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Honors Theses

2011

Articles 31 - 60 of 119

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Sex Generation: The Impact Of Teen Attitudes Views And Knowledge Of Contraceptives And Sexual Activity On The Teen Pregnancy And Std Rates In The United States, Haritha Sishtla Jun 2011

The Sex Generation: The Impact Of Teen Attitudes Views And Knowledge Of Contraceptives And Sexual Activity On The Teen Pregnancy And Std Rates In The United States, Haritha Sishtla

Honors Theses

Among all industrialized nations, the United States faces the highest rates of teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Previous studies have indicated that teens use engagement in sexual activity as a social mechanism to gain popularity among their peers. This paper focuses on two issues: social factors such as peer perceptions towards other peers engaging in sex and using contraceptives, and assesses the level of knowledge teens have about sex, STDs, pregnancy, and contraceptives that could have an effect on the teen pregnancy and STD rates in the United States. Cross-sectional data from Waves I and II (1994-96) National …


Rediscovering Prigg V. Pennsylvania, Andrew J. Trochanowski Jun 2011

Rediscovering Prigg V. Pennsylvania, Andrew J. Trochanowski

Honors Theses

The concept of federalism serves as the foundation for the American political system. The framers laid a foundation for balancing state and national tensions; and during the antebellum era American political actors wrestled with the proper application of these concepts. This paper traces the evolution of federalist principles beginning at the founding and culminating with the commonly misperceived Supreme Court case Prigg v. Pennsylvania by analyzing transformative historical moments and political regimes. Prigg v. Pennsylvania currently exists within contemporary political and constitutional scholarly literature as a slavery case decided upon moralistic bias and the Court’s commitment to the institution of …


Lyndon Johnson: A Psychological Character Study, Stephanie L. Vacchio Jun 2011

Lyndon Johnson: A Psychological Character Study, Stephanie L. Vacchio

Honors Theses

This thesis centers on Lyndon Johnson and his character traits and how they are translated into his leadership abilities. The ways in which he handled issues as president, his personal relationships with others, and his own personality traits all define who Johnson was as a man. These aspects combined can be viewed as “character”, or the result of the environment someone has been exposed to for a prolonged period of time. In the case of Johnson, it is his childhood that has played the largest role in shaping his character and in turn his personality. My thesis explores the psychological …


Tragically Hip: Hipsters Psychological Development Irony And The Negative Backlash, Aria D. Walfrand Jun 2011

Tragically Hip: Hipsters Psychological Development Irony And The Negative Backlash, Aria D. Walfrand

Honors Theses

My thesis explores the psychology of hipsters, a modern American countercultural group. I explain the phenomenon of this group by first examining how they are like and unlike previous countercultural movements, as well as which of the classic tenants of “hip” contemporary hipsters have employed as part of their existence in the modern world. Finally, I focus on hipsters’ employment of irony as a tactic to subvert the mainstream culture and why being ironic has caused such a negative backlash on the part of the mainstream culture, as well as other countercultures.


Iraqs Post-War Failure: A Result Of Special Interests, Gordon D. Butler Jun 2011

Iraqs Post-War Failure: A Result Of Special Interests, Gordon D. Butler

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the causation for entrance and failure of the American intervention in Iraq. While it is commonly understood that President Bush’s insistence on preventing further atrocities after September 11th was a major motivation for launching the war, there exist many more players hidden from the public eye that contributed to the decision. Collaborating as collected special interests, these individuals often manipulated the public agenda, bent factual evidence to their favor, and sold the war to an ignorant American public. As a result, proper planning for post-war reconstruction and the assurance of stable democratic growth after the fall of …


Shirking In The National Hockey League, Luke D. Cain Jun 2011

Shirking In The National Hockey League, Luke D. Cain

Honors Theses

Shirking has been examined in baseball and basketball, but never hockey. If Shirking is found to be evident in hockey, then management should give players shorter contracts and should pay a discount price if a long‐term contract is given. The dependent variable for this study is shirking. There are many different independent variables and they are all different measures of performance (except for dummy variables for team and position). Most studies of hockey have minimal measures of performance, which are usually offensive statistics, but I will include defensive statistics as well. The sample for the study is players who participated …


The Music Industry And The Internet: The Effects Of Online Social Networking Sites On Record Labels And Aspiring Artists, Carolyn S. Canetti Jun 2011

The Music Industry And The Internet: The Effects Of Online Social Networking Sites On Record Labels And Aspiring Artists, Carolyn S. Canetti

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the ways that the Internet’s social networking sites have affected the music industry and aspiring artists. In the past ten years there has been an upsurge in the use and importance of social networking sites such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. This revolution in social connection has yielded drastic changes in the ways both labels and musicians share and search for music. I had internships with Universal Music Group and Smithsonian Folkways in their online marketing department and was able to study first hand the way record labels utilize social networking sites to benefit their artists. I …


The Effect Of Uncompensated Medical Care On Safety-Net Hospitals In The United States, Daniel J. Dimenstein Jun 2011

The Effect Of Uncompensated Medical Care On Safety-Net Hospitals In The United States, Daniel J. Dimenstein

Honors Theses

Uncompensated hospital care presents a significant problem in the United States health care system, and it is most prevalent in non-profit, “safety-net” hospitals, which make up the 10% of hospitals that provide the most uncompensated care. The incidence of uncompensated medical care stems from the inherent relationship between poverty and health in that poorer people (who tend to experience a lower health status) receive care from hospitals and are unable to pay for it, which results in these hospitals providing this care for a fraction of the charge or even free of charge. This study looks at the specific impact …


Middle Class Political Competition And Economic Growth, Jorge A. Enriquez Murillo Jun 2011

Middle Class Political Competition And Economic Growth, Jorge A. Enriquez Murillo

Honors Theses

Middle class individuals play a fundamental role in countries’ political and economic spheres. Their political demands for a fair tax system and public goods provisions enhance positive economic performance and development. A large share of income held by the middle class, according to Easterly (2001), is positively related to economic growth and political stability. Similarly, Alesina and Rodrik (1994) –among other political economic studies- highlight that a well-endowed median voter population influences the implementation of growth-enhancing economic policies. This study examines the interplay between political competition and a politically active middle-class and its subsequent effect on economic growth. The dependant …


Analyzing The Parallelism Between The Rise And Fall Of Baseball In Quebec And The Quebec Secession Movement, Daniel S. Greene Jun 2011

Analyzing The Parallelism Between The Rise And Fall Of Baseball In Quebec And The Quebec Secession Movement, Daniel S. Greene

Honors Theses

My Senior Project examines the parallelism between the movement to bring baseball to Quebec and the Quebec secession movement in Canada. Through my research I have found that both entities follow a very similar timeline with highs and lows coming around the same time in the same province; although, I have not found any direct linkage between the two. My analysis begins around 1837 and continues through present day, and by analyzing the histories of each movement demonstrates clearly that both movements followed a unique and similar timeline. The project is separated into six chapters, each containing three parts, including …


Is Turkey Turning Away From The West?, Saghar Hamidzade Jun 2011

Is Turkey Turning Away From The West?, Saghar Hamidzade

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to answer the question of whether Turkey is turning away from its traditional western allies and reorienting itself towards the Middle East. The first chapter examines Turkey’s past, particularly the legacy of the Ottoman era, the Kemalist period, and the Cold War era, in order to its historical foundations. The second chapter analyzes the changes on the Turkish domestic scene from 1950 up to today. The focus of this chapter is on the Kemalists’ repression of democracy and the social and political shift among much of the population in reaction to their suppressive ways. …


Sustainable Food: New York Organic Dairy Market Conditions And Recommendations For Policy Reform, Dylan H. Hawkins Jun 2011

Sustainable Food: New York Organic Dairy Market Conditions And Recommendations For Policy Reform, Dylan H. Hawkins

Honors Theses

This paper questions the sustainability of the American dairy industry through an examination of the current organic milk industry of New York State, with special attention paid to three interests: consumer welfare, farmer welfare, and the environment. Many consumers envision an agrarian ideal of grazing cows on pasture when they think of a dairy farm; milk-marketing companies often perpetuate this image. Unfortunately, most dairy cows in America do not enjoy such idyllic lives. History shows that consolidation of the American food system has led to major transformations in dairy farming. As a result, consumers have had limited access to high …


Broken English And Fixed Stereotypes: The Portrayal Of Asian Americans In The Popular Media, Alice C. Huang Jun 2011

Broken English And Fixed Stereotypes: The Portrayal Of Asian Americans In The Popular Media, Alice C. Huang

Honors Theses

Since the arrival of East Asian people to the United States of America in the nineteenth century, their portrayal in the popular media has largely consisted of stereotypes: John Chinaman, Charlie Chan, Fu Manchu, Geisha Girl, etc. To investigate if there are changes in the representation of Asian Americans in the popular media, two types of research methods were utilized: content analysis and surveys. With over 300 surveys distributed electronically on the Union College campus, 56 responses were received. The survey was composed of 30.4% Asian Americans and 69.6% Caucasian Americans. The surveys had some interesting trends, which indicate that …


After The Studio: The Politcal Influence Of Visual Imagery, Katherine A. Macewan Jun 2011

After The Studio: The Politcal Influence Of Visual Imagery, Katherine A. Macewan

Honors Theses

Seeking to understand the role of art outside the studio, this paper examines the political effects of visual art in public space. With four artists serving as case studies, the paper interprets these artists’ work using the text of a political theorist to understand both how the public absorbs their pieces and what importance this process has. Fist, using political theorist Hannah Arendt to examine the work of the graffiti artist Banksy, the paper explores the relevance of artist’s intention to the public understanding of an image. Moving to socially conscious photographer Aaron Huey paired with author Susan Sontag, the …


If You Label It This Then It Cant Be That: Revisiting New Journalism In Mailer, Didion, And Wolfe, Jill E. Radwin Jun 2011

If You Label It This Then It Cant Be That: Revisiting New Journalism In Mailer, Didion, And Wolfe, Jill E. Radwin

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the works of Norman Mailer, Joan Didion, and Tom Wolfe, a group of writers most often defined as the “New Journalists” for their untraditional blending of fictional techniques with reportage. I refer primarily to three texts: Mailer’s The Armies of the Night, Didion’s The White Album, and Wolfe’s The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, and then go on to analyze the authors’ later careers through a study of their more recent essays and essay collections. I examine the ways in which these three authors break conventions of traditional journalism, most notably through their rejection of ethical boundaries, the …


The Impact Of The 2005 Collective Bargaining Agreement On Competitive Balance In The National Hockey League, John L. Simpson Jun 2011

The Impact Of The 2005 Collective Bargaining Agreement On Competitive Balance In The National Hockey League, John L. Simpson

Honors Theses

After a lockout that canceled the 2004‐05 season in the National Hockey League (NHL), the owners and players reached a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that instituted a ‘hard’ salary cap, a modified revenue sharing system, and changes in free agency. The principal motivation for the new agreement was to raise competitiveness among the teams, in order to generate greater revenue and profitability and to support higher player salaries. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of the CBA on competitive balance within the NHL and identify the principal determinants of the changes in competitiveness among the teams. …


Following The Herd: An Economic Analysis Of The Effects Of Herd Mentality On The U.S. Housing Bubble, Michael P. Spicer Jun 2011

Following The Herd: An Economic Analysis Of The Effects Of Herd Mentality On The U.S. Housing Bubble, Michael P. Spicer

Honors Theses

One focus of economics in the recent years has been the integration of human behavior, including that of herd behavior, into economic thought. Herd behavior can be defined as the way that individuals, who have private information, end up acting together as a group inadvertently, without planned action. It is thought to be caused by incomplete information and subsequently information cascades. Does this behavior exist, and if it does, did it have any effect on the recent housing market? The last twelve years provide a good opportunity to test whether or not herd behavior exists in the housing market, and …


Democratization And Social Movements: An Analysis Of Elites And Masses In Democratic Transitions, Caroline M. Tulp Jun 2011

Democratization And Social Movements: An Analysis Of Elites And Masses In Democratic Transitions, Caroline M. Tulp

Honors Theses

Over the past several decades there has been an influx of countries becoming democracies. Post-communist Eastern Europe, developing Africa, and Latin America are only three regions that have been working towards democratic governments, some being more successful than others. There are many theories that attempt to explain why some countries are able to successfully transition to a democracy while others fail. In my senior thesis, I focus on elitism versus the power of the masses. For most of transitology history, elites have been viewed as the prominent actor in democratization. However, the role of the masses has been focused on …


Do Medical Technology And Healthcare Spending Affect Health Outcomes?, Chandni V. Vaid Jun 2011

Do Medical Technology And Healthcare Spending Affect Health Outcomes?, Chandni V. Vaid

Honors Theses

Healthcare expenditures have been on the rise for many countries, especially for the developed countries. As of 2009, Japan, Australia and Canada are spending around 8 to 10% of their total GDP on healthcare, while the United States is currently up to 16%. One of the major factors contributing to increased expenditures on healthcare is the emergence of medical technology. Using data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), I empirically investigate the effects of medical technologies and healthcare expenditure on health outcomes for a group of 17 countries. Medical technology is measured by the number of MRI …


Regional Variation In The Length Of Hospital Stay And Insurance Coverage: A State-Wide Variation In Length Of Stay And Insurance Types, Samuel S. Yoon Jun 2011

Regional Variation In The Length Of Hospital Stay And Insurance Coverage: A State-Wide Variation In Length Of Stay And Insurance Types, Samuel S. Yoon

Honors Theses

With the continuously growing healthcare expenditure, it is important to examine the causes of this phenomenon. Length of hospital stay is one possible cause. Using the panel data from 2001 – 2008 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, Statehealthfacts.org, Center for Disease Control and Prevention Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Almanac of Hospital Financial & Operating Indicators 2007, and Current Population Survey March Supplements, this paper utilizes regression analysis to investigate geographic variation on the length of stay, focusing on the relationship between the different insurance types and the length of stay. As a variety of insurance types offers different reimbursement …


The Family And Medical Leave Act: Effects On Women's Wages And Employment, Andrea E. Miller Jun 2011

The Family And Medical Leave Act: Effects On Women's Wages And Employment, Andrea E. Miller

Honors Theses

For many years, women's labor force participation and issues of parental leave have been of great importance not only to families and individuals, but also to policy makers, researchers, and employers alike. The Family and Medical Leave Act was the first federal policy enacted in an effort to accommodate medical leave for employees. The Family and Medical Leave Act allowed both men and women to take extended, unpaid leaves due to personal or family medical and health issues. The FMLA establishes a federal, minimum leave threshold in order for employees to take such an extended leave to include the following …


What's More Persuasive? How The Internet And Newspaper Change Opinions, Sloane E. Sheldon Jun 2011

What's More Persuasive? How The Internet And Newspaper Change Opinions, Sloane E. Sheldon

Honors Theses

The Internet has become an integral part of society. While people have been turning to the Internet for their news, newspapers are still a powerful source of information. This study investigates whether the newspaper or Internet is more effective at altering people’s opinions. Participants included people ranging from 18-78 years old. After reading a political endorsement that appeared to come from either a printed newspaper or a news website, participants rated their opinions on this candidate. When the message included strong arguments, the source of the article did not have an effect on how well the articles were able to …


The Suez Crisis: Country Breakdown, Maeghan M. Buckley Jun 2011

The Suez Crisis: Country Breakdown, Maeghan M. Buckley

Honors Theses

The inflexible position of the multiple actors during the Suez Crisis made military aggression all the more precarious within a post‐Hitler world. Britain and France attempted to make multiple connections between Nasser and Hitler in order to engage the United States in their endeavor. Instead Eisenhower searched for a diplomatic solution in order to ensure the Soviet Union would not be allowed to infiltrate the Middle East. No matter the efforts of the countries involved, the final solution was only found within the United Nations. Issues of sovereignty collided with international law erupting in a military attack that was ultimately …


Corruption In The Indian Political System, Khusboo J. Desai Jun 2011

Corruption In The Indian Political System, Khusboo J. Desai

Honors Theses

Currently, India and China are both competing to be the hegemonic power in Asia as well as a superpower internationally. Both are growing at double-digit rates, while other nations are dealing with the current recession. However, while China is reducing corruption which ultimately translates into money lost by the government, corruption in India is increasing at a rapid pace. According to Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index 2010, India ranked 87 out of 180 nations. Though, India ranked better than half the other nations, India fell from 72nd (2007) to 84th in two years. In my thesis, I explore the relationship …


Farmers Motivations To Practice Sustainable Agriculture, Kimberly A. Floeser Jun 2011

Farmers Motivations To Practice Sustainable Agriculture, Kimberly A. Floeser

Honors Theses

An increasing awareness of human and environmental health issues and the destruction of family farms and rural communities have caused a significant change in the way many farmers, consumers, and policy‐makers are thinking about and relating to food, the results of which can be seen largely in the growth of the organic and sustainable food industry. This paper attempts to examine and explain farmers’ attitudes towards sustainable agriculture, and their motivations to use sustainable methods of production. A survey was distributed to 533 farms that are members of the Northeast Organic Food Association of New York (NOFA‐NY). The data obtained …


Applying Fair Division To Global Carbon, Emily D. Lacroix Jun 2011

Applying Fair Division To Global Carbon, Emily D. Lacroix

Honors Theses

The world climate policy debate has come to a political standstill between devel-oped and developing countries. They cannot agree on a “fair” manner to decide how much each country is allowed to pollute, and who should pay for pollution abate-ment costs. The United States and developed countries believe that all countries should participate and reduce their carbon dioxide emissions to their 1990 levels be-cause everyone will benefit. By contrast, developing countries believe that developed countries should be required to do the majority of the emission abatement because they cause the majority of the pollution. Carsten Helm [2008] proposed an unconventional …


Change: An Analysis Of Vote Choice In The 2008 Presidential Election, Maryssa A. Mataras Jun 2011

Change: An Analysis Of Vote Choice In The 2008 Presidential Election, Maryssa A. Mataras

Honors Theses

This thesis investigates the factors that helped Americans come to a vote choice in the 2008 presidential election. After an in-depth analysis and presentation on the existing literature, I then present key moments in both McCain and Obama’s campaigns looking at the context, campaigns, and candidates. I then break down the turnout and vote choice of each major social group and demographic in the United States, juxtaposing it with the group’s historical voting trends and turnout. In 2008 there was a large nationwide Democratic shift. Chapter four seeks to defend whether it was the context of the election or the …


Communication In The Courtroom, Kathryn Meagan Cowles May 2011

Communication In The Courtroom, Kathryn Meagan Cowles

Honors Theses

An attorney's communication style - not just what he or she says, but how he or she says it - can affect the outcome of a trial. By performing a meta-analysis of thirty-four peer-reviewed articles on this subject, areas where research is plentiful and areas where research may be lacking are identifiable. Variables for this project include the type of communication, the type of legal case, mention or lack thereof of attorney-communication training, and the sample subject. Upon analysis of these articles, it was found that research in the areas of verbal and non-verbal communication, attorney-jury communication, and criminal cases …


Problem Solving And Functional Fixedness: A Comparison Between Eco-Reps And Non Eco-Reps, Keith G. Richard May 2011

Problem Solving And Functional Fixedness: A Comparison Between Eco-Reps And Non Eco-Reps, Keith G. Richard

Honors Theses

A quasi experiment was conducted to examine functional fixedness and creative problem solving. The purpose of this research was to attempt to identify differences in cognitive ability between recyclers and non recyclers. This researcher investigated whether recycling group affiliation or priming for functional fixedness would affect task performance among college students. A tower building activity was developed for this study to determine if members of a college recycling group, the Eco-Reps, would complete a problem solving activity faster than non Eco-Reps. Some participants in each group were primed for functional fixedness. This researcher hypothesized that Eco-Reps would complete the task …


Ole, Ole… Oh No? The Economic And Social Impacts The Fifa World Cup Has On Its Host Countries And How South Africa, The 2010 Host, May Be Affected, Colleen A. Schohl May 2011

Ole, Ole… Oh No? The Economic And Social Impacts The Fifa World Cup Has On Its Host Countries And How South Africa, The 2010 Host, May Be Affected, Colleen A. Schohl

Honors Theses

Research has not shown any proven long-term positive economic impacts directly resulting from hosting the FIFA World Cup; however, the intangible "feel good" factor has been hypothesized to bring positive effects to a country and its individual residents. This is one variable that has shown to have some positive effect on a host country, but its benefit is usually short-lived and commonly overlooked by researchers (Kavetsos and Szymanski, 2010). If questions on how to measure this factor could be answered, researchers would better be able to address the overall economic impact. Based on analysis of the South African economy, South …