Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Shifting Weight Attitudes? A Look At Stigma And Implicit Bias, Carolyn H. Decicco, Sarah L. Capen-Becerra, Sophie K. Louis

Psychology Presentations

The goal of the current study is to investigate students’ perceptions of controllability and biases against individuals who smoke and individuals who present as ‘overweight’ in the workplace. Participants (N = 69) were randomly assigned to read an article describing either weight-based (n = 35) or smoking-based discrimination in the workplace (n = 34). Participants were tasked with writing open-ended responses to the articles. Participants in the smoking group were more likely to endorse (n = 16; 47.1%) discriminatory workplace practices than those in the weight group (n = 4; 11.4%), who showed more conflicted justification responses (weight n = …

An Exploration Of A Year At The Ursinus Food Forest, Victoria Bearden

Environment and Sustainability Presentations

The Ursinus Food Forest began a commitment to a new form of sustainable land management at Whittaker Environmental Research Station. This management integrates lessons from urban agriculture, urban forestry, and agroforestry (see Clark & Nichols 2013) with principles of permaculture (Jacke et al 2005). Begun in 2017, and this past fall marked 2 years since the planting of phase one in 2019. In the fall of 2021 students, faculty, facilities, and volunteers planted the second phase of the food forest site, which added 7 new food producing species. Including this, many projects were created to enhance the site throughout the …

Self-Efficacy & Perception Of Mental Well-Being, Sarah L. Capen-Becerra, Sophie K. Louis, Abigail Danzig, Olimpia Sansone

Psychology Presentations

When young adults have high self-efficacy, they tend to exhibit more resilience to stress and other mental health problems. Additionally, women are reported to experience depression at higher rates than men, which might be explained by potential gender bias in current diagnostic criteria. Our study examined the influence of gender and mental health self-efficacy on depression symptoms as well as the interaction of these two variables on depression outcomes in college aged-students. Participants (N = 58) were tasked to fill out an anonymous Qualtrics survey based on the Gender Inclusive Depression Scale (GIDS; Martin et al. (2013), and an additional …

Persistence In The North Pacific: The Makah People And Their Fight To Protect Their Cultural Heritage, Jeff Cocci

Richard T. Schellhase Essay Prize in Ethics

In the Pacific Ocean, just off the coast of North America a whale swims blissfully unaware of its own significance. It is a Gray Whale; scientists would call it Eschrichtius robustus and at nearly forty feet long, it is large enough that it does not have to worry about sharks or other carnivorous animals. Yet there are those that are brave enough to hunt the whale. They are the Makah People of the Olympian Peninsula, in upper Washington state. By doing so, they place themselves at the center of a complex ethical debate amongst activists, scientists, and the general public. …

Unlovable Labour: Rejecting The "Do What You Love" Ideology, Trey Dykeman

Richard T. Schellhase Essay Prize in Ethics

Miya Tokumitsu’s article ‘In the Name of Love’ is polemic against what she refers to as the DWYL (Do What You Love) movement that has been most recognisably popularised and transformed by Steve Jobs. She denounces this movement as an insidious ideology cleverly disguised as an uplifting lifestyle which has as its tenets labour, profit, and individualism; through her analysis of these tenets, she unveils them as alienation, erasure, and precarity, respectively. Her insights aid her in her aim to demonstrate that these ideological pillars do not support the wellbeing of the proletariat but rather reinforce the rugged structure of …

When Economic And Political Interests Collide: The Cases Of Defense Procurement And Microfinance In India, Mackenzie Owens

Politics and International Relations Research Papers

India is a growing democracy with an abundant population that seeks economic development; India is a democracy in an ever more important, strategic location. It is essential to better understand India, its politics, and its policies as geopolitical tensions rise in our world. India will be explored via a political economy approach through three sections in this paper: (1) The Political System of India; (2) India’s Trade Policy toward Defense Procurement; (3) The Microfinance Crisis of 2010. India looks to develop its domestic industries, grow investment, while defending its interests and sovereignty.

Ucimco Endowment Semi-Annual Presentation, Fall 2021, Kareem Elghawy, Kyle Blaze, Jeremy Calabro, Ryan Carkhuff, Jacob Connelly, Christopher Craven, Zachary Crebbin, Olivia Defusco, Colin Holtzman, Brooke Hurley, Matthew Mcmahon, Jared Minnichbach, Zoey Nikolaou, Jared O'Connell, Erik Ojert, Thomas Pancheri, Christopher Porzelt, Tyler Sargent, Scott Sloan, Storm Snape, Matthew Snyder, Matthew Tuley

Business and Economics Presentations

The Ursinus College Investment Management Company (UCIMCO) consists of groups of student analysts who manage endowment-style and stock selection funds on behalf of the college endowment. This presentation, by the endowment team, examines performance and investment philosophy while discussing selections in the portfolio including: developed and emerging market equities, U.S. equities, corporate bonds, U.S. treasuries and U.S. real estate.

Ucimco Stock Selection Semi-Annual Presentation, Fall 2021, Michael Buck, Stevie Benson, Walker Hamilton, Mason Jolivette, Harrison Lorenc, Devin Molina, Stephen Schoenborn, Jack Shimer, Mohammad Sufyan, John Wagner, Riley Yee

Business and Economics Presentations

The Ursinus College Investment Management Company (UCIMCO) consists of groups of student analysts who manage endowment-style and stock selection funds on behalf of the college endowment. This presentation, by the stock selection team, examines quarterly performance and strategy while discussing the most recent selections in the portfolio: Agios Pharmaceuticals, CubeSmart, Splunk and Nexstar Media Group.

Ursinus College Women's Investment Management Company, Fall 2021, Maddy Sorokanych, Taylor Beaumont, Shelby Boyle, Laura Bradley, Olivia Defusco, Rachel Grossbauer, Jess Gutekunst, Rebecca Lewis, Alice Nathanson, Madelyn Nau, Ketlee Staz, Marcella Thanh-Guyet, Theodora Zeibekis

Business and Economics Presentations

The Ursinus College Investment Management Company (UCIMCO) consists of groups of student analysts who manage endowment-style and stock selection funds on behalf of the college endowment. In 2020, a group of women students began to manage their own fund. This presentation reviews activities of the Fall 2021 semester and analyzes the stock performance of various companies including: Anthem, Inc., American Well Corporation, Netflix, Travel and Leisure Company, Cognizant Technology Solutions, Oshkosh and the Hershey Company.

Us Bilateral Relations With China And Their Effects On Us-Japan And Us-India Relations, Mackenzie Owens

International Relations Summer Fellows

How do US-China relations impact US relations with other Asian nations, specifically with India and Japan? US-China relations can be seen as the main driver in US relations with Japan and India following rapprochement with the United States. The inverse relationship that exists between US-China and US-Japan/US-India relations signals the importance of the US’ bilateral relationship with China. While there are significant differences between the US-India and US-Japan relations, both are similarly affected by US-China relations. The critical time period explored in this paper is the Sino-Soviet Border Conflict of 1969. This time period explores the impact of US-China relations …

Urban Forests And Their Potential To Combat Food Insecurity: Analyzing Foods From Street Trees In New York City, Ny, Kristen Cooney

Environment and Sustainability Summer Fellows

There is growing recognition that urban forests have the potential to combat food insecurity via their edible parts, namely fruits, berries, and nuts. Many tree species commonly planted in urban spaces have edible parts that may fulfill the nutritional needs of city residents that are food insecure, but no one has analyzed the value of city street trees to understand this potential. I analyzed New York City’s street trees by each species and their edible parts to measure this potential.

A Silent Voice (Koe No Katachi): The Intersection Of Gender And Disability In Japanese Society, Amanda Weber

East Asian Studies Summer Fellows

Nishimiya Shōko is the female protagonist in the hit Japanese manga and anime film adaptation, A Silent Voice. She is introduced as a transfer student to a sixth-grade classroom and is immediately ‘othered’ for her deafness. Nishimiya goes on to suffer from relentless bullying at the hands of classmates she tries to befriend with little to no intervention from the homeroom teacher. Doing her best to participate in everyday classroom and extra-curricular activities proves fruitless, and her mother pulls her from school. Seven years later, several former classmates attempt to reconcile with Nishimiya and seek redemption and forgiveness for their …

The Selfless Voter: Altruism And Irrationality In Economic Voting, John Byrne

Politics Summer Fellows

Traditionally, we have assumed that voters choose the candidates and policy platforms that benefit them the most. So why can we observe people doing the exact opposite and acting, seemingly, irrationally by voting their money away? This project examines the power of altruism in voting and whether or not voters actually place the needs of others over themselves at the polls.

Classical Conditioning Of Cognitive States, Arthur Burns

Neuroscience Presentations

This research sought out to do preliminary testing to prepare for honors research in the 2021 academic year. This research focuses on attempting to classically condition cognitive states. Learning tasks were designed to elicit relaxation or arousal in partisans and a combination of EEG data, pupil dilation data, performance on cognitive tasks, and self-report were used to evaluate the level of cognitive states in participants.

Classical Conditioning Of Cognitive States, Arthur Burns

Neuroscience Summer Fellows

This research sought out to do preliminary testing to prepare for honors research in the 2021 academic year. This research focuses on attempting to classically condition cognitive states. Learning tasks were designed to elicit relaxation or arousal in partisans and a combination of EEG data, pupil dilation data, performance on cognitive tasks, and self-report were used to evaluate the level of cognitive states in participants.

Linguicide In The Digital Age: Problems And Possible Solutions, Michael Adelson

Modern Languages Presentations

This project aims to assess the relative success of revitalization efforts for seven languages: Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Irish, Hopi, Navajo, Breton, and Occitan. The success of linguistic revitalization is determined through comparative analysis of minority languages in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and France as seen through each country’s history, melting pot experiences, traditions, language protection laws, education system, in addition to the differing levels of diffusion via the Internet. A key point of analysis is the strength of language protection laws in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, and France. Language is the most primordial expression of …

Linguicide In The Digital Age: Problems And Possible Solutions, Michael Adelson

French Summer Fellows

This project aims to assess the relative success of revitalization efforts for seven languages: Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Irish, Hopi, Navajo, Breton, and Occitan. The success of linguistic revitalization is determined through comparative analysis of minority languages in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and France as seen through each country’s history, melting pot experiences, traditions, language protection laws, education system, in addition to the differing levels of diffusion via the Internet. A key point of analysis is the strength of language protection laws in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, and France. Language is the most primordial expression of …

Cool Japan And The Hallyu Wave: The Effect Of Popular Culture Exports On National Image And Soft Power, Gillianne Lux

East Asian Studies Honors Papers

Japan used its export of pop culture in the post-war era not only to boost its economy but also as a means to improve its national image and project its soft power. Japanese pop culture exports emphasized a positive, non-threatening image of national culture. Though Japan’s pop culture export boom has been enormously successful, it has not been able to completely overcome its problematic past and erase historical tensions with Korea and other Asian nations. The pop culture boom has redefined Japan’s national image but not entirely. Contradictions between Japan’s curated image and actual reality, especially in the case of …

The Phenomenon Of Sexual Violence During Armed Conflicts In The Twenty-First Century: Entering The Era Of Survivors As Agents Of Peace, Shayna Kushner

International Relations Honors Papers

Evidence suggests the twenty-first century has witnessed a surge in armed conflicts and ethnic wars targeting marginalized communities, subjecting innocent civilians to violence and destruction. Among the tactics aimed to disrupt family and social ties within the existing communities, some armed groups and government sponsored soldiers have subjected vulnerable individuals to wartime rape and conflict-related sexual violence including physical and mental abuse. While the international community attempts to intervene militarily and judicially to quell the sexual violence, institutions and individual actors fall short of providing justice and accountability to survivors and victims of conflict-related sexual violence. Through the case studies …

Neuroliberalism And Beyond, Neve Durrwachter

Anthropology Honors Papers

This paper evaluates the healthy lifestyle promotion corporation known as Blue Zones by focusing on their approach to behavioral modification. The analysis relies on popular theories of governmentality such as neoliberalism, libertarian paternalism, and neuroliberalism that seek to explain how personal forms of knowledge intersect with mechanisms of social control to influence the creation of policy. Through a content-analysis of the organization’s foundational text, I argue that Blue Zones is best understood as a form of neuroliberalism because it grants individuals the autonomy to be their own choice architects.

Do Students Buy Attention-Grabbing Stocks? A Field Experiment, George Psaradakis

Business and Economics Honors Papers

In this paper, we look to find out whether or not student investors are drawn to “attention-grabbing” stocks. We define “attention-grabbing” stocks as those that are issued by companies with either large numbers of Twitter followers, large general marketing budgets, or both. Our theory is that the more followers that a publicly traded company has on Twitter and/or the more money the company spends on marketing and advertising, the more likely a student would be to invest in its stock.

A field experiment was conducted in which undergraduate students constructed their own virtual stock portfolios. A treatment group was given …

Asylum Policy In France: A Case Study Of Governing Party Incentives & Seine Saint-Denis : Une Étude De Cas Sur L’Impact Des Partis Au Pouvoir Sur La Politique D’Asile, Jacob Kang

International Relations Honors Papers

Following an increase in displaced persons globally in the 2000s and 2010s, governments around the world have been required to adjust their response to the growing need for refuge. Even internally within countries, there was variation in how the governing political party revised asylum policy. This thesis seeks to explain that variation in asylum policy in France between 2007 and 2019 under three different parties in power. Its explanations focus on the ideology and electoral incentives of governing parties and it focuses on the general economic status of the country. Based on literature and historical context, three factors are primarily …

Covid-19: The Impact Of A Nation’S Political Economic Structure On Its Labor Market Spending Policies, Mary Margaret Baldy

Business and Economics Honors Papers

The onslaught of COVID-19 in March 2020 claimed the lives of millions and caused a global economic downturn marked by vast unemployment. Previous research has focused on how fiscal policy is utilized by advanced developed nations and their objectives with respect to fiscal policy. This paper aims to examine how a given nation’s labor market spending policies are impacted by its political economic structure. In order to delineate between and analyze the approaches of different political economic structures, this paper utilizes Nordic, Liberal, and Asian States constructs. In order to investigate the impact of political economic structure on labor market …

Sunk Or Dunk?: An Empirical Analysis Of The Effect Of Sunk Cost Fallacy In Professional Basketball, Hailey Dicicco

Business and Economics Honors Papers

This project is divided into two sections. The first section is a comparison between the NBA and WNBA, using performance metrics from game statistics. Using performance characteristics, an empirical analysis was used to determine if the number of minutes played was determined by consistent parameters across these organizations. This finding showed inconsistency. The WNBA showed higher valuation for blocks, steals, and assists while the NBA showed higher valuation for three-point percentages and defensive rebounds.

The second section of the paper evaluates the sunk cost fallacy and its impacts in the NBA. The WNBA was not able to be included in …

The Political, The Personal, And The Personified: 18th Century British Political Caricature Art And The Formation Of The British Empire’S Identity, Sarah Johns

History Honors Papers

An image is often capable of communicating a number of things to a viewer, and political caricature in the eighteenth-century British metropole is one clear example of this. Political caricature became a useful tool for the wealthy—especially white men—to engage in discussions about the power of the British Empire as it continued to expand and grow in strength in comparison to other European Empires at the time. Even so, with the coming of the American conflict, things changed. No longer could these men be sure of what a British identity entailed. A family fractured, changing gender norms, evolving concepts of …

Intellectual Access And Spirituality: The Twin Urgencies Of Responsible American Education, Matthew Schmitz

Educational Studies Honors Papers

America is increasingly, and perhaps overwhelmingly, becoming a society characterized by political divisiveness. At its most extreme form, Hannah Arendt argues such a division can make us vulnerable to a loneliness that destroys our confidence and leaves us dependent on ideologies. A renewed sense of spirituality and intellect are prime candidates for helping us develop a healthy relationship with ourselves that can help counteract this loneliness. Not only that, but fully accessing our intellectual and spiritual sides can give us the confidence to tackle democratic republican citizenship the way Thomas Jefferson envisioned it. Here, Jacques Rancière helps us to construct …

Victimes Ou Criminelles: A Historical And Comparative Analysis Of Sex Work Policy In France, Carver Wolfe

International Relations Honors Papers

This research examines the evolution of sex work policy in France from a regulatory regime during the nineteenth century to an abolitionist stance after World War II to the 2016 adoption of the Nordic model penalizing the purchase of sex. I investigate the ongoing debate between preservationists and abolitionists and examine the arguments raised by each side, making the case that abolitionism has adverse consequences for sex workers. I look at the nineteenth century’s regulatory regime of controlling prostitution through a chapter written in French. I then shift into an analysis of the state’s transition to abolitionism over the course …

Just Mercy: Mass Incarceration And The Death Penalty, Sophie Auerbach

Politics and International Relations Presentations

My poster will examine criticisms by Bryan Stevenson in his book Just Mercy. Stevenson points to problems in the U.S. Prison and Justice systems, including mass incarceration, racial bias and sentencing, unfair convictions, and why the use of the death penalty is an unjust and impractical form of punishment that should be abolished. My poster will summarize many of these problems, as well as examine supporting evidence and evaluate different proposals for criminal justice reform.

Exploration Of The Food Forest Outreach Team, Victoria Bearden

Environment and Sustainability Presentations

At Whittaker Environmental Research Station, the first iteration of the Ursinus Food Forest was planted in 2019. The Ursinus Food Forest includes over 15 species of edible species and embraces lessons in urban agriculture, urban forestry, and agroforestry. The site has now been planted for over a year, and is monitored by Dr. Patrick Hurley, student researchers, and Ursinus facilities. There are two separate student research teams involved with the food forest, one focusing on stewardship of the site and the other focusing on outreach for the site. The goal of the outreach team is to build a community around …

My Bonner Journey, Jadidsa Perez

Bonner Presentations

The mission of the Bonner Program is to transform the lives of students and members, their campuses, their local communities, and the world through service and leadership. The Bonner Program is designed to heighten the overall education students and members receive by asking them to engage in ongoing service work and helping them develop the experience, skills, knowledge, and values necessary to make that work meaningful and lasting. In this presentation, Jadidsa Perez describes the people and experiences which were most meaningful to her throughout her years in the Bonner Program at Ursinus College.