Education Commons^™

Jay Treaty And Indigenous Student Mobility Across The Canada-U.S. Border: A Focus On The Cascadia Region, Michael O'Shea

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

This Border Brief describes the latest developments in the use of the Jay Treaty for international tuition waivers at U.S. and Canadian higher education institutions. It is based on research conducted through surveys, interviews, and the author’s previous publications to illustrate opportunities for universities and policy makers to support Indigenous student mobility across the Canada-U.S. border by recognizing the sovereignty and self-determination of Indigenous Nations.

Verb Strings And Other Weavings: An Exploration Of Grammatical Structures, Visual Arts, And Language Teaching, Mae Bash

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

In language education, visual arts are sometimes used as a tool to inspire communication and convey cultural concepts. However, limited research has looked into the application of visual arts in the classroom for the exploration of linguistic patterns. Both languages and weavings are complex systems governed by distinct sets of rules, yet they still permit infinite unique productions. This project explores this relationship by presenting five bandweavings, each of which is designed based on the rules and structures of different languages. These weavings show that it is possible to connect art and language through practical, structural methods, not only abstract …

Honoring The Gift: An Epistolary Exploration Of An Alternative Approach To Learning Grounded In Reciprocity And Gratitude, Tegan Keyes

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

In this project, I explore what it means to honor knowledge as a gift. This document includes a selection of letters I wrote to my teachers to express my gratitude to them, along with a written narrative in which I describe my vision of an alternative approach to undergraduate education that centers gratitude, reciprocity, and self-determination. This narrative weaves together lessons from emergence theory, Indigenous systems of education, and gift economies to tell a story of a life-sustaining education system that is grounded in the understanding that knowledge is a gift.

(Not) Speaking Spanish: Explicit Pronunciation Instruction In The Online High School Classroom, Brahm Vanwoerden

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Students in the language classroom often face a variety of challenges inherent to the process of learning a second language as an adult. These range from lack of sufficient motivation to structurally uninspired curriculum and are often amplified in the case of a drastic shift in environment. Such a shift took place rapidly over the course of 2020, transforming thousands of classrooms into virtual versions of themselves in a matter of weeks. Students began to receive vastly different quantities and types of language input and interacted with the language in substantially affected ways. Factors that previously played a large role …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Empathy-Based Education In The Modern Zoo, Annika Brinkley

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Approximately 10,000 zoos exist in the world, attracting an estimated 600 million visitors annually. At the most basic level, these zoos are tourist destinations dedicated to assembling animals in confinement from around the world. The arguably most modern and conservation-minded zoos today form the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. In January of 2019, twenty AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums created the Advancing Conservation through Empathy Network (ACE). AZA facilities that are part of the ACE Network engage visitors through a process known as Empathy-Based Education (EBE). EBE encourages compassion and emotional connection to animals by having the visitor take the place …

Challenging Deficit Discourses: Human Services And Trauma-Informed Practice, Brielle Lamphere

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) study by Kaiser-Permanente has significantly influenced trauma practice in many contexts. As a medicalized model, ACEs was intended to collect population information about traumatic experiences. However, many of its current applications are harmful in practice and in need of critique. More specifically, school systems must reconsider how ACEs is used in curriculum since providing screenings or “trauma-informed” models off of this study often portrays trauma as a deficit. By carefully examining my own education on ACEs and trauma theories at Western Washington University, alongside the experiences of other students and several professors, this deficit discourse …

Student Leadership In Western Washington University’S Honors Program, Emma Wiechert

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

After serving as the Student Honors Board President for the WWU Honors Program and in various other volunteer roles, I completed my senior capstone on student leadership in not only our honors program but programs across the country. The goal of this project was to highlight what WWU is doing well in terms of student leadership and what could be improved.

Depression Symptoms Of College Students During Covid-10 And The Universities’ Response, Anamika Paulay

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

In early spring 2020, universities worldwide shut down their campuses in response to a global pandemic. The present study examines the potential effect of the shutdown and other pandemic-related stresses on student well-being at Western Washington University. It assesses students’ depression symptoms using the IDAS-II General Depression Scale. The study also considers two campus resources (the Counseling Center, and Prevention and Wellness Services) that students can turn to for help with mental health issues, and gauges students’ awareness and utilization of these resources. The study subjects were Western undergraduates (N = 252), who answered a survey that included the IDAS-II …

Taste Of Place And Provenance, Alison Stevens

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Bioregionalism is a framework that could serve to bridge the gap between humans and the land that they inhabit. A bioregional food system exemplifies the reduction of large scale agriculture and economy to one that falls within climatologically and geographically determined regions, superseding anthropogenic and political borders. Not only would a bioregional food system encourage mindfulness of the ecosystem that surrounds a community, but create a secure, community-based economy scaled to match the bioregion. The valuation of products and crops of local farmers and artisans would reflect the reliance on bioregionally specific wares, as well as ground members in their …

Friday Night Lights: A Photo Gallery Normalizing The Psychological Struggles Faced By Student Athletes, Sam J. Reardon

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

This photography-based project aimed to capture moments that encapsulated various psychological conditions student-athletes may be facing in universities. These bold photographs would serve to be eye catching and draw viewers if they were to be hung up in a gallery for students to see. Under the images there would be captions on which students could read statistics regarding the amount of student -athletes that experience these conditions and an avenue for them to find help if they were struggling with the condition. Studies show that collegiate athletes underreport their struggles with psychological conditions though they occur with greater frequency in …

American Political Culture And Sarah Palin: Motherhood, Femininity, And Masculinity In The 2008 Presidential Election, Maggie Newhouse

Western Libraries Undergraduate Research Award

Sarah Palin’s Vice-Presidential run can be characterized by displays of motherhood, femininity, and masculinity, themes that reflect changes in American political culture as well as stationary expectations. Palin was praised and criticized for her role as a mother, indicating a shift in political culture that allows women to hold both public and private roles but not without being acceptably successful in both areas. Palin’s performance of traditional femininity and masculinity signifies that women’s political success is contingent on the confirmation and operation of traditional gender expectations such as motherhood and deference to husbands. She both reaffirmed and challenged gender stereotypes, …

Framing Feminism: How U.S. And French Media Frame #Metoo And #Balancetonporc From A Feminist Perspective, Kira Erickson

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The purpose of this website is to provide a cross-cultural analysis of the .. Me Too" movement in the U.S. and France. These feminist movements are absolutely critical to the ongoing fight against sexual harassment and assault. The creation of this research website explores cultural differences in framing of the subjects in news stories from The New York Times and Le Monde. The #MeToo movement is compared and contrasted with France's counterpart, #BalanceTonPorc.

Website Link:

https://ericks663.wixsite.com/framingfeminism

Wildfire Education In Washington School Districts, Jessica Martin

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Wildfire education is an important and often overlooked unit of a comprehensive public school education. Ecology, earth science, and disaster preparedness for events like earthquakes and house fires are examples of subjects already taught to students in schools throughout Washington; however, given the effects of climate change, wildfire education warrants much greater integration into school district curricula. To assess the general extent of wildfire education in Washington state, Washington state public school districts were contacted and asked if they provided their students with wildfire education. A majority of the school districts contacted reported that they either do not formally include …

Public Meetings: Barriers And Solutions, Pauline Mogilevsky

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Public meetings and hearings are some of the most common avenues of interaction between government officials and the public. In many circumstances, they are a legally required element of the public involvement process. However, elected officials, government staff, and residents often find public meetings to be frustrating, unrepresentative, and ineffective (Hajnal and Trounstine, 2016; McComas et al, 2007; Walters et al, 2000). This has prompted many planners to employ other, more nontraditional methods of public participation in order to gain meaningful feedback and build relationships with residents. Though these newer methods, which include workshops, tours, and charrettes, are often more …

A More Sustainable Future: Energy Efficiency Policies In Buildings, Campbell Miller

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Energy efficiency is often times the most cost effective solution towards reducing energy demand. Energy usage in buildings accounts for upwards of 40% of the total energy consumption in the United States, as well as the vast majority of the growth in energy demand. Despite this buildings are often not built to be energy efficient, causing the residential and commercial sector to paying for hundreds of millions dollars on unnecessary energy use. The reason for this is the many market failures including: risk, lack of information, and access to capital. Looking at policies by the United States and China attempting …

Seeking Asylum: Immigration Law In The Context Of Human Rights, Hannah Blank

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The purpose of this paper is to understand the dynamic between Latin American countries and the United States in relation to asylum, mass migration and the process of legally entering the country. This explores the implications of the United States’ current legislature in place and how this caters to the U.S.’s interests. Furthermore, the theoretical implementation of asylum and its political origins are evaluated in the context of organized crime and social issues that impact migration trends. While the movement of goods is acceptable the movement of people is heavily scrutinized and politically charged. My proposed argument is that the …

Regional Textile Production: Mapping The Pacific Northwest Fiber Network, Caroline Vogl

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Inspired by the slow food movement, more people have started to question the source of their clothing and textiles due to the environmental and human rights abuses in the current global fashion industry. The Pacific Northwest in particular is a place where questions about textile production and sourcing have been raised and where many textile farmers, retailers and makers already exist. Currently there are many gaps in production and a lack of connection between the various players in this regional economy. The first step in creating a stronger regionally-based fiber economy is to connect the participants in this economy. To …

Women's Agency In Movements Of Collective Violence, Juliet Knowles

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Though not common in literature, women have frequently taken it upon themselves to form collective movements to address their grievances with society and their discontent within it. To demand change, and when the motivation of the group are strong enough, the methods through which women will achieve political representation will not stop short of violence.

The Subject(S) Of Feminism: Gender Identity, Emotion, And Deconstruction In Contemporary Feminist Politics, Gwen Frost

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The way we think, understand, and speak about gender is changing . In 2019, more people than ever are identifying as nonbinary or gender fluid. Feminism as theory and as political practice has long assumed the subject of ‘women’ as its primary and essential subject, but the issues and subjects that feminism speaks for are not necessarily self-identified or even perceived as ‘women.’ Through analyzing influential feminist works and thinkers, I aim to elucidate the identitarian commitment of canonical feminism, and to offer an alternative to the politics of feminism as always grounded in the subject of ‘women.’ My thesis …

Finance In The Fifth Dimension: Lessons In Logic For The Social Sciences, Dawson J. Sanders

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The purpose of this paper is to highlight lessons from various areas of academia that I feel would benefit all social science. I will discuss physics, biology, sociology, and more, doing my best to explicitly state their relationships to economics throughout the paper. I hope that the lessons learned here will together serve as a means for prescribing and evaluating solutions to social problems and assist in the development of models through a new level of methodological dimensionality where applicable. The fifth dimension will serve to metaphorically illustrate this new way of thinking, through which we will construct a theoretical …

Creating Learning Experiences For Anti-Oppression, Pippa Hemsley, Shayna Woods, Tian Qing Yen

Undergraduate Studio Assistant Research

This interactive workshop guides participants through some of the foundational skills and concepts needed for setting up a successful learning experience to build skills related to anti-oppression, involves participants in a demonstration of an actual professional development experience that took place in the Hacherl Research & Writing Studio, and offers a planning template and guidance for creating and successfully implementing a custom learning experience to suit one’s own academic or professional context. Online viewers are encouraged to use this resource as if they were taking part in-person. This workshop was originally held at the Pacific Northwest Writing Centers Association conference …

Library Strategic Planning: Impacting Change On A Local Level, Elizabeth Yarbrough

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

How are public libraries responding to the changing needs of today? This project outlines the theory behind Libraries Transforming Communities and Turning Outward, an ALA initiative developed to aid libraries in connecting with the broader communities, and how the Bellingham Public Library in Bellingham, WA is incorporating those theories into their strategic plan.

Becoming Indigenous: A Story Of The Moklen People, Olivia Zimmerman

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The context and ways in which the Moklen people of Southwest Thailand are accessing their indigenous identify.

International Laws And Norms Regarding Refugees: A Case Study Of The Palestinian Refugee Crisis, Michael Staight

The Hoover Prize

The international system of norms and values is under threat. As the numbers of refugees increases globally, the Palestinian refugee crisis serves as an example - and a warning.

Victimizing Cap-And-Trade: How Policy Narratives Influence Policy Realities, Alyssa Rehwald

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

When a cap-and-trade bill was introduced to the Washington legislature in 2009, it was met with staunch opposition from a coalition of businesses and industry leaders. In the end, the opposing side won when cap-and-trade legislation was removed from the bill. My goal was to better understand if there were differences in how the Pro and Con Coalitions presented policy narratives, and how they may have influenced the policy outcome. Using the Narrative Policy Framework, I analyzed public testimony produced by both coalitions and examined the use of narrative elements, narrative strategies, and policy beliefs between and within the coalitions. …

“Did It Change Your Life?”: An Evaluation Of Student Growth On Western Washington University International Service-Learning Programs, Tess Bentley, Elizabeth Mogford

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of three service-learning study abroad programs at Western Washington University through a survey administered to seven cohorts of these programs over six years. Pre-trip and post- trip self-assessment questionnaires are used to analyze student growth in topics related to global citizenship.

Comparing Education And Policy Outcomes In Brazil, India, And South Africa, Sarah Allen

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

In my research I ask, "What features of education policies are conducive to successful educational outcomes, and what types of policies should be encouraged in developing countries to compliment their development efforts?" Discussions regarding education policy are highly polarized between supply-side and demand-side views. I engage in a comparative case study between three emerging BRICS countries who are dynamic economic and political players in their respective regions-Brazil, India, and South Africa-to analyze the extent to which each country has used supply-side and demand-side education policies and to what extent these policies have been effective. I conclude that either supply-side policies, …

Coal Trains And Home Values: The Effect Of The Gateway Pacific Terminal Project On Housing Prices In Bellingham, Washington, Rose G. Howe

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The proposal to build the Gateway Pacific Terminal generated much controversy in Bellingham, Washington. As a deep-water port slated to export large quantities of coal and other commodities, the Gateway Pacific Terminal (GPT) threatened to increase the amount of rail traffic passing through the region.The following study uses a hedonic price model to test whether proximity to the railroad affected the sales price of houses in Bellingham after the announcement of the GPT environmental review process. Little previous research focuses on the effect of rail traffic on housing prices in the Pacific Northwest and no empirical studies have examined the …

Crime Blindness: The Impact Of Inattentional Blindness On Eyewitness Description Accuracy, Claire Tyler

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Eyewitness misidentification is the leading cause of wrongful convictions in the United States. Inattentional blindness, the failure to become fully aware of an object or event despite its presence in the center of one’s visual field, may render some eyewitnesses unable to accurately describe the culprit of a crime that had occurred right in front of them. The members of Ira Hyman’s research lab explored the relationship between inattentional blindness and the ability to provide accurate eyewitness testimony. We asked participants to watch a video of a staged theft, instructing the experimental groups to either count the number of people …

White Families And Racial Socialization: A Review, Sadie F. Strain

American Cultural Studies Capstone Research Papers

My paper brings forward research that aims to understand the role white parents play in racially socializing their children. Several studies have interrogated the way black and brown parents socialize their children, but there is far less research that attempts to understand the messages, both implicit and explicit, that white parents convey to their children about race throughout their childhoods. Color-conscious and color-blind ideologies, as well as raising children in more integrated schools, are common strategies employed by parents to aid their children in their understanding, or lack of understanding of racism, people of color, and white privilege. My hope …