International and Area Studies Commons^™

Watering The Grassroots: The Importance Of A Comprehensive Approach To Conflict In The Sahel, Chanelle A. Dortch

Senior Theses

The withdrawal of French troops from Mali in August 2021 has revealed massive structural problems with crisis intervention and conflict mitigation in Africa. The purpose of this research is to reveal how foreign intervention in the Sahel has failed to stabilize the region in the face of mounting political, socioeconomic, and environmental crises. This paper examines Mali and France, two countries that are centered in crisis in the Sahel, and how the politics of intervention have resulted in the current situation. While the crisis in the Sahel does not yet have a clear result, this project seeks to contextualize current …

Bone Flute:Exploring Voices From The Margins Of Entrepreneurship With Expressive Therapies, Cherith A. Pedersen

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

The problem under investigation is the lived experiences of marginalized entrepreneurs in Barbados. The group of entrepreneurs being explored have been marginalized culturally, institutionally, and resourcefully. The research questions were: How do marginalized entrepreneurs experience business-related encounters due to their identity? How does their identity and use of their “voice” in business situations, position them as businesspersons? Can photography illustrate how they see themselves as businesspersons? There were eight participants in the study, who ranged in age from 18 to 69 years. They were three females and five males who belonged to diverse marginalized identities such as a single mother, …

Creating Systemic Support: Cross-Sector Partnerships As A Catalyst To Institutional Transformation For Southeast Asian Student Support, Brianna Lourdes Edoria Pascua

Master's Projects and Capstones

This paper investigates the potential impact of cross-sector partnerships between nonprofit organizations (NPOs) and universities on the educational attainment of Southeast Asian American (SEAA) students, particularly those from disenfranchised or nontraditional backgrounds. Guided by the research question, "Can cross-sector partnerships between NPOs and universities contribute to increased educational attainment among SEAA students?", the study seeks to comprehensively explore SEAA student experiences, challenge the Model Minority Stereotype, enrich SEAA higher educational achievement literature, underline the significance of disaggregated data and cross-sector collaborations, and create an adaptable framework for other communities. By adopting an Asian Critical Race Theory (AsianCrit) lens, the research …

Resitance Art And Urban Space: A Strategic Comparison Of Artistic Urban Space Usage In Buenos Aires And San Francisco, Adeline Rose Schmitz

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In the early Twentieth century the Mexican Muralism movement reached two important port cities: San Francisco and Buenos Aires. The artists in these cities quickly adopted the usage of public art as means to insert political dialogue into the everyday life of their citizens. Throughout the years the resistance art in these cities has evolved in parallel, shaped by their dynamic histories of social and political change. This paper critically compares the evolutions of resistance art in Buenos Aires and San Francisco over the past twenty years. It does so by analyzing the public art archives of local collectives in …

Calladitas No Nos Vemos Más Bonitas: Testimonios Of Mexican Migrant Catholic Mothers’ Resistance To Marianismo, Jessica Guadalupe Ornelas

Master's Theses

The purposeful killing of women due to their gender (feminicide) is an atrocious global act that has been ascending at an alarming rate, over the past couple of years. Specifically, last year in México and in the duration of six months, there were close to 3,000 victims of gender based killings in México, which is about 10 casualties daily (ONU Mujeres, 2022). While most studies have centered their attention on systemic causes that lead to gender based violence, the amount of research that closely analyzes the ways these causes are interwoven with womens’ everyday lived experiences of social and personal …

Refugee Resettlement: Assessing The Quality Of Reception In The Southeast U.S., Adrian Laudani

Master's Theses

When faced with dire situations, refugees are forced to migrate without choice. As a new reality is forced upon them, many don’t have much say in what their futures hold. One option that only the fortunate bunch are presented with is resettlement in a third country. Addressing complexities within the refugee resettlement system consists of various dynamics including integration processes, cultural transitions, multilingualism, among much more. The purpose of this thesis is to address the quality of the current reception services in the United States in order to more effectively assist refugees throughout this general transition period. My main thesis …

Positive Out Of The Negative: Tracking Renewable Energy Projects In Central America, Jordan Ethan Castillo (Miner)

Master's Theses

Central America is undertaking a vast Renewable Energy (RE) transition, due to widespread investments across the region in an array of technologies. These technologies include Community Solar, Wind, and Hydroelectricity. Hydroelectricity has long been the backbone of many countries’ energy grids in the region due to the region’s long history with hydroelectricity. Ambitious climate goals coupled with diminishing hydroelectric power generation opportunities have led to an expansion of investment in Community Solar and Wind energy. The embrace of Solar and Wind has been accelerated due to declining costs for these technologies as they mature. Central America as a case study …

Ambigú Trashumante Barra De Café Ambulante Ambigú Trashumante Barra De Café Ambulante, Augusto Martin Rivero

Master's Projects and Capstones

Ambigú Trashumante Barra de Café Ambulante is an applied research project which took shape over the course of a calendar year from May 2022-2023. A six-person team evolved including the personified project itself, united as one communal entity in collaboration. The project entailed creation of a bicicargo, or cargo bike–useful art becoming a mobile coffee bar and literal vehicle embodying justice through coffee offered freely in México, as facilitated through decolonized ethnography and Mesoamerican Community-Based Participatory Action Research (CBPAR). The project’s theoretical framework centers on Bruguera’s (2012) arte útil conceptualization. Five core patterns emerged, including the right to thrive in …

The “Deliberate Indifference” Standard Of Mental Health Care: How It Fails Unaccompanied Minors Seeking Asylum, Karina Virk

Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs (2012 - Present)

No abstract provided.

Must China Pay? How Claims Against China For Covid-19 Reveal Flaws In The International Legal System That Make Accountability Impractical, Talia Danielle Sturkie

Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs (2012 - Present)

No abstract provided.

Semi-Presidentialism: A Pathway To Democratic Backslide, Connor Mcafee

Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs (2012 - Present)

No abstract provided.

A Path For Cooperation Between Law Schools In China And The United States, Bryant Walker Smith, Ying Wang, Leighton Carlock, Karman Lucero

Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs (2012 - Present)

No abstract provided.

Enforcing Arbitral Awards Against States And The Defense Of Sovereign Immunity From Execution: A U.S. Perspective, Ylli Dautaj

Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs (2012 - Present)

No abstract provided.

The Jus Ad Bellum In Cyberspace: A New Framework, M. Walker Brunner

Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs (2012 - Present)

No abstract provided.

Taking Exception To Criminal Justice Reforms That Fail To Transform: Using Transitional Justice To End The Carceral State, Angela A. Allen-Bell

Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs (2012 - Present)

No abstract provided.

Foreword

Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs (2012 - Present)

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents

Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs (2012 - Present)

No abstract provided.

Dedication

Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs (2012 - Present)

No abstract provided.

Spouse And Unmarried Partner Choices Among Largest Latino Nationalities In The New York Metropolitan Region, 1980 – 2021, Laird W. Bergad

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

Introduction: This report examines the married and unmarried partner choices among the largest Latino nationalities in the New York metropolitan region by race/ethnicity and nationality among household heads by sex.

Methods: This report uses the American Community Survey PUMS (Public Use Microdata Series) data for all years released by the Census Bureau and reorganized for public use by the Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, IPUMSusa, (https://usa.ipums.org/usa/index.shtml). See Public Use Microdata Series Steven Ruggles, J. Trent Alexander, Katie Genadek, Ronald Goeken, Matthew B. Schroeder, and Matthew Sobek. Integrated Public Use Microdata Series: Version 5.0 [Machine-readable database]. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, …

Un País Invertido: The Current Immigration Regime Of Colombia, Magdalena Hendrickson

Honors Theses

Throughout its turbulent history, Colombia has seen drastic changes in structure and administration. From military coups to shaky coalitions, the country’s infamous instability has long forced its citizens to find better prospects elsewhere. However, with the rise of the Maduro administration in Venezuela, Colombia faced a massive new flow of migrants and was forced to rectify current circumstances without properly addressing its internal issues beforehand. Despite its historical status as a nation of emigrants, Colombia marks a new norm for the rest of the globe. As new issues like climate change and increased armed conflict grow worldwide, countries on the …

The Evolving Role Of Women In The Sinaloa Cartel: An Analysis Of The Relationship Between Drug Trafficking Organizations, Female Agency, And Economic Mobility, Catherine Page, Kennady Leigh Hertz

Honors Theses

Exploring the role of women in Mexican drug trafficking organizations is a topic that has gained significant traction in the past 30 years. Despite the increase of literature on the topic, few papers theorize as to why women participate. This product sought to explore the various reasons why women participate in Mexican drug trafficking organizations, either willingly, or against their wishes. We hypothesized that women join drug trafficking organizations for two primary reasons: a) they are coerced by male figures in their life, and b.) they participate willingly in an effort to gain economic mobility. To test our hypothesis, we …

Differences In French Law Pertaining To Refugees From Former Colonies: A Case Study Of North Africa And Indochina, Lauren Bergin

Honors Theses

Colonial relations between colonizer and colonized are an interesting yet often understudied part of the legal field. This thesis will focus on these links within the relationship between France and two of its former colonies: North Africa and Indochina. In order to discover more information on these relationships, I take a historical approach focusing on legal documents, debates, and decrees, both from the French government and international bodies and representatives such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The resulting discoveries show that French legal documents were far more concerned with North Africa compared to Indochina, both regarding asylum …

Engaging The Rwandan Deaf Community: Sociolinguistics And Education, Lillian Berggoetz

Undergraduate University Honors Capstones

This capstone project focuses on language research among the deaf community in Rwanda, Africa. This study examines sign language in Rwanda, the language’s context, and considers one’s positionality as the researcher. This is a three-tiered project. The first tier is an analysis of research positionality and how to do ethical research. The second tier applies qualitative research methods to understand sociolinguistics by interviewing Rwandans in the deaf and signing community. The third tier is a linguistic analysis of colors in data previously collected in Rwanda by Dr. Cecily Whitworth. The ultimate goals for this project are to learn about positionality …

The Ineffectiveness Of The U.S. Strategy For Countering Terrorism In Iraq And Syria, Ann Mullins

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

This research paper will explore the strategies of the U.S. when it comes to counterterrorism measures in the Middle East. It will also be exploring the aspects of the strategy that have been ineffective and counterproductive. The current U.S. Counterterrorism strategy in Iraq and Syria is counterproductive to its defined objectives in light of several fundamental elements: the significant U.S. military presence in the region, ineffectual U.S. security programs, and robust financial backing of ISIS by state sponsors of terrorism. The primary sources used throughout this research are listed the following: the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Department …

Middle Eastern Defense: The Role Of The Abraham Accords, Graciela H Phillipps

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

Defense organization in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region has been historically fraught with instability and conflict, rooted in tensions ranging from centuries-old religious disputes to modern geopolitical power struggles. However, two years ago deep-seated status quos in the area were challenged and successfully overcome through the drafting and signage of agreements in which Arab nations normalized ties with the nation of Israel, popularly known as the Abraham Accords. The Accords emphasized the mutual desire for peace and prosperity in MENA between signees with a pointed reference to maintaining security in the traditionally volatile region. These pivotal feats of …

U.S. Involvement Of Water Sanitation In El Salvador, Emilio Lau

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

No abstract provided.

Trade, Globalism, And The American System, Johnny B. Davis

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

No abstract provided.

A Critical Analysis Of Political And Media Discourse On Immigration During The Trump Era, Daleana Phillips

Dissertations

This research examines political and media discourse on Immigration through four studies: Trump’s immigration reform speech, newspaper coverage of DACA, a Saturday Night Live episode, and social media via #ColoradoBorderWall memes. Various critical cultural theoretical frameworks are used within critical discourse and textual analysis is to examine media and political rhetoric about immigrants and immigration policy during a period of drastic institutional political change evidenced by Trump’s administration. As a collective, these narratives examine how Trump’s rhetoric and populist style of communication demonstrate a return to restrictive immigration rhetoric not witnessed in a presidential administration since the 1920s. This research …

"Proventing" Intimate Partner Violence-Related Attitudes Through Arts-Based Peace Education: A Sequential Explanatory Study Of Dancing Classrooms Alumni, Cody Wehlan

Doctor of International Conflict Management Dissertations

Research links intimate partner violence (IPV) to socialized, and often gendered, power-over attitudes that view abuse, control, and physical violence against, or by, an intimate partner as acceptable and appropriate in various contexts. While many IPV prevention programs emphasize education for reducing intimate partner violence-related attitudes (IPVA), most programs respond after violence has occurred and are often ineffective. Presenting an innovative form of proactive prevention, or “provention”, this dissertation combines arts-based peace education, youth IPV prevention, and intergroup contact theory (ICT) to outline how youth-focused social dance may effectively provent IPVA risk factors by teaching young people collaborative, power-with social …

Global Perceptions Of Space: The Interior Designer's Role, Ansley C. Elliott

Honors College Theses

Interior designers need to show and share awareness of cultural inclusivity in design solutions to create a positive experience for all end users. In order to do this, interior designers need to gain an understanding of how people from various geographical locations perceive space and, as a result, behave and connect in public environments. This study explored existing literature on human factors in design, such as proxemics, territoriality, anthropometrics, cultural dimensions in business practices, and inclusivity in design. The research methodology included a Qualtrics survey on cultural background and demographic data; three-dimensional renderings of a public restaurant and a workplace; …