Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Women, Money, And Politics: Do Female Politicians Raise As Much Money As Men?, Taylor Harris

Honors Theses

This thesis seeks to answer if female politicians raise as much money as male politicians. In order to answer this question, I collected data from the Harvard MIT Election Data Science Lab. It has every candidate that ran in the general election for the House of Representatives from 1976 through 2018, but, for the purpose of this project, only the Presidential election years from 1980 through 2016 are used in this data set. It also includes how much money they raised, what state they are from, and what party the candidate was affiliated with. This data set also accounts for …

Analyzing The Consumer’S Decision-Making Process To Visit Walt Disney World During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Corinne Kincade Williams

Honors Theses

During the Covid-19 pandemic, people have had differing opinions about traveling and visiting popular destinations. This study analyzes why people decide to visit or not visit Disney World during the pandemic. To understand motivational factors affecting customers’ visit intention, a Qualtrics survey was administered through GroupMe, Disney Facebook fan pages, and MTurk. Questions applied the theory of planned behavior and additional constructs of perceived severity and perceived vulnerability to understand the reasons behind participants’ decision-making process to visit or not visit Disney World.

From the 553 responses analyzed, it was found that the most influential factors on Disney World visit …

The Role Of The Kurds In U.S. Foreign Policy, Davis Mccool Iii

Honors Theses

The Kurdish people in the Middle East have played a valuable role in furthering U.S. policy interests in the region. The U.S. has aligned itself with various Kurdish groups in a series of strategic partnerships dating back to the early 1970s, yet has never considered the Kurdish nation an ally. As such, the U.S. has reneged on multiple different pacts with the Kurds and opened the door for state-sponsored conflict against a supposed ally, despite mutual interests between both groups. This thesis aimed to assign a formal role to the Kurds within U.S. foreign policy, and to analyze the function …

China, Xinjiang, And The Genocide Convention: The Fragility Of International Law, Lucy Kate Herron

Honors Theses

This paper examines China’s actions through the lens of the Genocide Convention to examine the whether the crimes of genocide are being committed against the Uyghur population. It contends that according to the Genocide Convention, China is committing genocide, and particularly through conditions, torture, and rape, against the Uyghur population. However, prosecuting a genocide in court would prove difficult due to China's laws and actions that can be used to defer accusations of genocide and problems with the Genocide Convention in the context of China and the Uyghurs.

Predisposition Of Disordered Eating Among Women At The University Of Mississippi, Lucy Williams

Honors Theses

The intention of this project was to evaluate the attitudes, feelings and behaviors towards eating and food in Panhellenic sorority students, compared to women not in a sorority. The effect of other factors like grade point average, financial income, and the value of being viewed as attractive was also investigated. Two thousand sorority members and two thousand non-sorority members received a survey administered through Qualtrics to email addresses provided by the Office of Institutional Research, Effectiveness, and Planning at the University of Mississippi. Out of this group, 809 students participated in the survey. The survey consisted of questions from the …

5g Technology, U.S. - China Race, And The Competition For Dominance, Rhodes M. Walker

Honors Theses

For much of the 21^st century, the United States and China have been competing to determine which world superpower will have the upper-hand for decades to come.The creation of 5G networks has raised new questions which are imperative to understanding the outlook for the competition between the United States and China for global dominance. This thesis sought to answer the question: Why would implementing the first 5G networks be the key to global dominance for the next decade or longer? In addressing this question, this thesis discusses the current state of 5G networks in China, the U.S., and Europe …

The Root Of The Problem: Mississippi And The School-To-Prison Pipeline, Matthew Brennan Hendley

Honors Theses

The Root of the Problem: Mississippi and the School-to-Prison Pipeline is a solutions journalism piece about the “schoolhouse to jailhouse” theory, which represents a phenomenon in which grade school students, the majority of which are minority youth, are funneled into the criminal justice system via schools through policies and procedures that criminalize student misbehavior. The piece is an in-depth analysis of the arrival, history, and current state of the school-to-prison pipeline in Mississippi, featuring one specific effort to dismantle the phenomenon in the Sunflower County Consolidated School District in the Mississippi Delta. In addition to this analysis, the piece explores …

The Association Between Appearance Related Safety Behaviors And Anxiety Symptoms In Adolescents, Emily Olson

Honors Theses

The goal of the current study is to examine the associations between appearance related safety behaviors (i.e., behaviors aimed at preventing humiliation or embarrassment associated with appearance, such as mirror checking or skin picking) and anxiety symptoms during adolescence. Adolescence is considered a core risk period for the onset of many psychological disorders (e.g., social anxiety disorder). Critically, adults with these psychological conditions report engaging in higher levels of appearance related safety behaviors than adults without these disorders. Further, initial, promising evidence, suggests that reducing engagement in appearance related safety behaviors is associated with reduced symptoms of anxiety. To date, …

Who Gets To Ride? A Case Study In Inequality And Public Transportation In Santiago, Chile, Melissa Sanguientti

Honors Theses

While the metro public transportation system in Santiago, Chile was intended to serve all citizens equally, this did not become a reality. Instead, the metro has become a symbol of the short comings and failures in the state's city planning and expansions, benefitting the richer areas of the city. With a grand promise that was never fulfilled, frustration grew over time. While smaller protests were targeting public transportation with the increase to the fare of the metro, protests sparked overnight in 2019. However, by looking at the travel patterns, commute times, spatial inequalities, decision-making of metro expansions, and comuna level …

Archaeological Analysis Of An Early Mississippian Frontier Structure In Southwestern Virginia, Sophie Husslein

Honors Theses

Ely Mound (44LE12) is a significant prehistoric frontier site located in Lee County, Virginia. Frontier sites are important in understanding processes of cultural hybridity and the formation of social hierarchies. Through an analysis of artifacts recovered from a household structure during a 2019 excavation, this research explores Ely’s function on the Mississippian cultural frontier, and discusses its relationship to the Carter Robinson site located within the county (44LE10). Finally, I conclude that the occupants of Ely Mound were a local people engaging with select Mississipian cultural practices and suggest that this site could be an example of Mississippianization.

The Mind Matters: Yoga And Mindfulness In Preschool And K-12 Schools, Anna E. Hall

Honors Theses

This study uses a systematic literature review to examine the efficacy of preschool and K-12 school based yoga and mindfulness programs. A collection of 47 sources were examined to compare and contrast results and determine best practices. The results of the literature review are divided into three primary categories: implementation methods, student outcomes, and teacher and student opinion. The results suggest that individual and whole school implementation methods are the most effective. The results also suggest that there are positive student outcomes in regards to classroom behavior, child executive functioning, and anxiety. Teacher and student opinion on these programs are …

The Art And Importance Of Deliberative Rhetoric In Political Communications, Cameron Sadler

Honors Theses

This project explores the use of deliberative rhetorical appeals in political communications. Seven professionals spanning all levels of politics were interviewed about their work as communications specialists and strategists. Their insights further proved the necessity for attention to rhetoric in messaging.

Brain Drain In Mississippi, Clifford Adam Conner

Honors Theses

Brain drain is the out-migration of educated individuals from an area. It is a problem with which Mississippi is overly familiar. This thesis uses data gathered from a survey of 965 respondents to identify who is leaving the state and for what reasons. The data gathered suggest confirmation that brain drain is an issue for the state, with roughly two-thirds of respondents having left the state or seriously considering doing so. The impetus for this varies with each individual, but respondents underscore economic and societal factors within Mississippi as pushing them away from the state. Quality of life factors are …

Darker By The Day: Daily Variability In The Dark Triad Of Personality, Benjamin Hardin

Honors Theses

Dark personality traits (i.e., narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy) have predominantly been conceptualized as stable characteristics that describe what people are like in comparison to others. However, people may also experience fluctuations in the degree to which they are narcissistic, Machiavellian, and psychopathic from day to day. The present study sought to investigate the extent to which people report daily variability in dark personality. Undergraduate participants (N = 297) completed a one-time trait measure as well as 21 daily reports of dark personality. Participants reported substantial within-person variability in narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. Trait measures of dark personality were found …

Examining Construction And Reproduction Of The Educational Opportunity Gap: The Nation’S School Board Members Respond, Hallet Demouy

Honors Theses

This thesis explores opportunity gaps, often related to achievement gaps, in education via the analysis of school board members’ responses regarding challenges that face future education, students, and the public school system. The perceptions of these school board members serve to address the sources, prevalence, and effects of inequities that exist in widening (perpetuating) this gap between students. After discussing and elaborating upon the perceived challenges and barriers located in the institution of education, school board member responses will again be used to present potential ways and opportunities through which the achievement gaps, relating to the success rates and testing …

Perilous Place: Personal Stories Point To Possible Solutions To Widespread Flooding In The Mississippi Delta, Jared Poland

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate and create journalistic stories highlighting the Yazoo Backwater Pumps Projects relationship to climate change while utilizing narrative storytelling techniques. Before explaining the methodology used for conducting research and interviews, the researcher describes the influence that innovations of mass communication channels have had on the way humans form groups and persuasively advocate for their positions. The researcher describes their historical perspective of mass media innovations that were vital considerations during their discovery and investigation of this politically divisive issue. The researcher more specifically focuses on the innovations that have occurred since the digital …

Anti-Americanism And The Auteur: Critical Discourse And The French Film Industry From 1946 To 1965, Madison Gee

Honors Theses

Cinema is not only a popular form of entertainment but an art through which socio-cultural, economic, and political activities intersect. France's cinematic history, in particular, is characterized by its government's protectionist policies and the enduring popularity of New Wave films. Yet, the end of World War II saw the expansion of American soft power and, consequently, widespread fear that Hollywood’s market dominance would push out local producers. In this thesis, I aim to study the impact of Cold War anti-Americanism on the French film industry’s development from 1946 to 1965. Through a critical discourse analysis of popular film magazines of …

Hand Over Fist: Russia's Use Of Military Aggression To Affect Regional Policy, Bobby G. Simmons Ii

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to assess Russia's effectiveness at using military exercises to affect the policies of neighboring Eastern European states. This is first done through an analysis of three Russian military exercises: Zapad-2017, Kavkaz-2020, and Ocean Shield-2020. The overview and results of the exercises are discussed. Then, three Eastern European countries are assessed as targets of Russian military aggression: Belarus, Lithuania, and Ukraine. The relationships between these countries and Russia are then reviewed before discussing how each country was impacted by one or more of the three aforementioned Russian military exercises. Following this analysis, a brief assessment …

‘Con Los Brazos Abiertos’: Venezuelan Migration And The Humanitarian State Under Ecuador's Moreno Administration, Madeline Cook

Honors Theses

In its 2008 Constitution, Ecuador enshrined radically inclusive principles of universal citizenship and legal protections for migrants, written in a moment of historic Ecuadorian emigration. Yet in the wake of the Venezuelan migrant crisis and President Lenin Moreno’s shift towards austerity, how has his administration (2017-2021) responded to the Venezuelan migration in policy and in political discourse? Through an analysis of legal documents including ministerial agreements, legislation, executive decrees, and the VERHU visa, this paper outlines a pattern of legal restrictions levied on Venezuelan migrants. Additionally, this paper employs a qualitative content analysis of the Moreno administration’s political discourse, including …

An Analysis Of The Effects Of Covid-19 On Students At The University Of Mississippi: Family, Careers, Mental Health, Hannah Newbold

Honors Theses

This study analyzes the effects of COVID-19 on students at the University of Mississippi. For students, COVID-19 changed the landscape of education, with classes and jobs going online. Students who graduated in May 2020 entered a poor job market and many ended up going to graduate school instead of finding a job. Access to medical and professional help was limited at the very beginning, with offices not taking patients or moving appointments to virtual only. This would require that each student needing help had to have access to quality internet service, which wasn’t always guaranteed, thus producing additional challenges.

These …

Assimilation, Association, And Modernism In The Urbanism Of The French Third Republic, Thomas Bleeker

Honors Theses

The regime of settler-colonialism present in Algeria during the French Third Republic (1870-1940) facilitated a certain mythos of Republican French renewal. Given the value French culture places on aesthetics, the colonial architecture and urban forms in French colonies was treated quite seriously. the intense political conflict and directed acculturation which characterised European imperialism, the colonial city brings many of the interactions between culture and politics into sharp relief. This thesis adds to the previous literature concerning colonial urbanism by examining the colonial ideologies embedded within Le Corbusier's master plans for Algiers. His work remains influential and controversial within architecture and …

Black Imposterism: Naming & Combating Imposter Syndrome In Student Government Associations Across The South, Joshua Mannery

Honors Theses

Beginning in 1978 with its coining by Clance and Imes, imposter syndrome (IP) has been used to describe feelings of unfounded fraudulence, low self-esteem, and low self-efficacy in women, minority groups, and underrepresented populations. The phenomenon of imposterism persists not only in academic spaces, but in professional, medical, and any other areas where a feeling of competition can exist. Many empirical studies have observed the factors that contribute to university students and their development of the physiological effect, but one concentration that has received little to no application is how it develops within a student government, and methods in which …

The Importance Of A Multidisciplinary Approach To Public Health: Addressing Food Insecurity Through A Biological And Sociological Lens, Chloe Grant

Honors Theses

Plants can sense the change of 1 ^oC in their growth environment and thus global climate change has a great impact on plant growth and development. The phenomenon that warm non-stress temperatures promote stem and petiole elongation, as well as leaf hyponastic growth, is collectively known as thermomorphogenesis. While it is known that the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor PIF4 is highly inducible by temperature elevations and controls thermomorphogenesis in dicots (e.g., Arabidopsis thaliana), the molecular mechanism underlying thermomorphogenetic growth in monocots is not clear. In this study, I identify PIF4 orthologs in several economically important monocotyledonous species and …

The Ceibalitas In Uruguay: How Digital Educational Technology Affects Social Cohesion, William Bradford

Honors Theses

Digital Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have become a focal point in improving worldwide education. There have been many studies on the effects of ICT in schools on grades and careers after graduation, but not many have studied the social impact. This study focuses on the Plan Ceibal in Uruguay to see the impact of ICT in schools on social cohesion. The Plan Ceibal was the first Nation-wide one-laptop-per-child (OLPC) program in the world. For this reason, Uruguay can provide a look into the future for other nations as they implement OLPC programs of their own. This study uses data …

Perceptions Of Chinese Influence In Tanzania, Matthew Jacob Travers

Honors Theses

As soon as it gained independence from the United Kingdom in December 1961, Tanganyika, which would later become the United Republic of Tanzania, established diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. The two countries have continued to promote friendly relations and an economic and political partnership, particularly through the Belt and Road Initiative and the Confucius Institute. Given international concerns over China’s interest in the African continent, this thesis seeks to evaluate the perceptions of Chinese influence in Tanzania on both a national and local level.

I used a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods to analyze China’s …

Examining Race And Anxiety Sensitivity As Predictors Of Electronic Cigarette Use And Dependence, Carson Schmitz

Honors Theses

Electronic Cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have gained popularity among U.S. adults with rates of use significantly increasing over the past decade. As such, the current literature has begun to explore factors associated with e-cigarette use in significantly affected populations. Anxiety sensitivity (AS), the fear of the sensations associated with the experience of anxiety, is a known transdiagnostic risk factor for tobacco use. Additionally, higher AS has been shown to be associated with higher levels of e-cigarette use, greater perceived benefits of use, greater positive outcome expectancies, greater perceived risks of use, more quit attempts, and more difficulty quitting. Further, preliminary research focusing …

A Comparison Of Approval Ratings Of Gender Inclusive Spanish Suffixes Between Learners And Speakers Of Spanish., Chandler Nichols

Honors Theses

The following study aimed to investigate the correlation between varying levels of Spanish learners who had taken different levels of Spanish courses, and fluent speakers and their approval ratings of gender inclusive suffixes in Spanish. The study used a survey in order to gather information and approval ratings. The results indicated that higher level Spanish learners on average had lower approval ratings of the three gender inclusive suffixes included in the survey.

The Effect Of Dialect On Lexical Recall, Chandler Douglas

Honors Theses

Investigating the performance of listeners as they attempt to recall words in both a familiar and unfamiliar dialect could likely lend some insight to the cognitive processes concerning speech perception. Specifically, the current study investigates whether speech spoken in an unfamiliar accent in a listener’s language influences comprehension and, therefore, memory recall of content. To test this, a group of speakers of General American English speakers and a group of speakers of Southern American English listened to two sets of words: one in General American and one in Southern American English. Participants were then asked to write down or type …

Making Parents Experts: Parents For Public Schools At The Turn Of The 21st Century, Mikayla Jordan

Honors Theses

There has been a long history of debate in the United States about whether centralized or decentralized control of schools is better or more desirable for the education of the nation’s children. This conversation has been shaped heavily by changes in federal education policy since the mid 20th century such as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, the Improving America’s Schools Act of 1994, No Child Left Behind in 2001, and the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015. The voices of parents have always been a prominent part of this dialogue as local citizens and as experts on …

An Investigation On The Relationship Between Religious Coping Styles And Death Anxiety, Hailey Bates

Honors Theses

This study evaluated the respective relationships between death anxieties and religious coping, of both the positive and negative variety. Two independent samples were collected included the Multidimensional Orientation Toward Dying and Death Inventory (MODDI-F) and the Religious Coping Scale (R-COPE). This data supported the hypothesis by confirming a positive correlation between negative religious coping and Fear of Death. In other words, more death anxious participants also reported more questioning of their faith and their relationship with God in response to stress. In contrast, positive religious coping shared no significant correlations with any death anxiety variables. Because of the clear relationship …