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No Self: Consciousness, Life, and Value
Full text linkThe problem of personal identity has been an ongoing debate in the history of philosophy for thousands of years. This thesis examines personal identity from a variety of philosophical approaches. I begin with the historical assumption made by Descartes and Locke that people have a \u27self\u27 because they have successive consciousness over time. I argue that no \u27self\u27 exists as a coherent entity because consciousness, which makes up the self, exists as separate pieces. By exploring the weakness of defining the self as consciousness, I argue that society is the efficient cause and final cause of personal identity. By studying different definitions of personal identity through Marx, Nietzsche, and Foucault, I examine how society influences and determines who we are. Further, I examine different people\u27s identities living in different societies. Examining Confucianism, Communitarianism, Liberal Individualism, and Gender Construction, I discuss their similarities in setting up guidelines and expectations for people. I believe social values and expectations play a substantial role in constructing personal identity
Enhancing Early Detection: Improving Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnostic Processes
Full text linkEarly identification and intervention of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been well-established as extremely important for developmental outcomes, as the most efficacious treatments for the disorder occur prior to five years of age (McCarty & Frye, 2020). In this paper, divided into two chapters, I examine potential changes to the ASD diagnostic process to aid the goal of early intervention.
In Chapter 1, I discuss how modifications to current gold-standard diagnostic tools could help with this goal. Efforts to improve early detection and intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have led to the development of screening and diagnostic tools such as M-CHAT-R, ADOS, and ADEC. However, despite the progress in this field, the average diagnostic age remains significantly older than optimal (McCarty & Frye, 2020). This literature review delves into the limitations of existing tools and proposes modifications aimed at enhancing early detection, such as revising scoring systems, incorporating assessments for motor issues, and improving cohesion between screening and diagnosis.
In Chapter 2, I expand upon how utilizing the motor domain in the ASD diagnostic process could aid early detection. While research has consistently demonstrated a link between ASD and delays in the motor domain, the mainstream screening practices often neglect motor considerations. Specific trends in infant motor development, such as balance (Odeh et al., 2020), gait, and postural control (Fulceri et al., 2019), have been identified as predictive of ASD diagnosis. Moreover, motor difficulties have been found to impact outcomes in domains core to ASD itself (Libertus & Violi, 2016; Iverson et al., 2018). Yet, less than 1% of individuals with ASD receive clinical recognition for motor impairments, and even fewer receive targeted therapeutic interventions (Bhat, 2020; Licari et al., 2019). Incorporating motor assessment into current screening practices and modifying diagnostic labeling to include motor concerns could improve early recognition of ASD
Improving the Mental Well-Being of Children Hospitalized with Chronic Illness
Full text linkThe psychological well-being of children hospitalized with chronic illness is of vital importance (Eccleston et al., 2015). In the first part of this project, I documented factors that influence their well-being and identified potential pathways for enhancing psychological health. In the second part, I did qualitative research in the form of interviews with four healthcare professionals who work closely with hospitalized children. I offer recommendations based on their observations, including a new type of staff position and closer collaboration among hospital staff
Which War Stories Get Told? How The Identifiability of Villains And Victims Impacts Media Coverage of Conflicts
Full text linkIn the last decade, armed conflicts have been proliferating around the world. While most conflicts still get covered in the mass media, some have received more international attention than others. This disparity in attention can affect the resolution of conflicts and the support victims can get to rebuild their lives. This study seeks to answer the question of why some armed conflicts receive more media coverage than others. I hypothesize that journalists cover conflicts with clearer victims and villains more than conflicts with more vague victims and villains, because clear victims and villains provide stronger narrative frames and fewer actors to cover, easing the cognitive and logistical burdens on journalists. I derive this hypothesis from an interdisciplinary theory-building exercise that draws on communication studies, psychology, and literary criticism, in addition to the conflict studies canon. Combining expert interviews with war journalists and an original survey experiment randomizing narrative frames on journalism students, I find no significant treatment effect on conflict coverage. However, the results still point to the importance of human stories in bringing readers to empathize with conflict victims even when they seem distant. This study enriches the conflict studies literature by analyzing war coverage from a perspective not explored yet: the narrative forms that emerge from different conflict environments
My Body Adorned
Full text linkMy studio art honors project is an autobiographical body of work expressed through a ceramic-based installation. Further exploring the hybridized identity of being an Asian-American adoptee, My Body Adorned aims to juxtapose the contentious history of body modifications using the familiar and prestigious visual language of South Korean-inspired celadon-ware. My Body Adorned showcases a collection of vessels inspired by Korean ceramics with “tattooed” exteriors. Reinforced and informed by my tattooing practice, my work exposes the visual, linguistic, and technical skills that intertwine clay and skin and establishes a conversation between my physical human body and body of work
Community Conservation in Madagascar: Aligning Local Livelihoods and Biodiversity Protection
Full text linkThe management of natural resources in developing countries is of utmost importance as both high levels of biodiversity and local livelihoods often hang in the balance. The debate in conservation spheres often centers on \u27fortress\u27 versus \u27community-based\u27 conservation approaches, one emphasizing nature preservation and the other emphasizing the needs and empowerment of local communities in resource management. This study evaluates the management approach of a rainforest in northeast Madagascar, asking: how effectively does the COMATSA Sud protected area management system both preserve critical forest cover and provide for the local community? This research employs a mixed-methods approach, using interviews and focus groups with local residents in the study area combined with a random forest remote sensing analysis of Planet imagery to classify the landscape and analyze forest cover. Results suggest that the system is not successful in supporting community livelihoods or preserving forest cover due to a misalignment between the theoretical management model and the reality on the ground. Furthermore, while the management system does not provide economic benefits to the local community, the forest serves as an important safety net when economic difficulties arise. Results also show that the community is open to a more comprehensive management scheme conditional on the incorporation of complementary livelihood support into the system. These findings suggest ways forward for community-based conservation, emphasizing the importance of reforming older institutions to align with contemporary landscapes and local communities’ needs
Between Exclusion and Empathy: Knowledge and Sentiments of Jewish Youth in Buenos Aires about the “Jewish Community” in Argentina’s Collective Memory of the Dictatorship (1976-1983)
Full text linkArgentina has been considered a vanguard in engaging collective memory to confront violations of human rights during the 1976-1983 dictatorship. However, this memory often omits the experience of the Jewish community during these years, although its members faced increased persecution in military detention centers. Conflicting perspectives from within the Jewish community as well as the recent politics of President Javier Milei further complicate contemporary memory. Given these dynamics, how do current Jewish youth in Buenos Aires understand and relate to collective memory? What do they perceive as the most important aspects and outcomes of different forms of remembering? Semi-structured qualitative interviews with Jewish youth in Buenos Aires illuminate both the shortcomings and prospects of Argentine national memory
Power, Control, and Policy: A Comparison of State Policy Responses to Domestic Violence
Full text linkWhat policies are most effective at addressing and lowering cases of domestic violence? In the United States, there have been, and continue to be, a variety of responses and solutions brought forward by governments, communities, and individuals on how to prevent violence within families and what the consequences are when it occurs. Following federal policy guidelines, state and local governments have adopted different approaches to address domestic violence that focus on specific programs and systems that contribute to the reduction of domestic violence. This project is an in depth analysis of different policy approaches to identify the strategies that have empirically proven successful in lowering levels of domestic violence, as reported by CDC. I analyze two groups of states to determine if policies related to criminal justice or services for survivors have proven to be more successful at addressing domestic violence among women in the United States
Improvement of Attitudes Towards People with Disabilities Through Education and Contact
Full text linkTwo studies were conducted to investigate the impact of educational interventions and contact with individuals with disabilities on explicit and implicit attitudes towards people with disabilities. In study 1, 63 participants watched one of two videos, one on the social model of disability (experimental condition) and the other about wheelchair soccer (control condition). Participants also completed measures of contact, explicit, and implicit attitudes toward people with disabilities. Results from regression analyses indicated no significant effects of the videos or reported contact on either explicit or implicit attitudes, challenging previous findings that suggested positive effects of contact and education on explicit attitudes. To address potential issues, study 2 included 42 participants, and employed a more substantial educational intervention. Rather than a video, the intervention in this study consisted of four intermediate and advanced psychology courses, with a course specifically on disability acting as the experimental condition. Results from repeated measure ANOVAs indicated no significant changes in explicit or implicit attitudes by condition over time. Importantly, due to the severely underpowered nature of this study extreme caution should be taken when attempting to examine and interpret the data provided. If replicated and validated, however, both studies may raise questions about the efficacy of educational interventions in altering deeply rooted societal attitudes, emphasizing the need for even more substantial and intentional approaches. In conclusion, the research underscores the challenges in shifting societal attitudes, and future research may explore longer and more tailored interventions to foster meaningful changes in attitudes towards disability
Contrasting Ideologies of Schooling in the United States
Full text linkSchools can be a mirror of society and the drivers of social change (Durkheim 1951). The contrasting ideologies of reproducing and resisting social hierarchies shapes public schooling in the United States. Yet, teachers, administrators, and curriculum writers often take an ahistorical approach to solving inequalities in schools. For my paper, I used a historical analysis, literature review and my experience interning in public schools to contextualize the contrasting ideologies of schooling and the role they play in shaping current outcomes of public education. I argue that when students of color are struggling in school, teachers are conditioned to blame families and individual students instead of wrestling with how public schooling is shaped by a foundation of colonialism, racism, and assimilation. Despite this pattern, throughout history, students, and teachers resist these oppressive structures to create more equitable learning environments. I do this by using Common Schools, Indigenous Boarding Schools, Anti-Literacy Law, and The Ethnic Studies Movement to historically contextualize the academic achievement gap and cultural deficit theories