Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Improving Access For Medicare Inpatient Psychiatric Patients: A Health Policy Analysis, Malinda B. Whitfield

Doctors of Nursing Practice (DNP) Final Projects, 2020-current

The Medicare Inpatient Psychiatric Services (IPS) policy, originally developed in the 1960s and without any significant or meaningful updates since the 1980’s, is physician specific, does not reflect the current model of care for psychiatric inpatients, and is restrictive for psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) practice. The policy is complex, consists of outdated regulations, and results in millions of dollars in compliance costs for Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities (IPFs) annually (NABH, 2019). Although clearly an important part of the inpatient psychiatric services team, PMHNPs are not identified or defined in the policy (Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services [CMS], 2019). …

To The Shores Of Tripoli: A Barbary Retrospective, Kathleen J. Brett

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

The First and Second Barbary Wars were incredibly influential in shaping the diplomatic and military tactics of the early United States. These wars were fought against the Barbary states of Tripoli, Tunis, Morocco, and Algiers, located on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa. The First Barbary War lasted between the years of 1801 to 1805. The First Barbary War began due to the United States’ desire to no longer pay tribute sums to the Barbary states, along with an increase in the number American merchantmen captured and enslaved by the Barbary states. Tripoli served as the primary aggressor in the …

Social Security Reform: How To Prevent The Program's Bankruptcy, Allison C. Edwards

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Social Security, the United States’ largest federal entitlement program, provides old-age and disability protection to over 64 million Americans. However, rigorous evaluations indicate that the program will reach insolvency by 2035. This means that there are projected cash-flow shortfalls through which tax revenue alone will soon be insufficient in covering the annual program cost. Researchers suggest that the exhaustion of the Social Security trust funds is explained by (a) demographic shifts that depress the worker-to-beneficiary ratio and (b) financing imbalances caused by program deficits. My research addresses methods for ensuring the solvency of the Social Security program by exploring the …

Minorities And Authoritarianism In The Middle East: A Case Study Of Muslim Alawites In Syria, Maher Al Tayara

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Why are some minorities in the Middle East less inclined to support democratization or political liberalization efforts? Here, I examine if and how minorities differ in their support for democratization from the majority groups in the Middle East. I will analyze why some minorities prefer to support authoritarian regimes over supporting democratization. I examine how the religion of a minority affects its preference for regime type. I will also examine how historical backgrounds and international patronage affects those preferences. I will identify two historical moments in the Middle East that played a role in shaping those preferences: the post-World War …

Addressing Climate Induced Displacement: An Analysis Of Protection Policies For Environmental Migrants, Meredith R. Lawing

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

One of the fastest growing populations of displaced people are those forced to migrate because of climate change, but under current international legal agreements they receive no protections or support. In response to the lack of security and stability provided to climate displaced populations and host countries, supplementary agreements have been proposed at the international level to address the gaps in existing policy. The purpose of this analysis is to identify policy agreements intended to support environmental migrants during times of displacement, evaluate the policies’ effectiveness, and determine what issues they address regarding climate induced displacement. All of the policies …

Examining The Corrosive Effects Of Government Corruption On Social Capital In Afghanistan: A Mixed Methods Study, Samiullah Nuristani

Dissertations, 2020-current

Afghanistan remains fragmented and disintegrated along ethnic and linguistic lines. This fragmentation has prevented the Afghan people from achieving its most important and immediate goal: nationhood. This failed quest for nationhood renders progress in other areas insignificant and irrelevant. Corruption is a major culprit that has contributed to disintegration and remains as a major impediment to the struggle of the Afghan people to achieve nationhood. Corruption corrodes some of the most valued features of a society. For instance, corruption is reported to undermine trust among people, erode trust in public institutions and the leaders who lead them, and impede …

Comparative Analysis Of State Policies For Former Foster Youth, Erin A. Watkins

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

This research is a comparative analysis of state policies aiding former foster youth in their transition into adulthood. This research looks at policies in the areas of housing, education, and employment. The objective of this research is to see what state policies are effective in aiding their former foster youth in their transition into adulthood. Effectiveness is evaluated by the National Youth in Transition Database data and Annie E. Casey Foundation data, looking specifically at rates of homelessness, rates of enrollment or attendance in school, and rates of part-time or full-time employment. Results found that the three states analyzed (Illinois, …

Analyzing The Onset And Resolution Of Nonstate Conflict In The Middle East & North Africa, Emily A. Barbaro

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

By applying structural-functionalist theories of deviance and opposition, this thesis deconstructs nonstate mobilization in the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Using data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Dataset, the quantitative analysis interpreted both group and leader behavior in conflict situations to determine factors that influenced conflict onset and resolution. The quasipoisson regression analysis of group behavior suggested that polity and state capacity were both significant predictors of violent and nonviolent mobilization. The negative binomial regression of regime behavior suggested that civilian casualties were the most significant predictor of a government response to nonstate mobilization. Ultimately, the …

Understanding The Failure Of Universal Healthcare Proposals In The U.S. And Paths Forward, Nicholas J. Telesco

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Unlike most developed countries, the U.S. does not have a form of universal healthcare, where the government provides insurance for all citizens, despite attempts dating back to 1915. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), passed in 2010 by President Obama, was a significant expansion of government power in healthcare policy, yet did not guarantee universal insurance. In recent years, universal healthcare proposals have gained traction as the U.S. healthcare system faces issues of low access, high cost, and mediocre quality. In this thesis, I intended to discover the factors that influenced the passage of past U.S. healthcare reforms …

The Microsociety® Model: An Assessment Of Civic Engagement Outcomes Amongst Fourth And Fifth Grade Students, Jewel Hurt

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Despite existing as a democratic country, America has wavered in prioritizing civics education in schools. This thesis analyzes the work of MicroSociety® as one program that helps students ‘learn by doing’ in the enactment of a school-wide community simulation. To test the program outcomes, a reliable survey was administered to fourth and fifth grade students at two different MicroSociety schools. The results showed that MicroSociety students reported higher average levels of civic engagement when compared to a national sample. The positive results were also consistent across both MicroSociety samples despite stark differences in the demographic profiles of each school. …

Post-Civil War Peace Durability: The Role Of Domestic Infrastructure And Military, Alexandra Wilson

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Since 1945, approximately half of the world’s states have been engaged in some type of civil conflict. The aim of this research is to understand why some post-civil war states fail to establish peace durability while others thrive. Through quantitative research of civil wars globally and a qualitative analysis of Iraq, this thesis argues for the necessity of post-civil war policy to focus on the renewal of domestic infrastructure in addition to military investment which suppresses grievance-driven violence. A logistical regression model of all civil wars since 1945 shows that variables, such as healthcare, are evidently associated with more durable …

Teaching Empathy: Examining The Relationship Between State Political Environment And Social Studies Curriculum, Norman Morris Ellis Iii

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

In the age of partisan divide in America, education plays a pivotal role in overcoming social and political barriers––bridging these divides by creating a shared understanding of core values and beliefs that promote the tolerance and acceptance of the diversity of others and the recognition of the inequities that exist in society. Although there are number of factors that have contributed to our nation’s division, this paper specifically investigates how public education might play a role in mitigating social and political tension, and the political factors that might facilitate or hinder the implementation of valuable curriculum goals. The purpose of …

Microplastics In Full View: Birds As Bioindicators Of Malta's Coastal Ecosystem Health, Dalton Brauer

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Plastic pollution has recently become a widely studied topic, yet research on microplastics has remained lacking for specific geographic regions. Microplastics are small plastics resulting from degradation or the dumping of raw material and can lead to deleterious impacts on the coastal marine environment and its organisms. To assess Malta’s coastal environmental health, water birds (inshore, offshore and pelagic species) were used as bioindicators by assessing the presence and abundance of plastic within their stomach contents. The project hoped to fill some of the current gaps in knowledge on microplastics within Malta by creating a working baseline, as well as …

International Post-Conflict Peacebuilding In Bosnia And Herzegovina And Cambodia, Mia Fisher

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The end of the Cold War brought many changes to the international system, including a rise in intrastate armed conflict and violence against civilians. Consequently, the international community performed increasingly complex and multidimensional peace support operations, and peacebuilding advanced onto the international agenda during the 1990s. Despite the increased attention on peacebuilding in recent decades, most operations have been relatively unsuccessful, and local and international actors continue to struggle with how to implement effective policies to rebuild post-conflict states. The purpose of this research paper is to examine how the international community contributes to post-conflict peacebuilding efforts and to better …

Girls Are Us: A Collection Of Oral Histories From The Jmu Community, Anne M. Sherman

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

On a campus where women make up a majority of the student population, it is especially important that female voices are heard and given a platform on which they can control their own narrative. I wanted to give those female-identifying voices that platform. I conducted a series of interviews to examine how college-aged female-identifying students feel about their identity and how they construct that identity within the climate of the JMU community. I was particularly interested in the intersections of gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexual preference, and ability. I asked each person to share their stories of times when they …

French Political Economic Interests In Francophone Africa: Weighing The Merits Of Dependency Theory And Modernist Theory In The Political And Economic Relations Between France And Her Former African Colonies, Cameron D. Pickett

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

This paper seeks to investigate France’s ongoing role in its former colonies. By assessing the practical application of Dependency Theory and Modernist Theory to two unique African states, Côte D’Ivoire and Gabon, I seek to provide a comprehensive analysis of the relative costs and benefits of French political and economic influence in these countries. An in-depth discussion of either case’s history and political ties with France will allow us to lay the groundwork for an investigation of French trade and foreign direct investment into both economies. To evaluate the costs and benefits I will consult key development indicators and democracy …

The Expansion Of The Training Of The Hospital Emergency Response Team At Sentara Rockingham Memorial With The Harrisonburg Rescue Squad, Allison E. Mayzel

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Major emergency incidents occur without any notice and can cause extreme disorder and confusion. The hospital in Harrisonburg, Virginia, Sentara Rockingham Memorial, has created a Hospital Emergency Response Team (HERT) that will be prepared to respond to major incidents in order to create an Emergency Treatment Area that will triage, decontaminate, and transport patients. An agency that operates closely with the HERT is Harrisonburg Rescue Squad. The Rescue Squad is the first response to the scene of disasters, therefore it is important for them to be prepared for any emergency situation. In order to create uniformity between the Rescue Squad …

Ngo Collaboration In Natural Disaster Response Efforts- A Comparative Case Study Of Earthquakes In Asia, Richelle S. Grogg

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

This paper examines the response of NGOs to natural disasters, specifically in regards to collaboration efforts. The study utilizes a comparative case study methodology of most-similar design to look at three specific disasters- The Kashmir Earthquake, The Sichuan Earthquake, and The Japan Earthquake. Within each of these earthquakes the organizations Doctors Without Borders, the International Red Cross, and Oxfam International’s specific responses will be highlighted. The collaboration efforts will be examined utilizing general questions focusing on willingness to collaborate, commitment, and compatibility of objectives. Ultimately, this study found that all three components seem to be hypotheses worthy of further study.

Their Swords, Our Plowshares: "Peaceful" Nuclear Weapons, Propaganda, And Cold War Memory Expressed In Film: 1959-1989, Michael A. St. Jacques

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

During the Cold War, both the United States and the Soviet Union developed nuclear weapons as tools of warfare and diplomacy. Immediately following the Second World War, American attitudes toward the atomic bomb were overwhelmingly positive. Once the Soviet Union developed their own atomic bomb and the United States lost the atomic monopoly, attitudes started to shift. After the first hydrogen bombs tests, public sentiment, as demonstrated in film, became markedly negative. To counter these negative attitudes and portray their nuclear weapons as peaceful tools instead of weapons of mass destruction, both the United States and the Soviet Union developed …

A Mixed Methods Analysis Of The Relationship Between Attachment, Post-Traumatic Stress, And Post-Traumatic Growth Among United States Service Members, Chauncy T. Brinton

Dissertations, 2014-2019

The impact of secure military relationships on US service members’ response to trauma during military service was examined in this mixed methods study. Veterans with and without combat exposure evidence a high rate of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the military has tried to institute resilience-based programs in anticipation of the psychological challenges experienced by soldiers. At the same time, research has shown that some service members report positive outcomes associated with military service including the phenomena of post-traumatic growth (PTG). The constructs from attachment theory (safe haven and exploration) have begun to be the focus of research with service …

Advocacy In Action: A Framework For Implementation Of The American Counselors Association Advocacy Competencies On A Local Level, Jeffrey M. Lown

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Despite calls from within the professional field and external forces, counselors have faced ongoing challenges in their efforts to be effective advocates for their clients and themselves. A review of the literature reveals that throughout the history of the profession, prominent figures have called on counselors to assume advocacy roles, and that some initiatives have been successful in fostering lasting change. However, as counselors and their clients’ needs continue to evolve, so too must strategies to address these needs be reevaluated and new initiatives put into place.

In this paper, I have outlined a committee structure and agenda that seeks …

Health Care Service Disparity: Factors Associated With The Distribution Of Primary Care Physicians, Robert L. Morgan

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Primary care physicians operate on the front lines of health care. Although primary care physicians play a critical role in improving health outcomes, workforce trends in the United States show a growing shortage of primary care physicians as demand for primary care rises. In conveying the importance of primary care physicians, the worsening physician shortage, the inequitable distribution of providers, and the lackluster institutional response thus far, this paper calls into question the effectiveness of current indicators used to identify underserved areas and provide appropriate government assistance. Through the use of data from the 2010 census and American Medical Association …

A Mixed-Methods Study Of Head Start Family Service Worker Qualifications And Family Services Utilization: Implications For Policy And Leadership, Laura H. Trull

Dissertations, 2014-2019

This mixed-methods research study utilized Shared Leadership and Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) design and looked at the relationship between qualities of Family Service Workers (FSWs) in Head Start and family outcomes. Head Start is a federally funded comprehensive early child development program serving families of low income children ages birth to five. Fifty Head Start FSW participants from a convenience sample in Virginia provided complete responses to a survey instrument distributed at the Virginia Head Start Association Health and Family Conference in November 2014. FSWs from Culpeper Head Start served as CBPR participants and contributed to the selection of variables, …

An Exploration Of The Experience Of In-Home Counseling Services, Greg Czyszczon

Dissertations, 2014-2019

This qualitative study explores the lived experience of in-home counseling services by using a phenomenological method. In-home counseling services are used in situations where families experience extreme emotional distress, in part owing to the problematic behavior of a child. A semi-structured interview was used to elicit parents’ experience of in-home services in a geographical area that included a large portion of Virginia. The study found that the whole of parents’ experience of in-home services was dynamically influenced by constituent parts including the parent’s experience of the child, their experience of parenting, their experience of systems of care, and their experience …

An Analysis Of U.S./Canadian Fisheries Policy In Regards To Pacific Salmon And The Preservation Of Indigeneity In The Pacific Northwest, Michael James Lockwood

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

For more than 160 years, the Pacific salmon has been an important resource for the United States and Canada. However, it has been overexploited. Proper management of the species is essential not only for maintaining healthy populations but also maintaining the interests of diverse stakeholders. One set of stakeholders consists of the indigenous peoples of North America because the Pacific salmon are crucial to their food, social, and ceremonial traditions.

This thesis explores the impacts of Canadian and U.S. public policies on the cultural integrity of native peoples in the Pacific Northwest, specifically as those peoples rely on wild Pacific …

Lessons Learned From The Bosnian Conflict, Ahmed Saeed

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Utilizing the propositional inventory method, this thesis compares the propositions of various U.S. Government agencies, under the Clinton Administration, and the propositions of Richard Holbrooke, chief negotiator and architect of the Dayton Accords, regarding the Bosnian conflict. Recently, the CIA and the Clinton Presidential Library declassified numerous documents from various government agencies concerning the Balkan Crisis and this thesis focuses its scope on the Bosnian conflict that took place in the time period from 1992 through the Dayton Accords in 1995. By analyzing the differing propositions in contrast to the historical events, it was possible to assess the accuracy of …

Feasibility Study Of Installing Artificial Bathing Platforms At The Northeast Coast Of Malta, Darren Bianco

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The need to create additional bathing areas at rugged karst rocky shores of the northeast coast of Malta could be met by installing temporary wooden decking platforms, since current sandy beaches are very crowded in the peak summer season. Wooden decking platforms are also an acceptable alternative to beach nourishment projects, where the latter can have permanent negative environmental impacts. The old and eroded concrete platforms which cover large areas of the northeast coast of Malta represent an eyesore to the public. The option of overlaying these concrete platforms with a permanent rock amalgam composed of fiber-reinforced concrete which mimics …

Assessment Of Seawater Quality: Do Public Perceptions Of Seawater Quality Match Indications Given By Macroalgae?, Angela Bartolo

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Determination of seawater quality is an essential activity in coastal areas especially in ones that attract bathers. This study aims to investigate whether the Ecological Quality Status (EQS) of seawater in bathing areas in the Maltese Islands differs across sites. The study also aims to investigate the correlation between public perceptions and objective measures of seawater quality as well as factors affecting perception of seawater quality. Another objective of this study is to investigate the public’s knowledge about macroalgae and opinion on macroalgae. The EQS of seawater in six coastal sites in the Maltese Islands is investigated using the EEI-c …

The Threat To The U.S. 7th Fleet By The Chinese, Mohammed Lamrani

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

This research identifies key sciences and technologies that are possessed or sought after by the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). An overview of Chinese naval history is presented to better understand the possible reasons for China’s expansion to the South China Sea. By looking at Chinese official news reports as well as statements by Chinese military and other high ranking officials, a Chinese perspective is developed. Types of defense purchases, spending, and military espionage are evaluated to reflect the new-found capabilities and current technologies of interest for the Chinese Armed Forces. The threat to the US 7th fleet is increasing …

Advantages And Challenges Of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Autonomy In The Postheroic Age, Nathan Richards Fields

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Over the past decade, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have revolutionized how the U.S. engages elusive militants in low-intensity conflicts by allowing the U.S. to project continuous military power without risking combat casualties. While UAV usage promises additional tactical advantages in future conflicts, little agreement exists regarding a strategic vision for UAV research and development, necessary for the U.S. to allocate limited resources among UAV development programs that address national security objectives. The present research makes the case for a future UAV technology evolutionary path leading to fully autonomous intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR)/strike UAV systems for the United States Air …