Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Digital Occult Library, Alexis Brandkamp

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This capstone project is a website, titled Digital Occult Library, hosted by the CUNY Commons and built with WordPress. The site address is:

digitaloccultlibrary.commons.gc.cuny.edu

It features (in this iteration) twenty-five unique pages with information on and discussion of occult and esoteric topics. It also hosts a forum that can be accessed and utilized by anyone, not just those registered on the Commons. The purpose of the site is to inform three types of interested parties on the highlighted topics: a general audience with no current knowledge of the occult, practitioners of esoteric traditions, and academics. Not only is the …

Analysis Of Newspaper Coverage Of Psilocybin From January 1, 1989 To December 31, 2019, Dax Oliver

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Psilocybin is a chemical compound that has received a lot of attention from medical researchers in recent years. However, this research is not merely a medical issue but a social and political one as well. In the 1960s, psilocybin and other psychedelic compounds were widely ingested outside of clinical settings. This alarmed some of the American public, resulting in severe legal restrictions on psilocybin use and research.

Today, many psilocybin advocates hope that it will avoid the negative public sentiment of the 1960s. To help gauge public sentiment about other psychoactive compounds, some studies have examined newspaper coverage, but there …

“Born Of A Spirit That Knows No Conquering:” Innovation, Contestation, And Representation In The Pcha, 1911-1924., Taylor Mckee

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) was a professional North American hockey league that operated from 1911 to 1924. With markets in Victoria, Vancouver, New Westminster, Seattle, and Portland, the bourgeoning league was a viable competitor to the NHA and offered a distinctive approach to the developing sport. Through innovations and rule changes, the PCHA made significant strides in player safety, in line with the vision of “clean” hockey promoted by the league’s founders, Frank and Lester Patrick. In turn, these innovations were represented through newspaper accounts from the period, which helped promote a modern, scientific, and highly-marketable brand of …

The Effects Of Podcasts On Mental Health Stigma, Sarah N. Dure

Student Theses

Research indicates that media can have both negative and positive impacts on mental health stigma and self-stigma. No studies, to our knowledge, have examined the impact of audio media representation (podcasts) on mental health stigma. Our study therefore examines the effects that both positive and negative portrayals of mental illness in a news podcast would have on mental health stigma. We hypothesized that participants assigned to podcast conditions that primed for mental illness would lead participants to attribute an incident to mental illness. Additionally, we hypothesized that listening to a podcast that speaks negatively about individuals with mental illnesses would …

Dominant Narratives In The Migratory Discourse Of Colombia; An Analysis Of The Content Of Speech In Local Television News And The Opinions Of Colombian Citizens, Jennifer Andrea Moya Castano

Graduate Masters Theses

Colombia is an underdeveloped country that has little experience as a host country of migrants. The massive arrival of Venezuelans has sparked a number of social concerns. Currently, Colombia is the largest recipient of Venezuelans in the world, with 1.5 million Venezuelans. The lack of regulatory migration policies and programs or institutions that support migration processes makes this phenomenon more difficult at a large scale. However, the Colombian government has made efforts to support the Venezuelan population, which have been contested by some Colombian citizens. State actors, non-state actors, and Colombian citizens have all been forming and developing a range …

Domestic Bliss, Or Technological Diss? Problematic Media Use, Attachment, And Relationship Outcomes, Mccall A. Booth

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine how problematic media use (technoference, internet gaming disorder symptoms, and pornography use) predicted later partner relationship outcomes, operating through the mediator of attachment behaviors. Participants (N = 1039) were from Waves II–IV of the Couple Relationships and Transition Experiences (CREATE) study, a nationally representative quantitative study on marriage relationships across the United States. Both spouses completed surveys reporting problematic media use, attachment behaviors, and relationship outcomes at three separate time points each spaced a year apart. In order to test the hypotheses, three longitudinal actor-partner interdependence models with indirect paths were estimated, …

Objektiviteti Në Portalet E Kosovës, Dafina Berisha

Theses and Dissertations

Objektiviteti në portalet tona, është një temë mjaft interesante për t’u trajtuar, duke u bazuar në literaturën, analizat dhe studimet e bëra në Kosovë. Ky punim, synon që të analizojë çfarë roli ka objektiviteti në ditët e sotme, sa janë portalet tona objektive dhe sa i respektojnë ato norma. Në kapitullin e parë është paraqitur një sërë autorësh që kanë sjellë përkufizime të çmuara në lidhje me mediat sociale si trend i ri, pastaj është trajtuar objektiviteti në Kosovë dhe Botë, dhe evulucioni ie saj, të gjitha të dhënat si lloj informimi për kodin e Mediave të Shkruar, si dhe …

Radio Në Peizazhin Mediatik Të Kosovës, Shkëndije Zeqiri

Theses and Dissertations

Radio është njëra nga tri mediat masive të zhvilluara në Kosovë, pas përfundimit të Luftës së Dytë Botërore. Për dekada me radhë ajo ka qenë media me vlerat e institucionit të rëndësishëm për shqiptarët e Kosovës, bazuar në karakteristikat themelore të saj si media që depërton me lehtësi te audiencat. Zhvillimi i radios kryesore, Radio Prishtinës, është ndërprerë në fillim të viteve të ’90-a të shekullit të kaluar. Pas luftës, nga viti 1999 radio ka vazhduar të jetë media e rëndësishme, edhe pse jo me ndikimin që ka pasur më herët. Në Kosovë, nga viti 1999 ekzistojnë radio publike dhe …

Media Framing And Immigration Reform: An Examination Of The Border Security, Economic Opportunity, And Immigration Modernization Act Of 2013, Lorena Paredes

Political Science & International Studies | Senior Theses

As of 2020, there are 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States? Recently, the topic of immigration in the United States has become more controversial. In 2013, the U.S. Senate passed S.744 the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013. When this bill was introduced many believed that it had a good chance of making it through the legislative process. The bill represented a compromise between Republicans and Democrats and addressed many problems associated with immigration. However, the bill was not passed by the House of Representatives, leaving the issue of immigration reform unresolved. The role …

Applying International Law To The Regulation Of Media Incited Genocide: Rwanda And Myanmar, Savannah Whittemore

Honors Theses

The goal of this thesis is to demonstrate the connection between word and action in relation to the media incited genocide. By employing the operational definitions of intent, incitement, genocide, and hate speech from legal texts such as the Genocide Convention and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, this thesis shows that there is suitable jurisprudence on the crime of direct and public incitement to genocide with the legal bodies statute mirrors the language of the Genocide Convention. This in conjunction with the language gradient on the changing role of messages before and during genocide shows that regulation …

Media Impact On Public Opinion: Lgbtq Issues, Gabriel M. Galvan

Theses and Dissertations

This study’s research question asks what impact “new media” has on public opinion regarding LGBTQ issues. This study uses a survey conducted at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on the student body on campus. Using an ordered logistic regression analysis to test for a variety of independent variables, this paper finds that the type of media has a minor impact in public opinion on LGBTQ issues. Other control variables include religiosity, race and ethnicity, perceived economic class, and political ideology. This research is grounded on the theory that media can have an impact on the political positions of …

The Opaque Operations Of 21st Century Populism, Konnor Callihan

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

In my capstone, I claim that the populism of the 21st century should be considered a political style as elucidated by Benjamin Moffitt. But Moffitis’s understanding of political style does not adequately address how populism morphs through new technological systems, such as algorithms, filter bubbles, echo chambers in our internet devices. This theoretical framework takes necessary elements from past theories and stresses the performance that is vital to populism in our modern media ecosystem. The charismatic leader is no longer necessary, but the "opaque operations"( i.e algorithms, filter bubbles,echo chambers) allow populism to be almost self replicating. These “populist actors” …

An Analysis Of The Role Of Reality Television In The Representation Of Immigrants On Tlc's Show, 90 Day Fiancé., Morohunfolu Jimade Seton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A larger number of people reside outside their country of birth today than in any other time in history, and these levels are expected to continue to rise in the future (International Organization for Migration, 2011). The United States is currently the most popular immigrant destination in the world, with more immigrants than any other country. Immigrants statistics indicate that the immigrant population in the United States reached a record of 44.4 million in 2017 (Pew Research Centre, 2019). Correspondingly, the percentage of immigrants who were admitted into the U.S. as spouses of citizens has increased over of the last …

Socially Constructing The #Metoo Movement In The New York Times, Hannah Jureller

Sociology

In 2017, The New York Times published an article titled, “Harvey Weinstein Paid Off Sexual Harassment Accusers for Decades” written by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey (2019), exposing one of the most abusive sexual predators in Hollywood. This sparked a movement among victim-survivors and their allies now known as the #MeToo Movement. This movement brought issues of sexual assault to the forefront. The New York Times covered this movement extensively and can be considered very influential in their coverage of the movement. For this project, I conducted a content analysis of 31 New York Times articles to identify how The …

Racism In Media: How Media Shapes Our View Of People Of Color In Society, Semarial Wilder

Community Engagement Student Work

As a way to increase awareness about racism in the media, research was conducted to showcase the many ways racism is perpetuated against Black people through our everyday media consumption. A workshop was held and analysis of responses from pre-event surveys, activity post-it responses, and post-event surveys were completed by attendees. Using the cultivation theory, attendees increased their overall knowledge about how the media plays a huge part in how they see society. One attendee mentioned, “I learned how the media sets thoughts or images for you without you realizing it.” It is clear that the media does a wonderful …

Popular Television’S Health And Safety Message: What Has Changed In The Past Generation?, Heather Ann Leon

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The assertion that television has an impact on viewers is well-supported in theory and empirical research. Hundreds of researchers have conducted hundreds of studies focused on limited, specific programming content or specific effects to contribute to this evidence. However, far fewer researchers have conducted broad, comprehensive programming content analysis. One exception is a 2005 study from Will et al. examining multiple health and safety behaviors including sexual activity, driving behaviors, intoxicating and unhealthy substance use, and violence depicted in the 1997/1998 primetime television season. Results of their research showed overall that primetime television promoted the perception that the observed health- …

Media & Trust: Exploring The Differences Between Traditional And New Media Forms, Alexandra Jones

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

This research seeks to explore how news media, traditional versus new, influences public trust, as well as, what types of consumers use traditional versus new media. My hypotheses are that (A) that those who use primarily new media to access news will have less trust in the news they are consuming and (B) those who have at least a college degree, are below 30 in age, and use, daily, a computer in the course of their work, will use primarily new media to access news. Using an online survey administered through the platform Qualtrics, distributed through Amazon Mechanical Turk, I …

The Politicization Of Water: Transboundary Water-Conflict In The Indian Subcontinent, Ananya Gupta

Honors Papers

The Himalaya-Hindu Kush mountain range and the Tibetan Plateau birth ten of Asia’s most prominent rivers providing irrigation, energy, and drinking water to over two billion people across several countries today. Therefore, transboundary water sharing is a constant source of conflict for several South Asian countries that rely on rivers to support their primarily agrarian economies.

In recent years, climate change has drastically increased global temperatures. As a result, the Indian subcontinent has been plagued with extreme riverine flood and drought events.

Climate change-related events like riverine floods and drought, exacerbate the politicization of conflict between nations that share natural …

Media Exposure To Crime, Fear Of Crime, And Social Interaction Anxiety, Genea Shoulders

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2000, approximately 30% of all news stories in mass media focused on crime. According to research, increased exposure to the media directly correlates to an increased fear of crime; however, little research has been conducted into this influential relationship and the extent of which it could affect a person’s social interaction anxiety. Therefore, the study’s purpose was to examine the relationship and consequential impact of media exposure and the extent of which the fear of crime had on individuals’ social interaction anxiety levels. Through a quantitative approach, this study used the theory of cultivation. Question one examined the effect …

The Association Of Romance Movies, Gender, And Relational Identity Among Emerging Adults, Sara Hare

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Emerging adults are motivated to form intimate relationships and explore their relational identity. Little is known, however, about the development of relational identity in emerging adults. Given that external influences such as movies can impact how people view relationships, and that emerging adults are more likely to watch movies than other forms of media, it is essential to explore the relationship between movies and relational identity in emerging adults. The purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental study was to examine the relationship between relational identity, gender, and the preference for romance movies among emerging adults. The theoretical foundations for the study …

Shifting A Culture, Ardeshir J. Arjomand

Communication Senior Capstones

What is popular culture and how does it influence us? How can we be more critically aware consumers of media messages? Are we always "online", or is there some way we can disconnect? These are the questions I've attempted to define through my research and experience studying contemporary "pop culture". Consider this a beginner’s guide on how to become aware of and deal with the constant bombardment of media messages, and how to become a filter for content, rather than a sponge. As critical consumers of media we can cater our consumption to better suit our needs and lifestyles. This …

Doing Gender: Cars And Culture In The United States, Adrian L. Zavala

Communication Senior Capstones

This qualitative research study aims to define and describe gender stereotypes and car culture. It will also explain how these stereotypes influence car culture and vice versa. This paper aims to explain how the mass media uses car culture in the United States and imposes gender stereotypes. The mass media I will be discussing includes but is not limited to commercials and magazine adverts. This paper asserts that by portraying what it means to be a man and what it means to be a woman, car companies build car culture and use pre-existing constructs of gender for marketing it. According …

The Effect Of Newspaper Closure On Local Media Ecology, Cody David Nespor

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

On August 31, 2019, the local newspaper of Youngstown, Ohio, The Vindicator, ceased publication after 150 years. The Vindicator’s closure left Youngstown as the largest city in the United State without a major newspaper. As local newspaper closures become more and more common across communities, there are questions on how, and if, the coverage and content those newspaper provide to their communities can be replaced or will simply be lost forever. This study has three research questions. Question one pertains to the amount of original reporting that will exist without The Vindicator. Questions two asks about the amount of locally …

Effects Of The Black Lives Matter Movement On Media Portrayals Of Accused Criminals, Samantha Strine

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Media impacts our everyday lives and shapes how we understand the world around us. It assists in creating social hierarchies which impact how groups of people are represented and understood. These hierarchies have led to the generation of stereotypes and disparate reporting practices in media. However, social movements tend to be created to provide evidence against these stereotypes and the movements attempt to undo disparate treatment of marginalized groups. This study had three hypotheses: Hypothesis 1 stated that prior to the generation of the Black Lives Movement, media depictions of black and white accused criminals will differ. Hypothesis 2 stated …

Best Leadership Practices Of Female Film Directors, Sara Carraway

Theses and Dissertations

Female film directors are highly underrepresented within the U.S. film industry, especially within narrative film (S.L. Smith, Pieper, & Choueiti, 2013). In 2019, only 12% of directors in the top 100 grossing films were female (Lauzen, 2020). There are several obstacles female directors face in their careers. Financing is more difficult to obtain for female directors due to stereotypes of women as risky investments (P. Smith et al., 2013). Closely tied to financing, gendered networks and homophily can prevent women from making relationships with gatekeepers and accessing the same opportunities as men (Jones & Pringle, 2015; Wing-Fai et al., 2015). …

The Relationship Between Nature, Media Use And Psychosocial Well Being In A College Population, Eve Gilles

Honors Theses

Time in nature is associated with a variety of mental, physical and emotional health benefits while the effects of media use on psychosocial well being are unclear. Although our society is increasingly urbanized and technology-focused, there is a lack of research examining the relationship between nature, media and psychosocial well-being. The aim of this research was to explore these variables in a college-age population. Method: 82 participants participated in a survey using measures of Psychosocial Well Being, Media Use and Nature Connection and Exposure. Results: Media use partially mediates the relationship between nature relatedness and social anxiety. Conclusions: There is …