Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Brrr! It’S Cold In The Fridge: The Treatment Of Women In The Marvel Cinematic Universe, Madison Green

Honors Program Theses

Female characters depicted within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) have faced unequal treatment and significant erasure since the origin of the franchise. As the series gained popularity and cultural discussions of representation grew, the MCU has since introduced more female characters. This then prompts concerns regarding the quality of that representation and how those female characters are treated within the franchise, and if that treatment has changed over time. Six films were selected from across the four first phases of the MCU for content analysis and data was compiled into two tables to quantifiably measure the depowerment aspect of fridging, …

Social Exclusion And Negative Affect: The Impact Of Mentalized Affectivity, Anna Voicu

Honors Program Theses

Social exclusion has been widely associated with feelings of anxiety, depressed mood, anger, and hostility. Previous literature indicates that mentalized affectivity (MA), a sophisticated form of emotional regulation, may be effective in mitigating emotional experience after social exclusion. In light of this research, our study sought to examine the predictive value of mentalized affectivity and inclusion/exclusion on emotion. Participants (N = 170) completed measures of mentalized affectivity and positive and negative affect, in addition to playing a virtual ball-tossing game that would randomly assign them to an inclusion or exclusion condition. Multiple regression analyses revealed that mentalized affectivity predicted both …

My Encounters With Paradise: The Evolution Of Natural Beauty And Luminist Aesthetics In Central Florida, Jeremy Laplanche

Honors Program Theses

Historically, the marshes and swamps of Central Florida have been depicted as a paradise in artwork by naturalists such as William Bartram and Luminist landscape painters like Martin Johnson Heade. Today, the image of Florida’s tourism centers around theme parks and beaches. However, state parks in Central Florida preserve and restore unique ecosystems. This thesis analyzes the effectiveness of Wekiwa Springs State Park and Blue Spring State Park’s management practices for maintaining the Luminist and naturalist aesthetics. Previous research has identified the role of landscape paintings, particularly from the Hudson River School and the American West, in establishing America’s appreciation …

Land Back And Justice: Examining Indigenous Land And Water Rights In The United States, Matthew Deveaux

Honors Program Theses

This paper evaluates U.S. policies regarding Indigenous land and water rights in the context of changing global climate conditions and a societal shift towards reparative justice models. Theories from the literature on Indigenous sovereignty and environmental protection at large, as well as the literature on reparative justice and post-colonial theory, are combined with case studies of environmental personhood in Ecuador and New Zealand to examine how a policy model could be created for the U.S. that strengthens Indigenous rights. It is argued that this colonial capitalist process has resulted in oppressive policies that harm Indigenous populations and negatively impact the …

The Economic Reintegration Of Former Child Soldiers In Northern Uganda, Capri Gutiérrez

Honors Program Theses

During the Northern Ugandan War, the Lord’s Resistance Army kidnapped and recruited 30,000 children and forced them to become soldiers. Nearly twenty years since the end of the war, former child soldiers continue to experience extreme poverty, psychological distress, and social isolation. For many, the economic hardship they face, due to stigma and missing out on school, is their greatest challenge upon returning home. This paper analyzes the strategies used by the government and non-state actors to reintegrate former child soldiers back into the Ugandan economy. These strategies are then compared to best practices in the field using secondary research …

Exploring Third Party Moral Transgressions In Preschool-Age Children, Courtney Trohn

Honors Program Theses

The present study investigates agent-neutral application of moral norms in preschool-age children and seeks to replicate a previous study that found children as young as 3 to actively intervene in third-party moral transgressions. The relationship between verbal ability and moral intervention is also explored. In an experimental research design, 3, 4, and 5-year-olds and two puppets each created their own drawing together, after which one confederate puppet left the room. The participants were randomly assigned to either a Harm condition (in which the absent puppet’s drawing was destroyed by the remaining puppet) or a Control condition (in which an extra …

Life Insurance Access And Financial Resilience: Fostering Sustainable And Inclusive Growth In Latin America, Nicolas Thompsen

Honors Program Theses

Existing literature has documented an increasing focus on financial resilience to better address the issue of multidimensional poverty in developing regions. The move to financial resilience is a part of a long process that has examined the relationship between poverty and financial access. Yet because financial resilience is a relatively new topic, the specifics of how financial resilience can be fostered using specific financial products has yet to be substantiated. Thus, this study offers an examination of the relationship between life insurance access and financial resilience in a sample of 16 middle-income Latin American countries, the first study of its …

Nation And Identity: Far Right-Wing Parties' Depiction Of National Identity And Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric, Kerstin Carroll

Honors Program Theses

This thesis analyzes national identity maintenance by looking at the communications of three far right political parties in Europe. These parties are Alternativ Für Deutschland, the National Rally party, and the United Kingdom Independence Party. The results of this thesis have highlighted that these parties are concerned about maintaining the national identity of their countries and the worry that immigration coming into the nation will change the national identity. AfD, the National Rally party and UKIP all have different approaches to national identity; AfD is focused upon the family rhetoric and maintaining the family rhetoric to protect the national identity. …

Eye-Movements Of Vocal Performers Across Experience Levels, Charlotte Kelly

Honors Program Theses

Expertise, such as music expertise, is commonly studied through an analysis of eye-movements. Experts typically have fewer fixations, longer saccade amplitudes, and thus greater perceptual spans when reading music than non-experts. Most musical expertise literature is focused on instrumentalists and sight-reading. The current study aimed to extend the research to include vocalists and to see if there are still expertise effects when both experts and non-experts are familiar with the piece of music. Participants were recruited to sing a piece from their choir once when they had first started learning the piece and again right before their concert. They were …

Making The Rollins College Archaeology Lab Accessible Through Digital Technologies, Ellie Minette

Honors Program Theses

From classrooms to museums, and even private collections, 3D digital models of artifacts can pave the way for a more inclusive and accessible future for archaeology. This thesis looks specifically at how photogrammetry and digital modeling can increase the accessibility and utility of artifact collections housed at the Rollins College Archaeology Lab. It focuses on how we can best preserve these collections while also increasing access to academics, researchers, and the general public alike. By digitizing over 50 models, I created an online repository for these artifacts on Sketchfab (https://sketchfab.com/rollins_archaeology), as well as a step-by-step guide to photogrammetry. Through interviews …

Stardust In Cedar Forest: Suicide Prevention Through Interactive Theatre For College Students, Ghina Fawaz

Honors Program Theses

Suicide can impact people from all walks of life, and for those who are vulnerable to circumstances that amplify suicidal ideation, prevention programs can be effective methods to provide relief and promote awareness to community members. The World Health Organization (2021) highlighted a global need for prevention programs targeted toward young people as suicide is the second leading cause of death for people aged 15-29. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of interactive theatre as a form of psychoeducation and suicide prevention for college students. This study found that interactive theatre had a positive impact as …

Fashioning The Flapper: Clothing As A Catalyst For Social Change In 1920s America, Julia Wolffe

Honors Program Theses

Fashion has been a catalyst for social change throughout human history. Fashion in 1920s America in particular reflects society's rapidly evolving attitudes towards gender and race. Beginning with how corsetry heavily restricted women for nearly four hundred years up until the twentieth century, this thesis explores how clothing has acted as a tool for societal progression following World War I and Women's Suffrage and during the Jazz Age and The Harlem Renaissance. Specifically, this thesis examines how the influence of jazz music and dance that originated from Black American communities led to the creation of the flapper evening dress. The …

National Barriers Impeding The Implementation Of Nagpra: Suggestions From A Small Institution, Zoe Milburn

Honors Program Theses

This thesis focuses on the impact and unrealized potentials of NAGPRA for Indigenous Americans and professional archaeologists following the first thirty years of the law’s existence. After providing some necessary background on the NAGPRA legislation and the context of the law’s passage, I examine these issues through three distinct methods. The first method focuses on a review of published Indigenous and archaeological literature to identify changes in sentiment around the law as well as to identify known hurdles within the process. The second revolves around my experience preparing a NAGPRA inventory for the Rollins College Archaeology Lab. Specifically, I reflect …

Continuity And Change Of Latter-Generational Racism In The United States From 2004 - 2016, Collin Swords

Honors Program Theses

Does the intensity of racial attitudes among voters in the U.S. change from 2004-2016? Do attitudes of latter-generational racism like negative stereotyping, racial resentment, anti-black affect, and white identity impact voter’s perceptions of Presidential candidates throughout 2004 - 2016? Additionally, what is the impact of race on these preferences, specifically white racial sensitivity? This thesis examines the impact of latter-generational attitudes on Republican Presidential Candidate affect over a time series of 2004 – 2016. Over time, the Republican Party is becoming more male, white, and lower income/ educated while the Democrat Party is becoming more diverse and better educated. Over …

Skin Deep: Body Positivity And Brand Authenticity, Camilla Guimaraes

Honors Program Theses

This experiment explores the influence of a plus-size model’s dress (modest or revealing) and skin condition (perfect or imperfect) on participants’ responses to branded body positive Instagram posts. Specifically, participants were randomly assigned to one of the four conditions (i.e., modest-perfect; modest-imperfect; revealing-perfect; revealing-imperfect) to compare their (a) ratings of the model’s attractiveness, (b) emotional responses, (c) perceptions of the sponsoring brand’s authenticity, and (d) purchase intentions. In addition to the four treatment conditions, responses were also compared across participants with varying attitudes toward society’s beauty standards and with high or low body images. The results indicate the condition, the …

Turning Teams Of Champions Into Championship Teams: A Thematic Analysis Of Identity Entrepreneurship In College Football, Marlee Johnson

Honors Program Theses

Identity entrepreneurship, a leader’s active construction of a shared team identity, has become a pertinent research topic in sports leadership (Slater et al., 2015; Steffens et al., 2018) In line with social identity theory and the social identity approach to sports, recent research suggests that identity entrepreneurship is how leaders have the capacity to turn “teams of champions into championship teams” (Fransen, et al., 2015b, p. 98; Rees et al. 2015). This study was conducted to examine the difference in how the head coach of a championship team and the head coach of a non-championship team constructed social identity over …

Anti-Abortion Crisis Pregnancy Centers In Central Florida, Isabel Adamus

Honors Program Theses

Anti-abortion pregnancy centers, also known as crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs), are nonprofit organizations that target pregnant women and aim to dissuade them from considering abortion. In the U.S., CPCs are increasing in prevalence, accumulating government/state funding and support, and becoming more medicalized. Medicalization includes offering limited medical services, such as pregnancy testing, limited ultrasounds, and testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). CPCs are largely unlicensed and unregulated, frequently advertising in misleading ways and providing inaccurate health information. The goal of this research is to (1) understand how CPCs in Central Florida utilize rhetorical strategies to frame their services and health …

Racial Composition In Advertisements And Its Effects On White Consumers' Perceptions And Purchase Intention, Chung-Ting Wang

Honors Program Theses

Previous marketing research has generally not examined how ethnic majority consumers perceive advertisements featuring mixed racial compositions of model groups. This paper presents an investigation into how White consumers’ perceptions and purchase intentions change depending on the racial composition of the people represented in an advertisement. The study uses a single 12-condition experiment, in which we examine the type of advertisement (product vs. social advocacy advertising), racial composition (all-White vs. diverse mix vs. all-Black), and racial priming effects (racially-primed vs. racially-neutral message). Additionally, consumers’ levels of self-referencing to the ad and strength of ethnic identification are explored as possible mediation …

Impacts Of Censorship On Political Polarization, Sofia Frasz

Honors Program Theses

Ideological and affective polarization across party lines has grown significantly in the United States in the past several decades. It has hit a high point in the years since President Donald Trump’s election. At the same time, citizens who identify as conservative, Republican, or libertarian have expressed concerns over a perceived increase in social media censorship of their ideas. Whether real or perceived, the fear of censorship has directly contributed to a vicious cycle of political antagonism: those who feel censored (most likely to identify as right-leaning) blame members of the other party (who are often assumed to be left-leaning) …

Social Media Recruitment And Online Propaganda By Extremist Groups, Megan Marie Robinson

Honors Program Theses

As billions of people turn to their technologically elite phones and laptops for immediate information, online groups have learned how to take advantage of social media patterns and isolate people into a specific belief or carefully tailored platforms that eliminate opposing ideas. Extremist groups’ online presence have been studied as individual dilemmas, rather than being studied for patterns to combat the rapidly increasing radicalization of people who had no claim to these beliefs before social media. This study will contrast the online presence of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the January 6th insurrectionists in terms of …

College-Age Students' Attitudes Toward Essential Oils, Alternative Medicines, And Modern Medicine, Taylor Nicole Brown

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the attitudes of college-age students on the use of essential oils, alternative medicines, and modern medicine. Essential oils are natural oils that contain the essence/fragrance of a plant and are often used for cleaning purposes (e.g., in soaps, detergents, disinfectant sprays) and therapeutic purposes (e.g., relieving aches and pains, calming a person, healing illnesses and injuries, improving mood). Although essential oils are primarily used in alternative medicine, some oils have also been used on an experimental basis in modern medical settings (Corner et al., 1995).

College-age students took part in an …

Proto-Nationalism In Scandinavia: Swedish State Building In The Middle Ages, Alexander Jacobson

Honors Program Theses

Nationalism is usually considered a modern socio-political development and a product of the French and Industrial Revolutions. However most scholarship done on nationalism largely overlooks religion, and excludes both its presence in the Middle Ages and its development in Scandinavia--focusing heavily on German, British, French, and Central European variations of nationalism. For Scandinavians in the late Middle Ages and Early Modern era, nationalism did not emerge exactly like their European counterparts. It was the product of early religious, technological, and economic changes over the course of the 15th and 16th Centuries that restructured European politics, society, and identity. Using early …

Losing Yourself: Cults, Greeks, And Sociological Theories Of Self And Identity, Emma Morgan

Honors Program Theses

This thesis is theoretical in nature. It is an exploration of sociological theory using cults and greek life as case studies for examining the construction of the self in the context of powerful social groups.

The Impact Of Covid-19 And The Lockdown On The Uk Economy, Elliot Wylie

Honors Program Theses

This thesis analyses the macroeconomic impacts of Covid-19 and the lockdown on the UK’s economy. GDP in the second quarter of 2020 fell by 19%, the largest quarterly decrease in GDP for the UK on record. Consumption and investment in this quarter decreased significantly resulting in the large decrease in GDP. The unemployment rate remained relatively low, for the large decrease in GDP, throughout the pandemic and only increased to 5.0% in December 2020. The effective Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) have kept unemployment low. The schemes have paid for 12.2 million workers’ …

Representing Cfam's Visitors: Participatory Action Research Approach, Lindsay Fulop

Honors Program Theses

Using the participatory action research model, this study gathered preliminary data to determine the Cornell Fine Arts Museum’s (CFAM) current audience and lay the groundwork for future diversity and inclusion initiatives by assessing visitors’ experience of the museum and how it might be improved. Though the museum staff’s current practices closely resemble the research model, this is the first study to use it as a framework for conducting audience research alongside the staff. As this methodology is not common within the museum sphere, this study assessed the viability of participatory action research for further use within the field. The participatory …

Ipv At The Margins: Conceptualizing Gaps In The Survivor Safety Net For Lower-Income Black Women, Cristina Toppin

Honors Program Theses

This paper evaluates U.S. social and criminal justice policies in the context of intimate partner violence (IPV) against lower-income Black women in the U.S. Theories from the literature on IPV and gender-based violence (GBV) at-large, as well as the literature on inequity, are utilized to examine how entrenched racist, sexist, and classist ideas influence policymaking. It is argued that this process has resulted in policies that reinforce the higher rates of IPV against lower-income Black women as compared to their upper-income white peers. Two overarching research questions are addressed to support this argument. First, how have pejorative stereotypes against Black …

Telehealth During Covid-19: A Look At Healthcare Providers’ Experiences, Sabrina Webb

Honors Program Theses

Healthcare providers were placed under considerable strain during the COVID-19 pandemic. To exacerbate matters more, a sudden shift to telehealth became necessary to provide safe provider-patient visits. The increased strain created by the sudden need to implement a telehealth protocol is believed to have decreased workplace satisfaction. This study aims to investigate how the rapid shift to telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic affected healthcare providers’ workplace satisfaction, how virtual visits created challenges and opportunities for provider-patient communication, and how the use of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic affected healthcare providers’ capacity to engage in patient-centered communication. For this study, 15 …

Voter Rationality In The United States, Asael Marvel

Honors Program Theses

The decade preceding 2020 has brought into question the political rationality of the average American voter, as it seems many individuals may vote against what is best for themselves. This begs a simple question, are American voters voting in their won rational self-interest, this project looks into a myriad of theories on voter rationality and the processes behind how voters may calculate or come to their voter decisions in an election in order to answer these questions. Then using the 2012 Cooperative Congressional Election Survey creates a method to analyze whether a specific group within the US is voting rationally, …

Workings Of Theocracy: The Historical Function And Modern Applicability Of Charitable Endowments, Nuh Elalaoui

Honors Program Theses

Historically, various systems and institutions across diverse civilizations have been established to meet the many needs that interweave the fabric of society. One, and perhaps the most significant of these institutions is the waqf/hubus system. Characterized by the designation of a property or revenue stream as mortmain and the investment of the usufruct for the benefit of (often predetermined) beneficiaries, this form of charitable endowment is hailed as a cornerstone of Islamic civilization. The objectives of this paper are threefold. Primarily, it examines the historical role of awqāf, with focus on their social and economic significance in two distinct Islamic …

Regional Integration In South America: Mercosur As A Force For Democracy Protection, Matthew Willis

Honors Program Theses

Set against a backdrop of widespread democratization in Latin America, the foundation of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) in 1991 represents an effort to both harmonize interstate relations and enhance the region’s collective standing on the global stage. This work takes particular interest with the principles of democracy protection enshrined within the 1998 Ushuaia Protocol on Democratic Commitment. Stable democratic function is often viewed as an end unto itself and can also promote economic and macropolitical stability within a framework of strong regional interdependence. This work will provide a literature review which merges scholarly insights on the role of hegemonic …