Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Opportunities And Challenges Of Internet Of Things Evidence In Regard To Criminal Investigations, Nathan Mcclaran

Honors Theses

As internet-connected devices become more prevalent, the need for police and law enforcement to be able to utilize these devices when solving crimes steadily increases. Law enforcement agencies are already aware of the opportunities and challenges when interacting with computers and mobile cellular devices, but many agencies are unable to utilize these avenues of evidence because of limited access to resources able to forensically examine computing devices. In addition, the introduction of internet of things devices, such as Amazon Alexa and other microphone or camera connected devices, allows new opportunities for law enforcement agencies to gather digital forensic evidence either …

Measuring Food Consumption Within A Foodrx Program, Katie Howell

Honors Theses

This pilot study set out to assess food consumption measures within the Charleston FoodRx program. Assessments made through this investigation aim to improve the Charleston program as well as provide suggestions for future programs. Charleston FoodRx provides enrolled households with fruits and vegetables in a supply intended to last for two weeks. These goals combine social and pharmaceutical science, by addressing barriers in food environment and insecurity, nutritional health, and preventative treatment. Though the idea behind FoodRx has existed prior to recent pilot programs, research behind FoodRx and its possible integration within the healthcare system lack published and replicable research …

“Police Perceptions Amid The Black Lives Matter Movement”, Eadoin Grim

Honors Theses

In 2014, following the police-involved deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown, researchers focused their attention on the existence of a “Ferguson Effect,” such that rising homicide rates could be attributed to a reduction in proactive policing due to concerns over heightened public scrutiny. While UCR data would eventually refute the existence of such an Effect, previous research has found that there does appear to be evidence of a perceptual belief in the Ferguson Effect among municipal officers. To date, very little research concerning officer perceptions or experiences has been conducted with campus police departments, creating a substantial gap in …

Gis Based Analysis Of Neighborhood Transit Characteristics: A Case Study Of The Vine In Kalamazoo, Mi, Shealyn Lach

Honors Theses

This paper introduces an evaluative framework to analyze residential neighborhoods and draw conclusions regarding the safety and convenience of public transit options. Transit quality indicators included elevation, service areas, intersection crash statistics, and bus stop infrastructure. Within this research, a case study of Vine Neighborhood in Kalamazoo, MI was used to test the effectiveness of the framework; neighborhood data was retrieved, analyzed, and spatially modeled with ArcGIS Pro, then discussed to draw conclusions. Ultimately, it was determined that while neighborhood residents may be in close physical proximity to a stop, high elevation changes and pedestrian crash rates indicate Metro transit …

Racial Representation For Faculty In Higher Education, Joo Ning Lim

Honors Theses

Diversity and representation for faculty in higher education are crucial to cater to the needs of diverse student populations in the 21st century. A significant factor that contributes to faculty diversity is the retention and recruitment of underrepresented minority faculty members. This study aims to provide valuable insights into the current state of racial representation of faculty in higher education institutions and identify solutions to improve the retention of underrepresented faculty. Specifically, this study investigates faculty retention and welfare by comparing data across five public, research institutions in the Midwest. Findings revealed that the racial representation of faculty within the …

The Effects Of Virtual Feedback And Virtual Environment On Productivity, Sadie Martin

Honors Theses

Feedback is a procedure frequently used in organizational behavior management across a variety of settings, and it was the most commonly used independent variable within the first three decades of publication in the Journal of Organizational Behavior Management (1977-2009; Balcazar et al., 1989; Nolan et al., 1999; VanStelle et al., 2012). Despite the popularity of feedback in businesses, there has been little research analyzing the effects of virtual feedback and virtual environment on productivity. With technological advances in today’s society, more companies are opting for remote work, and this trend will likely increase with events such as the COVID-19 pandemic …

The Politics Of Taxation: An Economic Analysis Of Politically Motivated Tariffs Placed On French Wine By The United States, Katelyn Hutson

Honors Theses

In this paper, I research the economic distortions caused by a 25% retaliatory tariff placed on French wine by the United States in October 2019. This tariff was enacted as retaliation for airline subsidies provided by various European countries to Airbus and was approved by the WTO as a valid compensation for the loss these subsidies caused to the American company Boeing. In order to view the correlation between fluctuations in US import quantities of French wine and the retaliatory tariff, I estimated the effect of the tariff on the wine market using linear regression analysis. Through this regression, I …

Crisis And Catalonia: An Analysis On The Impact Of Crisis On The Public Opinion Of The Secessionist Movement In Catalonia, Rachel Ducker

Honors Theses

Catalonia, the autonomous region of Spain has seen an increase in secessionist sentiments in recent years. While the past inclination toward independence has been centered on economic autonomy and cultural identity, there has been a recent emphasis on political independence, particularly in the times of crisis. In this thesis. I analyze the relationship between the economic changes during the period of a crisis and the public opinion about the potential Catalan secession. Specifically, it investigates the relationships between the economic change and public sentiment during the financial crisis of 2008, the political crisis of 2017, and the pandemic crisis of …

Anti-Police Movement Survey, Julia Peisker

Honors Theses

Due to many highly publicized instances of excessive use of force by the police, namely those associated with George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, law enforcement agencies have recently come under much public watch and criticism. Although anti-police movements have existed since long ago, there has been a new wind of them since these events. This backlash and outrage that have come as a result from these instances of police excessive use of force have led to many changes within police departments across the country, which has likely had far-reaching effects on police officers. Through the use of an online, anonymous …

What Animals Teach Us, Christina Beger

Honors Theses

This thesis explored folktales from different cultures and compared and contrasted how those cultures viewed certain animals. From this research, I created and taught applicable fifth-grade English Language Arts lesson plans.

The Importance Of Leaders In The Time Of Covid-19, Lindsay Pett

Honors Theses

This capstone examines if leaders mattered during the time of COVID-19. I analyzed this by examining the effect of the stringency of leaders’ policies on total cases and deaths per million from COVID-19. This initial analysis found that a decrease in the stringency index was associated with increases in both cases and deaths. Next, I ran additional statistical analyses examining if leaders had an effect on COVID-19 outcomes independent of the economic situation, health infrastructure, and cultural norms of their respective countries. It was found that the stringency of leaders’ policies still had an effect on cases and deaths independent …

Factors In Disaster Response In Mexico, Central America, And The Caribbean, Ashleigh Daugherty

Honors Theses

This research examines the impacts that existing factors can have on the outcome of natural disasters. In order to study this question more thoroughly than previous research, this paper conducts a small n study on the Middle America region through case studies in Mexico, El Salvador, and Haiti. Each of these case studies are evaluated by their outcomes of severe earthquakes and the conditions in which these earthquakes occurred. These conditions being: their economies, governances, and pre-existing natural disaster plans. The analysis of these indicators attempts to understand why certain countries perform better in natural disasters compared to others. In …

One Creation: Examining Creation Myths Across Time And Culture, Scarlett Castleberry

Honors Theses

By looking at creation myths across various time, cultures, and languages, I was able to track similarities and find common threads between cultures that might not otherwise seem connected. What is remarkable is that these ancient texts often make connections before archeology or linguistics can.

Lost In Translation: The Communication Differences Of Men And Women In Dating And Marriage Relationships, Jessica Daniell

Honors Theses

Communication between men and women may sometimes lead to confusion, frustration, misunderstanding, disagreement, or doubt. This is not because of the incompetency of one gender compared to the other, but in fact has much to do with the way in which males and females generally communicate and the reasons for why they do so. Communication styles develop beginning in infancy and are influenced by the interactions between the child and their parents and peers. Parents are highly instrumental to early childhood development; through both verbal and nonverbal communication with their children, they shape norms, values, and beliefs that are highly …

Meditation In Buddhism, Mbsr, And The Bible: Examining The Implications For Christian Counselors, Kara Delaune

Honors Theses

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) has become a popular treatment in clinical settings for a variety of conditions. The term mindfulness was first used in relation to the Satipaffhana Sutta. 1 This passage from the Buddhist texts contains instructions regarding sati, which roughly translates from the Pali language to English as mindfulness. Mindfulness is a key component of the Buddhist religion, finding its place in both the Threefold Way and the Seven Factors of Awakening, or Enlightenment. Mindfulness falls under the umbrella of meditation. 2 Meditation takes several forms. Meditation is extremely useful for Christians, but not every type of meditation …

Attention Platform 9¾: The Hogwarts Express Is Cancelled. Exploration In Cancel Culture, J.K. Rowling, And Beyond, Mallory Whitson

Honors Theses

In the past decade, the general public’s understanding of social media justice via the media has drastically changed the environment of the public sphere. This policing via the internet is known as ‘cancel culture.' In 2021, cancel culture is commonly defined as “a way of behaving in a society or group, especially on social media, in which it is common to completely reject and stop supporting someone because they have said or done something that offends you” (Cambridge). However, this definition only covers the surface of cancel culture. Not only is the support of a public figure withdrawn by their …

When Attraction Becomes Addiction: A Study In Video Games, Camille Garden

Honors Theses

Since their inception, video games have been accused of everything from encouraging violence to ruining the mental health of children, adolescents, and adults alike. The adverse effects of video games have been studied scientifically to prove their negative qualities. Yet, this criticism is not new or unique to video games. With the birth of every new media format, including but not limited to novels, magazines, and movies, there is some level of controversy surrounding the validity and inherent goodness of the given format. Video games are not the exception to this rule. This research questions the validity and truth behind …

Advocacy In The Youth Justice System As A Speech-Language Pathologist, Jennifer Johnson

Honors Theses

In this work, an overview is given of the prevalence of language disorders within the youth offender population along with its implication for you g individuals in the criminal justice system. An evidence-based argument is made for the need for speech-language pathologists to advocate for youth offenders with language disorders by educating relevant personnel and providing language therapy services to youth offenders who qualify.

Sexual Abuse In The Protestant Church, Madeline Grace Knight

Honors Theses

Sexual abuse is a tragic reality of living in a fallen world. Though abuse of any kind is inexcusable, Christians know that it is the product of the evil, sinful hearts of mankind. Unfortunately, churches have not escaped the grasp of this evil; sexual abuse is as much a reality for God’s people as it is for the rest of the world. No one is untouchable, and everyone must be aware of the truth; however, I will caution readers that this paper discusses dark, horrible practices that can bother anyone, especially survivors and others with firsthand experiences of abuse. I …

Just Country: A Magazine Prototype And Business Plan, Clare Wojciechowski

Honors Theses

Through this thesis, I have aimed to understand how a print magazine can be successful in the digital age of 2021. In coming up with the concept of Just Country, I saw an area of popular interest that is not served well in the magazine industry. Through thorough research of magazines and country music, I have developed a business plan as well as a prototype for Just Country: The 21^st Century Country Music Magazine.

Mississippi Downtowns: Examining The Relationship Between Downtown Revitalization And Place-Based Economic Development, Cade Slaughter

Honors Theses

This thesis aims to measure the relationship between downtown revitalization and place-based economic development theory in the downtowns of Hernando, Mississippi and New Albany, Mississippi. Collectively, people progress and cultural normalcies shift. This is a facet of life that has historically begotten movement away from the city cores that initially cradled the sole hub of social and professional life. Progression gave way to urban and industrial sprawl that has challenged the American downtown to maintain a spot of relevance and economic as well as social viability.

By analyzing the broad history of the American downtown and also extrapolating interview data …

Theory And Practice: Selecting And Implementing Effective Framing To Present Climate Science To A Lay Audience, Lauren Wilson

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the advantages and effectiveness of using storytelling in the form of narrative journalism to communicate the topic of climate science to a lay audience. The thesis combines personal experience with secondary research in order to support the claim that framing the issue in such a manner effectively communicates the severity and impact of climate change.

Through my research I discovered that storytelling is not only a social tool for humans, but a means to safely and efficiently pass on vital information to those unfamiliar with certain knowledge. The use of narrative has …

Tractorcade: Investigating The Relationship Between Group Theory And The American Agriculture Movement's Attempt At Policy Change, Hanna M. Metzler

Honors Theses

This thesis aims to investigate the relationship between The American Agriculture Movement (AAM) and group theory, with a focus on AAM’s usage of Tractorcade as a tool to promote policy change. Gathering data through a myriad of sources - including existing literature, oral histories, newspaper articles, documents, and journal entires - this thesis analyzes AAM’s Tractorcade demonstration as a social movement aimed at influencing policy change. Utilizing Charles Tilly’s worthiness, unity, numbers, and commitment (WUNC) social movement framework, we find that although AAM employed strong unity and numbers, they failed in displaying substantial worthiness or commitment, ultimately leading to a …

Speech And Sovereignty: A Kantian Defense Of Freedom Of Expression, Alec Greven

Honors Theses

This thesis critically examines the moral foundations of free expression and offers a framework for evaluating morally justifiable forms of censorship. This investigation has three parts. The first section argues that rational considerations constrain how moral principles for censorship can be structured methodologically. It concludes that moral principles must be universally coherent and consistently applied. The second section considers several existing justifications for censorship that fall short of these methodological requirements and arbitrarily apply extensionally inadequate moral principles. To be rational, these approaches must either abandon these inconsistent justifications or commit to more consistently authoritarian moral principles. The third section …

The Influence Of A Mindfulness-Based Curriculum On Executive Function In Four-Year-Olds, Victoria Mccann

Honors Theses

Research on the effectiveness of mindfulness as a method for improving a variety of psychological, social, and emotional skills has grown throughout the last decade. Extensive literature reviews show promising results for the improvement of executive function skills utilizing mindfulness-based interventions, though the current literature is primarily focused on adults, adolescents, and older children. Preliminary work has suggested that training executive function skills using mindfulness-based interventions in early childhood would be beneficial, but few studies investigating mindfulness-based interventions for young children exist. The purpose of this study was to examine whether a 12-week mindfulness-based curriculum using yoga had an impact …

Do Autocratic Regimes Excel In Natural Disaster Relief? A Case Study Of Political Institutions And Covid-19 Exposure, Jane Kay

Honors Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 has challenged what we know about the politics of public health. In this research study, I investigate the COVID-19 pandemic as a natural disaster and hypothesize if authoritarian governments are more adequate at disaster control and relief. I hypothesize that the more autocratic a government structure, the better they would be at handling COVID-19 exposure and outbreaks due to their centralized decision making, unified media, and their ability to make unpopular decisions without repercussions. In order to test this theory, I gather data from the Johns Hopkins database for three key dates in the pandemic …

Investigating The Economic Effects Of Food Affordability, Food Access, And Education On Obesity Rates In Mississippi Counties, Youssef Osman

Honors Theses

The growing rate of obesity across the United States is a topic of great concern considering both the health and financial costs associated with the disease. Many researchers have sought to determine the major causes of obesity so that policy suggestions can be made to reduce its occurrence. Some of the referenced drivers of obesity include high food costs, poor access to healthy food, and a lack of knowledge regarding nutrition. This thesis seeks to find the effects of county-level food prices, income, food access, and education level on obesity rates in Mississippi counties. The analysis uses cross-sectional data from …

Socioeconomic Status And Ethnicity As Predictors Of Childhood Career Aspirations, Sydney Saint-Jean

Honors Theses

Beginning at an early age, children discuss what they want to be when they grow up. This is known as their career aspirations. There are multiple factors that influence the career aspirations of children. Some of which includes familial income level, grade level and ethnicity. Although studies suggest that there is a relationship between income level and career aspirations, there is a gap in the literature when examining the relationships between socioeconomic status, ethnicity, grade level, and their effects on the career aspirations of children. This study explores this multi-level relationship on what a child wants to be when they …

The Benefits And Barriers To Receiving Medication-Assisted Treatment Inside And Outside Of Prison And Its Implications For Louisiana, Jennifer Johnson

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

The Emotional Deficits Associated With Traits Present In Primary And Secondary Psychopathy In Youth, Tai Lambert

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.