Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Stolen Toilet Paper, Danielle Schaf

Honors Capstone Projects - All

Stolen Toilet Paper is an argumentative creative nonfiction piece, that illuminates and illustrates an invisible narrative on this campus: that of being a low-income, first-generation college student. This thesis is composed of three vignettes—The Bridge to Academia, Falling between the Ivy, and Three Naked Mattresses—that articulate struggles that low-income, first-generation undergraduates encounter. The Bridge to Academia, exhibits the literacy needed to successfully navigate the terrain of academia. Falling Between the Ivy, highlights the stress of providing for one’s family, the lack of institutional support and resources for low-income students’ needs, and the impact that class has on academic performance. Three …

Traduttore Traditore: All Translators Are Traitors. Except, Maybe, For Chaucer., Karen Miranda

Honors Capstone Projects - All

The aim of this project is to analyse plot elements and word choices in Geoffrey Chaucer’s “Reeve’s Tale” from his greater work, The Canterbury Tales, and compare them to those used in a similar story from Giovanni Boccaccio’s Decameron, Day 9, Story 6 in order to determine if there are enough similar elements between the two stories to infer that Chaucer could have been familiar with Boccaccio’s version of the tale when writing “The Reeve’s Tale". The paper also addresses the question of whether or not Chaucer “merely translated” his source text into English and, if so, what …

Endometriosis: The Psychosocial And Emotional Lived Experience Of College-Aged Women, Brianna Graffia

Honors Capstone Projects - All

Endometriosis is a condition thought to affect as many as one in ten women. It is most commonly associated with infertility, intense abdominal pain, which may affect a woman’s ability to work and maintain social relationships; and pain during sex, which may prevent or challenge her in maintaining a sexually active relationship. On top of the ways in which women’s daily lives are affected by this condition, the women who experience endometriosis are also subject to having their symptoms dismissed by their doctors as either “catastrophizing” or psychosomatic

This two-part project explores the real-life experiences of women who suffer from …

The Power And Importance Of Women In Television And Film, Rachael Mackinnon

Honors Capstone Projects - All

Glazed, the pilot episode of a situation comedy series, is just beginning to explore what the world of television has in store for women in 2018. At a time like now where women across the nation are feeling the important effects of entering the Fourth Wave of feminism, there is no time like the present to celebrate the beautiful mind that is that of a woman.

For far too long, women in television have been just something to merely look at. More often than not, the crew would be comprised of mostly men: the strong-willed directors, the scandalous producers, …

Commodification Of Blackness In Spike Lee’S Do The Right Thing And Jordan Peele’S Get Out, Nicholas Blauner

Honors Capstone Projects - All

This paper examines the commodification of blackness in Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing (2017) and Jordan Peele’s Get Out (2017). The paper traces the differences in representation of a commodified blackness; whereas Lee created a commodification of blackness that celebrated black culture and represented it positively, Jordan Peele used the commodification of blackness as the source of his film’s horror. D.W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation (1915) helped propagate the trend of American cinema to exploit blackness and commodify it for a source of filmic entertainment and marketing. The blaxploitation era shifted this method towards a representation of blackness …

Materiality And Minority Representation In Timothy Mcsweeney’S Quarterly Concern, Julia Leyden

Honors Capstone Projects - All

Founded in San Francisco in 1998, Timothy McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern was launched by Dave Eggers in tandem with McSweeney’s publishing house in an attempt to create a platform for up-and-coming writers, experimental literature, and other forms of writing that would be difficult to publish in a traditional magazine. Two representative examples of how McSweeney’s attention to physical design, unfixed format, and interest in global literature overlap are McSweeney’s 36 and McSweeney’s 43. McSweeney’s 36 includes an oral history of governmental oppression titled “Ma Su Mon,” an excerpt from Nowhere to be Home, a text in the McSweeney’s …

Quieter Hour – A Friendlier Shopping Experience For People With Autism, Rachel Brachman

Honors Capstone Projects - All

This thesis centers on autism and the exclusionary effects of it. While there is a wealth of new research on this diagnosis indicating that while there is an entire spectrum of autism, many people are fully functional in society. Many of these people simply have limitations. If these limitations were attended to by society, there would be no need for exclusion of people with these types disabilities. Many of the changes needed to promote an environment of inclusion instead of exclusion are not incredibly difficult to make, yet they have not been made.

While people on the spectrum are excluded …

Roads To Resettlement: A Global Analysis Of Refugee And Migrant Integration Policies Through Education-Based Non-Profits, Dina Eldawy

Honors Capstone Projects - All

This project is an international comparative study of migration patterns and integration models, spanning global case studies of refugee and migrant communities in Latin America, the United States, and the Middle East through personal research and experience. Using participant observation and interviews, I observed and worked with three different nonprofit ecosystems in Syracuse, NY; Santiago, Chile; and Tyre, Lebanon. This paper situates all three cities in the context of our globalizing world, where global conflicts or economic conditions that affect one country have an extremely crucial impact on other countries surrounding it and beyond. I observed three host countries that, …

Food Culture And National Identity: Japan And The International Whaling Commission, Emma Fahey

Honors Capstone Projects - All

This research project focuses on the contentious issue of whaling in the 21^st century and attempts to make sense of Japan’s whaling policy in terms of food culture and national identity. Using a constructivist theoretical framework, I analyze the impact of the whaling issue on Japan’s bilateral relations with other nations, in both the East Asian subregion and the larger global community. The results of this paper indicate that whale meat carries a deep symbolism in Japanese national identity and that the general issue of whaling has little effect of Japan’s bilateral relations with other nations. Much of the …

Gender Differences In Child Care And Household Tasks: An Exploratory Study From An Indo-U.S. Perspective, Danielle Lippman

Honors Capstone Projects - All

The rate of immigrants coming from Asia in to the U. S. is growing at a rapid rate. However, research on Asian-Americans is scarce, particularly South-Asian-Americans. This group of immigrants face the same issues that the majority of immigrants coming to the United States face, but also face some additional unique challenges due to cultural background, religion, family expectations, and heritage. Most of these immigrants belong to transnational families. There are many discrepancies between what is expected of husbands and wives, especially when it comes to raising children and doing household chores in the Indian context. It is important to …

Resisting Borders, Resisting Control Examining The Multiplicity Of Identities In A Map Of Home And The Girl In The Tangerine Scarf, Zainab Abdali

Honors Capstone Projects - All

In this project I examine identities as they are expressed through the use of language in the novels A Map of Home by Randa Jarrar and The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf by Mohja Kahf. Both novels are coming-of-age narratives of two Arab and Muslim-American female protagonists that depict their exploration of identity as they undergo experiences of war, migration, displacement, and racism in their respective contexts. I explore the protagonists’ negotiation of identity in the face of familial and societal pressure to conform to clearly demarcated categorizations of identity, arguing that the protagonists recognize clear borders between identities as …

A Portfolio Of Lesson Plans For A High School Spanish Classroom With Critical Reflection, Jasmyn Chacko

Honors Capstone Projects - All

This Capstone projects features a portfolio of lesson plans along with assessments of these lesson plans, written by a site supervisor, and journal entries, written personally after teaching the lesson in the classroom. After reviewing and analyzing all of these documents, general reflections were written to show the changes I made over time and to consider what future improvements I commit to make. These general reflections will be supplemented with current research in the field of second language pedagogy and the critique written by my site supervisor. Overall, the goal of this Capstone project is to produce useful materials in …

Felicita - An Animated Feature Film Script With Art Concept Book And Pitch Deck, Charlotte Balogh

Honors Capstone Projects - All

Felicita is a complete 90-page screenplay written for an animated feature film that is based equally on the lives of my Nanu Judith Balogh, and my great-great-great-great grandmother, Countess Felicita Anna Murari. Because I envision Felicita as an animat

In Bold: A Digital Publication, Marlena Ahearn

Honors Capstone Projects - All

In Bold is a millennial-targeted digital publication that discusses and critiques body positivity, fat activism, and how mainstream media presents and talks about bodies. The website is a destination for women seeking resources, inspiration, and entertain

Designing For Humanity's Growing Disconnect From Nature, Hadley Allen

Honors Capstone Projects - All

The Industrial & Interaction Design 5th year thesis project process began with an exploration of our personal passions. I started by researching mental health and outdoor activity. After realizing the fact that the two have been very closely connected in

Girls Inc. Of Syracuse And Onondaga County: A Career Readiness Center On The Nearwest Side, Jourdann Borski

Honors Capstone Projects - All

"In Syracuse, New York, there is a need to help young women develop skills that will prepare them for the workforce and help create an emotional, physical and financial independent lifestyle. Girls Inc. of Syracuse and Onondaga County is an affiliate non-p"

The Aryan- And Polish-Passing Women And Girl Couriers Of The Jewish Resistance Movements In Nazi-Occupied Poland, Farrell Brenner

Honors Capstone Projects - All

In the fight against Nazi occupation, underground Jewish movements in Polish ghettos sought to mount resistances through illegal educational and cultural activity, trafficking individuals and families to safety, and armed resistance. Key to these efforts

How Comedy Television Is Written And Developed., Douglas Holloway

Honors Capstone Projects - All

In this analysis, I plan to describe how I developed and wrote three episodes of a comedy web series. In the beginning of my paper, I will discuss the importance of my cultural background and how it shaped my appreciation of a wide variety of artistic expression. I then will discuss the contrast of art I experienced in my academic compared to my domestic life. I will then focus on the importance of television and film in my life. Specifically, I will discuss how I was influenced by popular television at a young age. I will discuss viewing sinister films …

Kat & Lily: An Original Screenplay, Isabella Engelhard

Honors Capstone Projects - All

In Kat & Lily, my screenplay focuses on the strained relationship between two sisters and their approach to love, life, and self-actualization. Kat, the older sister, is a wild child and Lily, the youngest, has a much more practical approach to life. Their parents divorced when they were young, thus causing both sisters to approach love in different ways. On one hand, Kat uses her sexuality to gain power over men, and on the other hand, Lily feels that her brain is more important than her body. My screenplay is very much a romantic comedy trope, however, I wanted to …

"All I Ask Of You": A Feature Film, Margaret Siciliano

Honors Capstone Projects - All

All I Ask of You is a dramatic feature film script that showcases the dynamics between people who struggle with types of dementia and their friends and family. Although most stories that cover dementia focus on the victim, this story chooses to focus on the people closest to those victims. The story takes on tough decisions that those closest to the disease have to make due to the debilitating affect it has on victim. The medical community doesn’t know very much about dementia. We know there is a particular dementia gene that is hereditary, but we don’t know how to …

Osiris: A Short Film, Kathryn Ferentchak

Honors Capstone Projects - All

Osiris is a narrative short film which emphasizes renewable energy as Earth’s one Hail Mary, placing the power of science and engineering into the hands of a female protagonist. Directed and produced by the up and coming filmmaker, Kathryn Ferentchak, Osiris is unique among student films for its incredible production value. The independent film industry is often hampered by an incomplete or poor understanding of how to successfully plan for and execute the five essential steps of filmmaking. Analyzing Osiris will demonstrate how a successful film can move from Development to Distribution. There is never only one way to make …

The Treatment Of Sexual Violence And Reclaimed Agency In Shakespeare’S Titus Andronicus And The Rape Of Lucrece, Lily Sarkisian

Honors Capstone Projects - All

This project explores Shakespeare’s treatment of rape and sexual violence in Titus Andronicus and The Rape of Lucrece through close reading, analysis, and discussion of relevant source material. Critiques of Shakespeare that center around his perceived anti-feminist convictions tend to focus on his morbidly comical depictions of rape and violence against female victims. However, despite their position as victims, Lavinia in Titus Andronicus and Lucrece in The Rape of Lucrece reclaim revenge on their attackers. Shakespeare deliberately lends his literary eloquence to Lavinia and Lucrece, enabling them to partly avenge the crimes done unto them. By representing these characters as …

Modesty And Manliness: Gendered Truth-Telling In Herodotus, Jennifer Shulman

Honors Capstone Projects - All

In the Histories, Herodotus fashions himself as the first historian as he chronicles the saga of the Persian Wars. Although he tries to base his narrative solely on fact, Herodotus must dip into the realm of oral tradition, folklore and myth in order fill the gaps of recorded history. In doing this, Herodotus takes on the roles of both author and historian. As a result, the work as a whole can be read as a historical document and a piece of literature. In order to gain the most from the narrative, it is imperative that one read the piece as …

Fashion, Communication, And Consumerism, Jodi Robbins

Honors Capstone Projects - All

The fashion industry is a 1.2 trillion dollar global market, with more than 250 billion dollars spent each year in the United States alone. With over 4 million individuals employed in the United States it takes a village to distribute, sell, and communicate apparel across the world. A large portion of the fashion industry functions with the help of sales associates. Businesses would not be able to function without design, manufacturing, distribution, marketing, advertising, communication, buying, planning, and consulting. In a global market where communication, social media, and image are quickly changing, the retail environment is promoting functionality of fashion …

Contested Spaces: Spatial Discourses And The Struggle For Power In The Early Modern English Empire, Emily O'Hara

Honors Capstone Projects - All

This project examines how early modern English spatial discourses can be used to understand power relations at the beginning of American colonization. Through analyzing John Smith’s A True Relation, Smith’s Generall Historie of Virginia, Ralph Hamor’s A True Discourse of the Present Estate of Virginia, and William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, I argue that, despite English attempts to highlight their abilities to exert absolute control over peripheral spaces, English writers ultimately reveal within their texts that the English are unable to definitively control spaces throughout the empire. These spaces include peripheral regions far from English centers of …

The Role Of Mail In The First Women’S Rights Movement: A Project Of Resistance And Knowledge Formation, Hannah-Abigail Mosier

Honors Capstone Projects - All

This paper argues that mail correspondence among 19^th century suffragists functions as a practice of creating space for cultivating a political feminist consciousness and sustaining the first women’s rights movement. Using Michel de Certeau’s theory of space and Nancy Fraser’s work on feminist counterpublics, letters from a variety of suffragists, including Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, were analyzed. Through a close reading of these letters, this paper identifies alternative discursive patterns as they circulate within those epistolary spaces. The early suffragists used letters to reaffirm their identity as white, middle-class, educated, Protestant women at the same time …

“The Imaginary Dragons” A Short Film., Christina Mcdonagh

Honors Capstone Projects - All

It’s mid September of 2001 and Fawn, a sheltered yet curious girl living in Manhattan, begins to feel as if everyone is keeping a secret from her…

– A Short Film Based on a True Story –

My Story.

Think back to the day of September 11^th, 2001. Do you remember where you were and what you were doing when the tragic news broke? Most Americans do, but what if it was kept from you? What if your world was so sheltered you didn’t realize the city you lived in was falling apart around you? That was the …

The Uses And Abuses Of Hellenism By The Diadochi And Their Successors, Andrew Kennedy

Honors Capstone Projects - All

This paper examines the means by which the Successors to Alexander the Great, known as the Diadochi, fostered and encouraged the growth of Hellenism within their empires. Using this foundation, it goes on to argue that the Diadochi consciously encouraged this growth to help consolidate their unstable regimes and expand their power. The basis for this analysis is largely in academic texts regarding the Hellenistic world and Ancient sources such as Herodotus, Josephus, and Polybius. The investigation itself looks at four elements of the Hellenistic world that best exemplify the Successors’ relationship with Hellenism: Religion, Politics, War, and Cities. Each …

Our Food Story: Examining The Relationship Between Food And The Community, Joan Kao

Honors Capstone Projects - All

Our Food Story is a project that critiques, analyzes and intercepts the cycle of concentrated poverty in the Near Westside through a look into the neighborhoods’ history and present day conditions. The project aims to offer a solution to the observed issues through interior design. Our Food Story is a casual eatery and a community food workshop as well as a source of employment to address the low employment rate in the area. Through biomorphic and biophilic design, Our Food Story hopes to engage all in and out of the community to bring back food, jobs and a community space. …

An Exploration Into The Causes And Consequences Of Women As A Minority In Technical Fields, Emily Fesnak

Honors Capstone Projects - All

This paper examines the causes behind why fewer women enter technology fields than men. By utilizing previous published research and studies from 1994-2016, the analyses made in this paper explore the evolution of women’s interest and leadership in technology fields. The research dictates that there are not just sociological and structural causes for female adherence to entering technology fields, but the research also points to psychological causes, as well. In order to improve female representation and leadership in technology fields, it is crucial that these causes are acknowledged and addressed directly. Specifically, employers must recognize the differences between male and …