International and Area Studies Commons^™

Fearless: Haya Mohanna, Haya M. Mohanna

SURGE

Constantly pursuing new avenues on and off campus to engage in different communities, raise awareness about issues in the Gaza Strip, and learn more about leadership, Haya Mohanna ’17 fearlessly pursues knowledge and activism opportunities to learn more about her own leadership style and capability to create change in her home community. [excerpt]

No Blood In The Water: The Legal And Gender Conspiracies Against Countess Elizabeth Bathory In Historical Context, Rachael Leigh Bledsaw

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explains and discusses the conspiracies reported against the Hungarian noblewoman, Countess Elizabeth Bathory, regarding her confinement and the arrest of her accomplices in December 1610. The conspiracies state that the Countess was unjustly targeted and charged not because she was guilty of the deaths of several dozen girls from torture, but because she represented a threat to the Hapsburg Empire due to her wealth, her political influence, and her widowhood. This thesis explores the rationality of these two conspiracies using historical context regarding the position of noblewomen in Central and Eastern Europe and the function and use of …

A Longitudinal Case Study Of The Impact Of Democracy On Food Security In Ghana And Implications For Theory Development, Katelyn Marie Colaric

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis reports the results of a qualitative, longitudinal case study of Ghana that examined the impact of democracy on food security within Ghana since its democratization in 1992. First, the study reviews existing literature about food security, a newly-emerging concern in political science, as well as the literature on democracy and human rights. To fill the gaps in existing literature regarding the impact of democracy on food security, [and the author finds it overzealous to prove that democracy always benefits food security levels across varying states, cultures, and years] the thesis examines food security developments in Ghana, a developing …

“The Cane Of Love:” Social And Cultural Reform Of Corporal Punishment In South Korea, Seney Higginbotham

International ResearchScape Journal

With the public release of a very controversial video of a middle school teacher beating a student, much attention has been put on South Korea domestically as well as internationally to establish and reform policies regarding corporal punishment in schools. Since corporal punishment has been practiced in the classroom for centuries, it has been a hard fought battle of rapid social change and conservation of culture between those who wish to protect established cultural norms that accept corporal punishment in the classroom versus progressive ideas that strive to protect the integrity and human rights of school children.

The Conception Of Ren 仁In Daodejing, Poduo Wang

International ResearchScape Journal

The conception of ren 仁 is rarely mentioned in Laozi’s theory, people easily explained Daodejing as an instance of Laozi’s objection to ren. This paper explored the Laozi’s unique conception in Daodejing with different contexts in early Daoist literature. However, Laozi’s understanding of ren is different and wider; it not only relies on morality, but also extends to be natural order. The great ren, which is admired by the Daodejing and Laozi, came from our nature and it should be expressed without motives or intention. It is an absolute universal benevolence among all creatures, and harmony interaction with …

The Effect Of The Sub-Saharan African Gender Divide On The Rights And Status Of Women In A Globalized World, Toni Shoola

International ResearchScape Journal

Sub-Saharan Africa is home to a substantial gender divide that encompasses numerous aspects of life. Though this divide is a historic reality for Sub-Saharan Africa, the recent and current process of globalization has also had both negative and positive impacts on the gender divide. This paper provides a look at the gender divide in Sub-Saharan Africa from a theoretical and historical framework that goes on to explore various facets of life including economics, education, land tenure, legal rights, political participation, and health rights. In addition, one countermovement to the pervasive gender divide, African feminisms, is analyzed.

National Development And The Fight Over Black Gold: U.S. Perspectives On The Argentine Oil Industry 1946-1955, Clayton S. Oppenhuizen

International ResearchScape Journal

The paper summarizes the relationship between the U.S. and Argentina in the immediate post WWII period focusing on both nations aims in developing Argentina’s oil industry. It is a comparison on the intension of negotiations between the two nations focusing on bargaining strategies and ultimate goals of what developing an industry can mean to multiple actors on an international stage.

Putin And Business: Good Or Bad?, Abby D. Greutman

International ResearchScape Journal

Russia has long been considered a superpower, but why, then, is its economy faltering? With all of its natural resources, why is there not more international investment? This paper explores the effects of Russian political policies on the international and domestic business within Russia in order to better understand the reasons behind Russia’s unstable economic environment.

“The Hitchcock Touch”: Visual Techniques In The Work Of Alfred Hitchcock, Paige A. Driscoll

International ResearchScape Journal

Since his beginning as a filmmaker in Britain, Alfred Hitchcock has become a household name not only in Britain and, later, the United States, but also internationally. Hitchcock’s unique auteur style has made his name recognizable even if one has not personally viewed one of his many films. How is it, then, that Hitchcock has accumulated such a distinct and well-known style? Using examples from his films, the research of other Hitchcock experts, and cinematic technique and terminology resources, this article illustrates the way Hitchcock’s visual techniques have contributed to the creation of this auteur style. The visual techniques examined …

Analyzing To Live Through The Mediums Of Literature And Film: Two Vastly Contrasting Presentations Of Twentieth Century China’S Radical History, Abbie Doll

International ResearchScape Journal

This essay examines the acceptance and public interpretation of modern China’s rather turbulent past in light of Yu Hua’s novel To Live and Zhang Yimou’s film adaptation. It explores how fictionalized traumatic experiences have the ability to ultimately and effectively communicate social truth. Other aspects examined are the utilization of death as an effective political critique, the overall significance of and interpretive variances caused by the urban-rural divide in Chinese society, and also the particular molding of citizens’ lives that occurs due to either Mao’s overbearing presence or the conspicuous lack thereof. Types of sources referred to and used throughout …

Literature Of Bushidō: Loyalty, Honorable Death, And The Evolution Of The Samurai Ideal, David A. Coldren

International ResearchScape Journal

This essay will address the evolution of the samurai warrior code (bushido), concentrating on its depiction in several prominent works of Japanese literature from 1185 to 1989. This essay will argue that rather than a concrete set of principles, bushido was actually a malleable set of romanticized qualities supposedly possessed by the samurai that were repeatedly adapted to a changing Japanese society in order to maintain a national identity predicated on the warrior class. Beginning with the introduction of the samurai through the Tale of the Heike, this essay will then proceed to discuss the blatant romanticization …

The Disintegration Of Yugoslavia: An Analysis Of Globalization Effects On Union And Disintegration Of Yugoslavia, Una Bobinac

International ResearchScape Journal

The purpose of writing this project is to identify the influence globalization had in two most important parts of Yugoslavia: its formation as well as its fragmentation. The effects of this ongoing process range from direct intervention in the breakup of Yugoslavia to more indirect influence in its formation. This research strongly centers on previously established and well accepted theories of globalization to illustrate the consequences globalization had on Yugoslavia specifically. Throughout the research, the concept of critical globalism emerges as the prevailing method in the attempt to explain the events that took place in this region. The findings and …

Lunar New Year And Coca-Cola, Michelle Lee

SURGE

“Happy New Year!”

It’s a bit late for that, isn’t it? It’s already February.

Ironically, I was informed of the Lunar New Year by my beloved American friend, who seemed more excited to celebrate the Year of the Horse than I was. And then came the Toilet Paper Times, inviting students to the Attic to honor the holiday with Asian food and cultural exchange. [excerpt]

Syria And The Olympics: National Identity On An International Stage, Andrea L. Stanton

Religious Studies: Faculty Scholarship

Since its 1946 independence, Syria has fielded a team for every summer Olympic competition except 1956, yet has won only three Olympic medals. In contrast with its smaller, higher-powered neighbor Lebanon, its participation at the Olympics has been consistent but limited, with the country making little impact internationally. Yet the history of Syria’s involvement with the Olympics reflects key elements of its political and social history: its ambitious but short-lived partnership with Egypt, the Baathist-supported promotion of women as athletes and head of the National Olympic Committee, and its commitment to participation in the vexed but ideologically important Pan-Arab Games. …

Finance And Empire: 'Gentlemanly Capitalism' In Britain's Occupation Of Egypt, Jared Paul Iacolucci

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Toward the beginning of the nineteenth century, Egypt was being led by Mehmed Ali, a reformer eager to build his own dynastic state separate from the Ottoman Empire. Despite his achievements, by the end of the nineteenth century Egypt had been occupied by Great Britain for nearly two decades. This paper will examine the developments in Egypt and Great Britain that drew the two together, with particular emphasis on the growth and expansion of international finance into foreign government lending. As finance became an increasingly profitable career in Britain, financiers entered the gentlemanly class and socialized with the political elite. …

A Cross-Boundary People: The Commercial Activities, Social Networks, And Travel Writings Of Japanese And Taiwanese Sekimin In The Shantou Treaty Port (1895-1937), Lin-Yi Tseng

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation explores Japanese imperial history in East Asia and focuses on a group of "cross-boundary people"--Taiwanese sekimin (Taiwanese who registered as Japanese subjects) and Japanese--who went to the treaty port of Shantou in southern China during the period between 1895 and 1937. The starting time point (i.e., 1895) corresponds to the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki, by which Japan acquired Taiwan as a colony and informal privileges in Chinese treaty ports. The ending time point (i.e., 1937) corresponds to the decline that Shantou's Japanese community experienced owing to the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War on July 7, …

Not By Accident: How Egyptian Civil Society Successfully Launched A Revolution, Helen-Margaret Nasser

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis examines the role of civil society in Egypt and argues that it was central to the success of the 2011 revolution that ended in the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak. I will discuss the development of civil society under Mubarak and demonstrate its strength. In understanding civil society in Egypt, this thesis will discuss the strengths of groups such as associations, Islamist movements, women's groups, labor activism, and youth movements. I also demonstrate that it is important to understand the precedents established that shaped the state's stance towards civil society. As such, this thesis will also discuss the …

From Backlash To Mobilization: Muslim American Prayer Spaces In Post-9/11 New York, George E. Melissinos

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This paper argues that Muslim Americans mobilized against the threat of backlash post-9/11 through the creation of new prayer spaces and maintenance of prayer spaces already in existence before the terrorist attacks. I suggest that the successful mobilization of prayer spaces continues to provide a mechanism of support and unity against backlash for Muslim Americans in New York City since the events of September 11, 2001. I also explore how ineffective mobilization efforts, such as demonstrated by the Park51 project, fail to protect the Muslim American community against backlash.

Protecting The Living Victims: Evaluating The Impact Of India's Farmer Suicide Crisis On Its Rural Women, Gowri Janakiramanan

William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Managerial Agency Costs Of Socialistic Internal Capital Markets: Empirical Evidence From China, Jiwei Wang, Kangtao Ye

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

This study provides empirical evidence of managerial agency costs in socialistic internal capital markets. Listed Chinese companies are required to disclose the amount of resources that are reallocated to other firms of the parent company, which provides us with a direct measure of the socialistic subsidization of weak member firms by strong member firms within a business group. We hypothesize that in strong member firms, managerial compensation is less sensitive to firm performance because cross-subsidization makes it difficult for group CEOs to hold the managers in strong firms accountable for their own firms' performance, and also increases the noise in …