Digital Commons Network^™

I'M Not A Math Person: An Examination Of How Parents And Peers Affect The Ways In Which Students Engage With Mathematics, Samantha Jean Grey

Honors Theses

Culture plays an important role in influencing the ways in which students engage '^ith mathematics. This study sought to examine the ways in which the culture of the home influences the mathematics identities that students bring to the classroom. The researcher recruited participants from a college algebra class taught at a public university. The researcher interviewed four participants from the sample to collect their narratives for analysis. The results of this study indicate that parents and peers influence students’ mathematics identities in powerful and unexpected ways, especially when there is disagreement between the explicit and implicit messages that they communicate …

Measuring The Effect Of Family Income On Undergraduate Behavior, Lindsey Brewer

Honors Theses

Educational equality has been an important and relevant issue in recent years, especially as tuition increases at colleges and universities make it increasingly difficult for low and middle-income families to afford education for their children. There are even more issues of educational equality that come into play once a student matriculates at a chosen school. This paper focuses on this area, expanding on existing literature that details family income’s impact on undergraduate behavior. Academic pursuits have been a topic for prior research in this area, but this paper also models extracurricular behavior as a function of family income. Results show …

A Study Of Race Policy In Fidel Castro's Cuba, Lee Andrew Taggart

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Ecocritism And The Renaissance: A Study In Shakespeare And More, Melissa Levert Smith

Honors Theses

This study draws on ideas from the emerging field of literary criticism known as ecocriticism and extends its basic assumptions back to the Renaissance works of Thomas More and William Shakespeare. The research therefore includes primary Renaissance texts, current ecocritical works, and selections from the twentieth-century criticism from which ecocriticism developed. I investigate in detail More’s Utopia and Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and King Lear. The study takes into account the disparity between Renaissance attitudes towards the environment and current concerns about pollution and scarcity of resources, but I suggest that the questions asked by ecocritical scholars today, when …

Something's Missing: Justice Restored, Lisa Ramsey

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

A Look At Workplace Violence, Amanda Marie Wichern

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

A Cost Benefit Analysis Of The State Of Tennessee's Child Support Guidelines : How Can The Orders Be Better Encouraged And Enforced?, Jennifer B. Vanzant

Honors Theses

Due to a growing number of The State of Tennessee's parents who should be receiving child support instead receiving welfare, the State is reexamining the makeup of the guidelines. Tennessee's existing child support regulations are written in a language that most individuals can interpret, but issues of compensation for additional dependents, low and very low income families, and shared parenting are three key circumstances producing inequalities that need to be improved within the guidelines. Judicial review has already made several advances in the way child support is awarded. New law has recently developed from child support case decisions regarding moneys …

Methamphetamine In The United States: A Social Constructionist Perspective, Natalie Metz

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Student Perception Of Parental Responses To Their Adolescent Behaviors: The Characteristics Of Those Who Are Labeled Negatively And The Impact Of The Labels, Stephanie Medley

Honors Theses

The following research uses labeling theory to determine what type of individual is most likely to be labeled negatively by their parents during adolescence. Labeling theory hypothesizes that if an individual is negatively labeled they are more likely to engage in secondary deviance than an individual who is not labeled negatively. The assumptions of labeling theory will be identified. Types and levels of deviance will be identified. Prior research will also be examined to identify what types of characteristics have already been identified as to increase the likelihood ofbeing labeled negatively. Next, the sample and methodology will be identified. The …

Attributes Of A Successful Confederacy: A Comparative Analysis Of The Political Institutions Of The Articles Of Confederation And The European Union, Kim Victor

Honors Theses

Following the devastation and instability in Europe in the aftermath of World War II, six of the continent's nations entered into the European Coal and Steel Community. The agreement to enter this organization provided the impetus for the modern day European Union (EU)I. Although its relatively short history may not be sufficient to consider the relationship perpetual, the European Union shows promise of continual integration. While these two political systems are fundamentally different in a number of respects, the basic structure of each organization be categorized as a confederacy. Using the notion of a confederacy as a point of comparison, …

Study Of Area Deprivation In Connecticut And Maine, Jonathan H. Ryder

Honors Theses

This paper accounts the development of an area deprivation index for two New England states, Connecticut and Maine. The index incorporates data from the 1990 U.S. Census. By applying methodology used in previous projects that created similar indices for area in Britain, an area deprivation index is created at the 5-digit zip code level for these two states in the year 1990. This project provides an example of how such a study can be applied to and completed in the United States. Foremost, it is an attempt to evaluate the relative merits of examining a comprehensive measure of area deprivation, …

The Juvenile Justice System Of Richmond : Progression Into The Future, Elizabeth Ann Teixeira

Honors Theses

The area of juvenile justice in America is a growing concern among both urban and rural community leaders. According to the Community Collaborative for Youth, the juvenile violent crime rate in Richmond is triple the state average. 1 The juvenile violent crime rate is the percentage of violent crime committed by a person under the age of eighteen. This is merely one aspect of the adversity facing the juvenile justice system in the eyes of the community. As a result of the growing need for information on the subject, a great deal of literature has been published about the risk …

Trends Affecting Both Legitimate Business And The Italian-American Mafia And The Resulting Changes In The Leadership Process, Kimberley M. Reiners

Honors Theses

The past two decades have brought with it a wave of movies and novels attempting to explain, or at least accurately portray, the Italian-American Mafia. One who has viewed the Godfather quickly becomes fascinated by this subculture and its ability to exist simultaneously with the rest of society. Moviegoers are mesmerized by codes of loyalty, silence, and kinship. However, much of what the public perceives as fact is little more than fabricated fiction. Part of what makes this world so intriguing is so little is known about it. For example, until 1986 there was no solid proof that the Mafia …

The Death Penalty And Public Opinion, Eve Errickson

Honors Theses

In this research, I will examine public opinion on the death penalty from 1972 to the present. In doing so, I will show that as the awareness of violence and crime increases, support for the death penalty increases. I intend by the consideration of prevalent trends and ideas over the past twenty-five years to show that awareness of crime and prejudice against ethnic groups traditionally associated with crime often dictates public opinion of the death penalty. As these tendencies become more apparent, it will become clear that the Supreme Court's confidence in mitigating and aggravating factors are not entirely valid, …

Victim/Witness Assistance Programs In Southern Illinois, Darla Tolley

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

The Non-Traditional Student Experience, Susan M. Bovinette

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Children And Guns : A Lethal Combination, Jennifer Dunlap

Honors Theses

An unacceptable number of children die each year in the United States and Virginia as the result of abuse, neglect, and preventable injuries. Through my participation as a member of the Virginia State Child Fatality Review Team, I hope to observe and influence leadership in the process of making the state safer.

Corporate Ethics, Elizabeth Milligan

Honors Theses

This paper explores leadership, social responsibility and business ethics. Business ethics have become a contradiction of terms due to the lack of accountability inherent in corporate structure. An exploration of ethical theory is an attempt to demonstrate that corporations can be seen as leaders. If a corporation can be an actor and a leader it can be held morally accountable for the changes that it makes on the environment and society.

Corporations make decisions, influence society, structure jobs, produce, innovate and change. Corporations act as leaders. As a leader it is essential that a corporation be socially responsible. The individuals …

Pistol Packing Passerby: A Description And Comparison Of Justifiable Homocides In Los Angeles County, Aimee Nagles

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Sturdy Rogues And Wanton Wenches : Response To Vagrancy And Development Of The Tudor Poor Laws, 1530-1597, Sonia T. Banerji

Honors Theses

Tudor England experienced crisis levels of poverty and unemployment which manifested in the form of widespread vagrancy during the sixteenth century. From 1530 to 1597 the central government, often with inspiration from local initiatives, enacted a series of laws which attempted to address the causes of the problems as perceived by the public, in an effort to quell popular fears and anxieties regarding vagrancy.

The focus of this paper is on the response of Tudor society to the problems of poverty and vagrancy. It studies the statutory distinctions drawn between various states of poverty and how these differences disposed society …

The Future Of Security: Honors Thesis Project, Tyler R. Partyka

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Crime And The Common Law In England, 1580-1640, Cara Swinden

Honors Theses

In this paper, I have endeavored to illustrate many of the forms of crime committed during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. I have also attempted to show the role of local people in the law. The workings of the common law of England have been simplified to outline the investigations, the trials, and the punishments received by felons and trespassers. Much of my research came from original manuscripts. Therefore, I have retained the original spellings, word order, and phrases, neither correcting nor modernizing the words, word order, or phrases, of the quotations and excerpts from those original manuscripts.

The Evolution And Persistence Of Gangs In America, Merry Beth Sheets

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Volunteer Opportunities In The Criminal Justice Area, Susan Pritchard

Honors Theses

The popularity of volunteerism and community service is quickly growing. Not only is volunteerism more prevalent in communities, there is also an increased number of college students making volunteer work, not only part of their lives, but part of their education. In this paper the author will 1) examine the possibilities of, 2) the involvement in, and 3) the necessity for volunteer work in the criminal justice area for criminal justice majors at Western Michigan University.

The Appeals Of Athletic Shoe Advertisements To Teens, Shari Lynn Tayloe

Honors Theses

Studying the structure and the effectiveness of ads can suggest how and why advertisers' commercials appeal to consumers. Narrowing this study down to one medium-television, one product--athletic shoes, and one audience-teenagers, can better identify commercials' appeals and their effectiveness. The study of television athletic shoe advertisements, as viewed by teenagers, provides primary data about both the ads themselves and about their appeals to the 15- to 18-year-old audience.

Internship At The Jackson County Public Defender's Office, Sandra L. Nowers

Honors Theses

As a student of the Honor's Program at Southern Illinois University (SIU), I am required to fulfill certain obligations. One of these obligations is to finish twelve semester hours of classwork; the other is to write a thesis or complete a hands-on practical senior project. Having fulfilled my first requirement, my internship at the Jackson County Public Defender's Office fulfilled the latter.

The Influence Of Perceptual Styles On The Accuracy With Which Subjects Correctly Locate States On The United States Map, Linda Sander

Honors Theses

Using 93 Southern Illinois University students I demonstrated that the perceptual style which a student uses in his learning process has an affect on the accuracy with which he/she locates states on a United States map. Two perceptual styles were looked at: Global and analytic. The influence of other factors, such as sex, country of grade school education, and emotional involvement with states, were also taken into consideration. A significant relationship was found between the variables of perceptual style and number of states missed on the United States map. State preferences was also an issue examined in this study, and …

Controlling Corporate Crime Through Reform Of The Criminal Justice System, Mary A. Vogt

Honors Theses

Corporate crime, according to Clinard and Yeager (1980: 16), "is any act that is committed by corporations which is punishable by the state, regardless of whether it is punished under administrative, civil, or criminal law". This form of crime is a major social problem within our society (Kramer, 1982). The purpose of this project is to examine a variety of proposals to improve the capability of the criminal justice system to control the problem of corporate crime, and to make specific recommendations for reform.