Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Understanding The Use And Impact Of Social Media Features On The Educational Experiences Of Higher-Education Students In Blended And Distance-Learning Environments, Michael John Scialdone

Dissertations - ALL

Students are increasingly expecting social media to be a component of their educational experiences both outside and inside of the classroom. The phenomenon of interest in this dissertation is understanding how the educational experiences of students are affected when social media are incorporated into online and blended course activities. Qualitative case studies are undertaken toward this end from a Human-Computer Interaction perspective by proposing 4 research questions: (1) How does the use of social media in blended-learning courses impact students' educational experience? (2) How does the use of social media in online courses impact students' educational experience? (3) How do …

Relocation & Realignment: How The Great Migration Changed The Face Of The Democratic Party, Keneshia Grant

Dissertations - ALL

After a history of hostility toward Black people, what motivated the Democratic Party of the 1960s to change its position on civil rights? My dissertation examines one of the most significant developments in American political history--the shift of the U.S. political parties on racial issues. In Relocation and Realignment: How the Great Migration changed the face of the Democratic Party, I argue that increasing competition between the parties for the presidency and the mass movement of Black people out of the South coincided to drive the Democratic Party's change on racial issues. Through examination of primary sources and a fresh …

Research Brief: "The Impact Of Sport And Physical Activity On The Well-Being Of Combat Veterans: A Systematic Review", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief is about the influence that sports and exercise have on veterans' well-being and therapies that impact the well-being of combat veterans. In policy and practice, healthcare practitioners should prepare comprehensive treatment models that encompass physical activity and sports where appropriate, and support groups should encourage veterans to participate in competitive sports or other recreational activities; the DoD could expand programs to provide sports to more disabled combat veterans and the VA should re-evaluate its programs to ensure there are no barriers to participation. Suggestions for future research include studying the effects of sports and exercise on the well-being …

Research Brief: "Women At War: Understanding How Women Veterans Cope With Combat And Military Sexual Trauma", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief is about stressors during military service that OEF/OIF female veterans experienced and how they coped with the stress. In policy and practice, female veterans should tell healthcare providers of their healthcare needs, and should form support groups with other veteran women; family members should support returning female service members; the VA should adapt its services to address the needs of female veterans, policymakers should allocate funding toward creating non-VA mental health and substance abuse counseling, and the VA should offer gender-specific mental health programs. Suggestions for future research include analyzing differences between age groups and length of time …

Movement Litigation And Unilateral Disarmament, Thomas Keck, Richard Price

Political Science - All Scholarship

The use of courts to achieve social change has long been criticized on the grounds that judicial victories tend to provoke counterproductive political backlashes. Backlash arguments typically assert or imply that if movement litigators had relied on democratic rather than judicial politics, their policy victories would have been better insulated from opposition. We argue that these accounts wrongly assume that the unilateral decision by a group of movement advocates to eschew litigation will lead to a reduced role for courts in resolving the relevant policy and political conflicts. To the contrary, such a decision will often result in a policy …

Research Brief: "Financial Well-Being And Post-Deployment Adjustment Among Iraq And Afghanistan War Veterans", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This study highlights the financial struggles faced by readjusting service-people, particularly for those with poor mental health. However, it has been found that readjusting and money management has a decidedly negative correlation. The outcome of the study includes providing financial literacy information, as well as promoting "meaningful employment" to combat financial issues for returning veterans. This brief recommends that future research should focus on long term effects of these issues, as well as future studies with additional outlying challenges factored in to their relationship with financial issues.

The Experience Of Stress In Women Diagnosed With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Amanda Canavatchel

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex endocrine disorder that affects multiple organ systems within the female body, hallmarked by infertility, the possibility of androgen excess, and the possibility of ovulatory dysfunction. Along with a myriad of physiological symptoms, PCOS is also associated with many psychological issues, including an increased incidence of depression, anxiety, and lower reported quality of life among women diagnosed with PCOS. The need for treatment directed to attenuate any psychological implications of the syndrome has become increasingly important are of research. While some researchers have focused on PCOS in a psychosocial perspective, including analysis on depression, …

The Moralist’S Perspective: An Analysis Of A Contemporary Reader’S Connection To Leo Tolstoy’S Themes Of Life As Presented In Five Selected Works, Kelly Almeter

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

For my honors capstone I examined the development of Tolstoy’s philosophies and how they are illustrated throughout his literature. I have compared two of Tolstoy’s works written before his theological conversion: “The Cossacks” and Anna Karenina, to three short stories written after, “The Death of Ivan Ilych”, “The Kreutzer Sonata,” and “Master and Man”. As time passed, the moralistic undertones of Tolstoy’s works became more apparent. His literature, whether short story or novel, includes a vast number of complex themes ranging from topics such as death and infidelity to a spiritual awakening and nature. As a result, I chose …

The Nature Of Lessons Learned From Argentina’S 2001 Financial Crisis, Emma Van Wagenberg

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This paper makes the argument that though Argentina’s 2001 financial crisis was influenced by several factors, it is the 1991 Convertibility Plan that most strongly pushed the nation to the point of needing outside financial assistance. Its implementation led to and worked in combination with a multitude of unexpected factors. Together, these created economic conditions that chipped away at the stability of Argentina’s economy.

Given the nature of this project, information was gathered solely through research in texts published by both supporters and critics of organizations like the International Monetary Fund. In my readings, I found that there is generally …

Identifying Desaparecidos: The Development Of Forensic Anthropology In Chile, Amanda M. Quinn

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Between 1973 and 1990, Pinochet’s dictatorship in Chile implemented the systematic practice of forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in order to eradicate the imagined “communist cancer” (Wyndham and Read 2010: 31). A total of 3,227 deaths have been tallied; 1,465 of these were cases of detenidos-desaparecidos, or enforced disappearances (Garrido and Intriago 2012: 34). Scholars suggest that Chile’s transition to democracy will remain incomplete without first locating and identifying the desaparecidos (Aguilar 2002). Through methods of comparing postmortem skeletal analysis with antemortem data, forensic anthropologists carry out the important work that makes identifications possible.

This thesis evaluates the development …

Exploring Student Perceptions Of Resident Advisors, Shyneice C. Porter

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The purpose of this study was to determine students’ misconceptions about the resident advisor (RA) role and to further examine the effects of those misconceptions on attitudes toward RAs. The research also aimed to shed light on stereotypes about RAs and ascertain the implications of those stereotypes. Typical misconceptions about RAs include the notions that they lack time for social activities and lead lives that revolve solely around their duties as resident advisors. Stereotypes have consequences, and the possible consequences of these misconceptions include lack of appreciation for the position, displays of disrespect, negative perceptions and judgments toward RAs, and …

A Sinking Ship: An Extensive Crisis Communications Case Study Of Carnival Cruise Lines, Amanda Ryann Michelson

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This paper examines the problem that Carnival Cruise Lines (Carnival), a famous cruise ship line for vacationing, continues to endure crisis situations yet fails to take the appropriate actions for rectification.

It is common knowledge within the public relations field that a crisis can make or break the sustainability of a successful organization. It is for this reason that it is necessary for professionals to analyze past events within a company’s history in order to improve its relationships with its stakeholders to keep the business afloat.

This study focuses on three major incidents. The first one involves a fire in …

Grace Magazine, Emmie Martin

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Grace is an online web magazine aimed at girls ages 13 through 18. This website

features material divided into four distinct categories that each cater to important aspects of a modern teenage girl’s life: Your Life, which covers lifestyle topics; Your Self, which covers health-related subjects including food, exercise, and nutrition; Your Style, which features fashion and beauty advice and news; and Your World, which delves into all aspects of modern culture.

This website publishes all original content, and strives to serve as an intellectual and entertaining resource in young girls’ lives. Grace provides girls with relevant articles that use …

Forward, Together, Yuki Mizuma

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

With 12,000 refugees and former refugees currently living in Syracuse, N.Y., there is so much more to the city than being just a college or basketball city. Refugees from Burma, Bhutan, Somalia and nearly 40 more countries have come to Syracuse because of the low cost of living, job opportunities and the strong relationship that refugee organizations have with the Syracuse City School District. Nearly 800 new individuals arrive each year and, yet, many people are unaware of the diverse population living in Syracuse, N.Y. “Forward, Together” uses photographs, informational text and captions to depict the lives of two refugees …

Investigating The Relationships Between Personality, Valence And Modern Health Worries, Thomas Green

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

In our evolving world, new technologies and practices are frequently introduced to society and assimilated into daily life. People often form concerns about how these new technologies, and other types of change, affect public health and the surrounding environment. This paper aims to form a better understanding of Modern Health Worries (MHW). Two studies were conducted: one investigating personality correlates of the MHW scale, and a second examining the covariation of the MHW scale with participants’ valence and arousal ratings of images of MHWs selected in terms categories presented in the literature.

Undergraduate students at Syracuse University (n=143) took part …

Attenuating The Attentional Blink And Its Consequences: Support For The Wyble-Bowman-Nieuwenstien Model, Samantha Riane Debes

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

When participants are asked to detect two targets (T1 and T2) in a stream of rapidly presented visual stimuli, T2 accuracy decreases when it follows T1 by 200 ms to 500 ms, a phenomenon known as the attentional blink (AB). Researchers have been attempting to attenuate the AB through experimental manipulations in order to understand temporal processing in the visual domain. Studies that have successfully attenuated the blink have often (but not always) done so using a concurrent task. One current model of visual temporal attention, the Wyble-Bowman-Nieuwenstien model (2009) suggests that a byproduct of the attenuation of the attentional …

Talking Hands: Does Gesture Production Help Bilingual Preschoolers Learn Words?, Bailey Bell Marks

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

As multilingualism grows throughout the world, so does the need to develop appropriate teaching methods for the multilingual population, especially during the crucial stages of language acquisition that occur during childhood. Bilingual children must develop two vocabularies concurrently; this is a difficult task for many, but non-speech expression of language such as gestures may aid the process of acquiring new words in one’s vocabulary. The mirror neuron system provides a physiological basis for the connection between language centers in the brain and the execution and observation of hand movements. To examine how using gestures affects children’s word learning, the researcher …

Find It In Football: An International Marketing Plan For Young Women, Melanie Michelle Holohan

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

What follows are multiple components of a creative advertising project. While this work relies heavily on research, it was a very creative process. The premise of this work is an integrated marketing campaign that utilizes my two majors: international relations and advertising, combined with my love for sports. Using primary and secondary research, I found that the benefits that sports have on child development are huge (Humphrey, 2003). I narrowed my sport choice down to soccer and my target down to young women. I wanted to focus on Islamic states because, at least by American standards, Muslim women are often …

Headlines: A Multimedia Approach To Getting 18 To 21 Year Olds Involved In News, Caitlin Landers

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Headlines is a capstone project that attempts to test how to get the 18 to 21 year old demographic interested in news by showing the target audience that news around the world directly affects them in some way. My belief, based on personal experience and observation, is that many young adults do not pay attention to the news because they do not believe it plays a role in how their life plays out. The goal of Headlines is to show the target demographic that the opposite is true; world events do affect what happens in their daily lives.

This capstone …

Syracuse University Trust Barometer: A Study Of Su Students’ Media Consumption Habits And Trust In News, Jessica Hajjar

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

In order to communicate effectively with a target audience, public relations professionals must understand the news media their intended public consumes and trusts. In recent years, media polls and surveys have shown the trust Americans place in the news media is declining. The purpose of this study is to examine the news media habits of Syracuse University students and the trust students place in news information.

This study is based off responses from 254 Syracuse University students who agreed to participate in a voluntary response survey. The seventeen question survey was designed to examine students’ daily news consumption patterns and …

Over The Line: Ethical Issues In The Media Coverage Of The Bernie Fine Scandal, Giuseppe S. Diglio

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

On Nov. 17, 2011, sports media conglomerate ESPN aired a story in which Bobby Davis and Mike Lang, stepbrothers and former ball boys for the Syracuse University men’s basketball program, accused Bernie Fine, then an assistant coach for the Syracuse men’s basketball team, of sexually abusing them as children. As the story developed, the reporting methods used by ESPN and The Post-Standard, the daily newspaper in Syracuse, were put into question. This report looks at what these news organizations did in their investigative reporting of the allegations against Fine and analyzes whether or not it was morally acceptable. To do …

Public Relations And Promotion In Film: How It’S Done And Why It’S Important, Timothy Cheng

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Films have been huge revenue drivers in the entertainment industry. However, not all films succeed with high profit margins. Success can be contributed to aspects such as the writing, the production quality, or the acting within a film. These aspects contribute to how audiences, critics and media receive a movie. Unfortunately, these aspects typically overshadow one of the most important functions contributing to a film’s success: promotion and public relations.

For my capstone, I researched how films are promoted, branded, and distributed through public relations functions. Research largely relied on secondary research, with primary research added for deeper concepts. After …

Researching Campaign Materials For Ellie Mia Boutique, Mariann Yip

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Before you spend thousands of dollars on a public relations campaign, it is important to test the campaign materials to a sample population to see what their thoughts and opinions are. Using their feedback, you are then able to tailor the information in a more effective way, thus, creating and launching a successful campaign that accomplishes all of your goals and objectives.

Ellie Mia is a fashion boutique located on Marshall Street in Syracuse, N.Y. This capstone project explores the PR branding methods of the store to increase awareness of its existence, to augment store traffic and business and to …

Beaver Professional Public Relations Research Case Study, Francheska Munoz

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This research study combines public relations and marketing to examine how women think about buying hair products. Using Beaver Professional, a hair care company, as the client, this study incorporates different methods of research to understand what factors affect which products women buy and where they go to buy them. This study also examines how salons think about selling hair products to their customers and where they go to shop or find the products for their salons.

Capstoned: Advertising Research, Account Planning, And The Development Of A Marketing Plan For Recreational Marijuana In Denver, Co, Erica Clapp

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

One of the hottest current issues in the United States among politicians and many other groups of citizens is the legalization of recreational marijuana. This issue has a long history, and it has constantly resurfaced in the media for years. However, the recent attention being given to recreational marijuana legalization is not going to die down anytime soon, for landmark progress has been made in this area. On November 6, 2012, Colorado Amendment 64 was passed, implementing a statewide drug policy for cannabis. Consequently, Colorado has taken a revolutionary step that marks the first electoral decision to legalize marijuana in …

The Impact Of Arrest On Expectations Of Educational Attainment And Criminal Punishment, Kenneth Arbuckle

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

My paper focuses on changes in the expectations of arrested youths. I use the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 cohort to examine the effects of an arrest on three separate expectations: the expectation of earning a four-year college degree by the age of 30, the expectation of being arrested after stealing a car, and the expectation of being fined and released after stealing a car. In all cases, I isolate those respondents who have been arrested between and not prior to their interview dates in 1997 and 2001. These are the survey rounds in which the expectation questions of …

The Effect Of Macroeconomic Conditions On Applications To Supplemental Security Income, Ke Xu

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This study examines whether macroeconomic conditions affect applications to the Supplemental Security Income program. Specifically, we focus on the impact of unemployment rate on under age 18 applications. Using data from 2002 through 2012, we found that a higher unemployment rate is associated with an increased intention to apply for Supplemental Security Income benefits for both disabled adults and children. However, the effect is much higher for adults. These findings suggest that under age 18 applications of Supplemental Security Income is sensitive to the macroeconomic conditions.

The Threat Of An Innocent Victim: How Perspective-Taking And Mood Affect Perceptions Of Victims, Reid A. Searls

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Previous research on the phenomenon of victim blaming indicates a significant interaction of just-world beliefs and perspective-taking, such that imagining oneself in the situation of a victim causes a significant threat to the self. This in turn leads to moral judgments that reduce this threat and restore just-world beliefs. The purpose of this study was to identify the effect of mood on individual tendencies to blame victims of human trafficking. While the results failed to fully support the connection between mood, perspective, just-world beliefs, and blame, a weak, though significant, relationship was found between just-world beliefs and victim blame. Implications …

Addressing Modern Slavery In Haiti And The Dominican Republic: The Evolving Role Of Nongovernmental Organizations, Meghan Schneider

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This project examines the forms of modern day slavery that are most prevalent in Haiti and the Dominican Republic: domestic servitude and forced prostitution for the purpose of sex tourism, respectively. This paper seeks to answer the following questions:

What is the role of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in combatting trafficking in persons (TIP) and modern day slavery in Hispaniola? How should NGOs work with national governments, especially in states with a weak rule of law? How have the presence and scope of NGOs evolved and/or expanded over time to address modern forms of slavery?

In this paper I argue that …

Perceptions Of Safety Across Race, Class, Gender, And Location: A Study Of Women In Cape Town, South Africa, Ellen Blanche Moore

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Policing in South Africa has a long, twisted history that is still evident in some current police practices and especially in the public’s perceptions of the police. In addition to historical factors such as colonial rule and apartheid, people’s perceptions of the police are affected by their race, class, gender, and geographic location. Although these factors have an individual effect on perceptions, it is through a complex analysis of how they relate to one another that a true understanding of a person’s perception can be reached. The goal of this research was to discover perceptions women in Cape Town have …