Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Heavy Metal Contamination In Drinking Water And Its Connection To Superfund Site Related Environmental Injustice, Emily Caruso

Honors Theses

Equal access to clean, potable drinking water is crucial for our society’s health and advancement. In 2014, the infamous water crisis in Flint, Michigan, shed light on the widespread water quality issues impacting numerous communities in America. In response to the Flint water crisis, Union College established the Union College Water Initiative, providing free drinking water analyses to the public. This initiative aims to raise awareness and educate people by analyzing heavy metals commonly found in drinking water—specifically lead, copper, and zinc.

As a part of this initiative, I collected over 300 cold drinking water samples from residences, schools, and …

Female Infertility In The United States And India: An Analysis Of Treatment Barriers And Coping Strategies, Devneet Singh

Honors Theses

This research studies barriers to accessing fertility treatment in the United States (U.S.) and India, as well as the coping strategies infertile women use. Barriers include reproductive health knowledge, cost, and politics, while coping is affected by cultural stigma, family, and religion. These two countries were chosen for their different cultural contexts, healthcare systems, and political infrastructure. Ten fertility specialists across both countries were interviewed as expert informants. Reproductive health knowledge was the most important barrier to accessing care in both countries, with similar gaps in understanding when and what type of care to utilize, though social media can educate …

Triumphing Over Trauma: Addressing Past Experiences And Mental Health Following Resettlement In The United States, Tyler Greenwood

Honors Theses

Refugee populations are exposed to an unusually high number of traumatic events in their lifetimes that have the potential to cause long-lasting psychological harm. Millions of people are forcibly displaced by international conflicts, ethnic genocide, targeting of political dissidents, climate disasters, and countless other traumatic events. For the small fraction of refugees who are resettled in wealthy nations such as the United States, they are fortunate to leave behind the harmful and often violent places which they are fleeing from, but they are also leaving behind their families, friends, homes, and traditions. During and following resettlement, refugees continue to face …

Hbo’S "The Wire" And Its Portrayal Of Baltimore Politics, Schools, And The Judicial System In Season 4: Was It Accurate Then And Does It Stand The Test Of Time?, Josephine Klingeman

Honors Theses

This thesis is a content analysis of HBO’s fourth season of The Wire. After conducting an in-depth analysis of the content in the thirteen episodes of season four, I then assessed the level of accuracy in the show’s portrayal of two major topics discussed throughout the season: Witness protection and police informant harassment. I did so by conducting several interviews with professionals who have several decades of experience working in the criminal justice system. I compared their personal experience with witness protection programs, witness harassment, and police informant harassment with the content presented in The Wire on these topics. …

Election Administration: The Effect Of Race On Election Technology Implementation And Advancement In The United States, Danielle Blaustein

Honors Theses

A necessary condition for democracy is the ability for citizens to be heard. The way by which this is done is through electing officials that represent a diverse set of beliefs and values. The mechanism by doing this is through elections. At a quick glance, elections appear to play a minor role in democracy. But in fact, the foundations of elections are essential to our understanding of American democracy. It is assumed that the implementation of an electoral system is sufficient for American democracy. Diving deeper into the complexities of election systems provides evidence for benchmarks that prevent elections from …

"Prevention Through Deterrence" Against Citizens: The Venezuela-Colombia Border During The Covid-19 Pandemic And Human Rights Implications, Andreina Negretti Benito

Honors Theses

This thesis analyses the human rights implications of the measures taken by the Venezuelan government at the Venezuelan-Colombian border during the COVID-19 pandemic. I will argue that the goal of these measures is preventing or impeding the return of citizens through "deterrence techniques" that have been historically used by other countries. This case's importance relies on the fact that, unlike other cases, the Venezuelan government uses these "techniques" against its own nationals, rather than against unwanted immigrants. The first chapter will provide an overview of the theoretical framework concerning migration, arguments regarding open borders, and human rights protections. This will …

An Analysis Of China’S Claims And Their Development Of Artificial Islands In The South China Sea; Are They One Step Closer To Becoming A World Power?, John Pugliese

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the complex foreign conflict occurring in the South China Sea. There are two primary theories utilized to study this conflict, realism, and liberalism. The realism study involves both offensive and defensive realism. While the study of liberalism has a strong focus on international law. These theories are then applied to how China has been constructing artificial islands in the South China Sea.

The first chapter focuses on how surrounding countries have reacted to China’s island building, particularly the Philippines. This includes an analysis of an international law case between the two countries, where the Philippines accused China …

Democracy In Peril: Examining The Resurgence Of Fascism And The Radical Right In Europe, William Sirmon

Honors Theses

Fascism and the radical right are on the rise in Europe in ways that haven’t been seen since the Second World War. Understanding the reason for this phenomenon is imperative to democracy’s defense. Europe is the birthplace of democracy and political liberalism, and the continent is a model of these ideas for the rest of the world to strive to follow. European democracy’s future is in peril with the resurgence of fascism and the radical right, fueled by growing Islamophobia, xenophobia, racism, economic issues, and the overall disillusionment of democratic institutions. The new wave of conservatism and the far-right share …

Cómo La Sostenibilidad Y El Ecoturismo Pueden Ayudar A Salvar Destinos Turísticos Populares En Puerto Rico, Joshua Paneto

Honors Theses

Puerto Rico is a popular tourist destination with a multitude of valuable ecosystems that both directly and indirectly contribute to the economic output of the island. Two of these ecosystems are the bioluminescent bays of Laguna Grande and Mosquito Bay, located on the island in Fajardo and Vieques respectively. More generally speaking, Vieques is also a popular tourist destination, due to the existence of the bay, in addition to various beaches and wildlife reserves. In the past decade however, the bioluminescent bays have blacked out on multiple occasions, creating a great deal of concern amongst policymakers, as well as the …

A Post Title-Ix Analysis Of American Sports Culture: The Women Aren’T Done Yet, Bridget Schauder

Honors Theses

This thesis seeks to examine the disparities women continue to face in the realm of athletics since the enactment of Title IX in 1972. This research is important because throughout history women have been left behind in society compared to men and athletics is just another social space where that occurs. Additionally, sports are so important to American culture, yet women still struggle to gain the respect and recognition they deserve. Feminist theory suggests that sports are gendered activities because the knowledge is grounded in the values and experiences of men. This thesis uses interview and survey analysis to understand …

How To Improve Multilateral Environmental Agreements: A Case Study In Balanced Institutional Design Mechanisms In The Climate Change And Ozone Regime, Emma Lee

Honors Theses

With climate change being one of the largest existential threat’s civilizations has ever faced and global cooperation the only conceivable solution, why have the existing MEAs of the climate change regime failed? Moreover, why have MEAs in other environmental regimes, such as the ozone regime, been so much more successful than MEAs in the climate change regime? To investigate this question, I use a theoretical framework of international law and focus on the specific way the institutional design of agreements can yield greater success. I define success in a two-pronged manner which focuses on participation and compliance.

This paper takes …

The Digital Yuan And The Beidou Satellite System: China’S Increasing Structural Power In An Interdependent World, Marina Angelopoulos

Honors Theses

For decades, concerns over a rise of a powerful China have dominated mainstream media. China's unprecedented economic ascent, growing voice in global decisions, and publicized industrial plans like Made in China 2025, have propelled the nation to the center of the world stage. In my thesis, I break down this subject to examine how China is attempting to increase its structural power and create new interdependencies through the buildup of certain networked technologies. Guided by foundational international political economy literature regarding structural power and interdependence, I explore the implications of two technological advancements: China's digital yuan (DCEP), and the BeiDou …

The Association Among Executive Functioning, Self-Efficacy And Adhd With Attitudes Towards Online Learning, Alice Sperry

Honors Theses

Prior research has shown that worse executive function and lower self-efficacy are associated with learning differences such as ADHD and associated with psychiatric diagnoses. The purpose of this study was to investigate the interaction among executive function, self-efficacy, attitudes towards online learning and learning differences. Fifty-one participants completed a survey which assessed executive function, self-efficacy, attitudes towards online learning and also asked demographic questions. The results indicated that students with learning differences and students with a psychiatric diagnosis had significantly worse executive function than students without a diagnosis. Students with a learning difference were also found to have significantly lower …

The Plight Of Social Media: An Analysis Of The Effects Social Media Has On Political Discourse, Kelsey Delaney

Honors Theses

ABSTRACT

Delaney, Kelsey. The Plight of Social Media: An Analysis of the Effects Social Media has on Political Discourse. Department of Political Science, March 2021.

Advisor: Çıdam, Çiğdem

This thesis demonstrates how social media has affected political discourse. It builds on an analysis of epistemic bubbles and echo chambers to show how social media contributes to the formation of insulated groups and perpetuates belief polarization. Two case studies are used to display how social media has been weaponized by political actors through the manipulation of algorithms, bot accounts, anonymity, normalization, and trend-setting tactics. The first case study focuses on how …

The Future Of Artificial Intelligence In The Healthcare Industry, Erika Bonnist

Honors Theses

Technology has played an immense role in the evolution of healthcare delivery for the United States and on an international scale. Today, perhaps no innovation offers more potential than artificial intelligence. Utilizing machine intelligence as opposed to human intelligence for the purposes of planning, offering solutions, and providing insights, AI has the ability to alter traditional dynamics between doctors, patients, and administrators; this reality is now producing both elation at artificial intelligence's medical promise and uncertainty regarding its capacity in current systems. Nevertheless, current trends reveal that interest in AI among healthcare stakeholders is continuously increasing, and with the current …

The Evolution Of Protest And Social Movements In The National Basketball Association From The Mid-20th Century To The Present Day, Luke Messersmith

Honors Theses

For my thesis, I focus on the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the evolution of how its personnel—players, coaches, refs, owners, etc.—navigated racism, politics, social injustice, platform utilization, and other pressing topics from the mid-1900s to the present day. Monumental players that used their platform in the NBA to inspire change include Bill Russell (1960s), Kareem-Abdul Jabbar (1970s), Craig Hodges (1990s), and LeBron James (2010s). These men and many others risked their images, and in some cases, their NBA careers, in order to protest, march, boycott, and kneel for causes they believed in, such as the civil rights movement and …

Rethinking “Representative” Democracy, Tawreak Gamble-Eddington

Honors Theses

The rapidly changing dynamism of the 21st century has left democratic institutions in shambles as populists rise to power and, arguably, threaten to undermine the very fabric of the democratic way of life through increasingly exclusionary politics. The prominence of populist leaders and re-emergence of ethnonationalism demonstrates a shortcoming of many representative democracies, their elites’ ability to adequately represent the masses. In this paper, I will argue that recent trends in the decline of democracy can be partially attributed to a lack of democratic legitimacy that has been caused by a failure to intentionally account for demographic diversity in the …

Defining “Firm Nationality”; An Exploration Of The Modern Firm Within The Context Of United States-China Relations, Cory Sachs

Honors Theses

The turn of the 21^st century marked the beginning of a modern age in human history. As developing nations continued on their paths to industrialization, global markets became inter-connected, and large swaths of the people were lifted out of poverty throughout the world. As market demand increased due to the influx of new capital, new alliances between nations were drawn and the production of goods transformed.

Today, firms are more globally fragmented than ever before. Rarely do firms house all facets of production in one location and serve only one market; instead, production is separated to cheapen product cost …

The State Of The Asylum: Assessing Institutional Legitimacy Through An Examination Of Its Clientele, Peter Dranow

Honors Theses

While mental asylums have long been a point of intrigue and folklore in Western culture, they have also been the subject of bitter debate in academic and medical circles. Brought to the forefront of sociology with Erving Goffman’s benchmark work, Asylums; Essays on the Social Situation of Mental Patients and Other Inmates (1961), the question of whether mental institutions in America were–and are–fundamentally curative or custodial institutions has yielded a dualistic interpretation of the past, present, and future. Whereas the psychiatrist and liberal historian might characterize America’s failed asylums as externalities of progress and, in some cases, poor policy, social …

Human Rights Activism: The Catalyst Of Transitional Justice?, Kathleen Sinatra

Honors Theses

This thesis demonstrates the essential role human rights activists play in the process of transitional justice. Through an analysis of the conceptualizations of transitional justice, in which I argue we must understand the process in broader terms that include both judicial and non-judicial practices, I enter into a comparative analysis of the case studies of Argentina and Spain. I explore Argentina’s Dirty War and the wound that was subsequently created. I question how this wound came to be and how the country chose to deal with it. I then turn my attention to the case of Spain, who unlike Argentina, …

The Effect Of Artificial Intelligence Implementation On Total Factor Productivity, Matthew Toy

Honors Theses

Investment in and availability of artificial intelligence has become a central concern for most developed economies because of is expected positive impact on an economy. Unlike other forms of capital investment, investment in AI may lead to innovative products and processes that should increase productivity. However, AI’s overall effect on productivity remains largely unknown. Adopting AI replaces labor with capital, which will have a positive effect on labor productivity, but overall productivity may remain the same or even decrease. I look at the impact of AI implementation on Total Factor Productivity (TFP) in order to assess its effect on the …

Using Difference-In-Differences Analysis And The Kocyk Geometric Lag Model To Estimate Aspects Of Carbon Tax Effectiveness In Nordic Countries, Kyle Riley

Honors Theses

This paper generally looks at the connections between carbon taxes and carbon emission levels in Nordic countries over a period from the 1960s to the early 2010s. Most of the existing literature on this topic looks at and finds that carbon taxes do have a significant impact upon carbon emissions levels in some countries while not in others. In many countries which have this policy there is not a significant impact that can be seen and there is a discussion as to why this might be the case and what needs to be done to fix these potential issues to …

Mental Health Interveners, Stress And Response To Covid-19 In Elementary Schools, Johanna Sosa

Honors Theses

This study investigated symptoms of anxiety and depression among school-based mental health providers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fifty-six school psychologists, counselors, and social workers completed an online questionnaire to assess anxiety, depression, occupational duties, and involvement in planning services. Eight participants were interviewed to explore methods and challenges of providing care. Results suggested that the pandemic led to increased symptoms of anxiety and depression. Participants’ scores, in the survey, indicated that anxiety and depression were related to age and lack of involvement in planning services. Interviews revealed difficulties faced with uncertainty in day-to-day tasks, new responsibilities, Covid-19 protocols, …

Systemic Inequalities In The Brazilian Education System: By Chance Or By Choice?, Erin Marmen

Honors Theses

Systemic inequalities in the Brazil date back to the Colonial Era (1500 to 1822). One of the primary institutions which reflects these inequalities in Brazil is the education system. It is the objective of this thesis to analyze factors that impact educational attainment throughout Brazil with a focus on class, ethnicity, gender, and geographic location. First I provide in depth descriptions of the education system in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Amazonas, and Bahia, and discuss the problems they face. These five states all have distinct populations, and as a result distinct education systems and sets …

The Effect Of Gender Roles And Priming On Mental Health Self-Stigma And Attitudes, Sarah Competiello

Honors Theses

Prior research suggests that gender roles and gender are both related to mental health self-stigma and attitudes toward help seeking. In the present study, I explored whether espousal of gender roles and priming people with mental health stigma would interact to predict levels of mental health self-stigma and attitudes toward help-seeking. I also tested whether gender moderated this relationship. Some participants were primed with fake Twitter posts that promoted mental health stigma, while others were exposed to neutral Tweets. All participants then responded to questionnaires assessing espousal of gender roles, levels of mental health self-stigma, attitudes toward help-seeking, and gender …