Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Search For Aristotelian Political Friendship In Thomas Jefferson’S Ideal American Regime, Christopher Hiatt O'Connor

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

In this project, I elucidate the presence of Aristotelian political friendship within Thomas Jefferson's ideal American regime. The project considers the aspects of Aristotle's political thought that are relevant to political friendship, and draws parallels to Jefferson's political philosophy through: (1) the organization of the regime and its citizens (the constitution and construction of the regime, the class demographics of its citizens, etc.); and (2) the philosophical principles that inform the aim(s) and end (telē) of the regime.

Despite notable differences between their political philosophies--such as Jefferson's inclusion of Christian moral philosophy in his thought--I conclude that Jefferson's attempts to …

Spring/Summer 2020, Full Issue

The Confluence (2009-2020)

No abstract provided.

From The Vault - May 2020 Newsletter, Archives & Special Collections

From the Vault: Archives & Special Collections Newsletter

The Archives & Special Collections introduces the first addition of our newsletter in order to keep in touch with patrons amidst the Covid-19 pandemic with four new blog posts.

The Impact Of Gender And Class On Disease And Trauma In 18th Century London: A Case Study Of Three Cemetery Populations, Maria A. Barca

Theses and Dissertations

The bioarchaeological study of paleopathology integrates interdisciplinary approaches, such as gender and class theory, and the study of trauma and disease. Using multiple lines of evidence, this thesis examines the impact of gender and class on skeletal evidence for disease and trauma in three 18th century London cemeteries serving different socio-economic populations. Contemporary written sources for prescribed gender and class roles are tested against the bioarchaeological evidence to investigate the extent to which these norms reflected lived reality or differentially impacted the incidence of trauma and disease in populations of varying socioeconomic status. Conformity to prescribed gender roles should be …

Factors Affecting Blood Pressure Target Outcomes For Veterans Using Home Telehealth, Vincent Boom

Theses and Dissertations

Hypertension is the most common diagnosis among Veterans, contributing to approximately 15,000 veterans hospitalized for stroke every year. The high prevalence of hypertension found in the Veteran population suggests a need to better define the risks and benefits associated with the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension. The U. S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) home telehealth program provides chronic care management for hypertension to facilitate Veteran access to care. Existing evidence suggests Veterans’ monitoring of blood pressure at home may selectively assist in managing hypertension. This secondary analysis of data used a self-management lens to assign meaning to traditionally demographic …

A Nation Rated? School Segregation And The Distribution Of A School Resource: The Role Of Accountability Ratings In Metropolitan Public Schools, Michael A. Miner

Theses and Dissertations

Overview. This dissertation examines how school accountability ratings are associated with school segregation, how they shape public perceptions of school quality and how they influence parents’ enrollment decisions. In theory, school ratings were developed to raise achievement for all students by identifying poor performing schools and intervening to improve them. Across the United States, school segregation concentrates Black, Latinx and lower income students in schools with low average test scores. As such, school ratings may both reflect and even reinforce educational inequalities associated with school segregation because a component of the rating relies on performance on standardized exams. To the …

Attention Capture By Episodic Long-Term Memories: Evidence From Eye Movement Data, Allison Eleanor Nickel

Theses and Dissertations

Successfully navigating the world on a moment-to-moment basis requires the interaction of multiple cognitive processes. Therefore, studies that examine when and how these fundamental processes interact can provide important insights into how we behave. Many studies indicate that long-term memory can facilitate search for a target object (e.g., contextual cueing), however, the ways in which long-term memory might capture attention and disrupt goal-directed behavior have not been well studied. In five experiments, questions about whether encoded objects might capture attention, even when they are task-irrelevant, were addressed. Each experiment began with an encoding phase, where participants were instructed to commit …

Examining The Influence Of Individual And Neighborhood Characteristics On Jail Recidivism, Alyssa M. Sheeran

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how various individual and neighborhood characteristics influenced the likelihood for individuals to recidivate following release from a local jail. Using data from various sources, this study contributed to the understanding of jail recidivism by addressing several gaps in the literature. First, little attention has been directed towards the study of jail reentry and, instead, concentrates on prison reentry. Next, using a social disorganization perspective, neighborhood context was examined for a sample of jail ex-inmates. Individual characteristics were simultaneously examined for the current sample, using theoretical underpinnings from the Risk-Needs-Responsivity (RNR) model. Finally, recidivism was measured using multiple …

Stereotype Threat: Searching For A Double Dissociation Of Race-Based Effects And An Explanatory Mechanism, Chandler Jae Zolliecoffer

Theses and Dissertations

Stereotype threat (ST) has been established as a leading theory through which investigators have come to understand and account for discrepancies in performance between stereotyped and non-stereotyped groups. ST has been demonstrated to be a plausible explanation for such discrepant performances favoring White over Black respondents in IQ tests and Black over White respondents in tests of athleticism. The present study was designed to address several gaps in the literature. The current study used ex-Gaussian parameters on traditional simple and two-choice reaction time (RT) tasks of mental ‘speed’ in place of ‘power’ measures to address the confound between threat and …

Learning And Expertise Of Equestrians: A Qualitative Assessment Of Combining Humans And Equines In A Sport, Kiley Timler

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on the learning and expertise of equestrians. In this work, I use two theories, the first Jean Lave’s concept of apprenticeship or learning by doing. Apprenticeship allows people to gain the knowledge and skill they desire while also being able to become a part of a community. This knowledge and skill are seen as the newcomer becoming the oldcomer. The second theory uses Summerson Carr’s ideas of expertise. She describes expertise through four processes, socialization, evaluation, institutionalization, and naturalization. Overall, she explains expertise as something people do rather than something they possess through performance. Performance allows individuals …

"They're Protecting Whiteness And Their Fragility Is Showing": How Feminist Praxis Disrupts White Supremacy In Neoliberal Predominately White Institutions", Christina Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

Predominately white institutions (PWIs) embody white policies, culture, and ways of educating that disproportionately affect Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC). This research addresses the ways in which feminist praxis disrupts white supremist violence in PWIs. Literature highlights the ways in which white supremacy is disguised through the language of diversity, how the university community is able to build community despite barriers in the university, and how each primary player (faculty, staff, and students) navigate institutional violence. This research draws on ten interviews with faculty, staff, and students at a public and private PWI in an urban Midwestern city. Although …

Studying The Effects Of Privacy Concern, Exchange Of Benefits, And Brand Trust Onto The Generational Intention To Disclose Personal Information, Lauren Roach

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Measuring Intergroup Forgiveness: The Enright Group Forgiveness Inventory, Robert D. Enright, Julie Johnson, Fu Na, Tomaz Erzar, Matthew Hirshberg, Tina Huang, John Klatt, Chansoon (Danielle) Lee, Benjamin Boateng, Preston Boggs, Tung-En Hsiao, Chelsea Olson, Mei Ling Shu, Jacqueline Song, Peiying Wu, Baoyu Zhang

Peace and Conflict Studies

Until recently, researchers operationalized and measured the psychological construct of forgiveness at the individual, rather than the group, level. Social psychologists started applying forgiveness to groups and examining the role intergroup forgiveness may have in conflict resolution and peace efforts. Initial attempts to define and measure forgiveness at the group level either assumed individual and group capacities were the same, or insufficiently described what intergroup forgiveness meant. We developed a new measure of intergroup forgiveness, and a novel group administration process, that operationalized the construct in a philosophically coherent way. Our conceptualization of intergroup forgiveness was rooted in what groups, …

Estranged Political Relationships: Demystifying The Root Causes Of Violent Conflicts In South Sudan, Sam A. Onapa

Peace and Conflict Studies

Abstract

The breaking of peace agreements and the subsequent perpetuation of civil war in South Sudan are sustained by the failure to adopt broad interventions addressing the many layers of the conflict. An understanding of the multiple causes of the conflict can form the basis for a successful and durable peace agreement. To investigate why violent conflict persists, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 29 major stakeholders, including conflict parties, mediators, eminent South Sudanese personalities, scholars and civil society leaders. The responses were grouped into five major themes: historical conflicts, estranged political relationships, power struggles, resource control and ethnic violence …

Getting Graphic: Depictions Of Single Stories In Non-Fiction Graphic Novels About Israelis And Palestinians, Matt Reingold

Peace and Conflict Studies

Six recent non-fiction graphic novels about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict are analyzed in order to understand how narratives are constructed and presented about each community. What emerges when considered together is that while complex narratives that challenge hegemonic stereotypes are depicted about the community that the authors favour, their depiction of 'the other' often relies on either stereotypes or omissions and these depictions present single stories of entire communities. I argue how the inclusion of alternative narratives within graphic novels can enhance the text, provide opportunities for readers to gain deeper knowledge about the conflict, and begin to appreciate and recognize …

Loose Coupling In Curriculum Reforms: Rural Teachers´ Perceptions Of Peace Education In Post-Conflict Colombia, Pedro Pineda, Markus D. Meier

Peace and Conflict Studies

Previous research has shown how peace education (PE) mutates according to socio-political and curricular/didactic traditions, but we still need to know how PE disseminates at the school level. We surveyed teachers from 12 rural schools of the violent Amazon region of Colombia where a national Law made PE mandatory in schools and universities. Teachers working on schools affected by the armed conflict have high expectations about PE. Respondents identified PE with 21 didactic elements: (a) Approaches: values education, citizenship education, critical pedagogy; (b) Pedagogical principles: diversity and pluralism. (c) Learning processes: peaceful conflict resolution, promotion of a “life project”, political …

How Much Variation In Land Surface Phenology Can Climate Oscillation Modes Explain At The Scale Of Mountain Pastures In Kyrgyzstan?, Monika A. Tomaszewska, Geoffrey M. Henebry

NASA Land-Cover Land-Use Change Data Sets

Climate oscillation modes can shape weather across the globe due to atmospheric teleconnections. We built on the findings of a recent study to assess whether the impacts of teleconnections are detectable and significant in the early season dynamics of highland pastures across five rayons in Kyrgyzstan. Specifically, since land surface phenology (LSP) has already shown to be influenced by snow cover seasonality and terrain, we investigated here how much more explanatory and predictive power information about climatic oscillation modes might add to explain variation in LSP. We focused on seasonal values of five climate oscillation indices that influence vegetation dynamics …

Examining Entitlement And Antagonism As Distinguishing Features Of Narcissism, Zane M. Repp

USC Aiken Psychology Theses

Objective: In this study, I worked to examine possible core features in narcissism. Researchers largely accept that there are at least two main dimensions of narcissism, grandiosity and vulnerability. However, these two dimensions have very different presentations in individuals, with very different personality factors, interpersonal traits, and relationships to other psychopathology. This raises the question of whether grandiosity and vulnerability are two versions of the same disorder, or if they would be better understood as different pathologies. This study examines whether the features of entitlement and antagonism can be used to distinguish grandiosity and vulnerability as both unique versions of …

The Relationship Of Executive Function And Alpha Band Activity During The Eriksen Flanker Task: An Eeg Study, Destiny A. Willis

USC Aiken Psychology Theses

Objective: Neural frequencies, measured by electroencephalogram, can be indicative of certain cognitive states. One oscillation, called the alpha wave, has become a proxy for the cognitive ability related to attention. Research suggests that anxiety may result in atypical alpha oscillations when engaging in an attention task, thereby also resulting in potentially dysfunctional attentional abilities. The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between alpha wave frequency, executive function, trait anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and response selection.

Method: The Eriksen flanker task was used to measure response selection, while an electroencephalogram recorded alpha brainwave activity (N = 47). This study incorporated …

Ethical Standards Of Human Services Professionals In Trauma Informed Care Across Diverse Settings, Emily Burroughs

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Ethics are important in every aspect of our professional lives. Actions have consequences and in the Human Services field, decisions that we make will potentially directly impact our clients. A human services professional’s responsibility is to care for their clients and provide them with the appropriate resources needed to succeed in their daily lives. When a professional begins working with a trauma victim, they must be sure to assess their ethical behaviors and provide proper resources to the victim. This work is often referred to as trauma informed care which goes beyond the typical helping process of professionals. It is …

Leadership, Contexts, And Learning - Part 1. Leadership Definitions And Themes, Larry M. Starr, Phd

School of Continuing and Professional Studies Faculty Papers

In two parts this paper examines how leadership is understood, taught, and anticipated to be learned in undergraduate, graduate, and executive education programs. Part 1 introduces the challenges of defining leadership then presents three taxonomies or themes representing the prevailing leadership models, theories, and practices. I then introduce a fourth theme derived from a broader understanding of context, particularly differences between challenges that are complicated and complex. This informs an expanded context-definition of leadership for which examples of leadership characteristics and proficiencies from a complex systems perspective are presented.

Part 2 is presented as a separate essay. It discusses the …

University President's Gender And Graduation Rates, Alex Drezek

Honors Projects in Economics

Graduation rates have increasingly become a key metric that institutions use to measure their success. This study looks at the potential relationship between the gender of a university’s president and graduation rates. A dataset was created compiling the gender and tenure of presidents and the characteristics and graduation rates of 4-year institutions in New England. Three separate regression models were created to analyze the data. The variables with the strongest positive relationship to graduation rates are: grade point average (GPA), expected future earnings of students, expenditures made by the institution, and the proportion of full-time faculty employed. The variables with …

It's Complicated: President Trump's Relationship With Media, Joseph Iamele

Honors Projects in History and Social Sciences

Through an evolution of presidential communication and the development of newer communications technology, a symbiotic relationship between the president and media outlets has emerged. The president, attempting to communicate his messages to as much of the American public as possible, relies on media to spread his messages. Media outlets, on the other hand, would rather focus on more negative or drama filled aspects of the presidency. This results from a profit motive in the media industry that requires outlets to continuously gain readership, viewership and, subscribers. The best way to gain these is not by reporting the president’s policy accomplishments, …

Impacts Of A Serial Killer: Looking At The Case Of Ted Bundy Then And Now, Natalie Terranova

Honors Projects in History and Social Sciences

The famous trial of serial killer Ted Bundy has been portrayed throughout the years since it took place in the late-1970s. This famous serial killer has regained popularity, spurred by our curiosity and fascination with serial killers today versus the shocking truth about serial murder it instilled in people back in the 70s. By looking into the case of Ted Bundy in detail, this paper provides a greater understanding of why his case took the world by storm and how it impacted society at the time. Through a traditional research thesis, it was my goal to analyze the effects the …

Covid-19 And The Future Of Chinese Manufacturing, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

China is expected to maintain a prominent role in global supply chains despite the COVID-19 pandemic, which has renewed discussions about whether countries around the world have become too reliant on Chinese manufacturing, according to one of The Chinese University of Hong Kong’s (CUHK) leading researchers on global economic networks

A Path To Digitalisation Featuring The Dbs Story, Robin Speculand

Perspectives@SMU

Digitalisation of businesses has been rapidly increasing over the last few years and now it has become a necessity, rather than an option, for many. The article provides a path and model for leaders to transform their business. It starts by recognising that businesses need a digital vision driven by customers’ requirements and explains how to build centricity and be ready for the future.

Before Covid-19, There Was Sars, Wee Kiat Lim

Perspectives@SMU

COVID-19 was not China’s first catastrophic public health crisis. The last time one struck the country, it transformed the emergency management landscape.

Getting On The E-Commerce Carousell, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Carousell has achieved impressive user numbers. Can the online marketplace now convert that into profitability?

How A Young University Can Launch And Grow A Digital Repository, And Why It Should, Singapore Management University, Pin Pin Yeo

Research Collection Library

In 2010, Singapore Management University (SMU) was just 10 years old with aspirations to keep growing and attain a global reputation. But how could the University highlight the hard work taking place in its schools and institutes? A core group of stakeholders decided that a digital repository was crucial to making the institution’s intellectual output openly discoverable in order to achieve a more globally visible profile. This case study shares SMU’s journey, as well as tips that can help other young institutions launch a digital repository and open their research and scholarship to discovery by the world.

Teaching Economic Risk Management Through A Video Game Concept, Samantha Montella

Senior Honors Projects

Many video games imply economic behavior: making decisions within a game highlights the fundamentals of human action. The basic idea is that virtual worlds, like the real world, present us with a series of choices. Games impose digital scarcity, obliging players to weigh the benefits of different courses of action, make tradeoffs, and incur costs.

Good examples are found in the role-playing game (RPG) genre, where players face tough choices between different specializations and skill trees. Obliging players to make difficult decisions highlights the opportunity costs of choice, not the money cost. Games also encourage players to think entrepreneurially: to …