Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Against The Death Penalty, Charles Jessup

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

My thesis is an argument against the death penalty. Given that public support for the death penalty in America is at a half-century low (according to the Pew Research Center), the timing could not be more appropriate to examine the death penalty. This research project had a two-step approach: first, ethical theory-based arguments for and against the death penalty were examined. Following that ethical theory-based examination, real-world statistics were applied to these theories to test where they stand in modern society. The findings contained in this research project point to a clear reality that the death penalty in America is …

Interrelation On Cultural And Culinary Differences Of Two Country Borders: The Mexican Immigrant, Merci Silva-Acosta

Undergraduate Research Symposium Lightning Talks

Background and Methodology: Culinary CustomsCultural Traits

Developing And Evaluating A Psychoeducation Booklet About The Mental Health Effects Of Discrimination, Margarita Manzano, Ellalandra Arakelow, Aldona Chorzepa, Leigha Clarke, Skylor Loiseau, Dawson Hughes, Theodore Macgowan, Elizabeth Brondolo

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

Discrimination has been consistently linked to depression. Despite evidence suggesting that individuals targeted for discrimination want to discuss discrimination-related stress, research suggests that therapists are not engaging in these conversations. There are limited psychoeducational materials available to support conversations about race-related stress and mental health, and there are limited data on their effects. This paper describes the development and initial evaluation of a new psychoeducational booklet which provides information about discrimination and depression. The information provided is based on social cognitive models of the relations of discrimination to depression. We provide a description of the development of the psychoeducational materials, …

Providing Immunizations In The Early Stages Of The Covid-19 Pandemic; A Community Pharmacist And Student Pharmacist's View, Nicole Yioupis, Sophia Villa, Noelle J. Ryan-Bloom, Carmela Avena-Woods

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

This article describes the experience of a community pharmacist and two student pharmacists early in 2020. It shares their unique experiences in providing novel vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic while completing their Community Pharmacy Advance Pharmacy Practice Experientials (APPEs) at St. John’s University, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Having the ability to participate in vaccination clinics, serving various communities, during an unprecedented time had a positive impact not only the community they served, but the experience also helped to cultivate them as future pharmacists.

Discrimination, Acculturative Stress, And Academic Achievement In Emerging Adults, Rebecca Steele, Amanda Rosado, Nancy Hernandez, Elizabeth Brondolo

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

Researchers report an association of racial discrimination to academic achievement for racial/ethnic minority students. Racial discrimination is manifest on multiple levels, including interpersonal discrimination, discrimination in schools, and societal and cultural discrimination. Researchers have generally focused their efforts on examining the effects of one type of discrimination on academic achievement. Further, mediators of this relation have not been fully explored. In a sample of 78 college students, we found only interpersonal racial/ethnic discrimination, and not school-based or societal discrimination was negatively associated with GPA. However, the effects did not hold once controlling for demographic factors. We examined two potential mediators …

The Sisterarchy Of Indian Feminism, Shweta Sinha

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

The paradigm of feminism in India is deeply entrenched in its socio-cultural-political-economic reality. It is an ever-evolving byproduct of patriarchy borne out of the caste-system, colonialism, urbanism (‘Westernism’), and capitalism. As a result, the plurality within Indian feminism is predicated on the multiple patriarchies that exist within the Indian society. Therefore, while parsing feminism in India, it is imperative to identify and acknowledge the various sub-groups and intersectionality that exist within the larger framework of women’s issues.

Amongst all the marginalized factions that exist within the feminist framework, this study attempts to investigate a specific caste/class-based intersectional perspective, i.e., Dalit …

Understanding Barriers To Sexual Assault Reporting Among Undergraduate Sorority Women, Isabella Rivera

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

This study aimed to examine the correlation between knowledge of sexual health and sexual assault, and the subsequent disclosure of sexual assault amongst undergraduate women in sororities at St. John’s University. During the academic year (2019-2020), the number of reported sexual assaults on campus was discrepant among the perception of the student body, with students believing there to be a higher number of incidents than reported to the University. Possible causes of the lack of formal sexual assault reporting were investigated. This included the knowledge of undergraduate women at St. John’s University pertaining to sexual health, reproductive health, university resources, …

Manger A Travers Les Cultures: A Comparative Look At Food Waste, Awareness And Redistribution Potential, Chloe Bergeron

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

In the most recent nation-wide studies, France’s estimated annual food waste, as of 2017, is 1.8% (Barilla Center, 2017). Conversely, the United States’ estimated annual food waste, as of 2010, is between 30-40% (USDA, 2010). This research compared University of Paris students’ and St. John’s University students’ awareness and knowledge of food waste on an individual, university, and governmental level to gain an in-depth understanding of the impacts of reduction practices and awareness methods such as campaigns and education. This study examines university students’ relationship to food and food waste in the United States versus France, redistribution potential, and the …

Jovsa: The Faculty/Student Research Connection, Anthony C. Marziliano, Hira Shafeeq, Marc E. Gillespie

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

No abstract provided.

Toc

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

No abstract provided.

Editors

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

No abstract provided.

Cover

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

No abstract provided.

Pursuit Of The Vote: Factors Utilized In Resisting Discrimination In Democratic Elections, Matthew Nicholson

Honors Scholars Collaborative Projects

Suffrage movements make use of various social and political factors to pressure their governments to expand the scope of voting rights. Using McAdam’s political process model, I will analyze how disenfranchised groups’ use of nonviolent demonstration, appeals to international pressure, and appeals to religion, affects their success. This will also highlight patterns that emerge when groups are willing to instigate violence in pursuit of their goals. Most studies examine these variables in the context of the pursuit of independence or revolution, whereas this study focuses on groups wishing to remain within a system given their desired reforms. I will analyze …

The Economics Of Information And The Meaning Of Speech, Charles W. Collier

Catholic University Law Review

In common usage the communication of information is not sharply distinguished from the use of language or speech to make factual or propositional statements. So it should come as no surprise that one of the main legal justifications for protecting speech--that it underwrites a “marketplace of ideas” and thereby contributes to the search for truth--has strong parallels in the economic theory of information. “Indeed,” as Kenneth Arrow writes, “the market system as a whole has frequently been considered as an organization for the allocation of resources; the typical argument for its superiority to authoritative central allocation has been the greater …

Amendment 4: A Movement To Reduce Ex-Felon Disenfranchisement In Florida, Hunter L. Harding

Masters Theses

The paper explores the foundations of Felon Disenfranchisement in the State of Florida and how the United States Constitution allowed for individual states to implement disenfranchisement measures. The historical foundations are necessary for understanding the implications of felon disenfranchisement and its disproportionate outcomes on minority communities. With previous attempts to change policy regarding the restoration of civil rights for those disenfranchised, a different approach was needed to solve the plagued restoration process in the State of Florida. Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, a group led by ex-felons, fostered the movement to create the ballot initiative of Amendment 4 in the 2018 …

Neither Trumps Nor Interests: Rights, Pluralism, And The Recovery Of Constitutional Judgment Of Constitutional Judgment, Paul Linden-Retek

Journal Articles

A longer, unedited version of this article is available via the 'Additional Files' link at the bottom of the page.

This Article develops a novel framework for the adjudication of rights in an age of partisan and societal polarization. In so doing, it defends judicial review in a divided polity on new grounds. The Article makes two broad interventions.

First, the Article cautions against recent calls to shift rights adjudication in the United States from Dworkinian categoricalism toward proportionality analysis. Such calls correctly identify how categoricalism, by embracing the absolute nature of rights as “trumps,” pits citizens harshly against one …

Episode 3: Opposites, Lauren Durham

A Rhetorical Study of Twitter Discourse about Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Amy Coney Barrett

In this episode, Durham discusses the discourse that portrayed Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Amy Coney Barrett as opposites.

Episode 1: About The Research, Lauren Durham

A Rhetorical Study of Twitter Discourse about Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Amy Coney Barrett

Durham explores the significance of the topic; summarizes the academic theories applied in the study; presents the research question; and shares methodology and methods.

Episode 4: Barrett As A 'Figure-In-Process', Lauren Durham

A Rhetorical Study of Twitter Discourse about Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Amy Coney Barrett

Durham addresses discourse that portrayed Barrett as a “figure-in-process.”

Episode 2: The Pop Culture Status Of 'Rbg', Lauren Durham

A Rhetorical Study of Twitter Discourse about Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Amy Coney Barrett

In a discussion of the first answer to the research question, Durham focuses on the discourse about the presence and absence of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's iconic appeal in popular culture.

Episode 5: Findings, Plus A Look At Events Following Confirmation, Lauren Durham

A Rhetorical Study of Twitter Discourse about Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Amy Coney Barrett

In this episide, Durham discusses what the research revealed and makes recommendations for further study. She also explores events following Justice Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation.

Elucidation Strategies: A Case Study Of The U.S Supreme Court, Gordon Carroll

[Archive] Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

The research encompassed a study on the consistency in judicial interpretations and factors that influenced U.S. Supreme Court decisions. To do this, the study explored literature and theoretical perspectives relating to judicial interpretations and decisions. The target population entailed officers in the Office of the Solicitor General for their experience in Court rulings. Interviews were conducted among ten respondents, with data collected, coded, and analyzed. The study results were then presented, discussed, and conclusions derived from them. Generally, the study found serious inconsistencies in interpretations not only between justices but also in almost similar cases. Decisions by justices were conflicting …

Court Legitimacy & The Shadow Docket, Colton Tilley

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Litigating Reproductive Rights: The Evolving Support Structure In The United States, Allison Anker

Honors Theses

The Supreme Court of the United States functions as the highest judicial body in the country, with its decisions having the capability to reverberate change across the nation. Understanding why they make certain decisions has long been a point of scholarship, with multiple theories emerging as to what exactly influences their rulings. One such theory is the support structure, proposed by Charles Epp in The Rights Revolution (1998), which is a theory exploring how social movements influence litigation and the establishment of certain rights. This theory states that legal mobilization at the Supreme Court rests “on resources, and resources for …

Same-Gender Pathways To Parenthood, Sydney T. Inger

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

LGBTQ+ individuals and couples who want children negotiate systemic inequalities in the United States of America. This literature review surveys America’s confusing legal map and the gaps in its enduring scholarly theories. The paper then examines the challenges that LGBTQ+ individuals and couples confront in working through the common pathways—same-gender adoption and fostering, in vitro fertilization, and surrogacy—to become parents. Dispersing information on the pathways will be a positive step towards breaking down the inequities for those in the LGBTQ+ community who want to start a family.

Identity Documents For Transgender Texans: A Proposal For A Uniform System For Correcting Gender Markers In Texas, Lydia R. Harris

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Texas’s lack of a codified gender correction process is unjust, illegal, and against public policy. This comment highlights the injustice faced by transgender Texans without gender concordant identity documents. These injustices include discrimination based on gender stereotypes, violation of the transgender individual’s right to privacy, and violations of public policy. This comment explores possible solutions to the injustices faced by transgender Texans due to the lack of a codified uniform way to correct gender markers in Texas modeled on other jurisdictions’ approaches to this problem.

First, this comment traces the history of the recognition of transgender people and transgender rights …

The 1994 Federal Crime Bill: An Evaluation Of The Past, Present, And Future Of Its Impact On The Criminal Justice System, Jade R. Philpot

Honors College Theses

The 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act was signed into law in response to the crack cocaine and crime epidemic of the 1980s. In this thesis I address the major elements of this bill, the racial, financial, and ethical conflicts that arose thereafter, and the reforms that should be implemented today to correct said conflicts.

The Mother Of Exiles Is Abandoning Her Children: The Systemic Failure To Protect Unaccompanied Minors Arriving At Our Borders, Rosa M. Peterson

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Unaccompanied minors arrive at the United States border every day. Many brought by the hope of finding a life lived without fear, a luxury many United States citizens take for granted. Their truths become the barriers and shackles which keep them in detention centers and unaccompanied minor facilities throughout the United States; children find their very words wielded as weapons against them in immigration court. Words often spoken to therapists in perceived confidence, during counseling sessions. This practice is a systemic failure to protect unaccompanied minors arriving at our borders who are seeking protection and help. The United States …

Protecting A Woman’S Right To Abortion During A Public Health Crisis, San Juanita Gonzalez

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

As COVID-19 infected our nation, states were quick to issue executive orders restricting various aspects of daily life under the pretense of public safety. It was clear at the outset that certain civil liberties were going to be tested. Among them, the constitutional right to an abortion.

This comment explores Texas’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the limitations it imposed on abortion access. It will attempt to address the legitimacy of the “public health concerns” listed in executive orders issued throughout numerous states and will discuss the pertinent legal framework and judicial scrutiny to apply.

According to the Fifth …

University Of Washington Faculty Senate Resolution Regarding Support For The Uw Libraries’ Principles In Licensing Scholarly Resources

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

WHEREAS, a healthy and sustainable scholarly ecosystem is one where knowledge is openly discoverable and openly shared, where there is a diversity of options for researchers to publish and disseminate their work, and where investments made by the University prioritize advancing broader impacts of research and teaching for the public good; therefore BE IT RESOLVED, that the UW Faculty Senate endorses the UW Libraries principles in licensing scholarly resources as follows:

SUSTAINABILITY:

ACCESS AND EQUITY:

SUPPORT OF SCHOLARSHIP AND TEACHING:

(Includes FAQ)