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Honors Theses

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Roots Of The U.S.-Israel Relationship: How The Cold War Tensions Played A Role In U.S. Foreign Policy In The Middle East, Ariel Gomberg Jun 2013

The Roots Of The U.S.-Israel Relationship: How The Cold War Tensions Played A Role In U.S. Foreign Policy In The Middle East, Ariel Gomberg

Honors Theses

Today the relationship between the United States and Israel includes multiple bi‐lateral initiatives in the military, industrial, and private sectors. Israel is Americas most established ally in the Middle East and the two countries are known to possess a “special relationship” highly valued by the United States. Although diplomatic relations between the two countries drive both American and Israeli foreign policy in the Middle East today, following the establishment of the State of Israel the United States originally did not advance major aid and benefits to the new state. While current foreign policy focuses on preserving the strong relationship with …


Competing Life Insurance Purchasing Strategies: Whole Life Versus Buy Term Invest The Differences, Jordon Hastings Jun 2013

Competing Life Insurance Purchasing Strategies: Whole Life Versus Buy Term Invest The Differences, Jordon Hastings

Honors Theses

Financial experts have been conflicted for decades in regards to the most effective strategy for purchasing life insurance. Specifically, is buying an expensive whole life insurance policy the most appropriate solution, or is purchasing cheap term insurance and investing the rest of the money in a side fund more effective? These strategies were compared side by side across a variety of scenarios with varying account allocations, time horizons and tax treatments. Based on our results, buying term and investing the difference is the most appropriate solution across the majority of the scenarios that were tested. This was due mainly to …


History Of Concussion Research In American Football, Timothy Hersey Jun 2013

History Of Concussion Research In American Football, Timothy Hersey

Honors Theses

Concussions have been the topic of discussion in the news and media in recent years for their profound impact on today’s sport industry. Athletes have become bigger, faster, and stronger then in the past, increasing the chance of injury. This can been seen in all sports. Contact sports specifically have seen a rise in mild traumatic brain injuries (MTBIs) over the years. Extensive research has been done to determine the causes of concussion, the short and long term effects of brain injury, and better ways to reduce the risk in sports. Concussion research in athletics has mainly focused on American …


Maternal Stress And Support In Light Of Sibling Relationships For Families Of Developmentally Disabled Children, Olivia Joyce Jun 2013

Maternal Stress And Support In Light Of Sibling Relationships For Families Of Developmentally Disabled Children, Olivia Joyce

Honors Theses

In the current research the role of sibling relationship in relation to caregivers’ stress and support levels in families of developmentally disabled children was investigated. Previous research has demonstrated the stresses and benefits both mothers and siblings of special needs children confront in raising and interacting with their child or sibling. Typically developing siblings have been shown to attenuate the disabled siblings’ problematic behaviors-the same behaviors that increase mothers’ stress levels the most (Rodrigue, Geffken, & Morgan, 1990). However, research regarding the effects of disabled siblings on typically developing siblings remains conflicted, such that both highly positive and highly negative …


The Role Of Relative Bmi Across Racial And Ethnic Groups: Impacts On Happiness Within The United States, Colin Knox Jun 2013

The Role Of Relative Bmi Across Racial And Ethnic Groups: Impacts On Happiness Within The United States, Colin Knox

Honors Theses

Over the last generation, rising Body Mass Index (BMI) among Americans has had significant health and psychological impacts. My thesis uses data from over 1 million surveys from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to examine the role of BMI in determining individual happiness. I specifically consider whether being surrounded by others who are overweight reduces the psychological cost of being overweight. Controlling for demographic factors, I create reference groups based on an individual’s state, sex, race and age. My thesis intends to show that individuals with a BMI higher than their reference group will be less happy.


Unguaranteed Money In The Nfl: A Useful Tool For Risky Players, Wayne Simpson Jun 2013

Unguaranteed Money In The Nfl: A Useful Tool For Risky Players, Wayne Simpson

Honors Theses

This study is investigating whether or not the percentage of non‐guaranteed money or length in NFL contracts reflects how risky players are as judged by past statistics. While sports economists have completed numerous studies on the motivational power of incentives, a study trying to identify the riskiness of players to lead to the strategic use of non‐guaranteed money and length of contract is a new idea. Contract details were gathered for running backs and wide receivers on NFL rosters for the 2012 season from rotoworld.com. Players who were still on rookie contracts and who were primarily special teams players were …


How Your Past Can Influence Your Perceptions Of Sports Aggression, Christopher Sullivan Jun 2013

How Your Past Can Influence Your Perceptions Of Sports Aggression, Christopher Sullivan

Honors Theses

Sports violence has received increased attention in the media recently and more individuals are becoming aware of dangerous behaviors in sports. This study was designed to look at the effects of personal variables and past participation in sport in how they affect an individual’s perception of aggressive sports acts. The perception aggression is important to understanding why sports aggression is more accepted in different groups of people. This utilized Union College students, who took a version of the Sport Behavior Inventory in an online survey. Through the use of different indices of data, a test of means and a multi-variable …


The Non-Profit Education System In Cambodia: Case Study Of Two Programs, Sasha I. Zuflacht Jun 2013

The Non-Profit Education System In Cambodia: Case Study Of Two Programs, Sasha I. Zuflacht

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the strengths and weaknesses of two non-profit education systems in Cambodia using organizations focused on educating and supporting Cambodian youth. The study addresses the challenges that these different schools face and what they are doing to overcome these issues. Questionnaires were distributed and interviews and guided conversations were conducted at The Global Child and The Ponheary Ly Foundation; teachers, staff, volunteers and students participated. This study discusses how strategies and structure vary between these two different organizations and the impact they are having on education and youth in Cambodia. The information collected indicates that non-profit education programs …


Photographing Anthropologists Photographing Cultures, Nirmala Jayaraman Jun 2013

Photographing Anthropologists Photographing Cultures, Nirmala Jayaraman

Honors Theses

My thesis explores how anthropologists use photography as a research method in capturing cultural realities different from their own. This was a library-based research study where coding and semiotic analysis were used to investigate photographs from anthropologists and my term abroad experience of photographing another culture in Vietnam, fall 2011. This analysis specifically looks at the photographs of Branislaw Malinowski’s fieldwork in the Trobriand Islands during the early 1900’s, of Margaret Mead’s fieldwork in a Balinese village during the 1930’s and 1940’s, and of Philippe Bourgois’ fieldwork in a San Francisco inner-city homeless community during the 1990’s. Over time, the …


Emancipating Modern Slaves: The Challenges Of Combating The Sex Trade, Rachel Mann Jun 2013

Emancipating Modern Slaves: The Challenges Of Combating The Sex Trade, Rachel Mann

Honors Theses

The trafficking and enslavement of women and children for sexual exploitation affects millions of victims in every region of the world. Sex trafficking operates as a business, where women are treated as commodities within a global market for sex. Traffickers profit from a supply of vulnerable women, international demand for sex slavery, and a viable means of transporting victims. Globalization and the expansion of free market capitalism have increased these factors, leading to a dramatic increase in sex trafficking. Globalization has also brought new dimensions to the fight against sex trafficking. Increasingly, governments and multinational corporations are collaborating with newly …


Gender, Self-Esteem And Athleticism As They Predict Binge Drinking Behaviors Among College Students, Catherine O'Brien Jun 2013

Gender, Self-Esteem And Athleticism As They Predict Binge Drinking Behaviors Among College Students, Catherine O'Brien

Honors Theses

There is a plethora of research focusing on athleticism, self-esteem and alcohol consumption but few studies have aimed to find a connection between these three dimensions. While much of the previous research focused on just two of these dimensions, the present study aims to uncover how these dimensions influence and impact one another. Students from Union College participated in a survey-based study in which they were asked to complete three surveys, one for each dimension. These surveys were used to identify level of athleticism, self-esteem and binge drinking behaviors among athletes and non-athletes at Union College. Based on previous research …


Allies Or Rivals? The Study Of Sibling Closeness In Young Adulthood, Jennifer Silvershein Jun 2013

Allies Or Rivals? The Study Of Sibling Closeness In Young Adulthood, Jennifer Silvershein

Honors Theses

This thesis explores closeness amongst sibling during their emerging adulthood focusing on the variations of sibling composition. Emerging adulthood (from the late teens to late 20s) is seen as an increasingly important stage of the lifecourse, but relatively little is known about the nature of sibling relationships at this age. A total of 54 young adults, 24 Union College students and their 30 siblings, completed surveys about their relationship with each other. In order to gain a full understanding of closeness siblings were asked questions focusing on similarities, intimacy, quarreling, affection, antagonism, admiration, emotional support, competition, instrumental support, dominance, acceptance, …


Friend Me On Facebook: A Generational Study Of The Effects Of Facebook On American Friendships, Brenda Souza Jun 2013

Friend Me On Facebook: A Generational Study Of The Effects Of Facebook On American Friendships, Brenda Souza

Honors Theses

Sociologists argue that new communicative technologies have changed the way in which Americans interact, relate, and connect with one another. Studies show that as a result of people’s dependency on new technologies like Facebook, friendships in the United States are rapidly declining. While there is already research addressing how younger individuals use Facebook, this study adds to the literature by examining how both younger and older individuals use Facebook. Additionally, this study examines how younger and older individuals define friendships, why they use Facebook, and whether or not they believe Facebook has affected the dynamics of friendships. Since the Union …


Automobiles Autarky And Authority: The Effects Of Nazi Centralized Economic Planning 1932-1942, Andrew Stinchfield Jun 2013

Automobiles Autarky And Authority: The Effects Of Nazi Centralized Economic Planning 1932-1942, Andrew Stinchfield

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the benefits and drawbacks of Nazi centralized economic planning. From an entirely political and economical standpoint, Hitler and the National Socialists’ highly regulated and restrictive policies were initially beneficial for Germany because they created a centralized economic vision and improved national morale. The liberal ideology of the Weimar Republic resulted in major class divisions within the nation, where laissez-faire economics left middle-citizens marginalized and at the mercy of profit-seeking big businesses. The Wall Street Crash of 1929 exposed the weaknesses of liberalism and resulted in a massive rise in political resentment. The regime accumulated power because their …


Subjective Well-Being Of Adolescents: Single- Versus Two-Parent Households, Diana Fletcher Jun 2013

Subjective Well-Being Of Adolescents: Single- Versus Two-Parent Households, Diana Fletcher

Honors Theses

Adolescent well-being is an important issue in society today. There are a growing number of children being raised in single-parent households, which raises questions as to whether or not these children are worse off than children raised in two-parent households. Using the 2010 American Time Use Survey Well-Being Module, this study investigates if the subjective well-being of children raised in single-parent households is worse than that of children raised in a two-parent household. Two measures of subjective well-being-the U-index and net affect-are analyzed. The U-index measures the proportion of time a respondent spends in an unpleasant state and net affect …


México, Una Nación En Riesgo: La Descomposición De La Dinámica Familiar Patriarcal En Las Obras De Jesús González Dávila, Diana Fletcher Jun 2013

México, Una Nación En Riesgo: La Descomposición De La Dinámica Familiar Patriarcal En Las Obras De Jesús González Dávila, Diana Fletcher

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the decomposition of the patriarchal family model in three plays written by Mexican dramatist Jesús González Dávila. Focusing on Pastel de zarzamora, El jardín de las delicias and De la calle, the present study analyzes the roles of the adult and the youth characters. González Dávila portrays oppressive, authoritative fathers who are power hungry and need to have control over all family matters. These domineering fathers are the roots of all the problems exhibited by the youth protagonists in all three of these plays. The younger generation has been damaged by the harsh behavior of their parents, …


La Representación De La Familia En Épocas De Transformación: Un Análisis De La Carreta (1953) De René Marqués Y Noche Cubana (2009) De José Luis García Rodríguez, Alyssa Feldman Jun 2013

La Representación De La Familia En Épocas De Transformación: Un Análisis De La Carreta (1953) De René Marqués Y Noche Cubana (2009) De José Luis García Rodríguez, Alyssa Feldman

Honors Theses

This project investigates the dramatic works La carreta (1953) by René Marqués and Noche cubana (2009) by José Luis García Rodríguez to analyze the playwrights’ utilization of the family to represent the conditions of their respective nations. La carreta describes a Puerto Rican family during the island’s transition to a Commonwealth of the United States. Marqués uses the disintegration of the family to show his opposition to Puerto Rico’s colonial status and dependency on the United States. The struggles of the family in La carreta also express Marqués’ condemnation of Puerto Rico’s industrialization and abandonment of agrarian society. Noche cubana …


Irish Travellers And The Transformative Nature Of Media Representation, Aisling Kearns Jun 2013

Irish Travellers And The Transformative Nature Of Media Representation, Aisling Kearns

Honors Theses

The Travellers, a nomadic group of people indigenous to Ireland, have long been marginalized in Irish society as a result of discrimination. The Travellers themselves have had a history of working to keep themselves separate from the settled Irish, essentially maintaining their own ethnic identity. Traveller culture has undergone a number of changes since the 1960s, a period of increasing urbanization and economic transformation in Ireland. With the changes in both Traveller culture and Irish society as a whole, there has been a corresponding shift to a more positive relationship between the media (newspapers, documentaries, and commercial films and television) …


Positionality Of Income: An Exploration Of The Influence Of Cognition, Najiba Keshwani Jun 2013

Positionality Of Income: An Exploration Of The Influence Of Cognition, Najiba Keshwani

Honors Theses

Neoclassical economic theory asserts that individuals act independently in a utility maximizing manner. Recent literature modifies this theory and introduces a relative income or positional term in the utility function, making utility functions interdependent. The neoclassical theory views income as a non-positional good, whereas the modification views income as a positional good. Studies employing choice experiments through use of hypothetical surveys pose the Relative Income Question, which asks individuals to select between absolute or relative income. Many individuals exhibit a positional concern for income specifically. Individuals may consider various factors when evaluating their view on the positionality of income. A …


Moving Forward From The Arab Spring: Predicting The Level Of Democracy In A Nation Post-Revolution, Faraz Khan Jun 2013

Moving Forward From The Arab Spring: Predicting The Level Of Democracy In A Nation Post-Revolution, Faraz Khan

Honors Theses

The Arab Spring consisted of a series of revolutions throughout the Arab world that attempted to remove dictatorial powers and institute democratic reform. However, the events after the Arab Spring beg the question of whether these nations will achieve their intended ends. Various factors have been identified to affect the level of democracy in nation including income levels, colonization history, and income inequality, among others. However, recent literature focuses on the role that cultural values play in affecting the development of political institutions. Cultural values play an interesting role during political disequilibrium. Revolutions represent the breakdown of formal institutions. During …


Impact Of The Keystone Xl Pipeline On North American Crude Oil Prices, Shawn Ian Stuart Jun 2013

Impact Of The Keystone Xl Pipeline On North American Crude Oil Prices, Shawn Ian Stuart

Honors Theses

This paper determines the economic impact of the TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline project. As the Keystone XL pipeline is extremely controversial it is beneficial to determine the impact on North American crude oil prices. Determining the economic impact the Keystone XL pipeline will have on crude oil prices will be a large detriment of whether the pipeline is economically beneficial. By using spot crude prices from different regions around North America and adding capacity of crude oil transmission from western Canada to southeast United States this paper determines the changes in regional spot crude oil prices. As the economic conditions …


How To Maximize The Profit For Bidder And Seller In A Sealed-Bid Second-Price Auction, Wei Yu Jun 2013

How To Maximize The Profit For Bidder And Seller In A Sealed-Bid Second-Price Auction, Wei Yu

Honors Theses

With a history of more than 2500 years, auctions have long been used to negotiate the exchange of goods and commodities. In an auction, bidders compete with rivals by submitting bids depending on their personal evaluations of the goods. The good is allocated to the bidder who offers the highest bid. There are many different types of auctions, but four major ones are primarily concerned by economists and researchers--the English auction, the Dutch auction, the sealed-bid first-price auction and the sealed-bid second-price auction. My thesis mainly focuses on the characteristics of the sealed-bid second-price auction, with both continuous and discrete …


The Confessional Model And Sectarian Politics: Lessons From Lebanon And The Future Of Iraq, Scott Preston May 2013

The Confessional Model And Sectarian Politics: Lessons From Lebanon And The Future Of Iraq, Scott Preston

Honors Theses

This paper uses education policy as a case study in order to examine the issues affiliated with the Confessional model of government and compares Lebanon’s education sector with Iraq to inspect the universality of those issues. There are many features that make the country of Lebanon unique, but perhaps none more characterizing than its one-of-a-kind Confessional government. According to the tenants of Confessionalism specific government offices are to be reserved for specific ethnic groups. The system was an innovative experiment imposed by the French as a means to guarantee various communal groups representation within the government in an effort to …


Assessing Behavior Change Related To Acute Stress Exposure In The Zebrafish, Christine E. Breazeale May 2013

Assessing Behavior Change Related To Acute Stress Exposure In The Zebrafish, Christine E. Breazeale

Honors Theses

Stress affects how we function in all aspects of our lives. It is our physiological response to a threat. In fact, its origins were very adaptive. Stress can cause an animal to flee a predator and avoid being eaten. In today’s society, stress can prompt us to work harder to achieve a good education or promotion at work so that we can afford food, shelter, and entertainment. But stress can also impair performance at work, on tests, and even can cause long-term bodily harm. In order to fully understand the deleterious effects of stress and thereby properly treat it, it …


The Morphological Evolution Of The Vocal Apparatus In The Human Lineage: Implications On The Emergence Of Language, Jacob Jesch May 2013

The Morphological Evolution Of The Vocal Apparatus In The Human Lineage: Implications On The Emergence Of Language, Jacob Jesch

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


Society Contra State: Murray Rothbard’S Conception Of The Proper Role Of Coercion In Society, Alex Braud May 2013

Society Contra State: Murray Rothbard’S Conception Of The Proper Role Of Coercion In Society, Alex Braud

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


Explaining Leisure Interests, Personality, Work Centrality, And Vocational Interests, Stormy Z. Speaks May 2013

Explaining Leisure Interests, Personality, Work Centrality, And Vocational Interests, Stormy Z. Speaks

Honors Theses

The current study examined the relations between leisure interests and other vocational constructs among undergraduate university students. Methods included utilizing previously obtained data from a sample of 194 undergraduate students at the University of Minnesota, where study measures were given in 2007. Data collected included the Leisure Interest Questionnaire, used to determine leisure interests and activities outside the workplace; the International Personality Item Pool, a measure of five main personality traits; and the Strong Interest Inventory, a measure of vocational interests. Work centrality, or the importance of the role of work, was also assessed to determine the relations between leisure …


Differences In Latent Fingerprints Of Caucasian Children, Jessica D. Hill May 2013

Differences In Latent Fingerprints Of Caucasian Children, Jessica D. Hill

Honors Theses

It is already known that the latent fingerprints of adults and the latent fingerprints of prepubescent children are different from each other in chemical makeup. This study compares the latent fingerprints of prepubescent children to each other—specifically attempting to determine if there are any noticeable differences between the latent prints of Caucasian male and female children using the processing methods of ninhydrin and indane dione. The latent fingerprints included in the study were processed and graded. Two independent t-tests as well as a factorial ANOVA were performed on the acquired data. It was found that there is not a significant …


Freedom Of Expression...With Attitude, Aimee Chalin May 2013

Freedom Of Expression...With Attitude, Aimee Chalin

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


On The Relation Between Parenting Practices And Pathological Narcissism In Adolescents, Kristen L. Mechanic May 2013

On The Relation Between Parenting Practices And Pathological Narcissism In Adolescents, Kristen L. Mechanic

Honors Theses

The present study examined the relation between parenting practices and grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. The study used the self-report data of 407 adolescents (348 males, 57 females, 2 unreported) who were enrolled in a residential program in the summer and fall of 2011 and 2012. Participants completed a battery of surveys, including the Pathological Narcissism Inventory and the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire. Findings link grandiose narcissism to positive parenting practices and poor monitoring and supervision, with positive reinforcement and poor monitoring and supervision predicting unique variance in adolescent grandiose narcissism. Vulnerable narcissism was significantly positively correlated with the negative parenting practices …