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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 …

History, Culture, And Religion In The Development Of Racial Ideology: A Case Study Of The Dutch Reformed Church Of South Africa And The Presbyterian Church Of America, Alexandria Claire Denton

Honors Theses

This thesis deals with the Christian religious tradition in relation to the ideology of white supremacy. By contrasting the history and ideologies of the Dutch Reformed Church of South Africa and the Presbyterian Church of America, this thesis will attempt to show that past history and the present culture affect the way religious communities interpret sacred texts. The primary objective of this thesis is to demonstrate the interactive role of history, culture, and religion within religious communities and society in order to breed conscious awareness of how these institutions are mutually effective. Religious adherents are not only products of their …

Feminine Framing: Framing Theory And The Media's Portrayal Of Female Athletes, Kamber Seay

Honors Theses

The biased portrayal of female athletes by the media has been studied and discussed extensively. The Framing Theory hypothesis is used here to identify a correlation between the way female athletes are portrayed by the media and the way consumers frame their opinions based on these portrayals. A brief public opinion survey was given to a random sample of the student population at Coastal Carolina University. Of the 66 consumers surveyed, 51 (77%) stated that they believe there should be more media focused on female athletes. Of the 66 consumers surveyed, 55 (83%) stated that they believe the media portrays …

Attending College Influences The Perception Of Parenting More Than Young Adults Or Students That Do Not Attend College, Brian Harrison

Honors Theses

College has the ability to bring the best out of any individual. It is time consuming, difficult, and often far away from home. Going to college can be a remarkable experience. Moreover, the tools and knowledge one gains from college are invaluable. Most of what a student learns is taught just by going to college and experiencing it first-hand. Whether studying the night before an exam, taking notes during class, or reading for hours on end, everything a student does is a learning experience. But not all lessons are taught out of a textbook and not all lessons apply just …

Remixing Business Models: Technology And The Future Of The Modern Music Industry, Ryan Brown

Honors Theses

The music industry has undergone significant changes throughout the past few decades. The primary basis of these changes is technology, which has impacted everything from finding artists to distributing music. However, record labels have been slow to adapt to these changes, which has led to serious problems such as illegal music downloading. Illegal downloading, also known as "music piracy," has radically changed the entire business and distribution structures within the music industry. Although lawsuits and other strategies have been undertaken to attempt to combat this particular issue, technology will continue to affect the music industry for the foreseeable future. Advances …

Social Distance As A Function Of Mental Health Status And Gender Of College Student Peers, Kaitlyn A. Zuilkowski

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine college students' general preference for social distance from individuals who have mental disorders, as well as their preference for social distance from a peer with a specific diagnostic label of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), or a Stuttering Disorder. College students (N = 180) enrolled at a Southeastern liberal arts university completed the Modified Social Distance Scale which assessed general preference for social distance from people with mental disorders and subsequently read a short vignette describing a male or female college student who had been diagnosed with and …

"If You Build It, They Will Come": The Positive Economic Impacts Of Nfl Stadiums In Their Surrounding Cities, Mary C. Ewen

Honors Theses

As with most sports, the incredible emotion that comes with dedicated fans radiates throughout the cities in which these teams reside. The positive economic impact that NFL stadiums have on their surrounding cities is the driving factor behind the creation of these sports power houses. NFL franchises increase tourism, and create an economic stimulus within the community that makes hosting an NFL franchise within a city extremely appealing. Studies show that there may be an incentive to creating these colossal entities. However, these outcomes are not always considered to be because of direct influences the stadiums exude, and in some …

Perceptions Of Walt Disney World: Antecedents To Return Visits, Tiffani A. Cosson

Honors Theses

Walt Disney World is an extremely popular tourist destination that attracts millions of visitors each year. Scholars have researched Walt Disney World and there are many different written articles on the subject, however there are very few that delve deep enough into the subject to generate quantitative data about visitors rather than only opinions about the parks. Due to its popularity and prominence in America, it is important to determine which demographic segment prefers to visit Walt Disney World. This can be used for both the parks themselves as a marketing tool, and consumers as well by knowing when the …

Female Students' Clothing Styles And Their Effect On Perceived Intelligence By College Professors, Dea Kamberaj

Honors Theses

This study was conducted to look at the contemporary effects of students' clothing styles on college professors' perceptions about the students' intelligence, attractiveness, and sociability. The effects of three dress conditions, formal attire, provocative attire, and casual attire, were studied on professors on a southeastern university. The hypothesis stated that a student wearing formal attire would receive the highest overall rating and the highest rating in intelligence. The casual attire condition would receive the lowest rating in intelligence and overall rating. The rating of the provocative clothing condition is predicted to change based on the sex of the rater. One …

Western Culture And The Spread Of Serial Murder, Angela Pilson

Honors Theses

Serial murders may have occurred in non-Western cultures, like Japan, South Africa, and Pakistan, before the introduction of Western ideals. These murders would have gone unnoticed and unreported if the populace did not know or understand the significant differences between serial murder and other types of violence and death. The people and authorities in non-Western cultures would not know of these differences unless they were made known to them or if they started to investigate the murders more closely. People from Western cultures who move to non-Western areas or communicate with non-Western natives may introduce these differences and familiarize the …

The Family And Medical Leave Act: Effects On Women's Wages And Employment, Andrea E. Miller

Honors Theses

For many years, women's labor force participation and issues of parental leave have been of great importance not only to families and individuals, but also to policy makers, researchers, and employers alike. The Family and Medical Leave Act was the first federal policy enacted in an effort to accommodate medical leave for employees. The Family and Medical Leave Act allowed both men and women to take extended, unpaid leaves due to personal or family medical and health issues. The FMLA establishes a federal, minimum leave threshold in order for employees to take such an extended leave to include the following …

Ole, Ole… Oh No? The Economic And Social Impacts The Fifa World Cup Has On Its Host Countries And How South Africa, The 2010 Host, May Be Affected, Colleen A. Schohl

Honors Theses

Research has not shown any proven long-term positive economic impacts directly resulting from hosting the FIFA World Cup; however, the intangible "feel good" factor has been hypothesized to bring positive effects to a country and its individual residents. This is one variable that has shown to have some positive effect on a host country, but its benefit is usually short-lived and commonly overlooked by researchers (Kavetsos and Szymanski, 2010). If questions on how to measure this factor could be answered, researchers would better be able to address the overall economic impact. Based on analysis of the South African economy, South …

Communication In The Courtroom, Kathryn Meagan Cowles

Honors Theses

An attorney's communication style - not just what he or she says, but how he or she says it - can affect the outcome of a trial. By performing a meta-analysis of thirty-four peer-reviewed articles on this subject, areas where research is plentiful and areas where research may be lacking are identifiable. Variables for this project include the type of communication, the type of legal case, mention or lack thereof of attorney-communication training, and the sample subject. Upon analysis of these articles, it was found that research in the areas of verbal and non-verbal communication, attorney-jury communication, and criminal cases …

Problem Solving And Functional Fixedness: A Comparison Between Eco-Reps And Non Eco-Reps, Keith G. Richard

Honors Theses

A quasi experiment was conducted to examine functional fixedness and creative problem solving. The purpose of this research was to attempt to identify differences in cognitive ability between recyclers and non recyclers. This researcher investigated whether recycling group affiliation or priming for functional fixedness would affect task performance among college students. A tower building activity was developed for this study to determine if members of a college recycling group, the Eco-Reps, would complete a problem solving activity faster than non Eco-Reps. Some participants in each group were primed for functional fixedness. This researcher hypothesized that Eco-Reps would complete the task …

Language, Race, And Culture In Porgy And Bess, Madeline J. Baker

Honors Theses

This study considers the cultural history of the story of Porgy and Bess, from its first manifestation as the 1925 novel Porgy by DuBose Heyward, to the 1927 play adaptation, to the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward. Heyward, a writer from Charleston, South Carolina, based the characters on the Gullah peoples of Charleston and attempted to represent the Gullah creole language they spoke in the dialogue of the novel. The representation of the creole language in the text of the novel, and the way the language changed …

Is Justice Available To All? Indigent Defense In Michigan, Barbara K. Lanning

Honors Theses

Does Michigan’s public defense system operate in accordance with the decisions made by the Supreme Court in cases like Gideon v. Wainwright, Powell v. Alabama, and Argersinger v. Hamlin? If not, how can we reform the system? The right to counsel for those accused of a crime in the United States is a constitutional right. After the decision issued in Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) the federal government mandated that all states were responsible for providing representation for indigent defendants. The states provide these services either through public defender programs, appointment of court cases to private attorneys, or through contracts with …

Dayton, Ohio: A Study, Nolan Nicaise

Honors Theses

The urban forest is an important element of cityscapes today. Urban trees provide a habitat to wildlife populations, create more tolerable city living conditions, and better the lives of residents around them. The urban forest, however, is not distributed equitably to the urban population, and some residents receive more or less of its positive externalities. Montgomery County, Ohio, was chosen as the study site to determine if environmental injustice was present regarding the urban forest. It was found that there was environmental injustice present in Montgomery County, as the density of the urban forest was limited by the educational obtainment …

Scout's Daughters : Race And Creative Development In Contemporary Adolescent Literature, Amanda Malloy

Honors Theses

At the heart of what Roberta S. Trites titles ―adolescent literature‖ – works written both for and about young adults—is a question of agency (Disturbing 7). In Disturbing the Universe: Power and Repression in Adolescent Literature, Trites asserts that adolescent novels attempt to answer the question of young adults who wonder if they ―should or even can affect the world in which they live‖ (1). Trites‘ argument is based on the idea that the distinguishing characteristic of adolescent literature is its focus on ―the social forces‖ that …

The Little Metropolis: Religion, Politics, & Spolia, Paul Brazinski

Honors Theses

There have been numerous councils throughout the Catholic Church?s history. From the First Council of Nicaea in 325 CE to Vatican II in 1962, only a few centuries have passed without any major church doctrinal change. Following hand in hand with changes in doctrine came the bifurcation of the Christian Church into the Roman CatholicChurch and the Orthodox Church. The first split came in 325 CE with Arianism. Arius of Alexandria and his followers did not agree with the Catholic Church?s viewpoint that the son, Jesus, should be on equal footing with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Constantine the …

Economic Development Under Dominant-Party Regimes, Christopher J. Gorud

Honors Theses

Case studies of economic development in Japan, Mexico, India, and Kenya examine the relationship between dominant-party regimes and developmental outcomes. This paper studies the variables of bureaucratic coherence and cohesion, corporatism, labor relations, and national developmentism as contributing factors to developmental success or failure in these states.

From Victims And Villains To Protagonists: Immigration And Citizenship In Modern Italy, Rachel Gleicher

Honors Theses

The Italian media, political parties, and immigrant-related social service organizations on all sides of the spectrum have contributed to the creation of various one-dimensional perceptions of Italy’s immigrant communities which have functioned to deny immigrants’ formal citizenship status and consequently, attempted to impede their access to the basic rights and privileges national membership guarantees. While left-leaning media outlets, organizations, and individuals tend to portray immigrants as victims draining Italy of its social, economic, and material resources, the Italian right often characterizes Italy’s immigrant population as villainous intruders incapable of integration due to cultural difference and in some cases, a natural …

The Just And Beautiful City : Concepts Of Aesthetics And Justice In Contemporary American Urbanism, Anne Tyler Feldmann

Honors Theses

his project investigates methods for addressing social injustices by reconciling equity planning with aesthetic design. The paper includes an analysis of Susan Fainstein 's criteria for the "just city," a review of environmental aesthetics theories, and an overview of theories that have reconciled justice and aesthetics previously. The project utilizes two case studies-Atlanta, Georgia's BeltLine and Norfolk, Virginia's waterfront redevelopment-to gauge the relevancy of these theories in current planning practices. Based on the findings, this paper argues that the "just city" should encompass equity, diversity, democracy, and beauty, which ought to be maximized in current and future plans for American …

Identifying The Negative Stigma Associated With Having A Learning Disability, Kelsey Lisle

Honors Theses

Those with learning disabilities (LDs) can be characterized as a minority group, and like most groups of minorities they face a distinct stigma by the larger population. While there iscurrently a lack of research in understanding LD stigma, it has become increasingly important given the push for inclusive classrooms settings. In this study it was hypothesized that regardlessof a participants’ gender, when participants were given a hypothetical description of a person that included information indicating that the individual has a LD, the participants would rate that individual less favorably. Results were consistent with the hypothesis. Participants perceived the hypothetical LD …

Self-Perceived Attractiveness And Its Influence On The Halo Effect And The Similar-To Me Effect, Lauren Cotter

Honors Theses

The present research examined the influences of the halo effect and the similar-tome effect on physical and sexual attractiveness for hiring decisions. It was hypothesized that the halo effect would cause applicants rated highly in physical and sexual attractiveness to receive higher ratings of hireability than unattractive applicants.However, if the similar-to-me effect is influential for levels of attractiveness in hiring situations, participants who rated themselves as less attractive should favor unattractive applicants. The results did not show an interaction between participant self-ratings and ratings of hireability, indicating the similar-to-me effect does not apply to physical or sexual attractiveness. There was …

Unethical Decision Making : Understanding The Role Of Leadership And Gender, Laura A. Poatsy

Honors Theses

This study examined the effects leadership role and gender have on unethical decision making and the engagement in unethical behaviors. 64 undergraduate students were exposed to both hypothetical and behavioral measures that tested their willingness to engage in unethical behaviors. The results indicate a significant effect of leadership role on unethical decision making. Furthermore, goal importance and self-efficacy are driving factors in leaders' propensity to engage in unethical behaviors. These findings demonstrate the different circumstances that drive individuals who associate with different gender-roles and are placed in various leadership-roles to act in unethical ways.

But Is It Art?: The Significance Of Graphic Design In The Modern Era, Johnny Franklin Miles Iii

Honors Theses

The subject of this thesis is graphic design: specifically, the history of graphic design from the Victorian Period in the late nineteenth century until the end of the Modernist Era around the mid-twentieth century. This time period encompasses perhaps the most important developments in the brief history of graphic design, therefore it is a good place to start when considering the central question this thesis process of whether graphic design is art. The terminology used to disucss the hsitory of graphic design in this thesis--the Romantic Era, the Modernist Era, the Postmoderinist Era--is the same terminology used to describe the …

Confucianism And The Modern East Asian, Paul Jennings Treutel

Honors Theses

This thesis sought to measure “Confucianism” in China, Japan, and South Korea. To this end, a thorough investigation of possible methods to measure Confucianism and exactly what “Confucianism” means was conducted. AsiaBarometer’s 2006 survey data was chosen as the basis of the quantitative portion of this study. Survey questions deemed good measures of Confucian values were compiled into four indexes. These indexes were used as dependent variables in four separate regressions, controlling for such demographic variables as age, sex, geographic location, income, etc. The regression results and their interpretation showed a picture of Confucianism considerably different than that discussed by …

Shakespeare's Soundscape: Vocal Song In The Plays Of William Shakespeare And In Early Modern Culture., Julie Marcia Dhossche

Honors Theses

In evaluating song in early modem times we see the traveling of music through the culture, an omnipresent current that flow's through social strata and situations and can be interpreted to connect all. However, while music was pervasive in early modem society and the dominant theory of music w'as a totalizing one outlining a harmony inherent of and inspired by music, music in fact had a variety of uses among interests groups and could be a main indicator of social division. In this thesis I analyze song in Shakespeare within the frame of this seemingly paradoxical phenomenon of music as …

Consumer Behavior In Social Mediums: A Study Of The Impact Of Social Networking Sites And Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games On College Students' Academic And Social Lives, Laura Johnston

Honors Theses

Consumer Behavior is an interdisciplinary field that marketers use to understand the wants and behavior of consumers. It focuses on how people decide to spend their available resources, such as time or money, on a product or service and examines issues such as why, how often, and the impact of making such a decision. This study will incorporate the Social Cognitive Theory's assessment of expected outcomes based on consumers' own direct experiences that incite continued participation with the Use and Gratification Theory's idea of social need that may result in need gratification, leading to unintended results. Users of SNSs and …

Exploring The Effects Of Environmental Factors, Policy, And Enforcement On Student Alcohol Use At The Univeristy Of Mississippi, William Curtis Mcgehee

Honors Theses

This work explores environmental factors related to student binge drinking at the University of Mississippi by using existing data from surveys, lawas, and student information at the University of Mississippi in hopes to identify alternative means of approaching the problem of student bing drinking. Findings include that a lack of presence of minority students, absence of on-campus housing for non-freshman students, and few well-advertised opportunities for community service may adversely affect bing drinking efforts at the University.