchidaceae family and the use of science and art to describe that diversity. The scientific topics about orchid diversity that are discussed are morphology, pollinator relationships, and the biogeographical range of the orchid family. These topics helped narrow down the species that were used in the artistic side of this thesis. The artistic aspect of this thesis includes four pieces of artwork that illustrate the beauty of the Orchidaceae family by showcasing specific species and using different mediums to capture the family in all its beauty. The four pieces …

Activism As A Source Of Strength For Black College Students At Predominately White Institutions, Caroline M. Reid

Honors Theses

Racism is deeply ingrained in American society, and white supremacy and the oppression of people of color has greatly contributed to the establishment of the very institutions that continue to perpetuate its existence today. Racism manifests itself in a variety of ways, and its most constant and daily appearance is in instances of microaggressions. These experiences contribute to feelings of invisibility, frustration, and anger, an experience known as racism-related stress, which research has shown to severely and negatively impact mental health. In order to combat the insidious effects of racism, Black Americans have utilized coping mechanisms for generations. This resiliency …

When Necessary Is Not Enough: A Study In The Effectiveness Of U.S. Military Force To Combat Terrorism In The Middle East, Lora Christine Vonderhaar

Honors Theses

This thesis will examine the relationship between the number and size of U.S. military bases in the Middle East and instances of terrorism in the same region. It seeks to analyze the complex set of impacts that U.S. military presence has on the area and determine if U.S. presence is overall more helpful or harmful to the situation on the ground. While size and number of U.S. bases is not a perfect measure of U.S. presence, it is a fair representation and a useful empirical starting point. This thesis will focus specifically on terrorism as a non-state actor and not …

Characterization Of The Glycosylation Of Aquaglyceroporin Hc-3 In Erythrocytes From The Freeze Tolerant Anuran, Dryophytes Chrysoscelis, Dante L. Pezzutti

Honors Theses

By utilizing an extreme physiological adaptation known as freeze-tolerance, Cope’s gray tree frog, Dryophytes chrysoscelis, freezes and then subsequently thaws up to 65% of its extracellular fluid to survive the winter. During these periods of freezing and thawing, erythrocytes (RBCs) of D. chrysoscelis utilize a protein, aquaglyceroporin HC-3, that facilitates transmembrane flux of both water and cryoprotective glycerol to mediate osmotic adjustments. RBCs from cold-acclimated tree frogs up-regulate HC-3 protein expression, which coincides with more abundant membrane localization and higher levels of glycosylation. However, the functional significance of HC-3 glycosylation on membrane localization and cellular freeze tolerance is currently not …