2019 Honors Theses (Spring)

There are good directors and there are great directors. The auteur director achieves authorship of a film whether he or she wrote the script or not because he or she has complete control over the film-making process, thus his or her personal, individual production style and creative flare gives his or her films a signature, or distinct style and feel. Miyazaki is regarded as "the auteur of anime" because of the classic themes that hold personal meaning to him such as adolescents, flight and protecting the environment. The author maintains the idea that Miyazaki is "the auteur of anime" through evidence in scholarly works, popular culture and films My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and The Wind Rises.,Honors Thesis Advisor: Dr. Emily Sweitzer.

A common treatment for patients with dysphagia is the consumption of thickened liquids, which may reduce their risk for aspiration. However, patients often find thickened liquids unacceptable because of their taste and texture. This study aimed to determine which texture attributes (grainy, slick, or lumpy) make thickened water more or less acceptable. Forty-four healthy young adult participants sampled water that was thickened with a starch-based thickener and a xanthan gum-based thickener at both nectar and honey viscosity levels. The participants completed a survey of perception for all four samples, rating the presence of each texture attribute and each sample's palatability. This study's results were analyzed for connections between the texture attributes of thickened liquids and their palatability.,Honors Thesis Advisor, Nancy Carlino.

This study investigates the economic position the Monongahela Valley hospital network assumed with the onset of deindustrialization and the extent of welfare loss endured by these communities following their eventual closures. We survey similar analyses carried out in other rural communities, as well as those concerning the current opioid crisis to develop our hypothesis that such closures have had acutely detrimental impacts on average household wages. Employing data from the Centers for Disease Control's American Community Survey, our analysis integrates empirical quantitative methods (in particular, multiple linear regression) with considerations of the region's historic political economy. The intent of carrying out such an analysis is to relate broader economic trends in deindustrialized urban areas and rural hospital closures to changes of overall wellbeing within these affected communities.,Honors Thesis Advisor: Dr. Paul Hettler.

The Electoral College has engendered much criticism, but never as much as it has in the aftermaths of Bush versus Gore and Trump versus Clinton. Although some opponents of the existing system condemn it as a violation of political equality, supporters defend it as a stabilizing electoral process and an important aspect of American federalism. Others believe the system is flawed and requires reform, though it should not be eliminated. After careful consideration of those elements surrounding the question of reform, it is my position that the current system needs to be modernized. My research takes into consideration systemic flaws, arguments made, as well as various reform plans and results in what I consider to be a more fair and equitable way to elect a president.,Honors Thesis Advisor, Dr. Melanie Blumberg.

The concepts of genre and literary fiction have been present in literature for many years, yet the nature of this division continues to be debated. Genre fiction is plot driven, entertainment-oriented, and without emphasis on the human condition, while also being written with the intent of fitting into one or more categories known as genres. Conversely, literary fiction intends to portray grounded, character-driven narratives that showcase the human condition and contain artistic merit—to many, it is considered the superior of the two. However, many believe that this division is unnecessary. This paper breaks down the barrier between the two types of fiction by analyzing one series of works considered genre fiction (JK Rowling's Harry Potter series) and two works considered literary fiction (George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-four and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein). These three analyses demonstrate how each work contains characteristics of both genre and literary fiction, despite their typical placements, proves that fictional works cannot be accurately divided into two types, as well as that no one variety of fiction is inherently superior to the other. To replace the binary division, this paper suggests a genre fiction and literary fiction spectrum, upon which works can be placed depending on the genre and literary characteristics their narratives contain.,Honors Thesis Advisor: Dr. Brent House.

Honors Thesis Advisor: Dr. Louise Nicholson.

Many immigrants come to America and do not maintain their native languages. Some immigrants may not realize or acknowledge heritage language maintenance. Their children sometimes develop complications with their ethnic identity because of the absence of their heritage language. Others feel little to no connection with their ethnic identity and the maintenance of their heritage language. This study aims to find West African perceptions of heritage language maintenance and ethnic identity. 18 individuals were chosen to participate in this study. Interview data suggests that there is a connection between heritage language and ethnic identity.,Honors thesis advisor: Susan Morris-Rutledge.

A person's perception means a great deal more than one might believe. Even for a serial killer, the way that they view their own status in society has an effect on what happens in their life and how they treat the idea of a human life. Research was conducted to look into the sociological and psychological aspects of the two disorganized, sexual serial killer typologies: the power-reassurance and anger-retaliatory serial killers. The way that they see the social ramifications that would occur due to their behavior has a tremendous influence over the way that this research profiles and categorizes them. The current profiling system lacks insight into the serial killer's perspective. The sociological perceptions of both Jeffrey Dahmer and Ed Gein matters greatly to their criminal profiles. The positions in which these serial killers envisioned themselves holding in their society helped to give way to eventually becoming deviant criminals. The extended profiles of two famous serial killers helps to answer the questions of why serial killers do such horrific acts and give different ways that the scholarly community can further influence the profiling system in which serial killers are placed into groups. The views of Dahmer and Gein are not mutually exclusive in determining whether or not they would be future serial killers. The status of the killers' psyche and the actual crimes committed were taken into account while making the profiles using the Social Perception and Psychological Anaylsis Profiling System.,Honors Thesis Advisor : Dr. Emily Sweitzer.

The research consists of a literature review and analysis of survey results. The survey was given to parents of preschoolers, in the age range of 2 ½ years old to 5 years old. The survey included questions regarding their child's gender, their child's screen time usage, and their child's pragmatic abilities. Pragmatic abilities refers to the way people use language in social situations and the way that language is interpreted. The pragmatic development was compared to the norms outlined in the Pragmatic Language Assessment Guidelines: A Best Practice Document developed by the Early Childhood Intervention Council of Monroe County (ECICMC) Standards and Guidelines Speech Sub-Committee to determine if increases in screen time usage delays the acquisition of typical pragmatic abilities. The pragmatic document was developed by a group of experienced Speech-Language Pathologists who reviewed current research,\ndevelopmental information, and position papers from the American Speech Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) regarding pragmatics. Once the survey was completed the data was collected and analyzed. The amount of screen time and the level of pragmatic development were compared to determine if higher screen time usage equates to delayed pragmatic development in preschoolers. Participants who had higher screen time usage had lower pragmatic development scores in both of the survey's sections of "Yes" or "No" questions and pragmatic rating scale of "1" to "5".,Honors Thesis Advisor: Dr. Denise Joseph.

Honors Thesis Advisor, Dr. Joshua Chicarelli.

Since the inception of syndicated courtroom television shows, the public's perception of the justice system and how the courts operate has been altered to follow the imagery found in these shows, which include Judge Judy, The People's Court, and Judge Mathis. The common themes and actions found in syndi-court shows have begun to overshadow the proper behaviors and procedures used in the courtroom. This is becoming a problem as people of all ages are under the assumption that the court system operates the same way as it does on Judge Judy. Although there have been few studies of this critical issue, they all concur that syndi-court negatively affects people's perception of the courts. In order to determine how college students' perspectives correlate to past research, a survey, based on the questions produced in an original study of syndi-court effects on jurors, was developed for students at the California University of Pennsylvania to determine how syndi-court affects their perceptions of the court system. A total of 80 students completed the online survey within a two week period. The results of the responses revealed a mix of students who watch syndi-court several times a month and those who rarely watch it. The end results were similar to past research - syndi-court plays a role in what people perceive as correct judicial behaviors. As seen on TV is now turning into the normal view perception of the legal system.,Honors Thesis Advisor, Dr. Craig Smith.

Poetry is one of our oldest and most powerful art forms. As long as there has been poetry, people have been looking to the healing power in poems to help them. Poetry therapy as we know it today has been growing from centuries of practice and its benefits continue to help with patients suffering not only from psychological trauma but also those dealing with chronic pain as a result of cancer or other diseases. It is widely used on a national and global scale as attested to by the growing National Association for Poetry Therapy and the International Federation for Biblio/Poetry Therapy. Practitioners of poetry therapy believe that the act of writing and reading poetry helps people in coping with trauma and subsequently healing. Previous studies have shown that poets as people have a higher degree of pathology than the general population, one possible reason for this statistic might be that poetry has healing benefits for the poet and the reader (Alvarez, 2014). This thesis examines poetry therapy as a tool for coping with trauma not only in a clinical setting but also in a personal, poetic environment.,Honors Thesis Advisor, Dr. Ryan Sittler.