RESEARCH ABSTRACTS
1. Universal Morality is Impossible
Dean Drumwright, Jeffrey Carr
In this paper I will use Kant’s categorical imperative (or universal imperatives) as the prime theory for a universal
morality. When talking about universal morality, we will refer to Kant’s conception of a universal morality, unless
otherwise indicated. This piece will argue against Kant’s universal imperatives from several standpoints. First and
foremost, is the philosophical standpoint which criticizes Kant’s imperatives, and reveals that in certain
circumstance’s maxims can be self defeating and contradictory in nature. This will reveal weaknesses in Kant’s
arguments. Anthropological and Religious points of view will also be included as a part of this philosophical
document. Anthropologists show that moral codes differ from culture to culture, as developed countries are often
times shockingly different from third world countries. The morals of people who live in industrialized nations go
about their ways of life by getting a job and making money that will provide for shelter and food, while in a lesser
developed nation, getting food and shelter is not always so easy, as some must build there own shelters and kill
their own food to eat. The religious side will try to say that the Commandments pronounced by the Christian God
are universally relevant, although this cannot be, as the commandments are vague and open to interpretation.
How can one believe in an eye for an eye and still abide by the commandment thou shall not kill? This would be
saying that all other religions are wrong. Ultimately, universal morality is impossible.
2. Promiscuity Runs
Amuck: Television Teen Drama’s Influence Adolescences’ Attitudes
Julie Johnson, Michaela Meyer
Today sexual orientation is a growing concern among teens. The characters on television teen dramas portray both
heterosexual and homosexual relationships, aiding teen viewers in finding out their own sexuality. In response,
society has opened its eyes to a new way of understanding relationships and the self. George Gerbner, the founder
of cultivation theory, believes that what is shown on television will become what is held true in real life. In recent
years, generating from the concepts of cultivation theory, various studies have been conducted observing the
televisions’ influence on viewers. Scholars have found that television viewers create mental models of what they
have seen on television and apply it to their life, television influences the viewers’ culture, and what types of
shows viewers watch effects how they see the world.
3. Pilgrimage as Exile: An Experience of Faith
Justin Pritchett, Kip Redick
For centuries people have sought out the holy sites throughout the world. By leaving their homes, and traveling
through harsh, dangerous, inhospitable lands, sometimes devoid of culture, individuals have come to experience a
spiritual renewal. But this same experience, encouraged and valued by some has also been wielded as a political
tool and penal sanction. This ancient phenomenon that continues into modernity, illustrated in the stories of Job
and Saint John’s exile to Patmos, to the modern Jewish Diaspora, points to exiles of all sorts who have suffered the
same loss of home that pilgrims have sought out. And many of these exiles, unsuspectingly have found the same
rewards amidst the ordeals that pilgrims hope to find. This paper aims to explore the similarities between the
spiritual effects of pilgrimage and exile on individuals and through those similarities attempts to show that a state
of exile is just as valuable to the spiritual life and a pilgrimage.
4. Apocalyptic Cinema: Action Adventure as Apocalypse
Justin Pritchett, Kip Redick
The popular film genre of action adventure is steeped in apocalyptic imagery. Nearly every James Bond film has a
villain prepared to tip the world into total nuclear, economic, or military destruction. Indiana Jones keeps the Nazis
from marching “armies of darkness across the face of the earth.” And Star Trek faces apocalyptic visions brought
from satellites, aliens, and cybernetic life forms capable of time travel. In all three instances the “heroes” of the
films delay the cataclysmic apocalypse of this world. However religious conceptions of eschatology and
apocalyptic visions are not the end of time so much as the end of this age and the birth of a new age different from
this one. In Christian pre-millennialism the eschaton is followed by a thousand year rule of Christ. In Mayan
eschatology the end of the long count calendar triggers the birth of a new age not yet envisioned but certainly
different. This paper established the eschatological themes in the James Bond franchise and then analyzes them
through three religious eschatological paradigms: Christian Pre-millenialism, Christian Post-Millenialism, and
Mayan Doomsday Prophesy.
5. Aristotle’s Four Causes and a Culture of Philosophical Leadership
Justin Pritchett, Bob Colvin
There are four causes for everything, according to Aristotle. The English language and American culture in
particular, views causes as events which bring about their effects which are also often thought of as events.
Aristotle, however, is writing his lecture under a different cultural paradigm wherein a cause is not inherently an
event. For Aristotle, the material, formal, efficient, and final causes are the things out of which something comes
and the reason for its coming. This paper applies Aristotle’s four causes while analyzing leadership as an abstract
concept. This is intriguing because, not only is it outside the American cultural paradigm, but it forces one to
analyze the often overlooked sources of leadership that are more difficult to isolate and quantify. Not all the aspect
of a relational concept like leadership can be studied empirically and the application of a philosophical world view
leads to a broader understanding of the phenomenon as a whole.
6. Changes in Psychological Literacy: From a First to Second Approximation
Heather S. Hayes, Amber P. Howell, F. Samuel Bauer
In 1990 C. Alan Boneau published an article entitled: Psychological literacy: a first approximation inspired by E.
J. Hirsch’s book Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know (1987). Boneau developed a list of
psychological terms and concepts using introductory psychology textbooks, which he thought every psychology
student should know, by asking various authors of these texts to rank his terms with respect to their general
importance. He also developed lists of terms in ten sub-fields, based on the responses in the first part of the study.
The result was a list of ‘Psychology’s top 100 terms and concepts’, and similar lists for each of ten sub-fields.
Boneau mused that these data constituted only “a first approximation” to Psychological literacy. The purpose
of this study was to construct a new set of lists, after the elapse of almost 20 years, which might indicate the
changes in the basic lexicon of psychology. A method similar to Boneau’s was devised using the running
glossaries, emboldened terms or other methods of emphasis found in most contemporary introductory textbooks.
Copies of 31 current editions of college level introductory psychology textbooks were selected. Ten sub-fields
were selected for examination, eight of which corresponded to those assessed by Boneau. Master lists of all the
highlighted terms were compiled, and frequencies of each of the terms were tallied. The items in each sub-field
were then placed in rank order to establish a new “top 100" list as well as the lists in each of the sub-fields. The
second part of this study analyzed the degree and direction of the shift in contents of the lists using several
methods of comparison. The amount of change of the terms in the sub-fields varied greatly with the least change
in clinical/abnormal and the greatest change in biological and sensation/perception, as predicted.
7. Watchtower – A Service Oriented Sensor Web Framework for Educational and Academic Purposes
Eric Pasch, Marshall Huss, Anton Riedl, Anton Riedl
The idea of creating world-wide networks for the dissemination of sensor data has been driven by the increasing
availability and widespread installation of low-cost, networked sensor systems. It can be expected that these type
of networks, which are often referred to as sensor webs, will play an important role in the future of Information
Technology. It has therefore been our intention to create a software platform, which supports teaching and research
activities in this field. By preferring ease of use and understandability to completeness and large-scale
applicability, we envision a system that provides a platform for advanced high school and undergraduate college
students to experiment with sensor webs and to learn about the relevant technologies. We have chosen a modular,
three-tier system approach, where a central web service, the Watchtower, establishes the connection between
sensor adaptors, so-called Scouts, and application adaptors, so-called Sentries. While Watchtower is written in
Ruby, utilizing the Ruby on Rails framework, Scouts and Sentries can be programmed in any language. This
should make it possible for anyone with some knowledge of a contemporary programming language to make use
of the proposed framework.
8. Just Following Orders: The Crimes and Causes of Non-Responsibility
Amber Wixtrom, Roberta Rosenberg
This paper will explore several periods of unjust or uncontrolled government throughout history, observing not the
leaders, but rather the followers – the people who commit atrocities in the name of government, attempting to
transfer responsibility under the mask of anonymity. It will investigate those who, when questioned about their
acts, claim that they were only following orders. My subjects will include Fouquier-Tinville, public prosecutor
during the French Revolution’s Terror; members of the Nazi party questioned at the Nuremberg Trials; and those
accused of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib. This paper explores the roles of these figures in their historical context,
as well as the consequences of their rejection of responsibility. Appealing to these examples, this presentation
takes the stance that leadership and responsibility are integral to the roles of not only the leader, but also – and
perhaps most importantly – of the follower.
9. Leaving Boys Behind, Analyzing the Gender Gap from a Policy Perspective
Ashleigh Stacy, Pamela Dunning
Today women comprise the bulk of students pursuing higher education and their numbers continue to rise.
However, as the number of college women soars, the population of men seeking to further their education declines;
the fact that more boys fail to complete high school than girls perpetuates their absence in higher education. The
level of education has been linked to income and standard of living; compounded by the increasing disappearance
of blue-collar jobs that traditionally attract male high school graduates, this issue poses serious socio-economic
issues for men and the nation. This paper will explore available policy alternatives to reverse the disappearance of
men from education, particularly higher education. It will review these alternatives from a national perspective in
order to garner the greatest number of resources to combat this countrywide issue.
10. Sylvia Plath: An Unforgiving Drive for Perfection.
Genevieve Conger, Roark Mulligan
The paper is about Plath's ambition and overly critical self-analysis as seen in her poem Lady Lazarus. Plath's
urgent need for perfection is present early in her works; for the paper I examined journal entries she had made and
some of her family history to outline the beginnings of her obsession with perfection and the connection that had to
her suicide. Lady Lazarus is one of her most famous poems and it has a lot of material to work with, from her
identification with Jews as victims, to her references to metamorphoses or transcendence through suicide.
11. Do Military Dependents Follow in their Parents’ Career Path?
Brian Roller, Lee Doerries
The current study investigated the stereotype that military dependents are likely to inherit their parents’
occupation. Archival data provided by the United States Military Academy (West Point) and the United States
Naval Academy included 9,679 cadets and midshipmen who comprised the classes of 2002 to 2005. The United
States Air Force Academy provided archival entry data for the classes of 2006 to 2009 which included 6152
cadets. Military dependents comprised 46% (n = 546.25) of the classes of 2002 to 2006 at West Point, 38.7% (n =
476.50) at the Naval Academy and 18.8% (n = 289.25) of the entering classes of 2006 to 2009 at the Air Force
Academy. Graduation rates for military dependents in each class at West Point averaged 79.4% (n = 346.6)
compared to 78.8% (n = 514) for civilian dependents. For military dependents at the Naval Academy graduation
rates were 81.2% (n = 437.4) and 79.3% (n = 514) for civilian dependents. These results show that the majority of
cadets at military academies were not military dependents, although the number is still very high.
12. The Nietzschian World of the Dark Tower
D. Brian Bunch, Roark Mulligan
The Nietzschian World of The Dark Tower In Stephen King’s Dark Tower series, Roland’s quest for the Dark
Tower, the hub of the universe whereby all past events are reconciled, parallels that of Nietzsche’s “übermensch”
(or “superman”). In Thus Spake Zarathustra, Nietzsche writes, “all things eternally return, and ourselves with
them, and … we have already existed times without number, and all things with us.” The man who can eternally
relive his life without regret is the “übermensch,” and the end of King’s epic suggests that Roland is on his way to
this state. Throughout Dark Tower, King constantly reminds his readers of Roland’s shortcomings and regrets; he
also emphasizes the concept of the cycle as it applies to both life and storytelling. At the end of the story, these
separate ideas come together, as Roland is forced to repeat the events of the Dark Tower series, minus one regret:
his quest is not so much for the Dark Tower, but for a state of existence by which he regrets nothing. Also at this
point, readers see how King has foreshadowed the Nietzschian “eternal return” of his protagonist through the
nihilistic dispositions of the antagonists with whom Roland has contended throughout the series. The cyclic nature
of the story throughout, coupled with its reverting ending, emphasizes the Nietzschian air of King’s epic; Roland’s
regrets, the repeating coincidences within the story, and the antagonists’ desire for universal oblivion foreshadow
the eternal return that is the world of the Dark Tower. Nietzsche, Friedrich. Thus Spake Zarathustra. Trans.
Thomas Common. 1 Nov. 2006. http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1998.
13. The Collective Unconscious and the Archetype in Eastern Europe
Cayce Canipe, Margarita Marinova
In Ivo Andric's chronicle "The Bridge on the Drina" the development of the town and the people within and
affecting that town can be closely analyzed using Carl Jung's theory of the collective unconscious. The gelling of
the people around and within the bridge, the archetypal imagery associated with the bridge, and the subsequent fall
of both the bridge and the people points to an identity crisis within a society that identifies with a subconscious
standard it cannot maintain or live up to.
14. The Use of Piano in Wind Literature
Andrew Wells, Mark Reimer
The versatility of the piano has led to its inclusion in the modern wind band. Through a study of select pieces, one
discovers that the piano acts as another band in and of itself. Its wide range, various techniques, and playing styles
allow it to meld with many different sections of the ensemble. As seen in studied works, specific instrumentation
calls for specific piano technique. While usually accompanied with woodwind instruments due to their lighter
texture, the piano also makes a presence with brass instruments in a much fuller sense. Also, the piano frequently
finds itself with pitched percussion instruments owing to the common timbre and qualities between the piano and
those instruments. As composers begin to experiment with new ideas and innovations, the piano will begin to
stabilize its position in the band and become a staple for wind music.
15. Fanny Fern's Ruth Hall: The Epitome of Romance
Jordan Hughes, Roark Mulligan
Fanny Fern's Ruth Hall is more than meets the casual reader's eye; it is both a romanticized autobiography and a
subconscious defense of Fern's lifestyle. Fern's depiction of herself through her main character, Ruth, evokes pity
by means of five distinct literary ploys. The effect is an autobiographical work of fiction that is much more
fictional than it is autobiographical.
16. Feminist Themes in Constance Fenimore Woolson's "Miss Grief"
Sarah Janeski, Roark Mulligan
Constance Fenimore Woolson is a writer who is just beginning to regain recognition for her talents. At present she
is better known for her possible romance with Henry James than for her many contributions to the literary society
of the nineteenth century and the realist movement. However, Woolson was a very important feminist writer
having pushed through the barriers of sexism in the 19th century to become a celebrated author in her own time. In
her writing, she embraces the realist movement, stripping society of its power and pretension and dissecting it in
the most candid of language. In her short story, “Miss Grief,” Woolson points out the pitfalls of being a woman in
a man’s world.
17. Single Electron Transistor Neural Network
Brett Johnson, Costa Gerousis
Current CMOS technology is approaching its physical scaling limits. New technologies are being explored to
further decrease the size of electrical components resulting in nanoelectronics. One of these technologies is single
electron transistors. Their low power consumption and potential for a very high density on chips makes them ideal
for neural networks. This presentation will show a design of a simple neural network using SETs to design the
synapses and neurons. The design will demonstrate the ability of the network to be trained to simulate an XOR
gate using a random weight changing learning algorithm. The benefits of using SETs and limitations of the design
will also be discussed.
18. The Development of an STD Knowledge Scale
Jennifer A. Vencill, Jason W. Hart
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) may represent some of the most dangerous and communicable infections in
the entire world. Shockingly, very few scales currently exist which assess knowledge regarding these STDs.
Furthermore the scope, reliability, and validity of these few available STD knowledge scales are questionable at
best. The recently developed 70-item STD Knowledge Scale is an attempt to provide an inclusive and reliable
measure regarding knowledge about nine of the most contagious, prevalent, and dangerous STDs. Preliminary
analyses reveal that the scale has high internal consistency and supports the development of a short version of the
STD Knowledge Scale. Future research must examine the validity of the scale. Limitations of the current study
include sample size, missing data, weak and ambiguous items, guessing, and environmental factors. The STD
Knowledge Scale has several applications as an assessment tool. Perhaps, most important, is the potential that this
scale holds for educating the general public and helping to prevent the spread of dangerous STDs.
19. Epistemology and Psychology
John Martin, John A. Hoaglund, George A. Teschner
This paper seeks to make the distinction clear between epistemology and psychology. Epistemology is the
philosophical discipline of studying the nature of knowledge, and ultimately seeks to explore what counts as
knowledge. Psychology is the scientific dis-cipline of studying human behavior and its causes as well as the brain
and nervous sys-tem. Both disciplines seek to understand the nature of knowledge. There are those who hold that
epistemology can be reduced to psychology. However this paper argues that such a reduction is not possible
because without epistemology there is no logic and without logic there can be no rules that govern what counts as
reliable knowledge. This paper distinguishes between analytic and synthetic evidence, and considers such philosophies
as psychologism and naturalized epistemology, arguing that epistemology and psychology must remain
separate disciplines.
20. Maladjustment of Children of Alcoholics as a Result of Family Environment
Megan Mathis, Nicole Guajardo
Alcoholism affects approximately 10% of the general population, making it one of the most common psychosocial
disorders. Children of alcoholics (COAs) have been identified as being more likely than children of non-alcoholics
(CONAs) to suffer from alcoholism as well as other psychological, cognitive, and behavioral issues. The COA
experiences these deficits as a result of biological components as well as the home environment. It is important to
study the home environment of COAs because unlike biological components, the environment can be altered to
benefit the COA. The current paper examines how the home environments of COAs typically increase the
likelihood that these psychological, cognitive, and behavioral deficits will occur. In addition, limitations of past
research are examined and possible interventions to lessen the deficits of COAs are suggested.
21. Storytelling Behaviors, Dysphoria, and the Fading Affect Bias
Amanda Bowen, Christine Rothwell, Jeffrey Gibbons
Emotions tied to unpleasant events fade faster than emotions tied to pleasant events, and this is the fading affect
bias. Storytelling behaviors moderate the fading affect bias; unpleasant emotions fade faster when stories are told
to a large, diverse audience. The current study demonstrated that storytelling behaviors also moderate the fading
affect bias in an unexpected way; unpleasant and pleasant emotions fade similarly when stories are told many
times to few different types of people, possibly demonstrating that a wide range of advice, sympathy, or problemsolving
skills may be needed in order to suppress unpleasant feelings toward life events. Past research has also
shown that dysphorics do not demonstrate the fading affect bias, and a future study could examine the relation
between dysphoria and storytelling behaviors, and their relation to the fading affect bias.
22. Ambivalent Attitudes: Church and State Relations in Vichy France
Lindsey Newman, Brian Puaca
This paper examines the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Vichy government in France during
World War II. After the establishment of the Vichy government by Germany in 1940, an alliance was formed
between the Catholic Church and the new government, with each hoping to gain popular support through its
alignment with the other. Though religious doctrine should have led the Catholic Church to reject collaboration
with the Nazi regime, their newfound status in French society and government was in some ways connected to it.
While the Church’s official policy towards the Vichy regime was one of cautious support throughout the war, its
ambivalence was met with criticism and dissention from its followers, which ultimately resulted in Catholicism’s
loss of authority in France. Whether or not it was its intention, the policies of the French Church were often
interpreted as collaboration, and the moral compromises it made under the Vichy regime have yet to be fully
reconciled.
23. The Problem of Evil and A Course In Miracles
Simon Blecher, Stephen Strehle, Ken Rose, George Teschner
Of the many intellectual problems that continue to confound human existence, the problem of evil is one of these.
The problem refers to the difficulty in reconciling a perfect and loving God with the existence of evil in the world.
Great thinkers throughout history have wrestled with this problem; but none have adequately solved it. Only one
voice, in the form of a psycho-spiritual self-study book, overcomes it. A Course In Miracles resolves the problem
of evil. According to this book, the world and everything in it, including evil, are an illusion or figures within a
massive dream. Evil and the world are perceived as real, because guilt over believing in having sinned against
God prevents people from realizing the truth. The truth, according to A Course in Miracles is that there is only the
non-duality of God and Heaven, and that the Sonship has not separated from God. We, who collectively make up
the Sonship, can practice true forgiveness, a term specific to the book, in order to undo our unconscious guilt. The
result of such a practice yields experiences of Love’s presence, which ultimately lead to enlightenment. These
experiences of Love, more than the theoretical justification the book gives, are the answer to the problem of evil.
By having such experiences, the Sonship realizes that evil, being an antithesis to God, cannot truly exist because
what is all-encompassing can have no opposite.
24. The Natural Extension of the 14th Amendment
Sarah Torres, Lori Underwood
Sexual orientation is protected from discrimination under the 14th Amendment and common law. Section 1 of the
14th Amendment prevents infringement on individuals’ unalienable rights without due process. Race and gender
have consistently been protected by the 14 Amendment because the groups posses no distinct characteristics that
justify interfering with an individual’s freedoms and right to participate in government. Common law extends this
application to sexual orientation because substantial similarities exist between race, gender, and sexual orientation.
The Constitution and common law support protecting sexual orientation from discrimination.
25. Dramatic Reading of Mikhail Bulgakov's "Don Quijote"
Annie Foster, Johnny O'Maley, Chris Blake, Margarita Marinova, Scott Pollard
Annie Foster (Theater major: Concentration in Directing) will lead a dramatic reading of Act 1 of Mikhail
Bulgakov’s play Don Quijote (1939), which has been translated into English for the first time from the original
Russian by Dr. Margarita Marinova (CNU English). The Bulgakov play was performed by the Mexican National
Theater Company during the 2005 Cervantes Festival in Mexico to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the
publication of the first volume of Miguel de Cervantes’s Don Quijote (1605), for which the play was translated for
the first time into Spanish, by Armando Partida Tayzan. Dr. Scott Pollard (CNU English) read about the
performance, informed Dr. Marinova about it, who then discovered that the play had not yet been translated into
English. In America, Mikhail Bulgakov (1891-1940) is best known as the author of such brilliant prose works as
“The Heart of a Dog”(1925) and The Master and Margarita (1940). However, he was also an extremely gifted
playwright whose original plays and dramatic adaptations continue to be performed to great critical acclaim both in
his native Russia and abroad. Bulgakov was given the job of adapting "Don Quixote" to the stage in the late
1930s, while he was acting as the resident dramatist of the Moscow Art Theater (MAT). Using the main narrative
line and the most important incidents of the book, he created a stage version in four acts with a large cast that did
theatrical justice to Cervantes' literary masterpiece. His daring and brilliant adaptation was granted a short run at
the MAT before it–much like his earlier plays–was banned by the Stalinist government. Annie Foster has cast
two Theater majors in the main roles--Johnny O’Malley as Don Quijote, Chris Blake as Sancho Panza—and is
currently working on casting the minor roles.
26. The Effects of Storytelling on Mood
Evelyn Heinemeier, Chelsea Reid, Lindsay Cloutier, Melanie Herrington, Jeffrey Gibbons
A questionnaire was used to assess the effects of telling pleasant and unpleasant stories on mood. Specifically, the
questionnaire examined pleasant and unpleasant face-to-face, internet, and phone communication of stories and
mood. The results indicated that telling many pleasant stories is positively related to mood. Additionally, telling
pleasant stories face-to-face is positively related to mood.
27. Using the Past in the Present-Day German Classroom
Christina Willett, Laura Deiulio
Elfriede Jelinek is an Austrian feminist playwright and novelist. She was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in
2004 "for her musical flow of voices and counter-voices in novels and plays that with extraordinary linguistic zeal
reveal the absurdity of society's clichés and their subjugating power.". Her work "Death and the Maiden" is an
interesting and lesser-known piece that demonstrates a relationship between women's rights issues and famous
fairy tales. This particular work is especially worth exploring due to the rapidly changing roles of women in
society and the importance of fairy tales in German culture. In order to gain a better understanding of how these
concepts interact this presentation will analyze three specific topics. The first section will include the background
information on the author and her works, which is what the students would receive in a given lesson. The second
compenent concentrates on the feminist themes of the specific work "Death and the Maiden. The final area of
research is dedicated to the instructional strategies one might use in order to effectively teach this concept to any
given German class at the secondary level.
28. The Transformation of Brazilian Society through Futebol in the early 1900s
Rachel Middleton, William F. Connell
Futebol is an integral part of Brazilian society, much more than just a recreational activity. It is a cultural and
social act that holds meaning and creates unity for the entire country. In the early part of the 20th century, futebol
transformed the Brazilian society and helped to shape it into what it is today. It created a national identity and a
symbol of pride on the international level for all Brazilians. It united Brazilians through their roles as fans, creating
solidarity among the society. Futebol matches became an act of cohesion among the fans and citizens of the cities.
It became a sport that unified the entire nation by allowing all Brazilians to both play and participate in the sport. It
also changed the racial identity in Brazil, uncovering the racism that lurked beneath the surface by opening up to
the Afro-Brazilians and Indians. It helped Afro-Brazilians and other minorities to rise above the social and class
prejudices they faced because of their darker skin colors. Futebol also served to provide a democratic example of
the equality of all men by focusing on the individual. Unlike the traditional aristocracy of the Brazilian elite that
focused on family, wealth, and race for position in society. It also pushed to modernize the country by its demand
of telecommunication links that covered the nation and united the country geographically. Futebol has become a
source of pride and joy for all Brazilians.
29. The Gamble of Pain and Pleasure
Laura Lee Eley, Margarita Marinova
The intent of this essay is to examine how the author, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, provides his readers with a tool that
dives into the deep aura, the inner core of every human being, which we refer to as the soul. The influence of
Christianity in the life of Dostoyevsky allows for a comparison between the relationship of a Christian believer
(the author) to his God and that between the main characters in the novella, Alexey and Polina. Particularly
prominent in Dostoevsky’s relationship with God is the idea of the possibility of redemption through suffering.
The majority of humanity believes that the sensations of pain, brought on by suffering and the pleasure received
through redemption stand in opposition to each other. In the same way many believe that intellect and faith can
not coexist. However, Dostoevsky shows us that pain and pleasure, and in turn faith and intellect, are really one
through his focus of the sadistic and masochistic relationship between Alexey and Polina in The Gambler, and that
of the believer and God in the Christian Bible. In both of these sadistic and masochistic relationships there is
infliction and acceptance of pain for a greater pleasure, growth in the relationship and personal identity
development. Pleasure and growth occur within the relationships through the revelation of self to another, ultimate
trust in another and the process of restoration of one’s soul.
30. Balancing On The Razor’s Edge
Bradley Kraft, Andrew Falk
During the 1970s, one of the greatest American “balancing acts” in foreign policy occurred when the United
States began to court the friendship of moderate Arab states, primarily Saudi Arabia, while simultaneously
affirming a close friendship with the Jewish state of Israel. For the United States, the Israel embodied the strength
of the American international presence and resolve against the communist regime in Moscow. Sustained through
a series of wars by unprecedented amounts of American economic and military assistance, Israel stood as an
affirmation of American influence in the region. Also prominent in the minds of American leaders at this time,
however, was the reality that significant inroads were needed in the Arab communities surrounding Israel. The
Saudi government emerged as a high priority alliance for US leaders during the 1970s because of its vast oil
reserves, its strategic location, and its influential position among Arab states. As the events of the decade
unfolded, however, the precarious nature of these diplomatic relationships with the Saudis and Israelis became
readily apparent as each US concession to one party was met with suspicion and resistance by the other.
31. The Five-Step Program to Understanding Cervantes' Master Plan
Theodore D. Hellmann, Scott Pollard
Harold Bloom in his criticism “Cervantes: The Play of the World” laments repeatedly that “[n]o two readers ever
seem to read the same Don Quijote, and the most distinguished critics have failed to agree on most of the book’s
fundamental aspects” (Bloom 780). This disagreement, however, is by no means the result of an authorial
oversight. The greatest testament to Cervantes’ skill is, in fact, that no two people ever will, or even can, read the
same Don Quijote. This is because the novel itself is a carefully constructed deconstruction rife with structural
gaps, voids, and inconsistencies integrated into the story by Cervantes to an unimaginably complex end: by
creating a sufficiently disjointed story in an infinitely subtle way, each individual reader, consciously or not, adds
in bits from his or her own experience in order to recompile the story into something sensible and whole. Thus, as
every reading of Don Quijote is composed part Cervantes’ masterpiece and part the reader’s own experiences, each
reader creates a unique version of the novel.
32. Stability Scale Development to Determine Emotional Level in Child Witnesses
Shelby C. Blair, Jason W. Hart
There is a great amount of emotional harm that can be inflicted on a witness in a court case, especially if the
witness is the victim. Children are more susceptible to emotional harm. This is why children’s emotional stability
needs to be monitored when children are testifying in court cases, especially when they are the victim. There are
very few scales measure a child’s emotional stability and the ones that are out there seem not determine the level
of emotional stability of a child when it comes to testifying in court cases. An emotional stability scale that
measures the level of emotional stability in children who are witness in court cases is introduced and validated in
this paper.
33. Women's Strength and Power in Ivo Andric's "The Bridge on the Drina"
Katherine Murray, Margarita Marinova
Ivo Andric's "The Bridge on the Drina" chronicles the lives of ethnically and religiously diverse women in
the town of Višegrad. By displaying the strength women have in adhering to their beliefs, Andric's
effectively portrays the influence they have on various aspects of society. Three of the numerous female
characters include Fata, Jelenka, and Lotte. Andric's introduces us to Fata, a Muslim girl who, to stay true to
her heart, kills herself but lives on in the songs of the townspeople. Jelenka, a Christian woman, withstands verbal
assault and brutal beatings for the sake of her lover, an infamous bandit. Finally, readers meet a Jewish hotel
manger named Lotte, a successful businesswoman who generously shares her wealth and time with others. These
three women leave their mark on important facets of contemporary society, including oral tradition, politics, and
business, respectively. Although the above are traditionally conceived as areas molded by the actions of men,
Andric’s work shatters this notion and establishes the power of women in the shaping of history.
34. A Defense of the Diversification of Educational Opportunities
Juan Pablo Camacho, Joseph Prud'homme
In this work I examine the debates surrounding policy initiatives to provide public subsidy for private (and often
religious) primary and secondary schools in the United States. I first examine the theoretical justifications for
public schooling in the United States. I then argue that, within this theoretical framework, publicly supported
private schooling is justifiable. To develop this argument I first respond to objections to private vouchers that
claim that public schools are fully competent to meet the responsibilities they must assume in order for publicly
supported education to be defensible. I do so by indicating some real weaknesses in contemporary public
schooling. Secondly, I respond to objections to voucher initiatives that claim that any widespread adoption of
private schooling would undermine in a critical number of schoolchildren their perceptions of the value of civic
unity, and would erode their skills of compromise and toleration of difference so essential to a democratic state. I
do so most thoroughly by referencing recent voucher proposals in New Zealand. I argue that New Zealand’s
experience with private vouchers evidences the compatibility of private—and frequently religious—schooling and
the development of an appropriate catalogue of civic virtues in schoolchildren. I conclude the work by exploring
new data on the effects of publicly supported private schooling on the development of civic virtues in students in
Australia.
35. Children's Spontaneous Generation of Counterfactual Statements
Lena Betts, Stacey Hammell, Jamie Keithley, Melissa Sanzi, Nicole Guajardo
Counterfactual reasoning, one aspect of social cognition, involves individuals’ abilities to consider events that
counter reality. Such thinking typically involves asking oneself, “What if?” and, “If only” to think about how a
situation could have been different. Though counterfactual reasoning has been well studied among adult samples,
relatively little is known about children’s abilities to engage in counterfactual thinking. Previous research has
indicated that children as young as 3 years of age can generate counterfactual statements when prompted (e.g.
Guajardo & Turley-Ames, 2004). The purpose of the present study was to examine whether older children
spontaneously generate counterfactual statements. Certain conditions affect the likelihood of someone generating
counterfactual statements. Previous work has indicated that both adults (see Sanna & Turley, 1996) and children
(German, 1999) are more likely to generate counterfactual statements after a negative event. Expectancy violation
also affects performance such that adults generate more counterfactual statements when an unexpected outcome
occurs, as compared to an expected event (Sanna & Turley). It is possible that the “surprise” leads to an enhanced
need for explanation. Previous research has not explored the effect of outcome expectancy on children’s
counterfactual reasoning. Approximately 50 third and fifth graders participated in the present study to examine
whether or not children spontaneously generate counterfactual statements, and if outcome expectancy and/or
outcome valence affect the likelihood of children generating such statements. The findings will be discussed as
they relate to previous research on counterfactual reasoning in childhood and adulthood.
36. Don Quijote: The World's Most Charming Madman
Daniel Strange, Scott Pollard
Don Quijote: The World’s Most Charming Madman This paper examines Don Quijote’s character and behavior,
and the way in which he interacts with other characters in volume I and volume II of the novel. In doing so it
becomes evident that Don Quijote’s behavior that is characterized by fantasy in volume I; gradually becomes more
normal and more of a conformist in volume two. This transition to conformity is due in no small part to Don
Quijote’s celebrity status in volume II with the introduction of the novel within the novel. This celebrity status
drives much of the narrative in volume two and is the subject of the largest part of the volume, the Duke and the
Duchess episodes. This and similar episodes test what characters think of Don Quijote and what Don Quijote
thinks of himself. The more he is pushed into fantastic adventures, the more he moves strays from his previous
persona. The reasons for this are explored by using textual examples and secondary sources.
37. The Language of Balkan Mythologies
Nick Huber, Margarita Marinova
In the essay called “Myth Today,” Roland Barthes explains the creation, propagation, preservation, naturalization,
and eventual dissolution of mythologies, a term used to signify essentially any symbol (cultural, political, or
otherwise) that has been injected, whether deliberately or not, with some agenda. This paper examines the effects
of such mythologies, empowered by sovereign, influential bodies, unique to the Balkan region as manifested in
Balkan fiction; specifically Ismail Kadare's "The File on H." and Ivo Andric's "The Bridge on the Drina."
38. Clarifying the misconceptions of the differences between empathy and sympathy
Matthew L. Campbell, Sherman A. Lee
There has been much conjecture over the past hundred years regarding how the concepts of empathy and sympathy
should be defined and distinguished. The history of these terms is lengthy, and various definitions have been
assigned. However, to this day, no single definition seems to have been agreed upon. Furthermore, the more recent
concept of personal distress, which is akin to sympathy, has made differentiating between these other-oriented
concepts more complicated. The current study seeks to review the research defining these terms, as well as the
empirical evidence distinguishing between them. In the end, the researcher hopes to arrive at a clarification of the
differences between empathy, sympathy, and personal distress. Implications and future research are discussed.
39. The Printing Press
Alexandria Ruble, Laura Deiulio
Johann Gutenberg left a great impact on Europe with the invention of his printing press. He began as a mirror
maker, going into business with three other men. Using his knowledge of different instruments and business, he
went on to create the printing press, the first of its kind that used movable type. The printing press affected both
secular and religious knowledge. Most of all, it changed the social structure of Europe by making literature on
topics ranging from topography to the Bible more available to the common people. Printers also began to print
works in the vernacular, thus extending their reach even more. It is because of Gutenberg that important
movements such as the Renaissance and the Reformation developed as they did.
40. Martin Luther's Theology
Jeffrey Mason, Laura Deiulio
Martin Luther’s “On the Freedom of a Christian” states that “A Christian is a free lord of all, subject to none; a
Christian is a dutiful servant of all, subject to all.” This paradox was the basis of my research. It is through the
blood shed by Christ that Luther claims Christians are free of law and bound by no earthly laws. He also claims
that when one has been set free, one is made a servant to mankind and does so willingly and cheerfully out of a
response to the love he feels from God. Luther constantly reminds his readers that the works we perform as part of
being a dutiful servant can earn us no justification. Only faith in Christ alone can do that and nothing else is
necessary. But, as he claims, if one is truly saved and made righteous in the sight of God, one cannot help but to
respond to that love via works of servitude to the world.
41. Foe to Friendship: The Renaissance of Misogyny in The Malleus Maleficarum
Nicole Justice, Laura Deiulio
While the European Renaissance is most widely known for its advancement in arts and sciences as well as its
departure from the culture of the Middle Ages, one thing that has not changed between these periods is the
presence of misogyny in the new era’s cannon of literature. While outright misogyny (or the hatred of women) in
the Renaissance was not as fashionable as it was in the literature of the Middle Ages, it was still quite prevalent in
the satire and church writings of the time. What is little known to most is that throughout the Renaissance the
height of the European witch craze was simultaneously occurring, equipped with the infamous Malleus
Maleficarum. While this extremely misogynistic guide to the prosecution and examination of accused witches is
just one example of the misogyny present in the literature of the times, The Malleus also became immensely
popular during the pinnacle of the Renaissance and influenced many authors and other like minded individuals in
various professions, such as medicine. By examining The Malleus Maleficarum’s influence and references in other
works of the Renaissance, Renaissance literature in Germany, France and Italy, and women’s history of the
Renaissance, the prevalence of misogyny during this era becomes evident. The misogyny during the Renaissance
helped shape the misogynistic attitudes that European society had about women for many years after its
conclusion.
42. Motivational Stability Model: A Preventative Measure for Burnout
Daniel Ryan Berry, Thomas D. Berry IV
Burnout is an affective response to stress which manifests itself as physiological and emotional exhaustion. This
growing epidemic in the work force, college campuses and the athletic fields covers many of the psychological
paradigms. Motivation, health, physiological and social psychology are all central to the discussion of this term.
However, the majority of the literature is concentrated on one topic; it is chiefly directed toward burnout in the
helping professions (e.g. nursing, teaching, and law enforcement). The goal of the present study was to extend the
topic of burnout beyond helping professions, and to more accurately define burnout. The present study was a
review of the primary and secondary literature and included the following points of discussion: (a) General
theories concerning burnout, motivation and stress were discussed from the research in the helping professions to
gain a historical background on the topic. (b) Overtraining syndrome in endurance athletes (e.g. cyclists, long
distance runners) was reviewed because the symptoms experienced were similar to burnout. (c) The similarities
between clinical depression and burnout were analyzed. (d) The implications between burnout and the C-reactive
protein and between burnout and coronary heart disease were evaluated. (e) Preventative measures for burnout
were discussed, and (f) a new motivational theory of burnout was conceived (The Motivational Stability Model).
43. The Keeper of the Keys in Wuthering Heights
Kira Walsh, Kara Keeling
The unique structure of Wuthering Heights allows several of Emily Bronte’s characters an opportunity to narrate
their story. However, the voice of Ellen “Nelly” Dean, a servant in the Earnshaw household, dominates the
retelling of the action in the novel. In terms of literary criticism, three main views of the character of Nelly emerge.
Nelly Dean is viewed either as a peripheral character, a moral foil to the other characters in the story, or—in the
minority view—as the villain of the novel. All three views can be argued based on the text of Wuthering Heights.
However, Wuthering Heights also allows the reader to instead view Nelly as one of the many human and realistic
characters in Wuthering Heights, by turns moral and vindictive, misguided and enlightened. The current paper will
consider the diverse critical stance on Nelly Dean—especially Hafely’s (1958) virulent attack of Nelly’s as
Villain—and ultimately address Nelly as a full, round, and complete character in her own right.
44. “’Acquiring the Superfluous’: Pushkin and Russia's Westernization
Todd Shockley, Margarita Marinova
“The Queen of Spades”, the dark and supernatural novella from Russian literary master Alexander Pushkin, shows
the author’s views on the national identity struggle that was taking place during the time he wrote the story. The
two main characters in the novella, Hermann and the Countess, each represent several metaphors. The first
metaphor is that the two characters stand as symbols for the different options facing nineteenth-century Russia as
the nation was debating on how far it should become like the West and at what pace. With the second metaphor,
Hermann and the Countess stand for Pushkin’s opinion regarding the Westernizing debate. Through this
consideration of the two characters’ metaphors, it becomes evident that Pushkin desired Russia to become like the
West but at a carefully slow pace so as to not alienate and destroy the rich culture of his country.
45. Dagger in the Breast: The Feminist Cervantes
Todd Shockley, Scott Pollard
Because of his use of several strong females as agents who defy the standards set by Dulcinea, Miguel de
Cervantes is a feminist; however, since feminism was not yet a viable stance a male could take during the 1600s,
he earns the prefix “proto-.” Cervantes’ masterpiece Don Quijote shows the author to be a visionary who
demonstrates a protofeminist’s view on the role of women in his society. Through the text of Don Quijote,
Cervantes subtlety argues against the subservient position women hold in seventeenth-century Spain. The
imaginary character Dulcinea represents what the Spanish male in the 1600s desired in a woman: beautiful and
attentive to the needs of her Knight. Cervantes uses this character as a base and shows how she is a veritable farce
of what women should be. He verifies his view on how women can and should be through Marcela, Dorotea, and
Luscinda. Each of these three women show themselves to be independent and strong and able to be so without the
aid of a man.
46. Different Nations
Chris Rice, Diane Catanzaro
The Netherlands and the United States of America are put side by side, in order to enlighten the masses about
current policies, programs, and laws involving how these countries handle drug use, to include programs for
recovery, and examples of sentencings. I hope to stress on the misconception factor that is ever-present in our
current society too. Emphasis shall be given in how both countries handle/accept marijuana. For this it is
necessary to unvail the short and accurate histories of both countries. Essentially, the Netherlands sees drug use as
an issue of public health, while the United States of America sees it a crime. Why do we live in a world with this
dichotomy? Is it not every human's choice to consume what we want, or should the government dictate?
47. Don Quixote, Sancho Panza, and the Illusion of Delusion
Dianne Tharp, Scott Pollard
The essay, “Don Quixote, Sancho Panza, and the Illusion of Delusion,” explores the psychological and
socioeconomic reasoning behind Sancho Panza’s disconnect with reality in the face of Don Quixote’s delusional
behavior. Exploring details included and omitted by Cervantes regarding Sancho Panza’s behavior and logic, the
essay seeks to explain how Don Quixote’s verbally abusive behavior, the psychological deterrence from guilt, and
the motivation of status and riches all alter Sancho Panza’s behavior, causing him to act upon his master’s
delusions, while never truly believing them.
48. Tracting New Turf --- LDS Missionaries in Former Soviet Countries
Amanda Hanson, Andrew Falk
Near the end of the 1980’s, the collapse of the Iron Curtain was imminent. Proselytizing Christian missionaries,
particularly in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, viewed the fall of Communism as an opportunity to
share their beliefs with people they had not reached since the turn of the twentieth century. With every missionary
who entered these new areas, they brought with them a representation of America and the western world that
citizens of the former Communist countries had never seen before. This historical research makes use of church
records, missionaries' journals, letters, and news accounts to explain how these missionaries represented the idea of"America" to the people they taught, as well as the reception they received from the governments and the people of
Eastern Europe.
49. Luter School of Business Honor Council Research on Ethics
Laura Otey, Heather Adams, Emily Cooper, Brad Anderson, Diana Medley, Michael Mull, Sally Sledge, Pam
Pringle
This research project is submitted by the Luter School of Business Honor Council (LSBHC). The council was
formed in 2006 with the purpose of promoting honor, academic integrity and high ethical behavior among students
in the Luter School. The council has 20 members who are juniors and seniors at Christopher Newport University.
The project involves a survey of Luter students in business courses to assess their perceptions of the CNU Honor
Code. The council members created the survey questions and project plan with the guidance of the LBSHC faculty
sponsors, Professors Pam Pringle and Sally Sledge. A copy of the survey will be provided in the presentation. Both
subjective and objective questions were used to gather factual and opinion-based questions. The survey was pretested
on a small group of CNU business students to assess its content, length and appropriateness. After the
survey instrument was deemed to be good, the council members agreed upon proper test administration procedures
to be used in their classes. Courses were chosen to administer the survey that would maximize diversity among the
respondents in terms of major and year of study at CNU. Luter faculty were consulted for their permission to have
their classes participate in the survey. The surveys were given in the 8th – 10th weeks of the Spring 2007 semester
to 10 different business classes. 200 responses were obtained. Council members are currently in the process of
entering the data and analyzing the results. The findings will be presented at the 2007 CNU Paideia conference.
Trends among freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors will be highlighted. Also, trends among varying majors
and between genders will be investigated. Based on the responses, recommendations for honor-related initiatives
within the Luter School of Business and at CNU will be made by council members.
50. Do FAB, Emotions, and Accuracy Differ Across Event Pleasantness and Type
Melanie Herrington, Jeffrey Gibbons
The current experiment will evaluate the differential effects of emotional involvement for pleasant and unpleasant
flashbulb memory eliciting events. Participants will complete daily diary entries for 3-months. Specifically, the
participants will record 1 unique pleasant event and 1 unique unpleasant event. Following the 3-month period, the
participants will be re-tested 1-month after the collection of the diary entries. Flashbulb memories (e.g., unique)
are expected to be more vividly and accurately recalled with the less fading affect than ordinary memories.
Pleasant memories are expected to be more vividly and accurately recalled with the less fading affect than
unpleasant memories. Furthermore, pleasant flashbulb memories are expected to be more vividly and accurately
recalled with the less fading affect than unpleasant flashbulb memories.
51. Stereotype Threat and Math Performance in Men and Women
Andrea Duffy, Diane Malaspina
Previous research suggests that differences in math performance between men and women may be attributable to
social influences, such as stereotype threat. According to the stereotype threat model, members of a negatively
stereotyped group are threatened by the expectation of failure and perform poorly as a result. Because women are
often identified as having poor math skills relative to men, they may develop an expectation of failure in any math
related test. Past research has focused on the influence of direct stereotype threat, in which information regarding
the poor math performance of women is deliberately placed in the instructions before a math test is administered.
However, past research has not focused on the extent to which the exposure to female gender stereotypic behavior
will affect the math performance of men and women. The current study examines the extent to which gender
stereotypic behavior, as well as direct stereotype threat, affects math performance and anxiety in men and women.
Participants included 47 women and 15 men who completed the Arithmetic Aptitude Test and the Mathematics
Aptitude Test, as well as the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (MARS). Women were expected to perform
poorly when exposed to gender stereotypic behavior as well as when they were informed that men typically
perform better than women on tests of mathematical performance.
52. Measuring Reading Fluency
Allison M. Bock, Kelly B. Cartwright
Fluency has three main components, which are accuracy, automaticity, and prosody. However, the actual
measurement of fluency has been under debate. Researchers have simply measured fluency by recording the
number of words read correctly in a minute, which captures accuracy and automaticity but doesn't measure all
aspects of fluency. For the current study, data will be analyzed to determine whether combining measures of
accuracy, automaticity, and prosody predict reading comprehension better than measures of accuracy and
automaticity alone.
53. Effects of a Flexibility Intervention on Reading Comprehension
Allison Bock, Heather Guiffre, Elizabeth Coppage, Michael Montano, Kelly B. Cartwright
Reading requires the ability to attend to multiple aspects of print which means the individual must be cognitively
flexible. Cognitive flexibility is the ability to coordinate multiple tasks simultaneously. However, some younger
children are not flexible especially in their reading. Struggling readers often focus on only one aspect of print,
showing their inflexibility. Research has begun to investigate reading in terms of cognitive flexibility.
Graphophonological-semantic flexibility is the ability to think about both the sound and meaning of printed words.
Past research has shown that interventions in which students were taught by researchers, on an individual basis,
how to think more flexibly about printed words increased reading comprehension. The current study implemented
an intervention in which teachers taught students how to become cognitively flexible through small-group lessons,
as opposed to on an individual basis. The results of the intervention showed that the students who were taught the
flexibility task performed significantly better on reading comprehension both with research administered and
school administered measures.
54. Eyes, Ears and Conscience - Kurt Vonnegut and the Breakdown of Novel Structure.
Matthew Mullin, Kara Keeling
Kurt Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions, written as a fiftieth birthday present to himself, defies traditional
novel structure through digressions by an omnipresent, controlling narrator. These digressions were attacked
vociferously by critics at its release in 1973 for the book's puerile concerns, pessimistic worldview, childlike
illustrations, and the simple refusal to focus on storytelling. But by tearing apart traditional structure, Vonnegut
makes a case for a philosophy for living in an America that he sees as in rapid decay. Through the abstract
expressionism of Rabo Karabekian, Vonnegut finds transcendence from his fear that all men are machines, who
act at the behest of chemicals in their brains. This transcendence culminates in offering a solution to what Loree
Rackstraw calls Vonnegut's philosophical pursuit in literature, summed up as "Life is often a cruel accident, the
dilemma of humanity is how to stay alive with decency in the face of reality." I argue that Vonnegut's triumph over
his familial legacy of suicide and depression is made possible by stripping away traditional novelistic structure in
his pursuit of sacredness in a cultureless society.
Breakfast of Champions offers a unique solution to the ills of the twentieth century by reaffirming the most basic
principles of humanity, dignity, and sacredness.
55. Existential Eschatology
Jacob Porter, Kip Redick
There are a variety of interpretations of eschatological claims. The millenialist interpretations are literal
explanations of scripture, which in some Christian circles have to do with the second coming of Christ following
an apocalyptic event. The existential interpretation of these claims involves interpreting eschatological claims in
relation to one’s being-toward-death, where one is conscious of one’s death and mortality. The paper will explore
the ways that the existential interpretation of eschatological claims is more persuasive than the millenialist. It will
show that the millenialist interpretations of these claims have negative impacts on society and how these
interpretations are not compatible with our modern scientific, technological world. The millenialist appears to have
a simple and naïve conception of these claims, while the existential interpretation gives a deep understanding of
their myth and symbolism. Through a process of demythologizing and critique of myth, the existentialist is able to
give value and meaning to the eschatological claims in religious scripture, while still remaining intellectually
objective and open to modern science.
56. Memory and Personal Identity
Adam Richards, George Teschner, Jeffrey Carr
Personal identity is constituted of past experiences. These experiences must be capable of being objects of
reflection. Personal identity arises out of these reflections. It is vital to remember the past to build and retain
identity. Therefore memory is a necessary condition of personal identity. Using the word ‘necessary’ indicates the
importance of memory in constructing self-consciousness. A person with amnesia for example, lacks subjective
identity. The main reason that this paper will give for why personal identity depends upon reflection on past
experience, is because personal identity depends upon psychological connectedness, or continuity. Derek Parfit is
the main source for this argument. Other philosophers include John Locke, David Hume, and Moritz Schlick.
Objections to this theory come from thinkers like Descartes, the Buddhist notion of self, and existentialists such as
Sartre. These philosophies suggest either that there is no self, or the self does not depend upon memory.
57. A Closer Look at Reality Television Shows
Holly Thompson, Cheryl Chambers
In recent years, reality television has exploded into the world of media and the homes of many viewers. This genre
of television has become so popular, that it demands greater attention and understanding. Due to the increasing
popularity of reality television shows and the lack of literature on this topic, the present study provides important
information about the dominating television genre. Reality television producers have figured out what viewers like
and cast and edit accordingly. This study analyzes the content of two popular reality shows with the goal of
finding key themes such as conflict, jealousy, trust, and betrayal that may begin to explain the overwhelming
appeal of these shows. The twelfth season of The Real World and the third season of Big Brother were analyzed,
focusing on the relationships between cast members. The findings from this content analysis will bring researchers
one step closer toward gaining an understanding about such an influential part of today’s popular culture.
58. Game Theory Applications and Externalities in the Oil Industry
Frank Garmon, Michelle Vachris
This paper explores elements of game theory and externalities that come into play in the oil market. These
components arise as a result of the industry’s structure, where a few highly-concentrated firms dominating the
market. The existence of cartels such as the organization of oil exporting countries (OPEC) provides instances to
which game theory can be applied. Each member of OPEC faces a strategic decision of whether to increase or
restrict its production in an effort to maximize profits. These decisions are based on the predicted output of
OPEC’s other members and on what level of extraction will yield the greatest profits in the long term. This second
factor involves game theory because when a reserve of oil is shared by multiple firms, a company must decide on
output levels based on the expected level of production of its competitors. Since property rights for oil are not
always clear cut, firms often extract at a rate beyond what is socially optimal and a tragedy of the commons results.
When the oil is extracted too quickly, the resource can become trapped beneath the earth’s surface resulting in an
externality. This paper is relevant in understanding OPEC’s gradual reduction in market share in recent years and
how the industry’s structure has influenced strategic behavior and externalities.
59. Effects of Self Monitoring as a Moderator of Need for Cognition
Ashley L. Hallheimer, Thomas D. Berry IV
The ways in which people differ in making sense of the world by solving problems is called need for cognition
(NFC). NFC is defined by Cacioppo and Petty (1988) as a stable individual difference in people’s tendency to
engage in and enjoy effortful cognitive activities. Individuals with a high NFC are generally characterized as
tending to seek, acquire, think about, and reflect back on stimuli to make sense of their environment. In contrast,
individuals with a low NFC are characterized as relying more on others to provide structure and information about
their world. The present study’s shows the potential of how Self Monitoring construct moderates individual’s
attitudes towards NFC.
60. Multidimensional Analysis of the Need for Cognition Scale
Ashley L. Hallheimer, Jenifer Rutter, Shannon Cashman, Thomas D. Berry IV
The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between Need for Cognition and other individual difference
measures, including Big Five, Self Construal, Self-Monitoring, and Social Desirability. According to Cacioppo,
Petty, Feinstein, and Jarvis (1996) research in this area may show “unmeasured multidimensionality” in Need for
Cognition scale. Findings show an interesting relation between Openness and the Need for Cognition scale. These
findings offer insight into both methodological and theoretical differences into how Need for Cognition has been
measured and conceptualized.
61. Impact of Religious Affiliation on Attitudes Toward Premarital Sex
Mark R. Dysert, Marion Manton
The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of religious affiliation on attitudes toward premarital sex. A
sub-sample of 845 respondents from the 2004 General Social Survey was analyzed. Initial bivariate analysis
indicated that Protestants are less likely to approve of premarital sex than are other religious affiliations. Control
variables include: strength of religious affiliation, age, race, sex, and level of education. A functionalist
perspective was employed to explain the relationship.
62. Fake It ‘Till You Make It- Fashion and Perceptions of Social Class
Amy Richardson, Linda D. Manning
One of the most distinctive features of visual culture during postmodern times is the language of dress codes and
styles. Whereas previous ruling societies displayed fashion as a method of separating the classes, the recent
emergence of a middle class has closed the gap between upper and lower social groups. In addition, the
advancement of media coverage and globalization of the clothing business has brought clothing to the consumer at
a faster rate than ever before. The wide range and quality of fabrics, colors and stylistic modes as well as
the broad
array of accessories spanning the spectrum from footwear to jewelry to hair style display an unprecedented
openness in the history of post-Enlightenment Western clothing conventions. These factors come together similar
to theories presented in Frontline’s “Merchant’s of Cool” creating a fast-paced development of clothing fashions
only to kill its popularity once produced and thus leads to an increased demand for newer fashions. The high
demand by middle and lower classes, forever seeking to emulate the upper class, generates almost immediate
access to these high styles faster than ever before at a varied range of affordability. The consumers therefore can
emulate those that they wish to identify with in a practice what is labeled as “Fake It ‘Till You Make It.” Persons
attempting to emulate upper classes that consist of heiresses and movie stars will go to great lengths to present
themselves like the images they see in magazines, newspapers, billboards and Internet sites. Because of the
connection between society and dress in the high paced world of fashion, this paper argues that the way a person
presents themselves, regardless of their socio-economic status, influences their treatment by society. Using themes
presented in Fred Davis’ book “Fashion, Culture and Identity,” the research presents an opinion on pre-modern
theories about fashion still exists today.
63. Gender representation on the front page of the Daily Press newspaper
Ashleigh Tullar, Linda D. Manning
The research will look at the Sunday Daily Press newspaper and examine the gender representation on the front
page of the Daily Press newspaper in Newport News, VA. The purpose of the research will be to find out if there
is an equal balance of male and female writers. Other variables that we will look at will be if the males or females
tend to write more hard news or soft news. Proximity will also be a factor in the research and stories will be
examined by local, national, and international location. The Daily Press also uses wire stories from The
Associated Press, Tribune Newspapers and The Washington Post and we will examine if they used their own
writers or wire writers on the front page. This research will explain whether males and females are represented
equally on the front page of the Sunday Daily Press, and will also look into if they are writing hard or soft news
stories.
64. The Media Frenzy Surrounding American Weddings
Lauren Reeves, Linda D. Manning
The American weddings of today seem to be increasingly extravagant and blown out of proportion, and women are
spending more money on this single day event than before. A single glance at the overbearing wedding-related
media thrown at consumers might shed some light onto this phenomenon. The current research examines the
relationship between wedding-related media and the increased importance of expensive and elaborate weddings of
today. The researcher suggests the cultural relevance for this study is that many brides are forgetting the true
meaning of marriage. It seems that some brides feel they have to compete with weddings seen in the media, many
of which are celebrity weddings, in order to have a perfect marriage. Using consumerist theory, the researcher
points out how advertising is directly related to consumers’ expectations and how their “wants” are gradually
turned into “needs” through the influence of media. Data includes surveys to engaged and recently married
women, public opinion and personal narrative. Analysis of the data seeks to draw conclusions about the affects of
media on brides.
65. Odyssean Masculinity in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan Conflict Literature
Amanda J. Hedrick, Tracey Schwarze
Written in 8th century BCE, Homer’s Odyssey acquaints readers with the brave war hero on his distracted return
home to wife and country. Though men and gods rally against Odysseus, he maintains his masculinity and returns
to Ithaca as victorious and violent as ever. Interestingly, this complex myth is repeated throughout Vietnam
Conflict literature but only as far as it fortifies the American male soldier’s masculinity. Women are therefore
portrayed as enablers of masculinity, as male and female gender roles contrast and conflict. Fortunately, however,
the representations of both men and women undergo serious changes in the contemporary literature of Iraq and
Afghanistan Conflicts. This paper will prove that though female gaze and hyperbolized gender stereotypes uphold
conventional ideas of masculinity in Vietnam Conflict literature, the literature of the current conflicts loosens
gender role expectations for both men and women during times of war.
66. An Examination of Theory of Mind Performance in Adulthood
Cecilia Mallory, Melissa Morris, Katie Barber, Nicole Guajardo, Thomas Berry IV
Theory of mind refers to one’s ability to attribute mental states to oneself and others. Much research has focused
on theory of mind development during the preschool years, yet less is known about such understanding in later
childhood and adulthood. College students will participate in the proposed study to: 1) examine performance
across three measures used to assess adult theory of mind understanding; and, 2) explore whether individual
differences in performance relate to personality characteristics. Approaches to assessing adult theory of mind
understanding have included both open-ended (German & Hehman, 2005; Happe, Winner, & Brownell, 1998;
Maylor, Moulson, Muncer, & Taylor, 2002) and closed-ended measures (Kinderman, Dumbar, & Bentall, 1997;
Rutherford, 2004). In the open-ended measures adults hear a story and then explain the character’s behavior.
Responses are scored based upon whether or not they contain references to the character’s thoughts/beliefs.
Closed-ended measures also include stories, but participants are asked to select the correct answer from the options
given. Keysar and his colleagues (Keysar, Lin, & Barr, 2003) have introduced another approach in which they
assess the degree to which a participant considers another’s perspective during an interaction. Performance on
these different types of measures will be compared. A second purpose of the study is to examine the degree to
which variability in theory of mind performance relates to personality characteristics. It is generally accepted that
adults understand theory of mind concepts, yet there might be individual differences in the degree to which adults
apply such understanding (Keysar et al., 2003; Slaughter & Repacholi, 2005). The present study will be an initial
investigation to explore whether individual differences in theory of mind performance relate to variability in selfmonitoring
and need for cognition. The theoretical background and the method of the study will be discussed.
67. Béisbol: La danza de unificación cultural en el Caribe (Baseball: The Dance of Cultural Unification in the Caribbean)
Ben Cook, Beatriz Calvo-Peña
The paper is about Baseball and how it has affected the society and culture of Cuba and the Dominican Republic.
One in every seven professional baseball players in the United States have come from one of those two countries.
It has been a phenomenon in this part of the world. I will talk about it's origin and how the society as a whole has
manifested itself in a team of 11 players. The game is directly related to nationalism and can be traced back as an
acceptable form of opposition against Spanish colonialism. Cubans and Dominicans alike used baseball, a sport of
American origin, to reject the Spanish traditions that the colonists tried to impose on them and instead adopt
something created in their part of the world. The presentation will be in Spanish.
68. Population Growth with Nonmonotonic Functional Responce
Erin Clark, Brian Bradie
We expanded the dynamics of a prey population subject to logistic growth and a nonmonotonic functional
response. The nonmonotonic functional response attempts to model a prey defense mechanism.
69. The influences of storytelling and depression on the fading affect bias
Christine Rothwell, Amanda Bowen, Jeffrey Gibbons
The current study investigated storytelling behaviors and depression in relation to the fading affect bias.
Participants reported their original and current emotions for pleasant and unpleasant stories that they told few or
many times to few or many different types of people. Participants also completed the Depression, Anxiety, and
Stress Scale (DASS), which allowed the participants to be categorized as having high or low depression. The data
failed to support the hypothesis that depression would cause negative and positive emotions to fade equally, and no
effects of depression were found. All interactions of storytelling behavior and story affect were significant, which
supports the findings of previous research and indicates that both factors are relevant. Most importantly, positive
affect for pleasant stories increased when pleasant stories were told many times to many different types of people.
70. Children’s Big Five Personality Traits: Evaluation of Measurement
Kara D. Fink, Nicole Guajardo
The current literature review examines children’s development of the Big Five personality dimensions
(Extroversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness to Experience) as measured by the
NEO-FFI, NEO-PIR, CCQ, and the BFQ-C. Other issues discussed are as follows: (a) ability of children to
provide valid self-reports on the Big Five dimensions; (b) accuracy and validity of adults’ (parents, teachers,
caregivers) reports of children’s Big Five personality dimensions; (c) Big Five personality traits and the
relationship to social success and behavioral problems in children; (d) stability of children’s Big Five personality
traits into adolescence and adulthood; and (e) general accuracy and validity of the aforementioned Big Five
personality measures when used with children. Suggestions for future research are also discussed.
71. The Impact of Computer Mediation of Team Effectiveness
R. Eric Humphries, Thomas D. Berry IV
The present meta-analysis examined data from 10 studies (n = 1,296) which compared various aspects regarding
the effectiveness, both perceived and actual, of teams employing computer-mediated communication (CM) in
relation to those using face-to-face (FTF) communication. These communication mediums were compared in
terms of participant’s perceived trust for each other, their perceived satisfaction with the outcome of the team task,
and their actual performance on the team tasks. There was evidence that the perceived and actual performance of
teams employing FTF communication was superior in general; this was especially true for team tasks requiring
higher levels of collaborative decision-making. Additional research is needed to determine whether simple
practice can significantly reduce the gap between CM and FTF communication.
72. Aftermath of a Conquered History: American Involvment in the Redevelopment
Carrie Gray, Andrew Falk
Following World War II, the Allied Occupation Force saw itself faced with the task of rebuilding Germany into a
bulwark against Communism. The Americans, who took the lead role in de-Nazification, also sought to
rehabilitate German national identity by restructuring the German government, creating museums, and other
methods. Research for this presentation includes both the American and German perspectives on how Americans
influenced German national identity.
73. Contrapunto de la mulatez: Cirilo Villaverde y Fernando Ortiz (Counterpoint of Mulatez: Cirilo Villaverde and Fernando Ortiz)
Suzanne Reuter, Beatriz Calvo-Peña
(Note: work will be presented in Spanish) This work will present the subject of the mulatto in Cuban literature
through the works Cecilia Valdés by Cirilo Villaverde and Contrapunteo cubano del tabaco y el azúcar. The
racially mixed mulatto is an important symbol in Cuba, as much of its population comes from this background.
The analysis will focus on the differences in the two authors’ presentation of the mulatto by comparing and
contrasting the genres (a romantic-era novel versus an anthropological work) and the historical contexts (Cuba as
found in 1882 versus 1940). Cecilia Valdés is a piece of national literature for the island nation, and a piece that
attempts to find Cuban identity. It was written shortly before the abolition of slavery in the country, as well as
during the fights for independence. Contrapunteo cubano del tabaco y el azúcar presents the history of
transculturation from the viewpoint of how the Cuban economy (the main goods being sugar and tobacco) affected
this mixing of cultures. Though it is published as a scientific work, this book has many aspects which could be
considered poetic, and one may not find it entirely objective.Therefore, through these two pieces of literature, the
audience may also see the evolution of the idea of racial mixtures through a Cuban point of view.
74. The World and the Iranian Nuclear Program: Paying for Concessions
Matthew L. Creasy, Peter Carlson
A major problem facing the international community is the control of nuclear materials. With regard to
international peace today a substantial threat comes from the possibility of an Iranian nuclear weapons program.
This work presents an analysis of legal options as allowed by international law to convince Iran to relinquish their
enrichment programs and allow international inspectors access to all nuclear sites in Iran. Dealing with the legality
of options available to the international community in response to Iran’s nuclear program is multifaceted, yet the
approach most likely to result positively is one which incorporates incentives. The procedure this paper follows is
the rational model of decision making with regards and analysis of applicable international law. This work will
show that the best available option in international law and international politics is one which offers incentives for
Iran to relinquish its program.
75. Religious Syncretism should not be confused with Conversion
Krysta M. Johnson, George Teschner
Hundreds of thousands of religious conversions are reported by missionary organizationseach year. With what it
truly means to convert to first world faiths such as Christianity and Islam, is this possible? The paper argues that
cross-cultural conversions are not possible and what really takes place is a process known as religious syncretism.
When words are used equivocally meaning appears to be identical that are not which often occurs when crossing
cultural boundaries. The notion that a conversion has taken place devalues indigenous beliefs as trivial and
superficial in comparison with the faith missionization promotes. Conversion is not pluralistic and often ignores
the concept of syncretism as an alternative communication paradigm. Christianity, the primary advocate for
conversion, in fact serves as a prime example of religious syncretism. The most detrimental consequence of
assuming conversion has taken place and not allowing for syncretism is the loss of identity suffered by the
convert. This loss can be avoided if syncretism rather than conversion were seen as the result of proselytizing
religious doctrines to third world cutlures.
76. Anti-Communism or China: The Foreign Relations Game Played by Nixon
Howard Maxey, Andrew Falk
Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger in 1972 opened China to the US market. This was considered a grand step
into a wealth of new resources and products from the large Asian country. This event however, seems odd
considering the extensive anti-communist stance of both the Nixon administration as well as the United States at
the time. With the cold war with Russia and the conflict with Vietnam all geared toward stopping the spread of
communism, Nixon still pursued opening relations with Communist China. Relying on newspapers, manuscripts,
de-classified documents, and memoirs, this paper examines the political animal that was Nixon, and seeks to
clarify the Chinese perspective. The actions of the Nixon administration, specifically pertaining to foreign policy,
will be analyzed to see how this compromise in ideals came about. The paper analyzes the situation from both a
political approach and a psychological approach, with a main focus on the mindset of Nixon.
77. The Implications of Self-Expression Values for Economic Freedom
Philip Leclerc, Katie McDonald, Philip Leclerc, Katie McDonald, Michelle Vachris
Past literature has explored many of the possible relations between a variety of measures of economic freedom,
economic growth, culture, and democratic effectiveness, employing a variety of statistical techniques ranging from
Granger-causality tests to simple correlation. Generally, economic freedom has been found to relate strongly to
economic growth, and economic growth has been found to relate strongly to measures of the effectiveness of
democracy. Measures of culture are more varied and the results more mixed, but Inglehart (2005) presents
compelling evidence that GDP growth is a key determinant of society-wide changes in the priority given to ideals
of freedom and equality. Moreover he finds that the spread and emphasis of these ideals in societies is a key
determinant of democratic effectiveness. This current study employs regression analysis to test whether changes in
Inglehart’s (2005) measure of societal valuation of democratic ideals might also explain changes in economic
freedom. Implications for the literature concerned with democratization and economic growth are discussed.
78. Belgian Draft Horses: Are They History?
Jenna Barbee, Diane Catanzaro
For my research paper, I have chosen to study the history of the Belgian draft horse, as well as its current use in the
country. I want to mainly focus on its utilization in the past, and especially how it is used in this day and age. The
Belgian draft horse must have had a large impact in the past- transport, farming, and sport- but I am interested in
what kind of impact it is having on Belgium today. Does it aid the economy like it surly must have in the past?
What is it used for today? Perhaps it is now an animal for pleasure like it is here in the United States. From what I
know thus far, their main uses are as milk producers, tourist attractions (carriage rides and other such labors), and
as carriers of beer wagons, especially for Coors. I have contacted the Ons Belgisch Trekpaard, the official Belgian
Draft Horse Association. I contacted Eva De Smidt, who in turn gave me the names, addresses, and e-mail
addresses of some of the largest and most popular Belgian draft farms. Two of these people have returned my
e-mails and are planning on my visit. Both
stables are in the region of Brugge. Antoon Van Couter of the Stable
de
Langenakker and Denise De Cuyper of the Stable het Thiendehof were both very
accommodating and seem
to be looking forward to my visit. They will speak to me
about the breed (with the help of translators) and
answer any questions I might
have. I have also gotten their permission to visit with some of their horses
and
take pictures.
79. Consequences of political geogrpahy on human rights: Uganda and Tanzania
Rebecca Graybeal, Brennan Kraxberger
Human rights abuses have become a mainstream topic in today’s world. One location the International community
has kept a constant focus on is Africa. Generalizations that all African States are unstable and therefore rife with
human rights abuses are a common notion. Before one can make that overgeneralization, one must first examine
the features which can lead to human rights abuses and instability. If this instability does not exist in all African
countries, there may be two Africas headed in different directions. To conduct such an observation one can
examine two countries with similar qualities, but who have had different results. The question is: Why is it that
two states with similar pasts and geographies differ so greatly with respect to fundamental human rights. By
examining the political geography of two states, one is able to see that not all of Africa is overwhelmed with
human rights abuses. The concept of two Africas, one the focus of concern for many in the international
community and one which has taken significant steps to develop positively, is seen through this case study
of two
African States.
80. Romanticized Reality Within Anna Karenina and The Awakening
Kelly Perriello, Margarita Marinova
The literary period of realism attempted to give an accurate depiction of life by focusing on the physical world
around a person. Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina paints realistic depictions of life by interweaving lives in 19th
century Imperial Russia. Kate Chopin's novel The Awakening gives an accurate example of work from the local
color movement as Chopin portrays southern Louisiana at the turn of the 20th century. Tolstoy's Anna Karenina
and in Chopin’s The Awakening may seem vastly different from one another both culturally and by reputation.
However, despite the seemingly great differences between these two novels, they share a very important theme
that allows for an interesting comparison: they are both concerned with the experiences of women willing to break
the bonds of their marriage and try to live independent lives. The commonality of these different women is their
similar, unique reactions to their lives once they make the first few steps towards independence from marriage. As
each woman embarks on their journey to self-realization; Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina and Chopin's Edna Pontellier
begin to romanticize their life, which, tragically, leads to their deaths. By closely examining both novels, various
literary criticisms on these works, and taking into perspective the cultural lifestyles of the time, the dangers of
romanticizing life become apparent.
81. US Dependence on Foreign Oil & the Effect of Environmental & Public Policy
Barbara Bonner, Peter Carlson
The United States produces roughly 7.61 millions barrels of oil per day. In stark comparison to that number is the
20.73 millions barrels consumed per day. With 13.15 million barrels imported each day, the United States is
alarmingly dependent on foreign sources of oil. Although there are currently no alternative sources of oil, there are
possible alternatives to oil- such as ethanol, solar, hydrogen, and wind power- as well as the consumption of oil,
which is the driving point in the United States’ dependency. The introduction of an alternative will not only
decrease the consumption of oil, but the amount of oil imported from foreign sources. Should this alternative not
amount to the desired effect, an increase in domestic production by introducing new drill sites should occur in an
attempt to continue to decrease foreign import. With the increasingly drastic inflation in the World’s population,
dependence on oil continues to rise. This dependence, specifically in the United States’ relationship with foreign
sources, has lead the government to address the different reserves of oil that have not been tapped. The two main
reserves in question are located in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, and in the deep waters of the
Gulf of Mexico. Though these locations are thought to have large reserves, many organizations have come to the
forefront of the issue to protect these areas as well as address the lack of independence that would be acquired
given the United States’ current as well as projected oil production to oil consumption ratio. Is it in our best
interest to ignore the environmental impact of increased drilling in an effort to decrease the United States’
dependency on foreign oil or would finding way to decrease consumption as a whole, such as alternative fuel and
energy sources, prove more beneficial?
82. Género e identidad cubana en "Los reyes del mambo tocan canciones de amor" (Gender and
Cuban Identity in "Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love")
Rose Glass, Beatriz Calvo-Peña
Will be presented in Spanish* The expression of gender and Cuban-American identity is as raw and provocative in
Mambo King Play Songs of Love, by Oscar Hijuelos, as is the mambo dance and music which so clearly
represents it. Hijuelos, an American born citizen of Cuban immigrants, depicts the uniqueness of Cuban-American
culture and identity through fictional characters living in New York in the 1950's caught between their Cuban
heritage and the promise of the "American dream." My analysis will focus on several of the prominent themes of
the book including masculinity, femininity and the Cuban-American Identify. I will also examine the movie,
“Mambo Kings” and the function of music and dance in novel. La expresión del sexo y la identidad Cubanaamericana
es tan provocativa en Los reyes de mambo tocan canciones de amor, por Oscar Hijuelos, que es el
mambo que la representa. Hijuelos, un ciudadano americano nacido de padres cubanos, describe la cultura cubana
a través de dos hermanos viviendo en Nueva York en los años cincuenta atascados entre su propia cultura y la
promesa del “sueño americano.” En mi análisis, enfocaré en algunos temas prominentes incluyendo la
masculinidad, la feminidad y la cultura Cubana. También, examinaré la versión del cine, “Mambo Kings” y la
función de la música y el baile en obra.
83. Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) impact on development in Kenya Africa
Katy Holland, Gwen Thornton
This paper uses the Maasai American Organization (MAO) as a case study to examine the impact of small NGOs
in rural African communities to not only provides immediate assistance but to empower community members to
join the development process. The Maasai American Organization is one of many small nongovernmental
agencies that works within a framework of partnering with a specific community within a larger realm of need in
order to effectively and directly provide services and empower individuals. In developing countries, such as
Kenya, the level of social services provided directly from the government is often scarce and unreliable; however,
the needs remain and need to be met. There is a long history of international nongovernmental agencies (NGO)
offering assistance of various forms to these developing nations. Individuals working for large international NGOs,
as well as those working for small community based NGOs, were interviewed and observed as part of the case
study for this paper. While it was found that both types of organizations were offer a wide number of services for
individuals in local communities, there was also a significant distinction between the focus and methods of the
large and small NGOS. The question that arises is what impact nongovernmental agencies are having on longterm
development and empowerment of communities throughout Africa.
84. Light and Impulsivity in Siamese Fighting Fish (Betta splendens)
Kim Ailstock, Anne Maurer, Katie Lamp, Molly Matthews, Aneta Leczycki, Andrew Velkey
available reward and a larger but delayed reward. Impulsiveness is the result of the former choice while selfcontrol
is the result of the latter choice. While past research has examined the effects of a variety of factors (e.g.
deprivation level, response cost, response effort) on the level of impulsive choices in a number of species (e.g. C.
livia, R. norvegicus, H. sapiens), little research has attended to the effects of environmental lighting conditions on
these choice distributions. Furthermore, a limited amount of research is available on choice behavior in teleost
species. To address these limitations, the current study examined instrumental choice behavior in 22 male Siamese
fighting fish (Betta splendens) housed under different light cycles. During the current study on choice behavior, 14
subjects were housed under a 12:12 h light-dark cycle, and 8 subjects were housed under a 24 h light cycle. Over a
series of thrice-daily instrumental trials lasting 2 weeks on average, each subject had the choice of a smaller-sooner
reward (SS, 1 pellet of food delivered immediately) or a larger-later reward (LL, 3 pellets of food delivered after
an 18 s delay). Subjects tested in the 12:12 h light-dark cycle condition made more LL choices than SS choices,
whereas subjects tested in the 24 h light cycle made more SS choices than LL choices. These results are discussed
in terms of the potential role that circadian rhythm may play in the sensitivity of Betta to delays in reinforcement.
Future research should further examine the effect of environmental lighting conditions on Betta’s sensitivity to
changes in magnitude and delay to reinforcement and determine if similar effects of light cycle are found in the
choice behavior of other species.
85. Factors that Prohibit Effective Conflict Resolution in Arab League States
Mehreen Farooq, Michelle Barnello
The League of Arab States, more commonly known as the Arab League was founded in 1945, creating a regional
international organization for the purpose of coordinating progressive economic, social, cultural, political and
health programs in addition to maintaining peace. However, most of the League’s agenda over the past 60 years
has been dominated by inter-Arab conflict resolution. Given the opportunity for positive change, why has the Arab
League not been more effective in addressing conflict resolution in the region? The purpose of this paper is to
answer this question and to understand the complex political issues that affect the region so that future conflict
resolution can be more effective. The founding members of the Arab League envisioned an Arab union based on
common culture and purpose. However, since the League has been unable to come to a consensus on major issues
it is plausible that common religion, language, and cultures cannot unify a region. Instead, each Arab country has
competing interests that prohibit working with other nations to solve regional issues. These issues include
competition for regional leadership, ethnic and religious minorities that fragment Arab society, weak and
undemocratic government structures that do not implement Arab League mandates, disagreement on how to
cooperate on economic development, and how to address the Arab-Israeli crisis, especially the refugee problem.
By analyzing these issues, the weaknesses in the Arab League are exposed and addressed through alternative
solutions.
86. Gender and human relationship with the divine.
Lori M. Bickham, George Teschner
Relationship with between people and relationships with the divine are rooted in gendered consciousness. This
paper will examine the role of gender in human relationships with the divine. The paper argues that experiencing
gender is necessary for an intimate relationship between human and divine. Human consciousness is gendered
from birth based on biological, genetic, and social factors. Relationship is inherent in the concept of gender
because the masculine and the feminine stand in a relation of polarity in which each is drawn to the other. The
union of the masculine and the feminine is transformative and each becomes aware of its essence in a way that
unites and transcends gender. This paper examines how experiencing gender both leads to and mirrors the human
relationship with the divine.
87. Television Addiction as seen in "Softly, and Consider the Nearness"
Jamie Sellers, Denise Gillman
Television addiction is an issue plaguing American society, but the affects are not all harmful. Along with causing
attention problems and dependence, television also socializes young people into our culture and increases the
mental capacity through interconnected plot lines along with images and sound. The concept of television
addiction is the prevalent in the play, "Softly and Consider the Nearness", by Rosalyn Drexler. Nona, the main
character, falls in love with her television. The relationship created between Nona and her TV is very real to her
since it is the only form of interaction she has with the outside world. This paper focuses on the negative and
positive affects of excessive television viewing through the characters in the play "Softly, and Consider the
Nearness", a portion of which will be presented.
88. Israel's Fight for the Land
Jeffrey Pfeiffer, George Teschner
The Jewish passion to be in and in control of the land of Palestine is deeply embedded in and is inseparable from
their religion and identity as the chosen people of their God, Yahweh. This deeply rooted and entwined religious
connection to the precise geographical location of Israel demonstrates a naturalism which implies that God’s
earthly presence is manifested in a particular place. Experiencing the nature of God in this way is the root of the
Jewish struggle for the land of Palestine. The naturalistic concept of Divine Presence explains the importance of
territoriality in Judaism. Land and territory has an important historical and scriptural basis. This essay will
support its claim historically, anthropologically, sociologically, and theologically. The paper will discuss
naturalism as it relates to place, divine presence as the manifestation of God in nature, and territoriality as a
tendency to defend a particular domain or sphere of influence and interest. The paper will also discuss sacred
place as opposed to profane space and show how the concept of the land as sacred defines a unique concept of
divine influence in Judaism.
89. The Status of Rafinesque’s Big-eared Bat Roosts in Southeastern Virginia
Ela-Sita Carpenter, Richard E. Sherwin
Little is known about the roosting ecology of Rafinesque's big-eared bat(Corynorhinus rafinesquii) in Virginia, the
northern boundary of its range. As part of a study to quantify roosting and habitat associations of this species, we
conducted roost surveys throughout southeastern Virginia. These surveys included structures identified by the
Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries as C. rafinesquii roosts in 2001. Because all structures of
interest were on private land, we contacted landowners to obtain permission to visit the sites. Of the thirty
landowners contacted, nine gave us permission to visit their properties. After obtaining permission, we visited a
total of thirteen sites to evaluate current use. In addition to surveying sites for use and quantifying occupancy, we
installed dataloggers throughout several structures to evaluate climatic associations of roosting bats. We
discovered that several structures documented as roosts in 2001 are now collapsed and no longer available to bats;
however four previously undocumented roosts were discovered. Additionally, we found three solitary hibernating
C. rafinesquii in a variety of structures. We believe these represent the first documented hibernacula for this
species in Virginia. The degree to which many of the roosts have either been destroyed, inaccessible, or degraded
makes it clear that these buildings that C. rafinesquii currently inhabit need to be protected and regularly surveyed
in order to better conserve the populations. In this presentation, I will discuss specific roosting associations,
seasonality of roost use, and implications of this study for the effective management of C. rafinesquii in Virginia.
90. Henri Matisse's Profound Role and Impact on David Hare's The Bay at Nice
Annie Foster, Denise Gillman
In his 1986 one act play The Bay at Nice, David Hare creates a work of art in which art itself is a main focus and
storytelling vehicle. His formidable and enigmatic protagonist, Valentina Nrovka, is a Russian artist approaching
the winter of her life who is forced to come face to face with one of the most significant times in her life – her
years as a teenaged art student in Paris taught by, “A man who said he wanted to turn his lambs into lions.” Henri
Matisse, widely regarded as one of the great modern masters of painting, has caught the praise, criticism, and
attention of people from every walk of life, both during his life and after his death in 1954. But what was it about
this man that so captured David Hare’s imagination that an entire play was written in which Matisse maintains so
strong a presence, and is so heavily featured in a character’s development? The play’s title, even, is a direct
reference to the period of Matisse’s life where he favored temperate, southern Nice over urban Paris and
created some of his most bright and exotic works; adjectives one certainly does not often pair with the play’s
setting in Leningrad. This paper attempts to discover through historical research on Henri Matisse and script
and character analysis of The Bay at Nice what is theatrically engaging about Henri Matisse, and why he
was the specific artist chosen to help craft the character of Valentina and embody the ideas that Hare
expresses through her.
91. Confessions of an Over-Acheiver: Identity in Emerging Adulthood
Sarah London, Michaela Meyer
During emerging adulthood, our identity is influenced by a variety of factors. Because of the wealth of
opportunities available to students in this age group, we become overwhelmed by social saturation. In this study, I
have performed research and interviews to assess my identity as an over-acheiver and how it has been influenced
by societal factors. This educational testimonial serves as a narrative form of research and provides insight into the
struggles and successes of a college student. This paper was submitted in accordance with a senior seminar
entitled "Communicating Identity" for Dr. Michaela Meyer in the Communication Studies Department.
92. Alexander the Great Communicator
Ann Gowen, Jana Adamitis
Good communication is the key to success in anything that a person does. The fact that Alexander was a great
communicator throughout his life led to his numerous successes both on and off the battlefield. The most effective
types of communication Alexander used were interpersonal communication, non-verbal communication, and
intercultural communication. Interpersonal communication is communication between persons verbally or through
writing. Non-verbal communication is the communication between persons without words, normally using
gestures, actions, pictures, and other forms of wordless messages. Intercultural communication is the management
of creating meaning through verbal and non-verbal messages across cultures. Alexander’s communication of
confidence and bravery to his troops helped lead to numerous successes in their battles and journeys, his
communication of understanding and compromising of the Persian’s traditions and ways of life helped them
become more willing to serve him, and his communication of his caring and loyalty to the gods, his troops, and his
people helped lead to the successes in his kingdoms and their well-being.
93. Captivated Music of Louisiana State Penitentiary
Sarah Wall, Clyde Brockett
Captivated Music of Louisiana State Penitentiary Popular music is sometimes viewed as a fleeting phenomenon
that has little musicological historical significance. However, American society is hopelessly obsessed with this
“music of the masses” and has long been affected by the genre’s artists. Huddie William Ledbetter, better known
as Lead Belly is viewed as an important transitional artist in respect to the development of the African American
folk tradition into what modern society calls the blues. During his incarceration at the Louisiana State
Penitentiary, Lead Belly was discovered by well-known ethnomusicologist John Lomax. Lead Belly’s experiences
at the Louisiana State Penitentiary brought to attention a musical tradition that has been in existence at the prison
for an unknown amount of time. This paper will explore the relatively obscure historical background of the
musical tradition at the Louisiana State Penitentiary. The paper will also investigate the obtainable music from
original recordings of the early to mid-1900s through the development of the Angola Traveling Rodeo Band that is
in existence today. The paper will be supplemented by musical examples.
94. Removal of Ibuprofen from aqueous media
Sergio Navarrete, Tony Montalto, Tarek Abdel-Fattah
Ibuprofen is the active ingredient found in many analgesics and anti-inflammatory over the counter drugs, which
makes it one of the most commonly used drugs. The problem results when the Ibuprofen that is not used by the
human body is excreted into the sewage which ends up in waste streams, treatment plants, and in some cases
directly to receiving water without treatment. Ibuprofen is harmful to the environment, because it affects the
development of many invertebrates, some bacteria, and various types of algae. We will attempt to remove
Ibuprofen from aqueous media by using treated zeolites. Batch adsorption studies show that 39.8% of the
Ibuprofen was removed after one hour.
95. "You say you want a Revolution": American Rock Music and Communist Rebillion in the 1960s and 1970s
Aaron Grant, Andrew Falk
Rock and Roll has sought to challenge the rules of the establishment ever since it first blasted its way into the ears
of youthful rebels. During the late 1960’s and 1970’s rock music sky rocketed in popularity as young teenagers
sought a venue for their anger and resentment toward the government. We are all aware of the Vietnam protests
of the 1960’s and the counter-culture movement in which the music of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and The Doors
helped a generation express their ideas. But just as rock music in the 1960’s and 70’s allowed young rebels in
America to speak out, it did the same for teenagers behind the Iron Curtain. In a sense rock music represented
what they did not have under communist control, and that was the idea of freedom. The message of rock and roll
was that of liberation and personal expression. Teenagers in Hungry, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and other Eastern
Bloc countries embraced the rebellious nature of rock music and ran with it. The music was their window into the
freedoms shared by western life. Because of this they sought more freedom from their governments and rebelled
against the socialist societies that had held them back for so long. These ideas were ones that would eventually
help the people of the Eastern Bloc rise up against Soviet control. By no means did rock music single handedly
cause the fall of the Iron Curtain, but it definitely played a role in changing the mind set of a generation. The aim
of this paper is to show how influential rock music was to teenagers and young adults in the eastern bloc and how
it helped establish ideas of rebellion and freedom that would eventually play a hand in bringing down the Iron
Curtain.
96. Gender Stereotypes in Current Children's Literature
Karen Weaver, Cheryl Chambers
Children are increasingly being motivated to read and develop cognitively through pleasure books, picture books,
and textbooks. They relate to the characters in the books they read and may internalize their personalities and
imitate their actions. However, if the literature they are reading reflects a lack of conformity with gender neutral
values, the book may have a negative effect on the child’s gender role socialization. As our society is continuously
influenced by social change and gender equity movements, children’s literature should reflect gender equality as
well. If children are exposed to literature that lacks equal gender representation and characters who represent more
traditional gender stereotypes, then children will be more likely to internalize these gender stereotypes instead of
developing egalitarian (gender neutral) ideas. This study analyzes the content of ten children’s books on the 2006-
2007 Virginia Readers Choice list assessing whether the characters in the books represent stereotypical gender
norms or more egalitarian views.
97. The Portrayal of Intimate Relationships in Adolescent Romantic Fiction
Allison Weaver, Cheryl Chambers
In a popular culture centered society, it is important to know what effects media has on young generations’,
especially adolescents, socialization. At this age, adolescents are developing their identities and learning how to
interact with others. A qualitative content analysis was conducted on five bestselling teen romance novels to
determine what messages these books may be sending their readers, typically female adolescents, with regards to
romantic relationships. These books present numerous aspects of intimate relationships conveying to the readers,
messages about the “type” of girls and boys who “typically” engage in romantic relationships, unrealistic monetary
standards and freedom in dating practices, the absence of parental influence in these relationships, and an
extremely mature presentation of “appropriate” behaviors and sexual experiences.
98. Ethnicity and Culture in Proselytizing and Non-Proselytizing Religions
Scott Springmann, George Teschner, Stephen Strehle, Kip Redick, Kenneth Rose
Throughout history there have been many religions that have had a particular focus on a specific ethnicity or
cultural group, while other religions have traditionally put less emphasis on ethnicity and culture. The former
generally do not allow for members of different ethnic groups to join their religion. In the minds of many of the
adherents of these religions members are born into the religion and outsiders are rarely, if ever, allowed to convert.
This is, in part, because they believe that the members of their specific ethnic group have a unique relationship
with the divine. The latter, on the other hand, are religions that have crossed cultural boundaries and allowed for
people from different ethnic groups to participate in their specific religious tradition without leaving their own
cultural context. These religions are proselytizing, meaning that they actively seek after new people to join their
faith. From their basic theology to their general worldview, these religions try to cross cultural and ethnic
boundaries to spread their faith and message to many people from different backgrounds. They believe that their
message is relevant to people from all cultures and that all people, regardless of ethnic or cultural background, can
have a relationship with the divine. Because of this, proselytizing religions are less ethnocentric than nonproselytizing
religions and tend to have more universalizable doctrines and practices.
99. The Effect of Elvis
Sara Higgins, Andrew Falk
Elvis Presley exploded onto the American music scene in the late 1950s, and by the time of his death in 1977 he
was a cultural force recognized around the world. My research is focused on his effect in Europe as an American
image. Elvis represented what so many people wished they could have for themselves, and this is shown through
youth rebellions and interpretations of sexuality (both genders) globally. Sources such as newspaper articles,
private journals, and even political cartoons are quite useful, as well as peer-reviewed articles relating to the way
of life before and after the introduction of Elvis.
100. How Society Views Socially Unacceptable Behavior by Professional Athletes
Michael Conlon, Linda Baughman
My goal is to understand how fans perceive players who behave in socially unacceptable ways. This study will
show how important the player really is to the sport. If Terrell Owens did not play football anymore would the fans
really miss him? Would the sport be worse off or better off? These are questions I want answered. By answering
these questions we will be able to see how as a society we can make a stand against players, our role models, who
behave in a manner that is socially unacceptable.
101. Ernesto ‘Che Guevara: Guiding Light of the Cuban Revolution
Stephen M. Lynn, William F. Connell
Executed by CIA trained Bolivian operatives on October 10, 1967, Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara represented for many a
vision of hope, for change for the struggling oppressed masses in Latin America. Through his various messages of
equality for laborers and social change according to Marxist ideology, Guevara, became “the most important
martyr of revolutionary struggle in Latin America in the 20th Century.” Of his various attempts to bring
revolutionary social change to the exploited populous of the world, such as in: Guatemala, Congo, and Bolivia,
undoubtedly his most successful venture was on the Caribbean island nation of Cuba. Roughly from the years
1956 to 1959, Guevara, with Fidel and Raul Castro, was able to overthrow the tyrannical, Capitalistic, and
exploitative regime of Fulgenico Batista. In doing so they were able to successfully establish a government which
aimed towards changing Cuban society through agrarian reform. Rising through the ranks to become one of the
primary leaders of the revolution, it can be argued that without his active and predominant role, the revolution
would not have been a success. My research exposition presents the argument that while Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara
was an instrumental military commander, the true value of his involvement revolves around the development and
application of his theories concerning guerilla warfare, the ‘foco’. Through the application of these theories Che
provided a means to achieving Fidel Castro’s ends of the revolution, which was agrarian reform.
102. The Reception of British Punk Rock in America
Frederick Blackburn, Andrew Falk
Through my research, I will trace the development of the British punk movement and illustrate how it was
received in the United States during different periods. I will also explain how this "underground" culture has
dramatically influenced American popular culture to the point where it is has gone from being considered a
tasteless, nihilistic vehicle for delinquent behavior to becoming an everyday staple in that pop-culture's appetite. I
am drawing from a variety of sources, including articles found in popular magazines (Time, Newsweek, Rolling
Stone), underground punk "fanzines", song lyrics, photographs, and a number of secondary sources written on the
subject.
103. Simulation of the Supply Chain Operations using Excel Spreadsheet
Brian Rimel, Dmitriy Shaltayev
Intelligent supply chain management is very important in modern business conditions. To be competitive in the
face of economic globalization, businesses have to look across the entire supply chain to optimize the operations.
One form of such optimization is sharing of business information with the parties involved in supply chain
operations. Traditionally the only information shared between businesses was orders placed to suppliers to
replenish inventories. Development of information technology led to a situation when other business information
can be shared easily across the supply chain. For example, Wal-Mart is sharing the inventory status information
with its suppliers. In this research we simulate the operations of the two-tiered supply chain, consisting of retailers
and suppliers, under two scenarios of information sharing. First scenario refers to a traditional model, when the
only information shared with suppliers is quantity of orders placed to the suppliers. If shortage happens due to
supplier’s inability to provide an adequate supply, the retailer tries to find another supplier on the open market to
buy from. In doing so, the retailer will incur extra cost related to finding a supplier. We simulate the operations of
the supply chain during 52 weeks (one calendar year). In the second scenario, we assume that there is a centralized
informational portal, which concentrates supply data from all suppliers on the market. Example of such portal for
the food processing industry is www.instill.com. We assume that retailers are IT-integrated into the portal, and
finding an alternative supplier is just a matter of browsing an online catalog. Operations of the supply chain under
this scenario are simulated for the same period. We study how the parameters of the problem affect the cost
savings that can be achieved by the supply chain through sharing of information in the centralized fashion.
104. La expansión del reggaetón puertorriqueño y su impacto en la música estadounidense (The rise
of Puerto Rico's reggaeton and the impact on music in the U.S.)
Hunter Barlow, Beatriz Calvo-Peña
Reggaeton is most closely related to rap music in the U.S. Reggaeton combines reggae and other genres of music
to create a distinct music genre in itself. This paper discusses the rise of reggaeton in Puerto Rico, Latin America,
and here in the United States. It has had a huge impact on music in the U.S., becoming extremely popular with
more than just Spanish audiences.
105. Identity of a First Born
Kristen Willett, Michaela Meyer
Sibling position is the prime determinate of personality and that personality structure can be predicted from this
position, (Stroup & Hunter 1965 p.65). This paper is an autoethnograhy of my identity and how it was formed as
the oldest sibling. Five interviews were conducted with close friends and relatives to understand how this aspect of
my identity is personified. Through outside and sources and my own narrative, I found that my identity was largely
influenced on being the eldest child, and that I exhibit almost all of the usual traits such as leadership, taking on
responsibilities, and living up to expectations. I found that the probable reason for these traits to be so engrained is
because of my mother’s fight with post partum depression when my brother was born. At this time I was old
enough to pick up the slack, which caused me to start nurturing, and leading at a young age. I found that my
interviews about my specific identity agreed with the research and that all of the people interviewed saw the same
traits in me that I found in myself.
106. Becoming a Jewish American Princess: From Judaism to Jewelry
Andrea Rubenstein, Linda D. Manning
The Jewish American Princess is a well known and essentially valid description of the upper-class Jewish women
in America today. The mentality of these women can be understood through an understanding of standpoint theory.
How the stereotype is formed and how Jewish women came to have these traits can be explain by information
integration theory. Today’s media provides examples of the most extreme attributes of the Jewish American
woman. The current economy also seeks to keep the Jewish American Princess as a main consumer keeping the
stereotype and alive and more and more true. Although these women are successful in the upper-class circles of
American women they have begun to lose their history and identities. They have become American but are losing
their Jewish roots and values.
108. Giving Back to the Univeristy
Katie Grace, Linda Baughman
The Senior Class Gift is a tradition in the making at Christopher Newport University. Each year the president of
the senior class is in charge of creating a gift campaign in order to encourage members of the senior class to give
back to the university. This study focuses on public relations and fundraising techniques in the context of
communication studies. I have done research on fundraising and public relations and put that research into practice
in the senior class gift campaign. The project consists of the public relations documents and advertisements I
created and in order to promote the gift as well as the research showing the reasoning behind each document.
109. Designing the Futuristic Slums of URINETOWN, THE MUSICAL
Tommy Pastor, Lauren Graybiel, Rachel Beema, Julia Hughes, Lon Hurst
With the aid of faculty advisors, each student was responsible for doing research, sketches, renderings and
producing final products in different design elements to create the grimy futuristic world in Theater CNU's
production of UINETOWN, THE MUSICAL. Our presentation will be a visual journey from research to final
product consisting of renderings, photographs, and fully realized materials including costumes, set pieces, and
props used in the production.
110. To Be or Not To Be: Suicide and Heroism in Sophocles' Ajax
Thomas Barton, Jana Adamitis
The Ajax, a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles during the fifth century B.C., deals with the Homeric hero Ajax
whose betrayal, at the hands of his fellow Greeks, drives him to an anger of epic proportions. Realizing the conflict
between his own identity and the changing world around him, Ajax is ultimately confronted with two choices: he
could change with the world around him, but by doing so he would sacrifice his own heroic identity, the very thing
that makes him Ajax; or he could end his own life thus preserving his self identity as an honorable hero. Although
many scholars argue that Ajax’s suicide was neither noble nor heroic, I contend that suicide was indeed both of
these. A copious amount of critical analysis for this issue, from both sides, derives from a single speech delivered
by Ajax himself in the center of the play. Much of the evidence that supports my argument will be found in this
very speech. In addition to Ajax’s speech, two themes, specifically time and change, serve as evidence that further
exhibit the nobility and heroism found in Ajax’ decision to end his own life.
111. The Untold Story of Youth with Drug-Addicted Parents
Shannon Hunt, Linda D. Manning
When a parent is addicted to drugs, it affects the child as much or more than it does the parent. Telling adults
about this problem is the first step, but after youths disclose, they often times don't have many individuals in their
peer group to go to after the problem is out in the open. They lack a connection with their peers and a central
group that can identify with the same problem. There are popular outlets for teens with alcoholic family members
such as Ala teen, but there seems to be a lack of these resources for youth with family members addicted to a hard
drug such as crack cocaine. In order to breakdown the tensions and points of view of youths with drug-addicted
parents this presentation analyzes the social constructs and dialogue of youths in this situation. This study delves
into how these youth process this situation and in dealing with it, how or if they communicate. I collected data
from youths of drug-addicted parents during ethnographic conversations to develop case studies. This presentation
will examine the findings from the youth and analyze it using Standpoint and Dialectical Theory. Finally to
conclude, the presentation will provide forward-looking information that supplying recommendations of further
research and possible future findings.
112. Las mujeres de origen africano en el Caribe (Women of African Origin
in the Caribbean)
Frannie Falcon, Beatriz Calvo-Peña
The theme of my research project will be "Women of African Origin in the Caribbean". I will be analizing the lives
of black female slaves, freed black women, and mulato women in the nineteenth century. I plan to investiagte the
ways in which authors have painted the portrait of black women as a symbol of power in an era when women (of
all races) were still considered submissive and inferior to men. I am going to contrast this principle about black
women with the "search for identity" characteristic in the mulato race, that in the long run hindered progress for
women in the Caribbean and reduced them once again to objects of sexual desire.
113. Kori Bustards at the National Zoo, Washington D.C.
Nelson Torres, Sara Hallager, Richard E. Sherwin
Many animals raised in captivity in zoological parks and aquariums are often subjected to frequent hours of
sustained human visitor exposure. The purpose of the following study was to examine the effects human visitors
may have on a particular African avian species, kori bustards (Ardeotis kori) in a zoo environment. Those
observed included 5 kori bustards (1 male, 4 females) at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington
D.C. Human visitor behaviors and kori bustard behaviors were recorded between July and October in 2006
between 9:00 and 16:00. Scan sampling and all-occurrence techniques were used to determine the frequencies of
specific pre-identified behaviors and observations. Additionally, sound intensity levels, clothing color and pattern,
vehicular traffic, items carried, and crowd density levels were noted. The male and female kori bustards seemed to
respond differently to crowd density levels. Additionally, it appears that the breeding season likely affects the
behaviors of the captive birds. Despite the observation of these behavioral changes, additional environmental
stimuli will need to be further analyzed.
114. Implicaciones sociales del color de piel en el Caribe (The Social Implications of Skin Color in
Carribean Literature)
Adam Hembree, Beatriz Calvo-Peña
The mulatto woman has become a national symbol of Cuban identity through the physical, social, and cultural
manifestations of her body image. She has been mainly represented as a highly sexual woman and her physical
representation is intrinsically woven within Cuban national history. Defined as the mix between European and
African races, the mulatto woman is profusely portrayed throughout Cuban culture, from the arts and literature to
music. In this presentation the social implications of images of mulatto women will be examined using works of
various Cuban authors from the turn of the twentieth century, from their aggrandizement to their exploitation.
116. Real Women Have Ceased to Exist - A Feminist Interpretation of Delphine Gay de Girardin’s 1840
Exploration of
the Status of Women in French Society.
Ashleigh Howard, Georgeta Georgescu
Real Women Have Ceased to Exist - A Feminist Interpretation of Delphine Gay de Girardin’s 1840 Exploration of
the Status of Women in French Society Delphine Gay de Girardin, under the pen name Charles de Launay, wrote
“La Femme Veritable N’existe Plus” for La Presse, a popular French political journal. Taking the standpoint of a
traditionalist, Girardin utilizes irony and sarcasm in a brilliant reverse-exploration of the loss of “true” female
identity and the natural place of women in French society. The current paper will explore the historical, political
and social context that influenced Girardin’s perception of the world in which she lived. It will also analyze the
ironic and humorous style with which Girardin explores the secondary status of women during the French
Restoration.
117. Love and Betrayal in the Lays of Marie de France
Francesca Scrosia, Georgeta Georgescu
The Lays of Marie de France discuss the theme of love and betrayal through personal experience and that of
women of the Middle Ages. In Laustic women are seen as victims in a marriage, whereas in Bisclavret the woman
betrays her husband. This presentation will demonstrate how Marie de France’s theme is still held true for women
in today’s society.
118. Psychological Novel or Soap Opera - Modernity of the Themes of The Princess of Clèves by Madame
de La Fayette.
Lauren Strack, Georgeta Georgescu
This presentation will explore the universality of the themes of The Princess of Clèves by Madame de La Fayette,
as well as the universal dimension of the psychological novel. Themes such as unhappy marriages, impossible
love, societal roles and obligations, jealousy and morality – all play a very important role in the novel The Princess
of Clèves. These themes are just as important today as they were when this book was published in 1678. How have
these themes remained applicable over time? Why is this first psychological novel important? These are just two
questions this presentation will answer to.
119. Is there evidence for Reverse Encoding Specificty (RES)?
Nathan Evans, Nathan Evans, Jacob Smeland, Kira Walsh, Jeffrey Gibbons
The encoding specificity hypothesis states that recall may be better when cues that were present during the learning
of material are present at retrieval. The current study examines the encoding specificity hypothesis and how it
relates to the recognition of newspaper headlines, which are considered believable, and tabloid headlines, which
are considered unbelievable. Headlines were presented along with congruent or incongruent synopses (i.e.,
synopses either present at both encoding and testing or present only at encoding and not present during testing).
Matching synopses conditions were expected to better facilitate the overall recognition of both newspaper and
tabloid headlines than mismatching synopses conditions. The results of the study suggested a "reverse encoding
specificity" effect. Additionly, recognition for tabloid headlines was facilitated by incongruent synopsis conditions
and the effect seems to diminish over time.
121. Service Learning and the CNU Community
Christopher A. Boyce, Jean S. Filetti
This research report portrays the benefits and needs for Service Learning at Christopher Newport University and
details what Service Learning is and is not. Existing research on the topic of Service Learning at universities
across America, and beyond, were utilized to portray the benefits of Service Learning. A study of my own was
conducted to represent the need of Service Learning and its implementation at Christopher Newport University by
analyzing data that I collected from students of our University. By definition, Service Learning teaches civic
responsibility and supports social, emotional, and cognitive learning/development through the hands-on
application of theories and concepts learned in the classroom. Are we communicating to the students of CNU the
importance and responsibility of being a servant to the community? Do we recognize the importance and benefits
of service as it relates to students’ education, the community, and the University? Service Learning is the key to
the development of CNU, its students, administrators and staff.
122. Heidegger's reformulation of intentionality through Being-in-the-World
William Petterson, George Teschner
Heidegger asks, “Where does consciousness [intentionality] begin in philosophy”? Intentionality names the fact
that the mental states of a subject are directed at objects by way of intentional contents. Heidegger, sees that the
tradition has over emphasized the role of intentionality in explaining man’s being in the world. Intentionality is
not denied by Heidegger; it is shown to subsist only upon a foundation of pre-reflective use of objects that
Heidegger calls, “ready-to-hand”. This is because, an intentional picture of human being is unable to explain this
pre-reflective tool use. Consciousness needs to be understood as a mode of being, that is founded upon the more
ontologically basic relation of pre-reflective Being-in-the-World. Since Descartes’, every intentional state is at the
same time a consciousness of that intentional state. The consequence of this view is that the essence of a human
being is constituted solely within the field of reflective consciousness. Husserl’s phenomenological reduction to
pure consciousness repeats Descartes’ analysis of consciousness as pure intentionality. A comprehensive
description of human being cannot be grasped through intentionality alone. Intentionality arises out of linguistic
representations, this is at the heart of Wittgenstein’s claim that, “the limits of language are the limits of my world”.
There is no essentialist self which resides within the human mind, the self is a social, historical nexus. Perception
is not an intentional state, intentionality is itself a perception. Before human beings acquired a deep and
meaningful language use, their relationship to the world was not intentional. This non-conscious, non-intentional
understanding of being, what Heidegger terms “circumspection”, creates the possibility of linguisticrepresentational-
intentionality, which is what Heidegger understands by Being-in-the-World.
123. Community cohesion and the AIDS epidemic in Malawi, Africa
Ashleigh Howard, Sanford Lopater
Despite an outpouring of resources devoted to awareness about HIV/AIDS, the epidemic continues to spread in
Malawian communities. The current paper explores the impact of community cohesion on a widespread cognitive
appraisal of HIV/AIDS as out of the individual’s control. The author suggests that the perception of HIV/AIDS as
a community disease has led to a cultural perspective in which individuals do not believe in the efficacy of
preventative behaviors. Based on personal experiences and interactions with individuals in Malawi, and through a
review of past research and health policy initiatives, the author explores the socio-cultural context through which
HIV/AIDS transmission continues unabated in Malawian society. In addition to cultural norms and values, issues
such as gender inequality, education, poverty, and the sex economy are also explored as factors contributing to
sexual risk behaviors. Finally, the author advises a reassessment of the technical nature with which HIV/AIDS is
addressed in Malawian society and throughout sub-Saharan Africa in favor of an overarching health policy in
which solutions to underlying culturally-specific factors are provided.
124. Green Process for Niobium Electrochemical Polishing
Derek Loftis, Roy Crooks, Tarek Abdel-Fattah
The foray of electropolishing into the field of metalworking has made significant improvements in the conductivity
of Niobium (Nb) polished surfaces in ways that machine polishing and simple chemical polishing cannot compare.
Nb has a high propensity to deliver powerful electric charges with little resistance, thus making it effective for a
wide range of electroconductivity experiments. The developed green electropolishing solution was tested to
determine activation energy thresholds of Nb based on temperature, time, voltage, and current. In this study, a
green polishing solution was prepared from simple inorganic salts, alkyls, and other organic solvents. This ecofriendly
solution produced polished surfaces that were indistinguishable from those surfaces treated with hazardous
chemical materials including HF, HNO3, H2SO4, and H3PO4.
126. Evaluating Replacement Wetland Success Through Floristic Assessment
Jacqueline D. Roquemore, Robert Atkinson
Current wetland mitigation practices allow wetland restoration or creation to compensate for impacts to natural
wetland areas. There is a need for effective evaluation of these replacement wetland sites in order to improve
future attempts. Because vegetative composition is strongly influenced by environmental conditions within a site,
floristic inventories may serve as a valuable assessment technique. In this study, we analyzed plant species data
from four wetland compensation sites that totaled 345 acres (140 hectares) located in Chesapeake, Virginia. In
order to more fully characterize plant species data and to quantify structural success in wetland replacement,
vegetation bioassessment tools were used including Floristic Quality Assessment Index and Prevalence Index.
Future plans include increasing the number of study sites and longer-term research and should focus on
connections between these structural parameters and key functions that support wetland values.
127. Kubrick's Heroes of the Sixties
Christopher Ball, Andrew Falk
The purpose of this paper is to examine Stanley Kubrick’s representation of masculinity across the decade of 1960
as it is portrayed in the hero. The three films I will be using are: Spartacus, Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To
Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. These were released evenly across the decade
and give a wide scope to examine. I intend to prove that the changing ways masculinity is displayed in these
movies reflects Stanley Kubrick’s changing view of masculinity as it is influenced by the times he is living in. In
1960 the view of masculinity is more traditional, regarding the hero as one of physical strength and other physical
traits that portray what a man should be. By 1964 the view had changed dramatically. In Dr. Strangelove those
men displaying classic representations of what masculinity should be, are mocked and made to look foolish, mad,
or trigger happy. In this film the only true hero is small of stature, sometimes hysterical, unsure, and even comes
to tears. In his final film, 2001: A Space Odyssey, the hero is one who acts rationally and logically. He is not
swayed by personal emotions, but does what needs to be done. Throughout this paper I will equate the ideal form
of masculinity with the role of the “Hero”. I believe that in a movie the hero is meant to be the role model and that
the character is meant to be identified with and imitated.
129. Brazilian Abolition and Aftermath
Chris Glover, William F. Connell
The abolition of slavery in Brazil was a complex process that was influenced by many factors. Though it may
seem simple and concise on the surface, there exists much debate over why abolition occurred and what its effects
were on Brazilian society. This being said, the purpose of this paper is to explain why slavery persisted so long in
Brazil and what exactly caused its downfall. It also seeks to explain the extent to which abolition aided the
downfall of the monarchy in Brazil and answer whether or not this downfall was inevitable. Historians credit
various factors with the demise of slavery, but I believe that all of these factors worked together simultaneously to
end the institution. I believe that there is no single explanation for abolition, but rather multiple explanations that
all have validity and play off one another. Outside influences from around the world, economic and demographic
changes, governmental policies and influence, abolitionists, and slavery as an institution itself all combined to
create an environment which enabled emancipation of the slaves. Furthermore, I came to the conclusion that the
monarchy in Brazil would have been overthrown with or without abolition, though I believe abolition sped up that
process. Abolition had serious consequences and directly affected the establishment of a republic, but this
establishment was more of a “final straw” that resulted from years of problems. The Golden Law of 1888
represented this “straw” as slavery ended and the monarchy was inevitably overthrown.
130. Piratas del Caribe: Entre realidad y ficción (The Pirates of the Caribbean: between reality and fiction)
Lourdes C. McMillan, Beatriz Calvo-Peña
¿De donde vienen los piratas? Esta leyenda llena de colorido y fascinación que les rodea. ¿Cuál son sus orígenes?
Concretamente los bucaneros, filibusteros, corsarios o piratas en el Caribe. ¿Hay diferencia entre ellos? ¿Son
mejores unos que otros? ¿Son tan libres de espíritu como la literatura les ensalza o tienen una jerarquía
establecida? ¿Son personas sin patria? ¿Tienen reglas? ¿Tienen una cultura determinada o una sociedad
organizada? Los piratas van a la iglesia y oyen la Sagrada Palabra de Dios. ¿Ficción o realidad? ¿Son personas sin
escrúpulos, sanguinarios, bárbaros o ladrones? Las contribuciones que los piratas reciben de los diferentes
gobiernos hacen, en realidad, una distinción entre piratería y mercenarios. ¿Es ilusión o codicia? ¿A dónde van los
pirata?
131. Los bohemios en el romanticismo español decimononico y la pelicula "RENT" (The Bohemian Life in Nineteenth Century Spanish Romanticism and the Film "RENT")
Susan Watkins, Benjamin Fraser
The nineteenth-century Spanish Romantic movement critiqued social and political ideals of the time using a broad
range of artistic means. Authors such as Becquer, Espronceda, and Cadalso used poetry and prose in a particularly
effective way to communicate their opinions both explicitly with words and implicitly through the form of their
literature. The modern-day American musical production and movie RENT (2005) also communicates on these
two levels through both pointed commentary and lyrical merit. The film strongly echoes the concerns of those
Spanish Romantic authors offering a comparable insight into the current state of American society and its cultural
ideals. El movemiento del Romanticismo en Espana durante el siglo diecenueve critico a las ideas sociales y
politicas de la epoca, usando un gran variedad de modos artisticos. Autores de la epoca, incluyendo Becquer,
Espronceda, y Cadalso, usaron la poesia y la prosa en una manera muy efectiva para expresar sus opiniones ambos
explicitamente con lengua y implicitamente por la forma de la literatura. La pelicula moderna RENT (2005) de
Los Estados Unidos tambien comunica en estes dos niveles de comentario y arte. La pelicula expresa ecos de los
ideales de los Romanticos espanoles, ofreciendo perspicacias comparables al estado de la sociedad estadounidense
moderna y sus ideales culturales.
132. Medea the Homeric Hero
Juliette Miller, Jana Adamitis
Euripides’ Medea, written in 431 B.C.E., is about a woman who kills her children in order to punish her husband
Jason when he leaves her for a princess. Although some scholars argue that Medea sought to punish Jason because
she was jealous, I contend that heroic principles, not sexual jealousy, motivate Medea’s revenge. Euripides
portrays Medea as a Homeric hero who must keep her honor at all costs, not as a stereotypical female who is
subservient to the male. When Jason remarried, he broke the oath of faithfulness he had made to Medea, which
gave her the right to seek justice. Medea would not have gone to such extremes had Jason not jeopardized her
honor and reputation. Medea’s revenge had nothing to do with a broken heart.
133. Existential Anxiety and Mystical Enlightenment
Adam T. Claar, George Teschner
Contemporary culture suffers from an existential crisis. The traditional methods of socialization, identity
construction, and value transmission are being dissolved. As a result, there is the increasing experience of
uncertainty about human identity in the world. Deep feelings of isolation result from the collapse of normative
social structures, and this ‘normative uncertainty’ also plays out in the shiftless, varied, secular society that has
emerged from modernity, exacerbating an experience of meaninglessness. The experience of essential isolation
and meaninglessness constitute the most general definition of existential anxiety. In order to examine and supplant
this anxiety we must look to the basic existential assumptions of the West. The individualistic, atomistic
perspective of the West can be contrasted with the unified and holistic perspective of Asian thought. By
examining the parallel, the basic existential assumptions that promote anxiety can be challenged. Radical
acceptance of the mystical enlightenment existential perspective would eliminate the source and sensation of
existential anxiety. Practical application would promote ecumenicalism, multiculturalism, and environmentalism
in contemporary culture, mitigating the experience and expression of existential anxiety.
134. The Ethical Nature and Sustainability of Transforming Leadership
Camilla Shelton, Anne Perkins
The corruption scandals that have recently plagued American organizations reveal a lack of ethical leadership.
Transforming and Servant Leadership theories emerge as the two most ethical solutions. This paper seeks to show
how Transforming leadership provides not only the needed ethical component, but also the most appropriate and
efficient leadership style for American organizational culture. The visioning and motivating components of this
style make it the most readily adaptable to success driven organizations. By implementing an emphasis on this
theory in leadership education, organizations can begin to cultivate more sustainable leadership: leadership that is
ethical and productive. Indeed, the focus of this paper explains the necessity of an ethical component in both the
short and long term success of an organization.
135. An Anthropocentric Alternative
David Watson, George Teschner
Environmental ethics faces the difficult task of developing a philosophically justifiable ethic that carries enough
practical and emotional appeal for real life application. Radical anthropocentric ethics are practically appealing as
they immediately fulfill needs and desires, yet they fall short on philosophical justification and emotional appeal.
These ethics also fail to consider the more distant effects humans can have on the environment, and the resulting
effect on future human generations. Non-anthropocentrists claim that environmental ethics with humans as a
priority are morally wrong. This view is justified philosophically with relative ease, yet practical application of
such a view does not seem likely. People will not readily abandon the comfort, security, and familiarity the
instrumental use of nature allows them for the sake of a morally sound relationship between man and nature.
Environmental ethics is an applied ethic and their goal is to ethically address issues with real life implementation
in mind. A less radical and more conservative environmental ethic acknowledges that humanity cannot exploit and
use nature, because human The field of environmental ethics needs to find a middle road between the radically
anthropocentric exploitation and possible destruction of nature, and non-anthropocentric views that condemn
placing priority on human survival. In reality, maintaining the integrity of the biosphere is a paramount
consideration
in protecting the survival of humanity. Therefore, a conservative
anthropocentric environmental ethic gives the
best basis and framework for an
environmental ethic.
136. Bacchae: Community and The Law of Balance
Alexander Bornstein, Jana Adamitis
Upon his arrival in Thebes, the Dionysus of Euripides’ Bacchae intends to achieve both the establishment of his
worship as a god and the passing of retributive justice upon his family. Although his motives are inherently
selfish, his actions draw one man, Pentheus, into a sacrifice essential for community. The Bacchae has two
conflicting systems of tradition/law (nomos): Pentheus maintains the importance of family, sexual purity and order
while Dionysus brings with him independence through communal revery and the abandonment of order. Each then
assaults the other with the rhetoric of sophism in order to justify their own opinions of nomos. The young king’s
sense of tradition and opposition to Dionysian disorder are gradually eroded through the machinations of the god.
Through the death of the individual, Pentheus, it would appear that order had been usurped. The necessity of
balance, however, arose from the conflict. By pitting sophism against itself the play not only questions the
legitimacy of Pentheus’ notion of tradition and law but Dionysus’ as well. Instead, it places the ideal potential of
civic welfare above what any individual, god or man, may aspire to.
137. Language's Limitations on Scripture
John Sedwick, George Teschner
Human cultures have always held certain words sacred and ultimately authoritative. These words, whether written
or spoken, constitute a culture’s scripture. However, the nature of language limits the authority of scripture.
Language is by nature ambiguous and vague. The belief that scripture can communicate accurate, literal
information that can be easily interpreted by human beings reveals a naïve understanding of language.
Philosophers such as Wittgenstein discuss the narrow confines of language. Wittgenstein himself said, “The limits
of my language means the limits of my world.” The Ultimate is an experience that lies outside our everyday
world. Many religious traditions, such as Taoism, combine the awesomeness of the Ultimate with the
acknowledgement of language’s deficiencies. These traditions hold the Ultimate as ineffable, knowing the
ambiguity of language. Tillich discusses scripture’s limited nature as well, saying words can only be understood
metaphorically, which creates a “lack of precision.” Ultimate authority cannot be expected from a source that is so
ambiguous.
138. Evolution and Change of WWE Characters over last three decades
Shelby C. Blair, Nigel A. Sellars
Throughout the last three decades, the characters of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) have become
increasingly evolved. The characters of the 2000’s have gone back to being hard-core, like the characters of the
1930’s, than the characters during the 1980’s. IF you look at characters like Hulk Hogan of the 1980’s to “The
Rock” of the 1990’s, you can tell a significant difference in how the characters are portrayed. Professional
wrestling matches were more for family in the 1980’s than they were in the 1990’s and even in present day. There
is even a bigger significant difference in how the characters like Hulk Hogan of the 1980’s and John Cena of the
2000’s are portrayed. This paper will attempt to look and compare the changes over the last three decades in the
character portrayals of the WWE and how the characters have started to head back to the more hard-core character
portrayals that you find in the characters of professional wrestlers of the 1930’s.
139. Relationship of soil physical parameters and cattail (Typha latifolia) dominance in restored wetlands
Herman W. Hudson III, Melinda Sparks, Robert Atkinson
Federal and state permits (Section 404 of Clean Water Act, Code of Virginia, respectively) are required for the
destruction of wetlands. Many permits require mitigation for the destroyed wetland, monitoring after creation or
restoration, and eliminating of invasive species including cattails (Typha spp.). Eradication of Typha spp. is
expensive and could be minimized if soil and hydrology conditions that favor other species were established
during wetland creation or restoration. The purpose of this study was to determine the response of Typha latifolia
to soil bulk density and percent water content at a 3-year old created forested wetland in Suffolk, VA. Soil samples
were collected from 6 areas within the site that were, and 6 that were not, dominated by Typha spp.. Within each
area, samples were collected at 5, 10, 15, and 20 cm. Bulk density and percent water content were determined at
each depth using standard methods. Soils in areas dominated by T. latifolia exhibited higher volumetric water
content, but bulk density did not differ among dominated and non-dominated areas. When analyzed by depth, no
significant differences were detected for either parameter. Typha latifolia is an obligate wetland species and higher
volumetric water content may favor this species over species less adapted to saturated soil conditions. Bulk density
was not a determining factor in presence or absence of T. latifolia at this site. These results suggest that future
work will be able to isolate the effect of T. latifolia on tree growth.
140. Examining the Relationship Between Tragedy & the Recognition of Benevolence
Tatem Inskeep, George Teschner
The thesis of the paper is that, “To recognize Benevolence, tragedy must be experienced.” Tragedy is defined as
“undeserved hardship befalling an unfortunate group or individual that results in misery of the mind and body.”
Benevolence is seen as a higher ideal, metaphysical in nature, of promoting good will and happiness for all,
regardless of merit or deed. Tragedy is a necessary component in the recognition of Benevolence for many
reasons. Tragedy creates opportunity for redemption because it causes the need for a rescue on either a physical,
mental, spiritual, or emotional level. Without this opportunity to observe insufficiency, it is impossible to truly
recognize Benevolence and the grace it delivers. Benevolence is most clearly seen in the Christian view of the Fall
of Man and redemption through the tragic death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Tragedy also provides an avenue for
transformation as part of the redemption process, considering that experiencing tragedy forces the victim to make a
change in life so that they can cope with the experience. Opponents to this idea argue that nothing good can come
from tragedy, and list as an example the Holocaust and the inability to find good in a situation that was so
destructive and horrendous. The paper will reply to this and other criticism.
141. Can Scent Be Conditioned to Create A Physiological Sexual Response
Lindsay Noel Cloutier, Deanna Carpenter
The goal of the current study is to assess the ability of an olfactory memory to create a physiological sexual
response. The participants will include a final sample of 100 female Christopher Newport University students who
are heterosexual and do not find sexually explicit films, fantasizing, or masturbation to be offensive. Participants
will be randomly assigned to a fragrance condition (olfactory conditioning) or to a fragrance neutral condition (no
olfactory conditioning) while viewing a mild sexually explicit film and while fantasizing in order to create a sexual
arousal/scent condition. The participants' sexual response will then be assessed at time two while experiencing the
previously associated scent and no sexually explicit film or fantasy. The researchers hypothesize that the
participants in the fragrance condition will express greater sexual responses than participants in the fragrance
neutral condition during testing session 2.
142. Bullying in Schools
Michelle Goins, Timothy Marshall
This research examines the literature in the field of bullying in middle school-aged children. The prevalence and
consequences of bullying will be considered within the literature, as well as some possible solutions to put an end
to bullying.
143. Federal Funding for Embryonic Findings
Caitlin Dana, Peter Carlson
Federal funding for embryonic stem cell research is very important not only to medicine but also to politics.
Medically, this research could provide cures for a number of degenerative and terminal diseases such as diabetes,
Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, and many more. This issue is not a new one by any means. Over the past three
decades, funding for research using embryos have been debated and regulated in many different ways. In recent
past, politicians have used this subject as a platform issue to gain support. There are three alternatives that would
address this controversial issue of funding. The first is to keep the status quo of partial funding for adult and only
existing lines of embryonic stem cells. Next is the choice to allow federal funding for all forms of stem cell
research, including donation of embryos for research. Finally, the last alternative is to not allow any federal
funding for any form of stem cell research.
144. Hugo Chávez: The Effects of a Failed Military Coup Leading to Political Control and Supposed
Bolivarian Reform in Venezuela
Jonathan M. Lonnquest, William F. Connell
The story of Venezuela is one filled with revolution, corruption, instability, iconic figures and military coups
resulting in drastic regime and constitutional change. Venezuela has a rich history of political figures grappling for
power and cutting throats, not only of their opponents, but also of their own people, juxtaposed against
revolutionaries, struggling for high ideals among corruption and fighting for unity among division. Hugo Chávez is
the most recent character amid the large cast that is Venezuelan leadership. Chávez will rise up in rebellion against
the government he once served—he will fail spectacularly—and he will achieve more power than any of his
opponents could possibly have imagined. Through the failure of his military coup in 1992, and without
intentionally doing so, Hugo Chávez gained the undeniable support of Venezuela’s population which propelled
him into the presidency, the twenty-first century, and the hearts and minds of his people as the most popular leader
since Simon Bolívar—a man who will change Venezuela and her constitution drastically to suit his desires.
145. Accumulation and Adsorption of chromate remediation using nanocomposites
Amanda Ross, Tarek Abdel-Fattah
Accumulation and Adsorption of chromate remediation using nanocomposite material. Toxicity study in Raphenus
sativa l. (radish plant) Amanda Ross and Tarek Abdel-Fattah In determining the accumulation and adsorption of
chromate contamination remediation using a nanocomposite material the growth and morphological differences of
Raphenus sativa l. (radish) were studied for a period of six weeks. After six weeks the growth of the plant exposed
to chromate was inhibited by 80%
however the plant treated with trace amounts of the nanocomposite material
exhibited reduced toxic effects of chromate by 50%. Additionally, the overall
growth of the radish in the presence of
the nanocomposite material was three
times that of the chromate exposed plant. This indicates the nanocomposite
material is very effective in reducing the toxic affect of chromate. Scanning
Electron Microscope analysis indicates
a 50% reduction of chromate in the plant
structure, as well as specific morphological changes throughout the
plant.
Transmission Electron Microscope analysis was utilized to identify changes in
the nanocomposite material
before and after induced treatments of chromate.
146. Causal Relations between US Monetary and Fiscal Policy Variables and GDP
Andrew Geary, George K. Zestos
The purpose of this study is to examine US causal relations between gross domestic product (GDP), short-term
interest rates, long-term interest rates, and the federal budget. In order to pursue this objective, a quatrovariate
model is constructed including the following variables: GDP, the federal funds rate, the ten-year treasury bond,
and the federal budget. Many economists are firm believers that monetary and fiscal policy affects GDP by first
influencing long-term interest rates. The federal funds rate is the policy variable employed by the Federal Reserve
to apply monetary policy whereas the federal budget is the variable employed by the US President and Congress to
apply fiscal policy. The data set consists of 52 observations ranging from 1955-2006. The Vector Error
Correction Model (VECM) is employed to carry out econometric Granger causality tests for all the variables in the
model. Econometric Granger causality tests can provide useful information regarding the effectiveness of both
monetary and fiscal policy. They can also provide information for reverse causality from GDP to the monetary
and fiscal policy variables. Since only cointegrated variables can be employed in a VECM, the stability properties
of all candidate variables for the VECM must first be tested. Before the estimation of the quatrovariate model,
bivariate and trivariate models are also estimated in order to examine the correct model specification and compare
the results with those of the quatrovariate model.
147. Nano-Composite Materials as Adsorbents for Ibuprofen removal from aqueous media
Tony Montalto, Tarek Abdel-Fattah
Ibuprofen is the third most used drug in the world. Compared to other drugs in its class it has a relatively high
therapeutic dose (600-1200mg). Ibuprofen has been found to remain in water even after water treatment and is
now reaching detectable concentrations in aquatic environments. Ibuprofen has several toxic effects on the
environment particularly with invertebrates, algae, and essential bacteria. Several nano-composite materials will
be used to remove ibuprofen form aqueous media. Initial concentrations of ibuprofen were 100ppm in 20mL of
water with 0.10g of nano-composites adsorbents. The nano-composite materials HMS and MCM-50 show great
promise for absorbing ibuprofen in batch studies.
148. Evil and a Benevolent God
Anne Zagursky, George Teschner, Jouett Powell
The paper addresses the seeming contradiction between the classical view of God as benevolent, omniscience, and
omnipotent, and a traditional view of evil. Suffering and tragedy are often grounds for disbelief, and the rejection
of both the essence and existence of God, but they also can be seen as a source for theological understanding.
Good and evil are often seen in opposition, but the paper argues that good and evil require each other in order for
humans to understand the divine. God can be conceived as using evil to create goodness. God’s benevolence can
be seen to work through evil. God can be thought of as using suffering, the rule of opposites, the transformation of
the evil into good, the loss of worldly identity, and the understanding of the timelessness of God. The paper
argues, contrary to the traditional opposition between evil and the nature of God, that evil demonstrates the
presence of a benevolent God.
149. Self-Sacrifice in Ajax and Hecuba
Brian Talbert, Jana Adamitis
In Sophocles’ Ajax and Euripides’ Hecuba, the protagonists both commit an act of self-sacrifice to preserve their
honor. In Ajax, the titular character is the best fighter in the Greek camp after Achilles’ death. He is dishonored
when Odysseus is presented with the armor of Achilles, which was supposed to be given to the next best warrior.
Killing himself is his only hope to preserve his honor after his slaughter of livestock, which was part of a godinduced
madness making him think he was killing the Greek leaders who awarded the armor to someone else.
Polyxena, of Euripides’ Hecuba, was once a Trojan princess who has been reduced to slavery after the sack of her
city, and is demanded as a sacrifice by the ghost of Achilles. Polyxena had no choice in her death, as she was a
necessary sacrifice so that the Greeks may return home safely. Going willingly served to keep what honor she had,
just as Ajax’s suicide allowed him to keep his honor. Both recognized that this ultimate solution was the only
option available, and even seem proud in taking it. While some may argue that Ajax or Polyxena may have been
acting unjustifiably or ignobly in their acts of self-sacrifice, I argue that both were justified in their endeavors to
preserve their honor. Ajax, though he was already shamed, saved his family from shame. Polyxena likewise had
already been dishonored, and went willingly to the sacrificial altar to keep herself from any further disgrace.
150. The Role of Music in the Rise of Nationalism and Communism in Vietnam
Chau Tran, Brana Mijatovic
In 1907, when Nationalism rose to popularity in Vietnam, the history of the country included over a millennium of
rule by the Chinese government, and French political control had been established as recently as 1883. After
various political uprisings failed to overturn the French government, many Vietnamese people sought hope for
independence through Ho Chi Minh. Since not all people supported Communism, Ho Chi Minh and his comrades
were able to gain support through a broad alliance called the Viet Minh, an organization that promised freedom
through Nationalism, and not through Communist ideals. Using the Soviet Union and China as models, the
Communist government in Vietnam used music to reflect Nationalistic and Communistic ideals. Through
composition of songs about mothers as metaphors for the state, or changing the text of folk songs to represent
Communist ideals, the political organization was able to sway the Vietnamese to support their agenda.
151. La mulata cubana: el sabor del Caribe (The Cuban mulata: the Flavor of the Caribbean)
Michelle Walker, Beatriz Calvo-Peña
The objective of my presentation is to talk about one of the most important image of Cuban Culture. In my
presentation I will be presenting about the Mulata Women, which not only was a beautiful perfect symbol for
Cuban Culture but it was also the cause of many racial discrimination that the people in Cuba went through. She
not only represents the model women of Cuba but she also represents the events, culture, but as well the different
lives of the blacks and the whites.
152. The Truth About Numbers
Melissa Medlen, Ronnie Cohen, George Zestos
Misuse of statistics in the business world ranges from graphic misrepresentation of corporate net profits to make
them appear more favorable and attract investors, to misleading substantiation of advertising claims. Although the
improper use of statistics is not always illegal it does raise ethical concerns about the reliability of information.
Due to the significant effect that statistics have on decision making, it is important for businesses to follow an
ethical guideline when publishing statistics. This study will review various ethical models and principles for using
statistics in a business context and identify those attributes that are most likely to produce reliable and accurate
statistical information for dissemination by the ethical corporation.
153. Growing from Divorce
Megan Tucker, Michaela Meyer
Today there is a wealth of information on divorce statistics and effects, however there is little self evaluation on
divorce. Through academic textual analysis and personal narrative, I have analyzed my parent's own divroce, and
how it effected me then. Moreover, I analyzed my identity today, and justified how my parent's divorce has
become a positive event in my life.
154. Bridging the Online Communication Gap: World of Warcraft & Online Community
Megan Tucker, Linda Baughman
In the past decade, there has been a great emphasis on the negative effects of computer and video games. Little has
been explored into how some interactive games have positive effects on players. One of the most popular forms of
computer gaming today is that of MMORPGs. These online games involve a community of players from around
the world interacting with one another via text chat and voice chat. Since these games are international, many
different cultures and ethnic groups may end up on the same server, forcing these gamers to interact socially with
one another. Through Participant Observation and Ethnography I researched how gamers of World of Warcraft
interact via in-game text and voice chat programs, and how these interactions serve as a positive influence on cross
cultural communication.
155. Transculturación: el mestizaje de la cultura cubana (Transculturation: The Miscegenation of Cuban
Culture)
Angela Rey, Beatriz Calvo-Peña
There was no word to describe what happened in Cuba, therefore the anthropologist, essayist and philologer, Fernando Ortiz, created the word transculturation in his text "Contrapunteo Cubano del tabaco y el azúcar." What occurred in the evolution of the Cuban culture was a transitive process of one culture to another, which acquired a different culture, and then uprooted the preceding culture of Cuba, and created a totally new, mixed up Cuban culture. This new Cuban culture resulted from the transculturacion of the paleolithic Indian to the neolithic Indian, then European immigrants, who took the Africans, and then all different types of people, all formed part of the process of transplantation and reform in Cuba.
- End of Abstracts.
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