Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Lessons From Cowboys And Nature's Narratives: Symbolic Interactionism And The Cowboy's Environmental Encounter, Isabel Piper Danishmend

Senior Projects Fall 2023

This paper analyzes both the ‘myth’ of the cowboy, as well as the real life experiences of one. Through the lenses of symbolic interactionism, naturework, and myth and meaning making, this paper looks into how cowboys see themselves in relation to the land and to nature. Drawing on insights from in person interviews and analysis of historic cowboy ballads, these concepts were defined through their personal experiences that became intertwined with their culturally linked identities. For cowboys, the concepts of 'land' and 'nature' not only represent words but also constitute lived realities that profoundly shape their self-perception.

Philosophy Of Agency In Studies Of Alcoholism: A Generalizable Paradigm For Overcoming Spiraling Habits, Paul Patrick De Tournemire

Senior Projects Fall 2023

This study considers several of the most successful attempts to understand alcoholism and some of the more successful rehabilitation strategies from the perspective of the philosophy of agency. Puzzling behaviors of the alcoholic are clarified by considering how an individual’s associations between behavior and reward are impacted by the delay of the particular reward, and how this relation is situated by the sober life that serves as a motivation for the alcoholic to drink. Far from being niche interventions, George Ainslie and Hanna Pickard present notable rehabilitation strategies that could have broad applications, particularly in relation to behaviors that involve …

It's Hard To Believe There Are People There, Lily Rose Peña

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Arts of Bard College.

Provisional Food Security: The Role Of Emergency Food Systems In An Evolving Landscape, Luca Walker Tagliati

Senior Projects Spring 2023

A lasting consequence of Reagan administration rollbacks in government food assistance programs is the safety net of private food provision organizations. Over the decades that these private assistance agencies grew in scope, food justice movements began sprouting up around the country that sought to address rising food insecurity and other inequities of dominant food systems. Today, private food provision organizations and food justice movements make up a large portion of emergency food systems response, forcing food insecure individuals to rely on overburdened pantries and volunteers who depend on coherent community strategy to succeed. Oftentimes, vulnerable populations are excluded from these …

Don’T Talk To Me Until I’Ve Had My Coffee: An Analysis Of Colombia’S Changing Coffee And Agricultural Sector In The Face Of Climate Change, Nita Vemuri

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

Abstract

“With each year that passes, Atlantic and Pacific cyclone generating areas have experienced higher sea surface temperatures and increases in the intensity and duration of tropical storms.” (Sherbinin et al., 2007) While climate change remains a myth to some, it has become a reality for many, especially those whose livelihoods depend on climate-vulnerable fields and occupations. Latin American countries are especially subjected to climate change consequences because of their vast agricultural sectors and their reliance on ENSO (El Nino Southern Oscillation) patterns, “There is a clear relationship …

Novo: New Wave On A Broken Foundation, Sam Lazarus Shear

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

Mythologies In Plastic, Concrete, And Wood: A Material Practice Of Non-Duality, Julia Kane

Senior Projects Spring 2023

This work applies Roland Barthes semiotic theory and the general framework of material semiotics to plastic, concrete and wood in order to draw out various worldview's and mythologies articulated through their varying manifestations.

Kinship And Connection: Exploring Historical Nonhuman Exhibition Within Zoos To Form New Relationships, Alexandra Colon

Senior Projects Spring 2023

When I was a child going to the zoo seemed almost mystical. With memories featuring giant underwater passageways, sea lion shows, and a vague sense of awe and astonishment these times-though brief-remain locked in my memory almost lost. It’s been many years since I had visited a zoo, mostly because I forgot they existed if I’m honest. Living in NYC these spaces seemed so distant to my everyday life, to me zoos were spaces I went on vacation or maybe a class trip but were not really part of my world beyond those few instances. For many, zoos are spaces …

In The Drylands: Making A Living In Northern Kenya, Maximilien Guy Mcgrath

Senior Projects Fall 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

From Fast Fashion To Conscious Couture : Revealing The Need For Policy In Shaping A Sustainable Fashion Industry, Mikelison D. Womack

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

The Valley Of Science And Fiction: Capitalism, Labor, Race, And Environment In The Silicon Valley, Juliette R. Zicot

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Multidisciplinary Studies of Bard College

Rocket Ships, Emotions, And Disgusting Wealth: The Emotional Significance Of The Billionaire Space Race, Melissa J. Toney

Senior Projects Spring 2022

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

Adapting To Drought In The Colorado River Basin: A Case Study Of Indigenous Voices In Water Management, Ross Sounart

Senior Projects Spring 2022

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College

Coastal Cities: How Efficacious Are Climate Change Policies In Urban Settings? Examining New York City:, Alexander James Hilliker

Senior Projects Spring 2022

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

Litigation As Integration And Participation: The Role Of Lawsuits In The U.S. Environmental Justice Movement, Tomas Sebastian Forman

Senior Projects Spring 2022

What is, has been, and could be the role of litigation in the U.S. environmental justice movement? To what ends do Indigenous communities, federally-recognized tribes, and rural Black communities choose to engage with the U.S. legal system, an institution which has, over history, consistently subjugated and dispossessed them? How do these groups' particularistic relationships to natural and built environments, conceptions of justice and fairness, and understandings of what effective environmental regulation look like inform that choice? This paper draws from in-depth qualitative research to demonstrate the following things: (1) how environmental justice lawsuits differ from canonical environmental and civil rights …

Blending Borders: Transboundary Protected Areas And Their Role In An Intersectional Future, Alexandra Rogalinski

Senior Projects Spring 2022

Protected areas serve the vital role of designating spaces worthy of protection from and for human use. Transboundary protected areas are especially useful in thinking about the interconnected nature of the relationship between human societies and ecological systems as the latter, despite not conforming to the former, are managed as though they did. By learning from frameworks developed specifically for the two in tandem, systems can adapt to different locales and communities world-wide and build resilience in place for the future in which resilience will most assuredly be needed.

Lithium Mining: Unearthing Old Mining Practices In A New Age Of Extraction, Claire Isabella Dickson

Senior Projects Spring 2022

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

Reclaiming Albany's Arboreal Abundance, Damaris L. Borden

Senior Projects Spring 2021

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

A Rejection Of Nature? Or The Natural World? An Objectless Inquiry Into The Writings Of Kazimir Malevich, Aidan Edward Galloway

Senior Projects Spring 2021

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

Entangled Roots: Knowledge Systems And Conservation In The Tongass National Forest, Lily Geneva Lustig

Senior Projects Spring 2021

Alaska’s Tongass National Forest is the world’s largest remaining temperate rainforest, sequestering up to eight percent of all the carbon stored in the lower forty-eight states’ national forests combined. Home to the Tlingit, Tsimshian, and Haida peoples for over ten-thousand years, the Tongass's protection is central for knowledge production and livelihood. Despite the Tongass's importance for local communities and for mitigating climate change, the policies that restrict extractive industries like logging in the forest are constantly contested by United States politicians, putting the forest and the people who rely on it in jeopardy. With a re-centering of Indigenous scientific knowledge …

Beyond Jair Bolsonaro: The Making Of Brazil’S Environmental Crisis, Emma E. Sandman

Senior Projects Spring 2021

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

How Vending Machines Can Conquer Access To Better Quality Convenience Food, Tessa C. Greenhalgh

Senior Projects Spring 2020

As the food system has evolved it has been forced to include convenience. Changing life styles and big food companies have dictated a switch in expectations from our food. They have made it so that time and energy can be saved when it comes to producing, cooking or eating food. Technology has evolved beside convenience food, to sell or manufacture it and make it more convenient. One of these invention is vending machines. Automated food vending began with the Automat, which served fresh and healthy dishes but has come to dispense food that is mostly considered unhealthy. Vending machines are …

A Dance With Cranes: Grus Americana And The Promise Of Wilderness, Grace Elizabeth Drennan

Senior Projects Spring 2020

Is it possible to construct wilderness? To teach a bird to be wild? Study of the whooping crane (Grus americana) conservation effort shows how intrepid conservationists have worked to prevent this iconic species’ extinction. From the early years of the American conservation movement to the looming threat of climate change, this project attempts to track the ways care and control have influenced this endeavor in ‘saving’ this species, and examines these conservation practices from a multispecies perspective.

The Polyester Problem: Regulating The Polyester Industry Through The Lens Of Environmental Economics, Jo-Kel Cornejo Borthwick

Senior Projects Spring 2020

In presenting the history and utility of polyester fiber we gain a more in depth understanding of why it is such a prominent fabric today. Through the general evaluation of the global apparel industry, we gain valuable insight into the vast size and environmental impact of the entire industry. Presenting the global apparel industry is integral to the discussion of polyester due to their symbiotic relationship. In evaluating the environmental impact and externalities of the polyester industry, attention is brought to the problematic nature of the industry as well as the details of its environmental impact which include; excessive microfiber …

A Troop, A Raft, A Bed, Hanna Jane Guendel

Senior Projects Spring 2020

A Troop, a Raft, a Bed tells the interwoven fictional stories of three major animals (the mountain gorilla, the Adélie penguin, and the American eel) and four transitional animals (the white stork, the humpback whale, the common octopus, and the great white shark). The stories are told from the animals' perspectives, and are written with language that considers each animal's unique intelligence, mind, and behavior. These stories seek to communicate how animals around the world may be experiencing the various effects of climate change and global warming.

Socio-Ecological Synergies For A Sustainable Onondaga Lake: Reckoning With The Complexities Of Restoration, Skyler Maassen

Senior Projects Spring 2020

For decades after industrialization and urbanization in its vicinity, Onondaga Lake in central New York State was considered "the most polluted lake in America." Recently, however, the system was declared recovered and ready for human use. Honeywell International Inc. – supervised by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the United States Environmental Protection Agency – and their partners completed considerable clean-up in the last twenty years. Efforts included dredging, capping, and habitat enhancements. While these efforts have led to renewed ecosystem services, the endpoints of ecological restoration are inherently unclear. Prompted by inconsistent theory and practice of …

From Belief To Action: Histories And New Directions Within The Youth Climate Movement, Christian Sabharwal

Senior Projects Spring 2020

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

Some Notes On Congruency, Ryan J. Rusiecki

Senior Projects Spring 2020

Some Notes on Congruency is an examination of the seemingly arbitrary methods in which the built environment facilitates order among its inhabitants (eg., parking lot striping, roadway signs). Asphalt fissures observed at the main intersection in Red Hook, NY were used as a starting off point for making the photographs contained within this book. A lens with a focal length that closely resembles the range of human vision was used to communicate the experience of discovering fissures from my perspective as a pedestrian and motorist. I was most captivated by temporal, subtle fissures, such as the replanting of flower beds …

From Colonial Agriculture To Community Resilience: A History Of The United States Gulf Coast, 1718-2005, Olivia Champion Johnson

Senior Projects Fall 2020

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

Antibiotics In The Saw Kill And Rhinebeck Kill Creeks: Tracking Anthropogenic Pollution With Bacteria And Integrons, Timothy William Matsakis

Senior Projects Spring 2020

Antibiotic resistance is an increasingly researched topic along with concerns regarding emerging organic contaminants. Antibiotic resistance is a risk to public health and therefore a better method for tracking antibiotics and antibiotic resistance is needed to develop regulations and protect the public. Several studies have shown that the use of class 1 Integrons and fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) prove effective for conducting these tests. This study aimed to assess the extent to which FIB and Integrons were present in the Saw Kill and Rhinebeck Kill creeks and serve as effective indicators of antibiotic resistance. The results show that there were …