Digital Commons Network^™

The Euro Effect On Trade In The Emu Core And Periphery: A Pre And Post-Crisis Analysis, Kerri Harner

Honors Theses

As the world financial crisis hit Europe in 2008, the financial shock had asymmetric effects across the eurozone; by 2010, its effects led to a sovereign debt crisis in the euro area. The shock created a clear distinction between strong, core economies in the European Monetary Union (EMU), and a struggling indebted periphery that fared worse in the period of crisis. The sovereign debt crisis revealed inherent fragility in the EMU. In light of recent populist movements, the common currency is under unprecedented scrutiny. This study seeks to assess the euro effect on exports for a clearly distinguished EMU core …

Waters Of Labor, Waters Of Leisure: An Environmental History Of Lake Memphremagog, Katherine Tucker

Honors Theses

This thesis seeks to examine the transition from traditional resource extractive industry to seasonal tourism industry around Lake Memphremagog, a mid-sized freshwater lake that is situated across the USA/ Canada border in northern Vermont and southern Quebec. Reading sources primarily from the decades 1860-1890, this research examines changing conceptualizations of nature that link to specific land use trends. Northern Vermont was left with a decimated landscape following the decline of the logging and agricultural industries by the mid-nineteenth century. Meanwhile, nature centered tourism began to emerge in the same area. The new tourism economy catered to the wealthy urban elite, …

Heroes And Villains: A Cultural Analysis Of The 2011 Penn State Football Child Abuse Scandal, Kyle J. Adams

Honors Theses

In the wake of the sexual abuse of young boys being revealed to the public in November 2011, the Penn State community was launched into the forefront of public attention. Loyal Penn Staters were obviously shaken by the news, reacting in a manner consistent with trauma or crisis response. Select subgroups of those affiliated with Penn State, including fans, students, the Paterno family, and local retail business owners, employed many defense mechanisms in responding to the scandal. The defense mechanisms employed by Penn Staters included, but were not limited to, simple denial, appeals to the inherent morality of Penn State …

An Ivory Tower On The Outskirts Of Town: The Othered Intellectual In Joyce And Ellison, Will Simonson

Honors Theses

In this thesis, I examine a pairing of protagonists and texts, Stephen Dedalus of James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916) and the unnamed protagonist-narrator of Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man (1953), to explore the ways in which these protagonists are Othered as a result of their unconventional intellectualism, and how that Othering impacts their progress towards self-actualization. Making use of writings by Jacques Lacan, Pierre Bourdieu, Edward Said, Hélène Cixous, Louis Althusser, and Richard Rorty, among others, I engage with theories of language, intellect, intellectualism, and the role of the intellectual, especially when he/she is …

Role Of Nest Site Microclimate And Food Availability In Chick Development And Reproductive Success In Black-Legged Kittiwakes (Rissa Tridactyla), Lindsay Mae Lacey

Honors Theses

Seabirds are marine top predators, and as such are often studied as bioindicators of climate shifts (Oswald and Arnold 2012). Though many studies have analyzed the effect of macroclimatic variation on marine prey species availability and thus seabirds, few have analyzed effects of microclimate - fine spatial patterns of climate (Mantua and Hare 2002; Hatch 2013; Kim and Monaghan 2005a). I tested the hypothesis that localized temperature and humidity at nest sites interact with food availability to alter black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) nest site quality, chick body condition during growth and development, and reproductive parameters including Julian lay …

Trigger Warnings & Reactions To Literature: Sexual Victimization And Emotional Responses To Difficult Literature, Lynn E. C. Korsun

Honors Theses

Trigger warnings have been a cause for concern nationwide, and it remains unclear whether they truly protect students with varying histories of sexual assault trauma when exposed to triggering experiences. The sample consisted of 62 participants enrolled in an Introduction to Psychology course at Bucknell in the Fall 2017 and Spring 2018 semesters. Students responded to a three-part survey, filling out a prior sexual victimization scale, a life events checklist, a PTSD checklist, a distress scale, a research participation scale, and demographic questions in response to reading an emotionally distressing, “triggering” passage from Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye.” Participants were …

Globalization And Immigration: How A Changing Demographic Landscape Influenced The 2016 Presidential Election, Jacob Rusnock

Honors Theses

The 2016 presidential election results varied significantly from many forecasts. The media proposes that the radically atypical candidacy of Donald Trump motivated pockets of the electorate to support the Republican Party more so than they had in past elections. This paper examines the following questions: Which traditional predictors of the election failed to foresee a Republican victory? If the traditional predictors were unsuccessful, can the results be explained using county level economic and demographic data? Is there evidence to support the media’s proposed explanations of the results? By utilizing the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey data, this paper examines some …

"It Came In Little Waves": Feminist Imagery In Chantal Akerman's Je, Tu, Il, Elle +, Staci C. Dubow

Honors Theses

Chantal Akerman writes, “she who seeks shall find, find all too well, and end up clouding her vision with her own preconceptions.”[1] This thesis addresses the films of Chantal Akerman from a theoretical feminist film perspective. There are many lenses through which Akerman’s rich body of work can be viewed, and I would argue that she herself never intended for it to be understood in just one way. I wish to situate Akerman’s films, in particular her 1974 Je, Tu, Il, Elle (1h 30m), within a discourse of other feminist film theorists and makers that were further rooted in …

Moving Beyond The "Old Boys' Club" In Environmental Organizations: Investigating The Behaviors, Attitudes And Perspectives Of Men And Women, Kat Pardoe

Honors Theses

This study interrogates the exclusionary culture of environmentalism with respect to gender, and in doing so, illuminates elements of function and dysfunction with respect to gender dynamics in environmental organizations. I utilize social science-based quantitative and qualitative methods as a foundation for my analysis. My research investigates the role of gender both at the micro level, with individuals, and the macro level, by evaluating the persistence of the “Old Boys’ Club” culture in environmental organizations. Thirteen people participated in interviews, and forty people responded to an online survey. Personal reflections gathered from the survey reveal gendered trends in environmental problem …

Virunga: Guns, Gorillas, And The Construction Of Transnational Natures, Adriana Disilvestro

Honors Theses

The recent western media attention surrounding Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has brought up significant scholarly questions about the discursive portrayal of “ideal” Natures. In this thesis, I undertake a discursive analysis of western media materials about Virunga National Park in order to understand how ideas of Nature are transnationally constructed. In order to do this, undertake an analysis of the western oriented discursive material associated with three socio-political processes within the park: green militarization, gorilla trekking, and the ecotourist industry. Ultimately, I conclude that the discursive material portrays a highly spectacularized and commodified “ideal” nature, …

A Philosophical Analysis Of Otherness In Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Max W. Fathauer

Honors Theses

Bertrand Russell infamously characterizes Nietzsche as a philosopher concerned solely with the flourishing individual. Several crucial passages of Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra, however, outline rich encounters Zarathustra has with the Other. In this paper, I argue that Russell’s characterization of Nietzsche is egregiously reductive. In order to demonstrate this, I offer an in-depth analysis of otherness in Thus Spoke Zarathustra by examining the many different kinds of relationships the individual can have with the Other. I then turn towards other works of Nietzsche to furnish the compelling, yet imprecise insight concerning otherness that Zarathustra gives us. Finally, I compare my …

Creating Effective Mental Health Programs In Rural Middle Schools: A Case Study Of Challenges, Policy And Programming, Katelyn Kempf

Honors Theses

Using a case study approach, this study investigated the current status of mental health programs and resources within a specific middle school in Eastern Rural Pennsylvania. Interviews were conducted with a school counselor, principal, teacher, social worker and mental health liaison in order to uncover the perceived strengths and weaknesses of mental health resources at this school, and the perceived barriers to providing mental healthcare. Data analysis revealed that the main barriers included parental involvement, parental follow-through, transportation and funding. Further questions were identified for future research within this school in order to create specific recommendations for improvement. Additionally, a …

Investigating The Relationship Between Sulcogyral Patterns And Structural And Functional Connectivity Metrics In The Orbitofrontal Cortex, Bethany M. Blass

Honors Theses

Located within the frontal lobe, the human orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is widely known for its roles in sensory integration, emotion processing, decision-making, and goal-directed behaviors. Atypical structural organization of the OFC may explain atypical social or motivational behaviors displayed by individuals with brain disorders, such as bipolar disorder patients (BP).

The human brain can be imaged using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to reveal interesting aspects of the underlying brain architecture. This brain is composed of different tissue types, including gray and white matter, as well as various morphological features, including sulci & gyri. Within the OFC, the sulci can be …

Little Trees, Maxwell Kane

Honors Theses

I believe in the power of film as a medium of storytelling. My desire to head a year-long production as well as create a moving story that underlined my interest in sibling relationships motivated me to create a short film as my honors thesis. My film, Little Trees, emphasizes themes such as alienation and growth within a broken household. My ultimate goal is to become an artist who creates meaningful cinema by telling deeply personal stories, and creating Little Trees was a successful first step in that process.

Manifest Destiny, American Domesticity, And The Role Of The Immigrant In Ruiz De Burton's Novels, Madison Rose Martinez

Honors Theses

Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton’s novels Who Would Have Thought It?And The Squatter And the Donare important works of literature due to their representation of the MexicanExperience in the redefined expanding United States of the nineteenth century. The novelsprovide two perspectives of the time period by delving into the lives of Americans and Mexicans on both sides of the country.

A Different Kind Of Learning For A Different Kind Of Learner : Justification Of And Best Practices For The Use Of Performing Arts Education For Autistic Students, Jacob Anthony Litt

Honors Theses

In our culture, our history, and our society, the arts play a vital role. However, despite maintaining such a fundamental place in our shared experiences, the arts’ role in education is in constant need of clarification and defense. In addition, the presence of individuals with cognitive and developmental disabilities has become increasingly common in society, and yet special educational programs for these individuals, especially in their early years, have proven unable to find total success. These two fields of education – arts education and special education – thus share a common struggle: a need to find an established place in …

Interactions Between Two Key Amphibian Defenses To Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis In Panamanian Glass Frogs (Espadarana Prosoblepon), Andi Levorse

Honors Theses

Research on the amphibian pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), the causative agent of the lethal disease chytridiomycosis, has advanced from assessments of pathogenicity and species susceptibility to more specialized questions concerning the complex interactions between the pathogen, species-specific immune responses, and the environment. Our work examines the potential for interactions between the two most important innate immune defenses of frogs against Bd: secretions of antimicrobial peptides and communities of commensal cutaneous bacteria. While both defenses have been studied individually, little data are available to examine interactions between these defenses. We conducted our study with field captured Panamanian glass frogs …

Community Structure Of The Microbiome Of Ixodes Scapularis In Relation To Sex, Stage, Lineage, And Geography, Christopher Lee Clark

Honors Theses

This study sought to fill these gaps of knowledge ticks as a model species. Based on the known information on the microbiome of vectors, and ticks more specifically, I sought to answer two prominent questions: are there relationships between the microbiome of individual ticks and do ticks from different sexes or life stages have variance in their microbiomes? In reference to my first question, I hypothesized that ticks coming from the same lineage, being the males, 7 Community Structure of the Microbiome of Ixodes scapularis females, and resulting eggs, would have a more similar microbiome to each other than to …

Understanding The Structural Basis Of Sike Interactions, Alice Catalano

Honors Theses

Tank Binding Kinase 1 (TBK1) acts as a catalytic hub in the regulation of numerous immune signaling pathways. Suppressor of IκB Kinase ε (SIKE) was recently characterized as a substrate of TBK1 whose binding properties are modulated by phosphorylation state, but very little is currently known about its function. However, because SIKE is known to form a dimer with itself, previous work generated a list of potential SIKE partners based on other proteins that contain sequences homologous to SIKE. Here, computational models of four potential SIKE partners, Heavy Chain myosin, tubulin, Beta Catenin and Ezrin, were generated and docked with …

The Effectiveness Of Promotions In Minor League Baseball : A Study Of The Eastern League, Collin R. Zucker

Honors Theses

Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is comprised of 247 teams playing in 17 leagues at six different levels. Every team in these leagues is an affiliate of a Major League Baseball (MLB) team, but many are privately owned and are therefore financially independent. While MiLB primarily serves as a development environment for future MLB players, profit maximization is still a goal of various front offices. Minor League Baseball has existed for over a century but only recently have teams been regarded as profitable investments. In Forbes’ “Most Valuable Minor League Teams” list published in 2016, the average value of the top …

An Analysis Of Skill-Biased Technical Change Across Demographic Groups, Madison Lindsay

Honors Theses

I adopt a measure of task-based routineness from Autor and Dorn (2013) to investigate the effects of routineness on various demographic groups. I analyze data from the Current Population Surveys between 1976 and 2017 to determine which groups, separated by race, gender, and age, are most strongly affected by routine-biased technological change. My findings suggest that women are most negatively affected by occupational routineness. Further, both women’s concentration in highly routine occupations and women’s educational attainment trends from 1976 to 2017 could explain women’s increasing susceptibility to changes in routineness.

Mussolini, Hitler, And Perón : Economic Conditions And The Emergence Of Illiberal Leadership, Patrick David Hughes

Honors Theses

This research seeks to understand the relationship between economic conditions and the emergence of illiberal leadership. The work includes historical case studies of Italy, Germany, and Argentina in the periods preceding the respective emergences of Mussolini, Hitler, and Perón. Research analysis focuses on economic conditions and attempts to provide illumination of the contexts within which each of these leaders rose to power.

Un Crime Contre L'Humanité : Une Analyse De Quelques Journaux Algériens Et Français, La Mémoire Collective Et Les Relations Franco-Algériennes, Olivia Gustafson

Honors Theses

Cette thèse fait une étude de l’histoire des relations franco-algériennes et et de la façon dont cette histoire influence les relations présentement. Avec l’élection d’Emmanuel Macron en 2017, quelques journaux ont dit que cette présidence commencera une nouvelle ère pour les relations franco-algériennes. Ainsi, cette étude pose-t-elle la question de comment les médias français et algériens représentent ces relations et cette histoire, et comment les tragédies qui se sont passées pendant la colonisation vont être réparées par l’État français. Brièvement, j’affirme que ces articles représentent une tension entre Macron, qui veut réparer les blessures du passé en passant à l’avenir, …

The Effect Of Bike Lane Infrastructure On Urban Housing Markets, Bracken Woolley

Honors Theses

Across the United States, cities are increasing their level of investment in bicycle infrastructure. The environmental and health benefits of this infrastructure are clear, but less research has been conducted on its economic impacts. This study examines the effect of bicycle infrastructure, specifically bike lanes, on New York City housing markets. Specifically, I look at the impact of bike lane length on median rent and percent vacancy in a given census tract. In addition to the independent variable of focus, bike lane length, census-based data was used to control for other economic and demographic factors that could impact property values. …

Preferring Positivity : Age Differences In Judgments Of Learning And Memory For Emotionally-Valenced Words, Edie Sanders

Honors Theses

Many changes occur with age, including changes in emotion regulation and memory. The Socioemotional Selectivity Theory (Carstensen, 2006) posits that older adults tend to be more concerned with emotionally meaningful goals and therefore experience what is called the “positivity effect” with age. The positivity effect results in a bias in attention and memory towards positive stimuli over neutral and negative stimuli. Age-related changes also arise in memory monitoring, specifically in Judgments of Learning (JOLs), when individuals learn emotional words. We examined the presence of the positivity effect in memory and JOLs for positive, negative, and neutral words. Younger and older …

Bartonella And Y. Pestis Screening In Ctenophyllus Armatus Terribilis For Conservation Application For The America Pika (Ochotona Princeps) In The Rocky Mountain Front Range, Hilary Rinsland

Honors Theses

As temperatures continue to disproportionally increase in alpine regions due to climate change, parasite spillover from increased pika-rodent contact could bring new diseases to a susceptible alpine specialist, the American pika (Ochotona princeps). Fleas collected from pika at four alpine and subalpine study sites in Boulder County, Colorado from 2011-2017 were screened for Y. pestis and Bartonella using conventional PCR methods. This is the first study to detect Bartonella in the American Pika flea Ctenophyllus armatus terribilis and to propose the presence of B. grahmii in the alpine region of the Rocky Mountains.

South American Trade Blocs: A Risk Assessment Of Nationalist Movements, Christian Bonds

Honors Theses

Nationalist movements internationally are negatively affecting economic integration around the world. South American trade blocs must consider the risks posed by these threats in order to determine action that needs to be taken in the future. Through examining the collective body of literature on the function, motivations, and historical development of economic integration, we can determine the current status of these organizations in South America. Then, the origin and consequences of current nationalist movements will be outlined. These organizations, such as MERCOSUR, CAN, LAIA, and the Pacific Alliance, can finally be addressed, as to what their specific risks are and …

On Vulnerability: Distinguishing Differences Between The Knight Of Faith And The Knight Of Resignation In Kierkegaard's Fear And Trembling, Christopher G. Cross

Honors Theses

In Søren Kierkegaard's work, Fear and Trembling, he describes two kinds of individuals, which he calls the knight of faith and the knight of infinite resignation. The purpose of this thesis is to consider the differences between the two. Several scholars of the work identify different characteristics that distinguish the knight of faith and the knight of infinite resignation. These characteristics include care (Mooney), courage (Carlisle), and autonomy (Lippitt). This thesis uses those three notions to suggest that another difference between the knight of faith and knight of infinite resignation is the characteristic of vulnerability.

Rethinking Cannabis Legislation: Insights From Advocacy Groups, Christopher Hunter Tramel

Honors Theses

Prohibition and regulation of substances in the United States transformed throughout the 20th century namely through the Pure Food and Drug Act, the prohibition of alcohol, the Marihuana Tax Stamp Act, and the Controlled Substances Act, with each further expanding the number of substances regulated and the consequences of breaking the regulations. The first chapter will briefly outline major events and legislation from 1937 to the present day and how such events and legislation set the stage for grassroots initiatives on the state level seeking to take advantage of the medicinal properties of Cannabis sativa and its impact on relative …

A Case By Case Study On Accounting Principles, Cody Letchworth

Honors Theses

This thesis contains twelve different case studies that regard some of accounting's key principles. Each case is different in its own right and contains vital applications that relate to real-world scenarios. From analysis of business activities to computation of inventory, each case presents the opportunity to learn how real-world scenarios are approached and executed. Over an eight-month period, each case was prepared through analysis and other means. Each case presents its own outcome and findings due to the fact that each case is unique. With the compilation of all twelve cases, this thesis presents a brief glimpse of how to …