Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Curvilinear Relationship Between Political Terror And Internal Armed Conflict, Lilian A. Morrell

Student Publications

I examine the relationship between political terror and the annual incidence of internal armed conflict. Studies have found that other factors associated with violence have a curvilinear relationship to internal conflict, including regime type, GDP, and ethnic fractionalization. I seek to find if political terror has a significant impact on instances of conflict and, more particularly, whether a curvilinear relationship exists between these two variables. I hypothesize that the relationship will be significant and in the shape of an inverse U. If a country uses no political terror, or extensive political terror, then the number of internal armed conflicts will …

Social Security Benefits Continue To Fall Short Of Covering Cost Of Basic Needs For Older Americans, 2021, Jan Mutchler, Nidya Velasco Roldán

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

Social Security benefits fall short of what is required to cover the basic cost of living across the United States, according to new estimates based on the Elder Index, a county-by-county measure of the income older adults need to secure an independent lifestyle. Nationally, the average Social Security benefit covers just 68% of basic living expenses of housing, food, transportation, and health care for a single renter in 2021, and 81% for an older couple. The gap between Social Security benefits and what it takes to get by is especially problematic for older adults who rely largely or entirely on …

Strategic Concealment: Locating Armed Private Contractors In State Foreign Policy, Jared A. Michaels

Student Publications

The global expansion of armed private contractors has led to a revived interest in researching armed private contracting firms, especially investigating how their personnel have functioned as an extension of state foreign policy. However, the literature on the industry contains a confusing diversity of terms when reviewing such firms, whether private military company, private security company, private military security company, or even just mercenary. Using the Singer (2010) ‘tip of the spear’ typology, I analyze the distinctions across armed private contracting firms and discuss the differences between armed private contractors and conventional militaries, armed private contractors and mercenaries, and highlight …

Indigenous Pennsylvania: Past, Present, And Future, Sarah E. Gilsoul

Student Publications

Gettysburg College recently adopted an official Land Acknowledgment Statement. However, there is little publicly accessible media that helps students, or the greater Gettysburg community, understand Indigenous presence in our region. This project, Indigenous Pennsylvania: Past, Present, and Future seeks to address the primary question, “How can we represent Indigenous presence within our region to be informative and inclusive of Indigenous worldviews and perspectives?” The study tackles two sub-questions: a) what are the best digital tools to generate a virtual and informative interactive map that can represent Indigenous senses of space, time, and land relations? and b) what aspects of Indigenous …

Policy Strategies To Solve The U.S. Recycling Crisis, Flavia M. Scotto D'Antuono

Student Publications

Following China’s Operation National Sword in 2018, the politics and economics of recycling have increasingly come under scrutiny as many examine whether it remains a worthwhile endeavor. Differences across municipalities, changing prices of goods, contamination, mislabeling, and involvement by the plastics industry has further confused the issue. This paper examines to what extent a national recycling policy would be effective and what form it may take using several case studies - whether it be mandatory recycled content minimums, extended producer responsibility, or allowing the industry to phase out completely,

Altop (Alternatives To Opiods) Newsletter, Spring 2022, Dr. Susan L. Davis, Rn & Richard J. Henley College Of Nursing

News, Magazines and Reports

In this issue:

• Southwest Community Health Center Quality Improvement Staff (QIS)
• FNP-DNP Student's Quality Improvement Project
• Paul L. Jones Scholarship Recipients
• SHU Alumni Kimberly Testo's AANP National Year Award
• Preceptors' Workshop CEU Credits

The Impact Of Women And Intersectionality On Bill Success In State Legislatures, Maggie Lowrey

Political Science Theses and Capstones

Thousands of bills are introduced in state legislatures every year and there are a multitude of reasons as to why some of those bills become law and some do not. Female sponsorship and the intersectionality of female sponsors are the focus of my research. Previous research has found variable impact of these characteristics; however, little work has been done on the combined effects of race, gender, and partisanship on bill passage rate. I tested these ideas on bills that were introduced to state legislatures of forty states in 2015 from the Harvard Dataverse¹. By applying differing factors of …

Library Newsletter, Volume 18, Issue 1, Sacred Heart University Library

Library Newsletters

Word from the Stacks ... Digital Commons: What Has it Done for Sacred Heart University? -- A Very Special “Thank You” to our Student Library Assistants! by Sharaya Smith -- New Resources and Library Guides -- Library Staff Recommends -- This Semester.

Key Library Resources: Research Success Virtual Book Display, Raquel Estrada, William Flores

Library Display Posters

Virtual book display that includes books on research success.

[Npm] National Poetry Month 2022: Selected Poems From The Rio Grande Valley, Utrgv Special Collections & Archives, Adela Cadena, Guillermo Corona, Maria "Lisa" Huerta, Shannon Pensa, Milagro Resendez, Manuel Rodriguez Jr

Library Display Posters

National Poetry Month 2022: Selected poems from the Rio Grande Valley.
"There's a poem in this place" is a line by Amanda Gorman that not only inspired the 2022 national poster design, but also this poster exhibit which highlights the works of our regional poets. Each UTRGV Special Collections & Archives staff member designed two posters inspired by select Rio Grande Valley poems.

Non-Profits And Living Wages, Jack Buckley

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Nonprofit Studies Capstone Projects

Non-Profit organizations must find ways to divide their budgets between staff wages and program services, as well as paying their staff a living wage. Unlike for-profits who can increase prices for consumers when they need to increase staff wages, non-profits do not have this luxury. The goal of this project was to collect data on how non-profits manage their budgets and if they provide staff with living wages. A survey was sent out with a total of eight responses, giving a breakdown of various non-profit’s budgets and if they pay a living wage. Overall, seven out of eight non-profits pay …

Introduction And Acknowledgments, Matt Wappett

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

No abstract provided.

Social Support And Psychological Distress Among The Bedouin Arab Elderly In Israel: The Moderating Role Of Gender, Sarah Abu-Kaf, Ora Nakash, Tsahi Hayat, Michal Cohen

School for Social Work: Faculty Publications

In Israel, as in other developed countries, mental health problems are common among older adults who are members of disadvantaged ethnic minorities that are experiencing cultural and social changes. The main goals of the current study were: (a) to examine gender differences in the levels of psychological distress and social support among Bedouin elders, and (b) to examine the moderating role of gender in the associations between social support indices and psychological distress. We used a cross-sectional design, and independent t-tests and hierarchical linear regression analysis were performed. The study was conducted in homes and in social clubs and community …

Community Assessment Project, Mayra Lopez-Humphreys

Open Educational Resources

Asset-based Community Assessment Project

This group assignment is based on a template that is provided within this assignment. This project provides students with opportunities to learn the values, and skills necessary for applying an asset-based approach when assessing a community.

Evaluating Scholarly Communication Programs At Large Master’S Level Institutions: Findings From The Imls-Funded Scholarly Communication Assessment Forum, Emily K. Chan, Suzanna Yaukey, Daina Dickman, Nicole Lawson

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Preference For Harmony : A Link Between Aesthetic Responses To Combinations Of Colors And Musical Tones, Sijia Song

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

According to Palmer and Griscom (2013), individual differences in the preference-for- harmony (PfH)—the tendency to prefer stimuli that represent “good gestalts”—is relatively consistent across domains of aesthetic judgment. In the present study, we built upon their findings by showing that PfH for color combinations is strongly associated with PfH for isolated musical chords. We also newly showed that ratings of the harmoniousness of chords are not uniquely predicted by their objective harmonicity (the extent to which their constituent partials resemble a harmonic series), but rather, by a combination of their “smoothness” (the lack of spectral interference between their constituent partials), …

The Dilemma Of Banned Books: Questioning The Ethics Of Censoring Literature In Schools, Kyle King

Augustana Center for the Study of Ethics Essay Contest

Literature, specifically in the form of novels, has been a vital organ of the public education system within the United States. Not only does reading such works transform us into better close readers and strengthen our vocabulary, but the texts at hand can be very essential to analyze specific contexts or issues that might have existed either throughout history or even in the present day. In today’s country, the issue of banning certain books from school curricula has become as prevalent as ever, where mostly Southern Republican officials are calling for lists of books to be restricted from teaching due …

Ce Qui Reste: Legacies Of Decolonization In Guinea And Gabon, Andrew Tietz

Honors Projects

By most metrics, many African states underperform. Some scholars argue that neo-colonial systems established after independence are to blame, as they perpetuate dependence on former overlords. Others contend that continued failures of African leaders and political institutions prevent their countries from succeeding. I analyze two specific cases from French Africa diametrically opposed in their experiences of decolonization. In Guinea, the French left abruptly, taking everything they could carry. In Gabon, they stayed, and continued to direct the country’s politics and economy. What differences does this disparity have on state success after independence? To answer this question, I assess the impacts …

The "Politics Of Trauma": National Trauma In Poland And Hungary And The Othering Of Queer Identities, Keira Hoeferle

Honors Projects

The governments of Poland and Hungary, under the parties Prawo i Sprawiedliwość (Law and Justice) and Fidesz (Alliance of Young Democrats), respectively, have deliberately implemented policies and utilized rhetoric to marginalize the LGBT+ community, a dramatic reversal from years of social progress in the European Union. In investigating this shift, prior scholars have explored social factors and authoritarian, populist politics as causes, yet these cannot explain the extent and viciousness to which both parties attack sexual and gender minorities. In this paper, I demonstrate that both governments have utilized “national trauma” to construct a nationalist space that excludes LGBT+ people, …

An Analysis Of Commentary In Men’S And Women’S Olympic Basketball, Madison Monk

Honors Projects

The objectification theory suggests that women are subjected to more comments about their appearance than men, but in the field of athletics and sports analysts, newer perspectives suggest that there are fewer distinctions between how male and female athletes are portrayed. The present study examined whether there were differences in broadcast commentary of men’s and women’s Olympic basketball gold medal games, including comments about the players looks and appearance, their physicality and athleticism, and the pattern of name used. The coding method employed was developed based on previous research and used to quantify the frequency of each category. Two coders …

Minero Magazine, Vol. 34, Spring 2022, Utep Student Publications

The Prospector

No abstract provided.

College Students’ Opinions On Climate Change: Do Political Views Matter?, Aileen Hull

Honors Theses

Climate change is an ever-impending crisis and the politics surrounding the issue are as contentious as ever, especially in the United States where the political culture is extremely polarized. The polarization of the political parties in the United States makes any environmental policy extremely difficult to pass. Meanwhile, the new generation of young people entering the workforce, voting scene, and public eye are bringing new demands to current climate debates. Youth make up a large share of environmental activism participants and opinion polls show climate change is on the minds of many young people. However, there is a lack of …

Labor Trends In Nuclear Energy And Developmental Obstacles In Nuclear Energy, Ryan D. Greensfelder

Honors Theses

The idiosyncrasies that exist in the United States independent system operator’s structure poses many unique challenges to wholesale energy markets. The array of energy production solutions is one of these challenges to understanding energy markets. Numerous tools have been used to measure the quantitative complexity of energy markets. Few tools and indices exist to track macroeconomic fluctuations in US employment and wage for United States relative to the cost of energy delivery. In modelling the derived labor demand for energy employment, we should be better able to explain markets and allow for predictions in fluctuations in the labor market. This …

Job Diversity And Its Impact On Intergenerational Mobility At The County Level, Derek Olson

Honors Theses

This thesis focuses on whether or not the diversity in industries within a county has an impact on the income mobility of children within that county. Data come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to construct variables measuring job diversity and the degree of industry specialization of a county. Building on Chetty (2017a, 2017b), I find that for children with parents at the 25th percentile of the national income distribution, a one standard deviation increase in a county being less diverse in the presence of industries increases a child’s expected rank in the national income distribution by 2.19% while a …

Collaborating With Parents With Disabilities To Create Accountability In The Special Education System, Brooke Crosby, Julia Lutz-Lawlor, Kelsy Farley, Khadra Geelle

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

Minnesota is a state that prides itself on prioritizing education. As such, all school personnel must fulfill their obligation to ensure meaningful access for parents with a disability. As part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA), the development of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) is required under both federal and state special education law. In the special education IEP process, parental involvement is mandated to ensure the child's best interest. Research shows parents’ involvement in their children’s education can lead to an improvement in grades, performance, literacy, attendance, and homework completion. Disabled parents must be engaged as …

Cultural Healing Practices: Incorporating Cultural Healers Into Minnesota's Mental Health Care System, Raymond Shoup, Allyson Endersbe, Nayeli Hernandez Moctezuma, Patty Balderas-Johnson

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

Minnesota’s approach to health and mental health is based on western cultural traditions of illness, help seeking behaviors, healing and wellness. This approach does not work for many of the cultural communities in Minnesota, especially those with a deep history of generational trauma, oppression, and discrimination. We need to make mental health a priority for Minnesotans by expanding the availability of holistic approaches rooted in the cultural traditions of Minnesota’s diverse cultural communities. We must address the impact of generational trauma and work to lessen the harm by incorporating cultural healing practices into our mental health care system, including the …

Payday Lending: Reforming This Predatory Practice In Minnesota, Courtney Colton, Karmy Luker, Addy Haarstad-Mead, Sarah Turpen

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

Payday lending is a service that was intended to provide emergency financial relief to those who cannot afford an unexpected expense. However, 7 out of 10 borrowers use loans to cover monthly living expenses such as rent, utilities, and maintaining food security. With steep annual percentage rates averaging 391% and subsequent repeat borrowing, communities targeted by predatory lending companies fall deeper into the cycle of debt. Minnesota must reform their policies surrounding payday lending implementing legislative changes to protect Minnesotans who rely on payday loans and invest in long-term solutions that eliminate the need for a payday loan.

An Ethnographic Study Of Generational Differences In Religious Beliefs And Values, Jeremiah Martens, Josiah Freedman

Ethnographies of Parkland Student Life

For this project, I chose to investigate the (possibly differential) influence of one prominent contemporary religious institution the Catholic Church on the values and evaluations of the Church's moral credibility held by members of distinct generations. - Josiah It was through engaging in participant observation and conducting formal interviews that I gathered the bulk of my data. In addition to these, I held informal conversations with people exhibiting varying degrees of personal alignment with Catholic values; these conversations provided me with data that was qualitatively different from that gathered using the other two methods. While using participant observation to discover …

Generational Views On Cars And Public Transportation, Kenneth Lahners, Yuanpei Su

Ethnographies of Parkland Student Life

In an America where cars reign supreme, it may be a surprise to learn that some people dislike driving. Cars have long represented the American dream and our cultural values of individualism and freedom; for some, they are a social status symbol representative of wealth or personality (Griffith and Marion 2020, 310). In this research project, we set out to explore how older and younger people in our community perceive cars and public transportation in order to try to determine if this cultural value, and the role that cars play in America's cultural heritage, are changing.

Native American Reservations, Now And Then, Ben Hubbard, Alec Valentino

Ethnographies of Parkland Student Life

Research Focus

• To determine the history of living conditions at Native American Reservations
• To learn how Native American leaders tried to improve their community
• To discover how traditions are passed down the generations to the present day