Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Teaching In The Right Context: Textbook Supply Program, Language, And Vocabulary Ability In Vietnam, Tomoki Fujii, Maki Nakajima, Sijia Xu

Research Collection School Of Economics

An ethnic gap in education is prevalent around the world. This remains the case in Vietnam, a country that has achieved phenomenal economic growth and raised the educational attainment of the public. This paper examines the impact of language policy reorientation represented by the textbook supply program in Vietnam on the ethnic gap in children's learning measured by a vocabulary test. Applying difference-in-differences estimation to the Young Lives data between 2006 and 2015, we show that the program became more effective in narrowing the ethnic gap as the education policy became reoriented toward ethnic minority children. A causal mediation analysis …

The Unheard Voices Of Al-Intifadah Al-Shabaaniyah: An Exploration Of The 1991 Uprising And America’S Betrayal Through The Testimonies Of Iraqi Participants Residing In America, Zainab Alhussainy

Honors College Theses

This thesis delves into the often-overlooked 1991 uprising in Iraq, a significant early instance of resistance against Middle Eastern dictatorship. Rooted in the experiences shared within Michigan's Iraqi community. Focusing on southern Iraq, the thesis investigates the catalysts and mechanisms that enabled oppressed individuals under Saddam Hussein's Ba’athist regime to unite and rebel. Through extensive oral history methodologies, this research engages with diverse survivors—mothers, youth, and children—across various southern Iraqi cities. Their narratives unveil the hardships endured before, during, and after the rebellion.

Remarkably, despite oppressive conditions and violent impediments, the southern Iraqi populace achieved a formidable mass uprising. This …

The Soviet Union's Foreign Policy In The Balkans During The First Years Of The Cold War (1945-1960), Elio Zhilla

Honors College Theses

This paper will examine how Russia’s foreign policy politically, economically, and culturally affected all of the nations in the Balkan region during the first years of the Cold War. I will further look into the differences and similarities between Russia’s interests and geopolitics in the context of the different disagreements in the region of the Balkans that concerned the Soviet Union, such as the Balkan Pact (1953), the Cyprus Agreement (1960) or the Warsaw Pact (1955), which will be discussed later. The focus will be on how the different leaders of the Soviet Union (Joseph Stalin and Nikita Khrushchev) changed …

Muslim Enough? Egyptian Enough? American Enough?, Essraa Nawar

Library Presentations, Posters, and Audiovisual Materials

Born in Alexandria, Egypt, Essraa has studied, lived and worked in many places, including the Gulf area (Qatar), Washington D.C., where she worked for The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, and Alexandria, Egypt where she worked for Bibliotheca Alexandrina. In 2002, she moved with her husband and family to the United States where they have been studying, working, and living for 20 plus years. In this vulnerable presentation, Essraa will share for the first time her journey navigating motherhood as an immigrant, Muslim women while thousands of miles away from her family in Egypt. Everyday Essraa will ask herself: Is …

Art Of Community, Nayely Furcal Marte

Global Studies Student Scholarship

Nayely Furcal Marte ’23
Major: Business Economics and Global Studies
Faculty Mentor: Nicholas Longo, Global Studies

Art has been used to create a spacious place for many people and has been a way to express themselves differently without using communication. There are many ways to do art: art can be painting, sculpture, literature, agriculture, cinema, music, or theater, no matter how individuals use it to help release emotions. Creating art as the artist or using it as the audience can help lift depression and positively heal mental health. Using art as a way of healing has represented patients and individuals …

Estimating The Xi Effect: How Chinese Aid Affects Economic And Political Institutions, Mackenzie Owens

Business and Economics Honors Papers

Under Xi Jinping, China has expanded its aid allocation worldwide and has introduced global infrastructure projects to connect itself to countries everywhere. With such ambitious aid allocation, China has been the recipient of both admiration and scorn on the international stage. This paper assesses these concerns using data from 2000 to 2017 to determine how Chinese aid affects recipient states’ economic and political institutions. Specifically, this research looked to ascertain if there is a measurable Xi Effect in recipient states. The quantitative analysis shows the Xi Effect is small and positive on economic institutions and political institutions, signifying Xi Jinping’s …

Student Movements, Politics, And Policy In Chile, 2001 – 2012, Leesa Rasp

Dissertations

Chile has frequently been touted as an economic miracle, the “Jaguar of Latin America”. Boasting the strongest economy in South America, due to severe neoliberal economic structural adjustments made under the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, it has long been held up as the perfect exemplar of economic growth and stability, as well as the poster child for the effectiveness of neoliberal economics. After the re-establishment of democracy in 1990, political conditions improved as well; the country enjoyed a decade of stability and peace under its first two democratically-elected governments.

Yet, beginning approximately ten years after the transition to democracy, …

Sociology: A Guide To Action Or To Analysis In The Global Climate Change Crisis? A Call For Action By The Social Sciences And The Humanities, Kim Scipes

Class, Race and Corporate Power

The debate over the purpose of sociological research has historically been one between Marx and Weber: is sociology’s role to analyze society (ala Weber) or to change it (Marx)?

The issue of climate change and environmental destruction is one that has been relegated to the margins of Sociology, being seen as an “environmental” issue. The changes we’ve seen so far, however, show how this has had and is having a major impact on human beings and, at least in the United States, is having a major impact on the culture of the country, both in general and specifically on different …

Japan: Where Did All The People Go? An Empirical Study On Economic And Social Impacts On Low Fertility In Japan, Sasha Heasley

Business and Economics Honors Papers

This project analyzed potential impacts on the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in Japan (2010 and 2015), which is dealing with both a declining population and an ageing population in parallel. Results indicate that income per person has the largest impact on TFR, and it is highly considered when making fertility decisions. Results also show that government policies are largely ineffective in impacting TFR. Results were obtained through two panel regressions and two Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regressions, in which TFR was the dependent variable.

A Fake Future: The Threat Of Foreign Disinformation On The U.S. And Its Allies, Brandon M. Rubsamen

Global Tides

This paper attempts to explain the threat that foreign disinformation poses for the United States Intelligence Community and its allies. The paper examines Russian disinformation from both a historical and contemporary context and how its effect on Western democracies may only be exacerbated in light of Chinese involvement and evolving technologies. Fortunately, the paper also studies practices and strategies that the United States Intelligence Community and its allied foreign counterparts may use to respond. It is hoped that this study will help shed further light on Russian and Chinese disinformation campaigns and explain how the Intelligence Community can efficiently react.

Cultural Concepts Of Distress And Clinical Intake Processes For Chinese And Chinese American Populations In The United States, Jasmina Harambasic

Undergraduate Theses

Research shows that Chinese Americans underutilize mental health services more than any other ethnic group in the U.S. This project aims to explore the mental health experiences of Chinese American and immigrant communities, with a specific focus on clinical intake processes, including interviews and screening assessments. Cultural concepts of distress refer to ways that cultural groups experience and communicate mental distress, and an exploration of these illness experiences within Chinese American populations can inform how to adapt or develop screening and interview tools to fully capture personal narrations of illness during intake processes in preparation for treatment. Challenges that may …

The Impact Of The Convention On The Elimination Of Discrimination Against Women On Ecuador's Domestic Policy, Brittani Stiltner

Student Symposium

In 1979, Ecuador became one of the first Latin American countries to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). In this paper, I use Ecuador as a case study for analyzing the effectiveness of international human rights treaties on the countries that ratify them, looking specifically into the impact the CEDAW had on Ecuador’s domestic policies and action it has taken to expand women’s rights since 1979. I begin by giving a historical basis for the culture and political organization of the country due to colonization. I then articulate Ecuador as a leader …

The Legacy Of Colonization And Civil Societies In South Africa, Erika Frydenlund, Melissa Miller-Felton, Bolu Ayankojo

Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Student Capstone Conference

This research analyzes the unique ways that civil societies operate in Sub-Saharan Africa in the context of post-apartheid Cape Town, South Africa. Decades after the demise of apartheid, remnants of inequality remain without the promise of actionable change. We used a computational modeling approach to understand the dynamics of migrants in the receiving community as derived from qualitative interviews conducted with 24 stakeholders in Cape Town, South Africa between 2020 and 2021. Our findings show that the presence of NGOs can promote access to resources and reduce xenophobia if they can have the right influence on government policies.

Assessing Frustration Towards Venezuelan Migrants In Columbia: Path Analysis On Newspaper Coded Data, Brian Llinás, Guljannat Huseynli, Erika Frydenlund, Katherine Palacia, Jose Padilla

Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Student Capstone Conference

This study analyzes the impact of Venezuelan migrants on local frustration levels in Colombia. The study found a relationship between the influx of Venezuelan migrants and the level of frustration among locals towards migrants, infrastructure, government, and geopolitics. Additionally, we identified that frustration types have an impact on other frustrations. The study used articles from a national newspaper in Colombia from 2015 to 2020. News articles were coded during a previous study qualitatively and categorized into frustration types. The code frequencies were then used as variables in this study. We used path modeling to statistically study the relationship between dependent …

Shaping Sustainability In Classroom Curricula In Singapore: Educators And Students As Collaborative Change Agents, Anna Fromson-Ho

International Studies Honors Projects

Climate change is a global crisis, and in Singapore, a low-lying city-state, its geography makes it susceptible to extreme weather events and zoonotic diseases. Singapore's alignment with global commitments like the United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development is elevated by its presence as a leader in urban sustainability. Using a mixed-methods approach, this paper explores sustainability as a classroom concept and educators' role in translating curriculum standards into learning that informs, educates, and empowers students to become agents of change. Sharing these perspectives will help develop collaborative learning programs that center educators and students, improving understanding of this important field.

Behind Derogatory Migrants' Terms For Venezuelan Migrants: Xenophobia And Sexism Identification With Twitter Data And Nlp, Joseph Martínez, Melissa Miller-Felton, Jose Padilla, Erika Frydenlund

Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Student Capstone Conference

The sudden arrival of many migrants can present new challenges for host communities and create negative attitudes that reflect that tension. In the case of Colombia, with the influx of over 2.5 million Venezuelan migrants, such tensions arose. Our research objective is to investigate how those sentiments arise in social media. We focused on monitoring derogatory terms for Venezuelans, specifically veneco and veneca. Using a dataset of 5.7 million tweets from Colombian users between 2015 and 2021, we determined the proportion of tweets containing those terms. We observed a high prevalence of xenophobic and defamatory language correlated with the …

A War Of Many Victims: The Cartel Crises In Mexico, Seth Sexton

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Textual or Investigative

The Suggestion Of Reconciliation And Alliance Relationship In The Future Between North Korea And The United States, And Its Christian Role, Unbi Choi

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Textual or Investigative

Positive Parenting With Guyanese Children, Parthener Pinder

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

During the earliest years of life, a child has rapid neurological development. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), such as Guyana, there continues to be a struggle to educate all children, especially those in rural or isolated areas leading to concerns about young children's development, particularly those under five. LMICs have little research on how caregiver positive parenting in the household affects early childhood development as well as how other sociodemographic factors influence positive parenting. This study answers the question: Does positive parenting in the household improve learning development in Guyanese children? This study used Guyana’s Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey …

Climate Change, Site Formation, And Indigenous Use Of Coastlines In Barbuda, Isabel C. Rivera-Collazo, Sophia Perdikaris

School of Global Integrative Studies: Faculty Publications

This article explores the landscape dynamics at the island of Barbuda in the context of changing climate to understand (1) the environmental setting of indigenous settlements; (2) the impacts of current coastal processes; and (3) the potential threats moving forward toward increasing pressure of climate change. Focusing on the site of Seaview, on the east coast of Barbuda, we use geoarchaeological methods to reconstruct the ancient geomorphological setting, investigate changes post-abandonment, and identify the hazards faced under future sea-level projections. Our study shows that (1) sea level stabilization after the Mid-Holocene allowed the formation of coral reefs, seagrass beds and …

Environmental And Social Factors Associated With High Chronic Kidney Disease Mortality Rates In Municipalities Of Guatemala: An Ecological Study Of Municipal-Level Mortality Data, Alejandro Cerón

Anthropology: Faculty Scholarship

The purpose of this study was to determine the association between social and environmental indicators and high mortality rates from chronic kidney disease (CKD) in municipalities of Guatemala. An ecological study of municipal-level factors associated with CKD mortality in Guatemala was conducted. Crude mortality rates were calculated for the 2009–2019 period for each of the country’s 340 municipalities, by gender and age groups. Municipal-level social and environmental indicators were used as independent variables. Linear regression was used for bivariate and multivariate analysis. A total of 28,723 deaths from CKD were documented for the 2009–2019 period. Average crude mortality rate for …

Cybersecurity Workforce Development In Nigeria: Transforming The Cybercrime Gangs Into Cybersecurity Specialists, Olohi Favor Anteyi

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

This paper addresses the issue of cybercrime in Nigeria and the possibility of creating a cybersecurity workforce development program for cyber criminals to develop their skills for the cybersecurity profession, which may facilitate Nigeria’s economic development.

A Qualitative Analysis Of The Relationship Between Cyberthreats And Democratic Backsliding, Amy I. Browning

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

Interstate conflict has developed beyond conventional tactics to include the cyber realm, making cybersecurity a key component of international relations and an integral part of state defense plans. Research in international security has included the analyses of the relative success or failures of particular cyberattacks. However, the instigators behind these attacks receive comparatively little attention, leaving a gap in knowledge for when, why, and where cyberthreats are likely to emerge. Recent analysis has found that democratic institutions are likely to hinder state-sponsored cyberattack initiation. A consideration that the latest wave of global democratic backsliding could be fueling cyberthreats must be …

Chilean Cinema In The 21st Century World (Review), James L. Richie Iv

Vernacular: New Connections in Language, Literature, & Culture

No abstract provided.

The Lived Experience Of Hmong Women In Leadership Roles, Nou Vang

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore and understand the lived experiences of Hmong women who have achieved leadership positions.

Methodology: This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experience of 12 Hmong women who have ascent to leadership roles through personal, face-to-face, in- depth, open-ended questions. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for emergent themes. Related artifacts from the participants, along with the participant interviews, were collected to triangulate data. Research findings were a result of the correlating themes based on the qualitative data analysis and research question.

Findings: The findings of the study indicated that …

Trade Wars, Covid-19, Usmca, And Protectionism: Exogenous Factor Influence On U.S- Mexico Supply Chains In The Automotive Industry, Maria Bustillos

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

This research explores what the impacts of COVID-19, the U.S-China trade war, and the implementation of North American Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as the United States, Mexico Canada (USMCA) Trade Agreement, have had on U.S.-Mexico trade relations, focusing on the automotive industry. With rising trends of protectionism in international trade, this research focuses on the language that Tesla and General Motors company sites in Mexico used from 2021 to March 2023 in their released articles to the public and how frequently the variables of COVID19, the U.S China trade war, USMCA, and protectionism were discussed. Articles in both Spanish and English …

Analyzing State Reactions To Panserbjørne Coup: A Case Study In Realism, Athena Dupont, Lyra Belacqua Silvertongue

Student Research Symposium

In a global climate of instability and increasingly volatile political shifts in both election-based and non-election-based governments, it is critical to understand how states react to sudden changes in leadership in other nations. While there are numerous theories that try to account for the decision-making processes on an international scale, few of them withstand application to historical case studies. One such study, the 1990s overthrow of Svalbard's King Iofur Raknison by the disgraced former king Iorek Byrnison, offers unique insight into the reactions of other nations. While the Panserbjørne nation is not generally considered a world power, its regional hegemony …

What Doesn’T Kill You Makes You Stronger: The Shifting Strategies Of Japan’S Yakuza In Response To Economic Globalization And Securitization, Benjamin P. Murkison

Honors College Theses

The Yakuza in Japan is a deeply traditional and infamous ethnic mafia, which has historically based their profits off of the protection of gambling rings and street vendors, but have developed into one of the most sophisticated and wealthy criminal institutions in the world. Reaching their peak in the 1960’s with around 200,000 members, the Yakuza has been in a slow decline ever since. However, the past decade has seen the most dramatic drop in Yakuza numbers in recorded history, as a result of increasing securitization by the Japanese state. As their power has declined within Japan, they have only …

Disruption, Transformation, Resilience, And Hope: The Experience Of A Belizean Community During Covid-19 Lockdown, Jean D. Kirshner Dr.

The Qualitative Report

This qualitative research explored the lived experience of teachers, school administrators, parents, and children in Belize, Central America during the COVID-19 lockdown. Through field notes, correspondence, and interviews, a narrative approach was leveraged to convey the impact of two years away from classrooms and from each other. Both the trauma and loss of this disruption on global literacy, along with three forces that nourished the capacity for resilience, were examined.

Phenomenological Study: The Perceived Impact Of The Intersectional Barriers Created By Gender And Race On African American Females’ Advancement To A Senior Executive Service Within The Federal Government, Nicole Oliver

Dissertations

Purpose. This phenomenological study aimed to investigate the perceived impact of intersectional barriers created by gender and ethnicity on the advancement of African American females to the Senior Executive Service (SES) corps of the United States federal civil service. Additionally, the study sought to identify strategies used by African American females to overcome these barriers because of intersectionality and advance to the SES corps of the United States federal civil service.

Methodology. This qualitative phenomenological study used a convenience sampling method to select eight African American females who have advanced to an SES position in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. …