Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Common Currency Examined In Latin America, Jack William Mccloskey

Honors Theses

Maintaining a stable currency with economic growth and prosperity has always been an obstacle for countries in Latin America. Debt crises and high poverty rates have plagued economies in the region for decades now. A possible solution to these problems is a shared currency. This approach has positive and negative attributes, and other solutions are also discussed.

Language, Race, And Culture In Porgy And Bess, Madeline J. Baker

Honors Theses

This study considers the cultural history of the story of Porgy and Bess, from its first manifestation as the 1925 novel Porgy by DuBose Heyward, to the 1927 play adaptation, to the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward. Heyward, a writer from Charleston, South Carolina, based the characters on the Gullah peoples of Charleston and attempted to represent the Gullah creole language they spoke in the dialogue of the novel. The representation of the creole language in the text of the novel, and the way the language changed …

The Effects Of Trade And Other Factors On Income Distribution: The Cases Of Chile, Dominican Republic, And Venezuela, George G. Lluberes

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the factors affecting income distribution in Latin America, specifically, the cases of Chile, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela. The focus of this study is to identify economic, as well as, political factors that may be causing the inequality levels of income distribution to increase or decrease within the countries previously stated. Economic factors investigated include freedom to trade, trade as a percentage of GDP, economic growth, and educational enrollment levels. Furthermore, the political factors analyzed in this thesis are: corruption levels, legal structures, security of property rights, rule of law, democratic or non-democratic status, expenditure in social …

Is Justice Available To All? Indigent Defense In Michigan, Barbara K. Lanning

Honors Theses

Does Michigan’s public defense system operate in accordance with the decisions made by the Supreme Court in cases like Gideon v. Wainwright, Powell v. Alabama, and Argersinger v. Hamlin? If not, how can we reform the system? The right to counsel for those accused of a crime in the United States is a constitutional right. After the decision issued in Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) the federal government mandated that all states were responsible for providing representation for indigent defendants. The states provide these services either through public defender programs, appointment of court cases to private attorneys, or through contracts with …

The Supreme Court: A Decade Of Opinion, Matthew A. Bahleda

Honors Theses

Conventional wisdom would have us believe that the Bush v. Gore (2000) decision marked a large change in public approval of the Supreme Court. To analyze this claim, a series of landmark cases for the years 2000-2010 will be reduced to a data set that will allow for the observation of specific variables and the roles each variable may play in determining the change in public opinion. From there, conclusions are made that substantively explicate the relations between the indicated relevant variables and the change in opinion. Ultimately, the Bush v. Gore decision is found to have not had the …

The Experience Of Guatemalans In Chattanooga, Tn, Heather Scholes

Honors Theses

Starting in the 1980s, Latin American immigration in the United States began undergoing a series of significant adaptations in response to changing government policies and economic relocation trends. A widespread shift toward permanent settlement alongside significant economic restructuring and growth in the Southeast opened the door for many low-skill workers in nontraditional settlement areas, especially in the Southeast. Chattanooga, Tennessee, has participated in this process and demonstrates certain peculiarities, particularly in regards to its large number of Guatemalan immigrants. Characterized by a unique culture, history, and family of languages, these Guatemalans' powerful stories remain untold largely due to language barriers …

An Intervention In Stereotype Threat : Does Gender-Affirming Literature Reduce Female Vulnerability In Mathematics?, Emily Dowd

Honors Theses

The current study examined whether the presentation of gender-affirming literature, in the form of information about the University of Richmond‟s Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) program, mitigated female stereotype threat in the domain of mathematics. A pilot study tested 10 male and 10 female college-aged participants to determine whether a derogatory beer commercial produced the threat effect in women; results were inconclusive. A follow-up study used threat methods derived from previous research and information about the WGSS program at Richmond for the intervention manipulation. Results from 30 female college students indicated insufficient threat and a nonsignificant positive increase in …

Searching For The Soul Of American Medicine : What Three High-Quality, Low-Cost Health Care Systems Can Teach U.S. Policymakers, Benjamin A. Paul

Honors Theses

"The United States health care system is broken." This common refrain has been echoed by policymakers and politicians, Democrats and Republicans, and liberals and conservatives alike. They point to the unacceptably high number of uninsured Americans, out of control costs, and questionable quality as just some of the problems that afflict American health care. Before the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in March, 2010, over 45 million Americans were without health insurance coverage.1 Health care spending currently accounts for 17% of this country‘s gross domestic product. In contrast, most industrialized European countries cover all of their …

Forgiveness As A Mechanism Of Self-Regulation : An Ego-Depletion Model, Lindsay Myerberg

Honors Theses

Revenge is the natural human response to interpersonal transgressions. However, given the benefits of forgiveness, it is important to consider how forgiveness can be facilitated. Many factors have been shown to be associated with forgiveness, ranging from situational factors (e.g., perception of the transgression) to dispositional factors (e.g., personality traits). This study aims to extend research on the factors that are associated with forgiveness, and determine the processes on which forgiveness relies. To demonstrate that forgiveness requires self-regulation, Study 1 examines if ego-depletion decreases willingness to forgive, and Study 2 examines if glucose consumption can negate this ego-depletion effect. Results …

Friendship And Problem Solving : The Effect Of Various Situations On Co-Rumination In Emerging Adulthood Friendships, Kelly Larsen

Honors Theses

Co-rumination is the act of negatively discussing problems with another person. The focus of co-rumination is generally on the negative aspects, or things that cannot be changed as opposed to active problem solving. Co-rumination is positively associated with positive friendship quality as well as internalizing symptoms such as anxiety and depression. Co-rumination is most commonly studied in children and adolescents, but the present study extends this research by looking at the undergraduate population. In addition the current study aims to find differences in co-rumination in response to four different hypothetical scenarios. One hundred and thirty one students at the University …

Do College Women Facilitate The Sexual Assault Of Their Same-Gender Peers?, Allyson Hopper

Honors Theses

National studies indicate that approximately 25 percent of women have been sexually assaulted by the time they finish college. Although male peers are often the perpetrators, women also engage in behaviors with their female peers that may increase the risk of sexualassault. In the present study, we sought to determine how often college women engaged in these behaviors (i.e. “female facilitation”). Participants were 373 female students (sophomorethrough senior; Greek and independent) who completed an online survey containing measures of sexual assault, alcohol consumption, and female facilitation. The female facilitation measure indexed both “facilitator” behaviors (those directed toward others thatlikely increase …

Economic Development Under Dominant-Party Regimes, Christopher J. Gorud

Honors Theses

Case studies of economic development in Japan, Mexico, India, and Kenya examine the relationship between dominant-party regimes and developmental outcomes. This paper studies the variables of bureaucratic coherence and cohesion, corporatism, labor relations, and national developmentism as contributing factors to developmental success or failure in these states.

From Victims And Villains To Protagonists: Immigration And Citizenship In Modern Italy, Rachel Gleicher

Honors Theses

The Italian media, political parties, and immigrant-related social service organizations on all sides of the spectrum have contributed to the creation of various one-dimensional perceptions of Italy’s immigrant communities which have functioned to deny immigrants’ formal citizenship status and consequently, attempted to impede their access to the basic rights and privileges national membership guarantees. While left-leaning media outlets, organizations, and individuals tend to portray immigrants as victims draining Italy of its social, economic, and material resources, the Italian right often characterizes Italy’s immigrant population as villainous intruders incapable of integration due to cultural difference and in some cases, a natural …

The Effect Of Identification Style On Confidence Inflation In Eyewitness Testimony, Kelsey L. Stratton

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine whether confidence inflation in eyewitness testimony can be altered by the effects of self-perception and public commitment, as manipulated by identification style. In order to investigate these specific effects, identifications and confidence reports were made using both private and public methods. Additionally, target-present and target-absent lineups were used in order to assess their relative effects and to control participant accuracy.

Results revealed that the best confidence-accuracy correlations, as determined by a comparison from pre-lineup measures, were a result of post-lineup, private identifications. This indicates that self-perception may be more responsible for confidence …

Keeping Nuclear Programs From Becoming Nuclear Weapons: A Game Theoretic And Econometric Analysis, Benjamin Guy Ogden

Honors Theses

There are currently only nine countries which possess nuclear weapons, but twenty-four countries have pursued the requisite technology. The question remains as to why nations ceased their programs, and whether the policies of the international community had anything to do with that decision. This paper uses both a game theoretic and a probit model with limited assumptions to attempt to uncover: a) what are the determinants of a country shuttering their nuclear weapon program, b) when "sticks and carrots" can be credible (subgame perfect), and c) how large of a role they play in the potential nuclear country's decision-making. I …

Hastening The Wheels Of Change: International Cold War Pressure And Civil Rights Reform During The Truman Presidency, Caley A. Robertson

Honors Theses

In the early Cold War arena, international pressure on the United States to live according to its ideological rhetoric enabled the Truman Administration to set a precedent for federal engagement in domestic civil rights reform. As the United States led the march to institutionalise human rights as the standard of moral legitimacy in the global arena, the country’s grisly record of racial oppression and violence invited foreign and domestic criticism alike. This paper intends to prove five discrete points. First: Cold War tensions brought questions of moral legitimacy to the forefront of the U.S. national agenda. Second: during the Truman …

A Vegetation Reconstruction Of Union County, Pennsylvania During The Early Historical Period (1755-1855), Nick Gonsalves

Honors Theses

This thesis assesses relationships between vegetation and topography and the impact of human tree-cutting on the vegetation of Union County during the early historical era (1755-1855). I use early warrant maps and forestry maps from the Pennsylvania historical archives and a warrantee map from the Union County courthouse depicting the distribution of witness trees and non-tree surveyed markers (posts and stones) in early European settlement land surveys to reconstruct the vegetation and compare vegetation by broad scale (mountains and valleys) and local scale (topographic classes with mountains and valleys) topography. I calculated marker density based on 2 km x 2 …

The Just And Beautiful City : Concepts Of Aesthetics And Justice In Contemporary American Urbanism, Anne Tyler Feldmann

Honors Theses

his project investigates methods for addressing social injustices by reconciling equity planning with aesthetic design. The paper includes an analysis of Susan Fainstein 's criteria for the "just city," a review of environmental aesthetics theories, and an overview of theories that have reconciled justice and aesthetics previously. The project utilizes two case studies-Atlanta, Georgia's BeltLine and Norfolk, Virginia's waterfront redevelopment-to gauge the relevancy of these theories in current planning practices. Based on the findings, this paper argues that the "just city" should encompass equity, diversity, democracy, and beauty, which ought to be maximized in current and future plans for American …

Identifying The Negative Stigma Associated With Having A Learning Disability, Kelsey Lisle

Honors Theses

Those with learning disabilities (LDs) can be characterized as a minority group, and like most groups of minorities they face a distinct stigma by the larger population. While there iscurrently a lack of research in understanding LD stigma, it has become increasingly important given the push for inclusive classrooms settings. In this study it was hypothesized that regardlessof a participants’ gender, when participants were given a hypothetical description of a person that included information indicating that the individual has a LD, the participants would rate that individual less favorably. Results were consistent with the hypothesis. Participants perceived the hypothetical LD …

Lexical Development In Adult Beginning Second Language Learners, Angela Chouinard

Honors Theses

This research tests the hypothesis that knowledge of derivational morphology facilitates vocabulary acquisition in beginning adult second language learners. Participants were mono-lingual English-speaking college students aged 18 years and older enrolled inintroductory Spanish courses. Knowledge of Spanish derivational morphology was tested through the use of a forced-choice translation task. Spanish lexical knowledge was measured by a translation task using direct translation (English word) primes and conceptual (picture) primes. A 2x2x2 mixed factor ANOVA examined the relationships between morphological knowledge (strong, moderate), error type (form-based, conceptual), and prime type (direct translation, picture). The results are consistent with the existence of a …

Mobile Goes Global: The Effect Of Cell Phones On Economic Growth And Development, Tracy Lum

Honors Theses

This study investigates the effect of cell phones on economic development and growth by performing an econometric analysis using data from the International Telecommunications Union and the Penn World Table. It discusses the various ways cell phones can make markets more efficient and how the diffusion of information andknowledge plays into development. Several approaches (OLS, Fixed Effects, 2SLS) were used to test over 20 econometric models. Overall, the mobile cellular subscriptions rate was found to have a positive and significant impact on countries’ level of real per capitaGDP and GDP growth rate. Furthermore, the study provides policy implications for the …

Self-Perceived Attractiveness And Its Influence On The Halo Effect And The Similar-To Me Effect, Lauren Cotter

Honors Theses

The present research examined the influences of the halo effect and the similar-tome effect on physical and sexual attractiveness for hiring decisions. It was hypothesized that the halo effect would cause applicants rated highly in physical and sexual attractiveness to receive higher ratings of hireability than unattractive applicants.However, if the similar-to-me effect is influential for levels of attractiveness in hiring situations, participants who rated themselves as less attractive should favor unattractive applicants. The results did not show an interaction between participant self-ratings and ratings of hireability, indicating the similar-to-me effect does not apply to physical or sexual attractiveness. There was …

Gender Differences In Emotional Responses To Hooking Up, Kelsey Malone

Honors Theses

The present research looked to explore the relationship between the emotional responses of college students to different hooking up behaviors. Seven hundred and nine undergraduates participated in a web-based survey that included a demographic questionnaire, SDS, PANAS, AUDIT, and a measure of hooking up. This measure examined the frequency with which they participated in eight different types of hooking up varying by degree of familiarity to their hook partner and whether or not the hook up was coital or non-coital, as well as their emotional responses to the behavior and their perception of the emotional responses of their partner. Results …

The Tea Party And Social Movements, David Palmer

Honors Theses

The recent rise of the Tea Party movement has added a new dimension to our discussion of domestic politics. The main question is: what effect will the Tea Party have on the political landscape? The best way to answer this question is to place the Tea Party in historical and theoretical context, in order to discuss what type of social movement the Tea Party is and what impact it might have. To this end, I will define and discuss the two major literatures in socialmovement theory: Issue Evolution and Political Process theory. This theoretical framework will provide the basis for …

Comparative Study Of Informal Health Care Networks And Elderly Health Status In Argentina And Cuba, Ava Ginsberg

Honors Theses

The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of informal care support networks on the health status, life satisfaction, happiness and anxiety of elderly individuals in Argentina and Cuba. Recent economic changes, demographic changes, the structure of families and changes in women?s labor participation have affected the availability of informal care. Additionally, the growing number of elderly as a percentage of total population has significant implications for both formal and informal care in Argentina and Cuba. Methods: The SABE - Survey on Health, Well-Being, and Aging in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2000 was used as the data …

Unethical Decision Making : Understanding The Role Of Leadership And Gender, Laura A. Poatsy

Honors Theses

This study examined the effects leadership role and gender have on unethical decision making and the engagement in unethical behaviors. 64 undergraduate students were exposed to both hypothetical and behavioral measures that tested their willingness to engage in unethical behaviors. The results indicate a significant effect of leadership role on unethical decision making. Furthermore, goal importance and self-efficacy are driving factors in leaders' propensity to engage in unethical behaviors. These findings demonstrate the different circumstances that drive individuals who associate with different gender-roles and are placed in various leadership-roles to act in unethical ways.

Rosie The Riveter Vs. Helen The Homemaker : Advertising And The Role Of Women In America After World War Ii, Christina Pfaff

Honors Theses

At the outbreak of World War II millions of servicemen left the United States to fight overseas, creating a great demand for workers in the production industries. Although the government identified women as the ideal source to fill the labor gap, a harsh stigma against the female worker existed from the Depression era. The United States government launched a recruitment campaign in collaboration with major advertising agencies and well-known artists in an effort to overcome this stigma and persuade women to join the industrial workforce. This recruitment campaign centered on the image of "Rosie the Riveter." This paper discusses the …

Presidential Leadership In Health Care Reform, Ashley G. Miles

Honors Theses

Through conducting this research, I observed that while many leadership scholars cite persuasion, imaginary communities, follower engagement, serving as a symbol, and responding to the public's distrust of authority as effective means to meet the end of effective leadership, all of these tools were methods of influencing public opinion toward a specific end, rather than educating the public about all sides of an issue. Americans' anxieties regarding security, liberty, and choice, while complex, have roots in the public lacking a clear understanding about what impacts public policy will have on their private lives. Looking back on Clinton's and Obama's reform …

Sorority Women, Presidential Men, And The Enneagram : An Analysis Of Personality And Leadership, Carly Cameron

Honors Theses

The following thesis includes an extensive literature review of the literature on personality and the Enneagram as well a review of the literature regarding presidential effectiveness, presidential personality, and leadership. Study 1 explored sorority leadership and the Enneagram and Study 2 examined presidential leadership in light of the Enneagram Model of Personality.

African Water: An Experience With Project Management In Bulima, Tanzania, Robert Sharp

Honors Theses

Details the author's experiences researching, designing, and implementing a water system for a boarding school in Africa.