Undergraduate Research Council | Christopher Newport University

PAIDEIA 2007 Schedule

Ratcliffe Hall - April 21

OVERVIEW

* 08:00 a.m. - 09:00 a.m.   Registration in Ratcliffe Hall Lobby (Coffee and pastries will be available)
* 08:30 a.m. - 09:00 a.m.   Opening Remarks by CNU Provost, Dr. Richard Summerville
* 09:00 a.m. - 10:40 a.m.   Session I - Presentations in Ratcliffe Hall
* 10:40 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Coffee Break
* 11:00 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.   Session II - Presentations in Ratcliffe Hall
* 12:30 p.m. - 02:00 p.m.   Lunch in Old Regatta in Old Student Building. Lunchtime speakers will
                                            be Dr. Douglas Gordon and Professor Steven Breese
* 02:00 p.m. - 03:40 p.m.   Session III - Presentations in Ratcliffe Hall
* 03:40 p.m. - 04:00 p.m.  Coffee Break
* 04:00 p.m. - 05:20 p.m.  Session IV - Presentations in Ratcliffe Hall

* Poster Session 10 a.m - 12 noon (attended by authors), 12:00-4:00 p.m. (independent viewing),
                                  Lobby, Ratcliffe Hall

SCHEDULE

I.    9:00 a.m. – 10:40 a.m. ( Marcus Griffin, UGRC contact )

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 pro