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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Constitutional Conflict And Judicial Supremacy: Rethinking The Authority Of The Court, Jane Ramage Jun 2014

Constitutional Conflict And Judicial Supremacy: Rethinking The Authority Of The Court, Jane Ramage

Honors Theses

Although it is impossible to determine the future of constitutional dialogue, it is clear that the theories of popular constitutionalism and departmentalism remain applicable theories of constitutional interpretation. Although the theory of judicial supremacy acts as the dominant narrative in modern discourse, alternative modes of constitutionalism have succeeded in the past and may certainly assume dominance in the future. Whether they will exist harmoniously with judicial supremacy or require the weakening of the Court’s legitimacy is a question that remains to be answered in the constitutional conflicts of our future. In the event that our nation sees another crisis like …


The Impact Of Retirement On Subjective Well-Being, Emily Rider Jun 2014

The Impact Of Retirement On Subjective Well-Being, Emily Rider

Honors Theses

Using cross-sectional data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and the American Time Use Survey Well-Being Module, this paper looks at how retirement affects one’s subjective well-being. The retirement-consumption puzzle indicates that at retirement individuals discover they have fewer economic resources than they had anticipated prior to retirement. As a consequence they reduce consumption, which contradicts the prediction of consumption smoothing based on the life-cycle model of consumption. But at the same time people have more time for leisure and home production after retirement. How does this tradeoff between consumption and leisure after retirement affect an individual’s subjective well-being, …


I Found It On The Internet...: The Webmd Phenomenon & The Patient-Provider Relationship, Jessica Rivetz Jun 2014

I Found It On The Internet...: The Webmd Phenomenon & The Patient-Provider Relationship, Jessica Rivetz

Honors Theses

Over the past few decades, the Internet has become a popular channel through which patients can seek health information. Even a decade ago, 73 million American adults admitted to being “health information seekers.” It is well known that effective communication and a strong relationship between patients and providers result in higher patient satisfaction and better outcomes; but patients are often dissatisfied. The increasing public availability of health information online is adding yet another dimension to the patient-provider relationship that neither party is fully equipped to handle. Using nationally representative HINTS data from 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2011, this study evaluates …


Can Policy Spur Technological Growth?, William Sargent Jun 2014

Can Policy Spur Technological Growth?, William Sargent

Honors Theses

The long-term slowdown in productivity growth for OECD countries, despite increased resources allocated to R&D, has once again raised the issue of limits of technological change. I explore the relationship between labor productivity growth and R&D intensity, using macro-level panel data from OECD countries. My empirical analysis essentially tests the semi-endogenous growth theory against the fully-endogenous Schumpeterian growth theory. The semi-endogenous framework assumes diminishing returns to R&D and requires positive population growth to generate long-run growth. The fully-endogenous framework assumes growing product variety and requires a constant share of R&D inputs in overall inputs in order to generate positive long-run …


Jewish Women In The Ghettos, Concentration Camps, And Partisans During The Holocaust, Sara Vicks Jun 2014

Jewish Women In The Ghettos, Concentration Camps, And Partisans During The Holocaust, Sara Vicks

Honors Theses

Men like, Primo Levi, Viktor Frankl, and Elie Wiesel, have provided us with valuable insight on the suffering of the Jewish people during the Holocaust. Only until recently, was there a disproportion of female memoirs of the Holocaust beyond the story Anne Frank. The purpose of this study was to research the Jewish women’s experience in the ghettos, the concentration camps, and the partisans to add to a broader understanding of the Holocaust and its female victims. The hostile environment for Jewish males after Hitler’s rise to power led to a complete role reversal for Jewish men and women. Jewish …


Police Officer Stress, Loping Mechanisms, And Family Life, Maria Apruzzese Jun 2014

Police Officer Stress, Loping Mechanisms, And Family Life, Maria Apruzzese

Honors Theses

Law Enforcement Officers experience stress for a variety of reasons that are related to both the nature and the organization of police work. Consequences of stress are felt by the police department, the individual, as well as their family. Building on previous research in this area, this project describes thirteen in-depth interviews with officers and their significant others in an effort to understand the impact of police stress on work and family life and vice versa. Officers were found to struggle between balancing their police role and home life. The family serves as both a coping resource for the officer …


Breaking The Back: The Continuous Battle Over The Bank Of England 1694-1715, Brendan Callanan Jun 2014

Breaking The Back: The Continuous Battle Over The Bank Of England 1694-1715, Brendan Callanan

Honors Theses

England during the seventeenth century experienced unprecedented political and economic transformation. The rise and fall of the British monarchy, the subsequent political ascendance of Parliament and centralization of the state, sustained economic and commercial growth, and incessant wars abroad during the latter years of the century, contributed to a volatile political climate during the final years of the 1600s that contrasted greatly with the landscape earlier in the century. Specifically, said developments especially affected England’s landed aristocracy. Their cherished ideology of order suffered significant setbacks as both the expanded reach of the state and the new economic ideology that stressed …


Cost Benefit Analysis Of The Keystone Xl Pipeline, Daniel Carr Jun 2014

Cost Benefit Analysis Of The Keystone Xl Pipeline, Daniel Carr

Honors Theses

The Keystone XL pipeline is one of the most controversial topics in North America over the last five years. The debate is based on the trade‐off between Canadian oil sands as a usable energy resource and the environmental effects associated with the extraction and refining of the oil. The green house gasses emitted from the extraction and refining of oil sands produces several environmental concerns that make the proposed pipeline controversial. On the other hand, Canadian oil companies see a significant benefit from the ability of Canadian oil reaching international markets. TransCanada, a 79.99 percent owner of the pipeline, conducted …


Contemporary Slavery: A Historical Perspective, Keilah Creedon Jun 2014

Contemporary Slavery: A Historical Perspective, Keilah Creedon

Honors Theses

While awareness is spreading about the 29 million people around the world who are currently enslaved, there is often a lack of understanding about what slavery is like today versus our common conception of slavery under the transatlantic slave trade. After exploring the connection between the abolition of slavery in the past and the introduction of coercive labor practices under colonial rule, I explain how slavery never truly ended and elaborate on the most common forms of contemporary slavery found today. This includes a case study focused on coercive labor in cocoa production. Using a solution oriented approach, I address …


Sex And The College Hookup: Gender Differences In Perceiving And Experiencing Sexual Interaction, Kelsey Fish Jun 2014

Sex And The College Hookup: Gender Differences In Perceiving And Experiencing Sexual Interaction, Kelsey Fish

Honors Theses

While much literature exists on college students and casual sex, few studies provide an in-depth direct comparison of a male versus female perspective of a specific population. The purpose of this study was to examine the sexual culture and “hookup” scene among students at a small liberal arts college in the northeast United States and to distinguish the differences between men and women in perceiving and experiencing sexual interaction. An open-ended questionnaire was created using the online survey instrument, Google Forms. The survey was distributed to 500 random student e-mail addresses. While some responses were synonymous with previous studies and …


The Origins Of Wave Elections: Narrative Control Polarization And Turnout In New Hampshire Electoral Politics 2006-2012, Zachary Jonas Jun 2014

The Origins Of Wave Elections: Narrative Control Polarization And Turnout In New Hampshire Electoral Politics 2006-2012, Zachary Jonas

Honors Theses

This thesis investigates the origin of wave elections in New Hampshire in 2006, 2010 and 2012. It finds that recent demographic shifts in the state laid the groundwork for these dramatic electoral results. This paper also examines the nationalization and polarization that have redefined New Hampshire’s political landscape and contributed to massive partisan shifts in state government. The combination of demographic changes and a polarized political culture have created an electoral environment for both Republicans and Democrats that favors turnout, increasing the importance of agenda setting and narrative control in order to produce high turnout among core constituencies. Chapter 1 …


Attachment Style And Its Role In Perceived Team-Efficacy And Individual Self-Efficacy In Sports, Meghan Kupiec Jun 2014

Attachment Style And Its Role In Perceived Team-Efficacy And Individual Self-Efficacy In Sports, Meghan Kupiec

Honors Theses

The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between athletes’ attachment styles and their team- and self-efficacy after wins or losses in sporting contests. The study followed up on a theory proposed by Sam Carr (2012), which posits that attachment style plays an important role in athletic competition and can act as a buffer to negative outcomes in sport. In order to test this idea, a research study was conducted surveying Union College Varsity athletes during both the fall and winter sporting seasons. Across the course of the participants’ athletic seasons, four surveys were distributed. The first …


The Post Title Ix Portrayal Of Female Athletes In The Media, Kelsey Mcdonald Jun 2014

The Post Title Ix Portrayal Of Female Athletes In The Media, Kelsey Mcdonald

Honors Theses

This thesis looks to elaborate on recent studies done by Michael Messner, Cheryl Cooky, Robin H. Hextrum and other scholars regarding the exclusion and misrepresentation of female athletes and women’s sport in the media since the enactment of Title IX in 1972. This thesis provides an overview of the history of Title IX, a detailed analysis of the ways which female athletes are portrayed in the media and trends that have occurred based on the coverage women’s sports have received since 1972. The research included and data collected for this thesis are based on ESPN’s SportsCenter and the headlines on …


Effects Of The World Trade Center Attacks And Hurricane Sandy: Manhattan Commercial Real Estate Market, Michael Miceli Jun 2014

Effects Of The World Trade Center Attacks And Hurricane Sandy: Manhattan Commercial Real Estate Market, Michael Miceli

Honors Theses

Two rare and uncontrollable events that recently took place in Manhattan were the attacks on the World Trade Center and Hurricane Sandy. Both of these catastrophic events affected the commercial real estate market in Manhattan in several ways. Using quarterly time-series data between 1996 and 2013 collected from Brookfield Office Properties, this paper utilizes regression analysis to investigate the effects of these events on vacancy rate, absorption rate and rent in Manhattan. The regression analyses control for location and building type such as Midtown, Downtown and Classes A,B,C, as well as economic factors such as unemployment rate and the S&P …


An Examination Of The Relationship Between Adult Attachment Style And Patterns Of Facebook Use And Facebook Behavior, Elizabeth Nailling Jun 2014

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Adult Attachment Style And Patterns Of Facebook Use And Facebook Behavior, Elizabeth Nailling

Honors Theses

Previous research suggests that various personality traits predict how individuals behave and portray themselves through internet-mediated communication and social media. In the current research, I examine the relationship between adult attachment style and the characteristics of Facebook use (e.g., frequency of "friending," "liking," and commenting). A pilot study conducted with Union College undergraduates who completed questionnaires measuring attachment style and Facebook use showed that higher attachment anxiety was associated with higher frequency and intensity of Facebook use as well as higher attention and reassurance-seeking Facebook behaviors, whereas higher attachment avoidance predicted less frequency and intensity of Facebook use as well …


The Provision Of Refugee Services In The United States: A Look At The Non-Profit Organizations That Facilitate The Resettlement Process, Venetia Varnett Alegria Gomez Jun 2014

The Provision Of Refugee Services In The United States: A Look At The Non-Profit Organizations That Facilitate The Resettlement Process, Venetia Varnett Alegria Gomez

Honors Theses

Throughout history conflicts have always had severe consequences on the people surrounding them. Regardless of the nature of the conflict, when it happened, or where, it always seems to leave behind vulnerable individuals with very little hope for the future. As a result, many people chose to immigrate elsewhere as an attempt to find a new home and avoid any future events that will disrupt their lives so drastically. The events of the 20th century were an important tool in illustrating the effects of war and more importantly, it provided a platform for countries to step-up and encouraged immigrants to …


Can The Performance Of High Self-Monitors Be Influenced By The Perceived Success Of Their Peers?, Malene Barlow-Hansen Jun 2014

Can The Performance Of High Self-Monitors Be Influenced By The Perceived Success Of Their Peers?, Malene Barlow-Hansen

Honors Theses

Prior research demonstrates that high self-monitors tend to alter their behavior based on social situations, and more generally, that certain cues can be given to people that can influence them to alter their performance on an exam. It has not, however, taken into account the introduction of motivation that could affect the performance of high self-monitors. Thus, the current research was conducted to establish a connection among performance, self-monitoring, and motivation via a social component. All participants completed a practice GRE exam as well as several personality questionnaires, including Snyder’s Revised Self-Monitoring Scale (Snyder, 1975). About half of the participants …


The Effect Of Gross Profitability On Share Price Appreciation, Philip Barr Jun 2014

The Effect Of Gross Profitability On Share Price Appreciation, Philip Barr

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between gross profitability and share price appreciation. Dimensional Fund Advisors, an investment firm managing $338 billion, builds portfolios based on a number of different metrics and added gross profitability as a factor in early 2013. Profitable firms may be systematically undervalued and, therefore, gross profitability should predict future share price appreciation. Gross profitability is a firm’s gross profit multiplied by its asset turnover. A high gross profitability may signal a firm’s pricing power or quality in comparison with other businesses. Investors may neglect profitable firms and overpay for “lottery stocks” …


Controllable Home Coffee Roaster From A Modified Popcorn Popper, Nicholas Brenn Jun 2014

Controllable Home Coffee Roaster From A Modified Popcorn Popper, Nicholas Brenn

Honors Theses

The goal of this project is to modify a home popcorn popper with computer aided logging of the roasting profile, supported by solid state switching of the heating coil and fan to control the temperature inside of the roasting chamber, and finally, automatic control of the roasting chamber temperature through a PID algorithm. With this control over the roast of the coffee bean, an experienced roaster user is able to identify the stages of the roast where control over the temperature inside the chamber is most critical. As compared to roasting green beans in an unmodified home popcorn popper, this …


Why Am I Buying Another Black Dress?: An Anthropological Perspective Into The World Of Fashion, Ava Carnevale Jun 2014

Why Am I Buying Another Black Dress?: An Anthropological Perspective Into The World Of Fashion, Ava Carnevale

Honors Theses

This thesis explores how the world of fashion permeates all facets of human life, including social success, individual identity and self-acceptance. The fashion decisions we make each day are, indeed, personal decisions that we use to express ourselves and convey our story to society, however the cultures, people, and society that surround us are what intrinsically make these choices for us. Through extensive research in New York City and at Union College, evidence proves that persons are influenced by their surroundings, including media and friend groups, which ultimately establish his or her wardrobes and his or her level of social …


The Relationship Between Narcissism Attachment Styles And The Response To Social Media, Caitlyn Collins Jun 2014

The Relationship Between Narcissism Attachment Styles And The Response To Social Media, Caitlyn Collins

Honors Theses

Previous research suggests that narcissism is correlated with higher social media use and that self-esteem motivates this use. Additionally, research suggests that individuals with anxious or avoidant attachment styles have “self object” needs that are fulfilled through interactions with others. In the current research, we examined the correlation between narcissism and social media use, as well as the correlation between attachment style and social media use. Participants were given questionnaires to measure narcissism, attachment style, social media use, and self-esteem. Participants were also assigned to one of three feedback conditions, positive, neutral, or negative, on a social media site. Results …


Soccer Violence: An Examination Of Hooliganism And Violence Against Referees In Latin America And Worldwide, Dean Constant Jun 2014

Soccer Violence: An Examination Of Hooliganism And Violence Against Referees In Latin America And Worldwide, Dean Constant

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


In Reckless Pursuit: Barry Goldwater A Team Of Amateurs And The Rise Of Conservatism, Nicholas D'Angelo Jun 2014

In Reckless Pursuit: Barry Goldwater A Team Of Amateurs And The Rise Of Conservatism, Nicholas D'Angelo

Honors Theses

Before 1964, Barry Goldwater had never lost an election. In fact, despite being the underdog in both of his U.S. Senate elections in Arizona, in 1952 and 1958, he defied the odds and won. His keen ability for organization, fundraising and strategy was so widely respected that his Republican colleagues appointed the freshman senator to chair their campaign committee in 1955, with conservatives and liberals alike requesting his aid during contentious elections. Goldwater himself adamantly believed that in politics, “organization is the whole secret.” For all of these reasons, 1964 seems to be an outlier in the senator’s expansive career. …


Explorations In The Domestic Space: How Hollywood Made A Home In Film Melodrama, Elana Katz Jun 2014

Explorations In The Domestic Space: How Hollywood Made A Home In Film Melodrama, Elana Katz

Honors Theses

This thesis utilizes the Hollywood domestic melodramas and sex comedies of the 1950s as a lens to discover the evolution of family and home from Eisenhower’s America to modern day. As a mode of expression with roots in nineteenth-century theater, melodrama serves as a primary genre for tracking historical and social shifts in twentieth-century American society. However, as the narrative form has evolved over time, what satisfies melodrama is difficult to define as its boundaries have been redrawn. Historians and film scholars examine melodrama through three overarching schools of thought: melodrama as a genre, a mode, or both. Film melodrama …


Effects Of Playing Surface And Shoe Type Of Acl Tears In Soccer Players, Melissa Mansfield Jun 2014

Effects Of Playing Surface And Shoe Type Of Acl Tears In Soccer Players, Melissa Mansfield

Honors Theses

Anterior Cruciate Ligament injuries have become more common in athletes over the past decade which is believed to result from playing on more artificial turf surfaces. This study tested the playing surface theory by building upon a previous study conducted with Albany Medical Center which tested surface samples using an axial-torsion load frame located at Union College. The motion that causes most ACL noncontact injuries is replicated by the load frame which pushes and rotates a shoe against the playing surface and measures the torque it experiences. The foot position, normal load, degree of rotation and rate of rotation were …


Intra-Firm Trade From U.S. Multinational Enterprises To Emerging Market Economies: An Assessment Of The Impact Of The Global Recession And Intellectual Property Rights, Trang Nguyen Jun 2014

Intra-Firm Trade From U.S. Multinational Enterprises To Emerging Market Economies: An Assessment Of The Impact Of The Global Recession And Intellectual Property Rights, Trang Nguyen

Honors Theses

The level of US intra-firm imports from Emerging Markets, EM, (i.e., imports of MNEs from their foreign affiliates) has increased from 149 billion USD in 2002 to 347 billion USD in 2012. A similar magnitude is observed for US arm’s length imports (i.e., imports of MNEs from third parties in foreign countries). This thesis estimates the responsiveness of US intra-firm and arm’s length imports to Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) protection indicators, “Doing Business” indicators, and to the Global Recession. I use two panel data sets, one covering 332 industries (3-digit NAICS) and 43 emerging countries from 2002 to 2012, the …


Minding The Gap: Analyzing The Role Of Guidance Counselors In High School Ability Grouping, Marisa Underberger Jun 2014

Minding The Gap: Analyzing The Role Of Guidance Counselors In High School Ability Grouping, Marisa Underberger

Honors Theses

This project investigates the role of the guidance counselor in high school tracking and ability grouping. Tracking and ability grouping are controversial topics among high schools because they can create a “school within a school” where the low-income-minority students are in lower tracks while the high-income white students are in the advanced classes. Scholars have debated if detracking, or heterogeneous grouping, is the answer, but the concern is that slower learners will hold advanced students back. When deciding which classes students should be enrolled in, teachers, parents, students, and guidance counselors all contribute their opinions. Guidance counselors play a crucial …


The Corporate Logo: An Exploration Of The Logo Through Infographics And Other Works, Caroline Aldrich Jun 2014

The Corporate Logo: An Exploration Of The Logo Through Infographics And Other Works, Caroline Aldrich

Honors Theses

Everywhere we go, we interact with logos in one way or another, whether it is the car we drive, the toothpaste we use, or even the water we buy, a logo is present throughout our every move. The logo can be defined as “a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition.” The logo has evolved over hundreds of years, and due to its continued presence in our lives, there are many facets of the logo that I chose to explore as the primary focus of my thesis. …


U.S. Immigration: The Origins And Evolution Of Contemporary Issues And The Architecture Of Future Reform, Andrew Beaule Jun 2014

U.S. Immigration: The Origins And Evolution Of Contemporary Issues And The Architecture Of Future Reform, Andrew Beaule

Honors Theses

In 1965, the United States Congress passed the Immigration and Nationality Act, attempting to remove racial, religious, and cultural discrimination from the immigration system. However, the infamous act and subsequent legislation have caused unintended consequences. Illegal immigration has skyrocketed despite a massive increase in border enforcement; and Central Americans, particularly Mexicans, have become the target of racial and cultural discrimination, much like the Southern European immigrants of the early 1900s. The current immigration system still relies on the framework passed nearly 50 years ago, proving to be insufficient for contemporary United States. This thesis investigates the historical patterns in immigration …


Economic And Political Implications Of Agricultural Subsidies And Us Farm Policy, Justin Bogardus Jun 2014

Economic And Political Implications Of Agricultural Subsidies And Us Farm Policy, Justin Bogardus

Honors Theses

This thesis pertains to agricultural subsidies, their economic and political implications and what would happen to both price and production levels of different crops should those subsidies be removed. The 3 main crops examined are corn, wool and soybeans. Technological advancements made after 1900 had a profound effect on productivity and efficiency, leading to a number of important economic effects. Market integration, economies of scale, market structure, vertical integration and subsidization, all led to government intervention in the form of regulation and subsidy. Farm policy, starting in early 1900s, focused on price stabilization policies and food programs through the different …