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What America’s Prison Policy Means
No full textThis project examines policy in the context of the American prison system. Incarceration in America has reached an epidemic level. Globally, the United States boasts the largest percentage of incarcerated citizens per capita. The focus of this study is on policies regarding sentencing and the implications of sentencing, with the design to highlight disparities caused by said policies. By reviewing scholarly literature, empirical data and current policy, this study expects to find socioeconomic and racial disparities within the current system. This conclusion is not short of implications, but the empirical evidence alone should be implication enough that something, somewhere in the current policy simply does not work
This Earthly Realm is Fraught: Eall is Earfoðlich
No full textThe Old English poem “The Wanderer” tells the story of a lonely poet who clings to the hope of Heaven to sustain himself. However, due to the language it is written in, this great work is unreadable in its original form for those who have not studied Old English. This research project provides an alternate, visual translation of the Old English text, in order to gain a wider audience for the poem. Also, this research strives to stimulate curiosity and interest in a genre of literature which is often passed off as unintelligible by those who have never studied it. This project stands as an attempt to bring the areas of Academia and the Arts into dialogue, and to demonstrate that these two areas can affect and aid one another. Academia and the Arts seem to have little to no connection in the eyes of scholars and artists today—a troubling rift. This research brings up questions about the relationship between scholarship and artistic creation: How do the poem’s words and meaning inform movement choices? What is the best way to teach dancers to unite their understanding of the written text and the danced vocabulary? Can artistic, choreographic work add to the conversation of academic scholarship on the “Wanderer” poem? Ultimately, this research endeavors to integrate dance and literature as both academic and creative subjects of study. It strives to contribute through dance to the conversation about Anglo-Saxon literary scholarship and to demonstrate the legitimacy and complexity of the study of medieval literature to an audience more familiar with the proscenium stage than the mead hall
Investigation of the Aspirin Oily Phase
No full textAspirin, or acetylsalicylic acid, is one of the most commonly used medications in the world and was first synthesized in 1897. The synthesis of aspirin is quite simple, involving the mixing of salicylic acid, acetic anhydride, and an acid catalyst. This reaction mixture is heated in a hot water bath before being quenched with water, resulting in aspirin forming as a white precipitant. However, occasionally during the synthesis of aspirin, an “oily phase” forms beneath the water layer after quenching. Although aspirin and the components used in its synthesis have been thoroughly studied, there is little to no information on this temporary “oily phase”. This research examines the chemical composition of the aspirin oily phase, how it affects the crystallization of aspirin, and whether crystal size and shape could be manipulated from the oily phase to give greater control over the pill manufacturing process. The chemical composition of the oily phase was determined using GC-MS, 1H-NMR spectroscopy, and 2D-NMR spectroscopy. Crystals precipitated from the oil using various methods were analyzed through XRD, SEM, and light microscopy
Life on the Edge: How Project Based Learning Affects Undergraduates Engineering Education
No full textRecently, there has been a surge in project-based learning (PBL) as a method to engage and inspire students in the classroom (Sundberg, Armstrong, & Wischusen, 2005). One newly implemented PBL experience at Hope College is the entry-level EDGE engineering course. EDGE focuses on challenging engineering students in an authentic design project during their first year at Hope. This course is unique in that the scaffolding guides students through the design process as they construct products for real-world customers. This study focused on discovering how students responded to this PBL experience. Personal reflections completed at the end of the course were collected from 84 students over the first two years of the EDGE project. These reflections were qualitatively analyzed using grounded theory (Strauss & Corbin, 1990). Using Strauss and Corbin’s (1990) paradigm model, a conceptual model was developed to explain how this course affected students’ perception of engineering. Emergent themes centered on students confronting the question: Is engineering for me? The unique structure of the course and the customer focus provided an authentic context for students to realize what a career in engineering would be like. Evidence suggests some students in the course gained valuable career insight, increased confidence, and enhanced communication skills. This study provides evidence that PBL can successfully develop the soft skills (i.e., non-cognitive skills) necessary for career success (The Engineer of 2020, 2004). In addition, the results of this study inform future efforts to structure PBL courses
Flying Fears Revealed: Effect of September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks on Short-Term Domestic Airline Ridership
No full textOver the course of the last 15 years, the United States has never recorded a lower month of enplaned passengers on domestic flights than September, 2001. This particular month was marked by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and the total airline ridership count dropped by 26 million passengers—a 47 percent drop—from the previous month (Bureau of Transportation Statistics). With significant media attention on the attacks, the potential dangers of flying were once again revealed, resulting in passengers choosing not to fly as frequently, if at all. This study attempts to quantitatively explain what effect this fear had on ridership immediately following the 9/11 attacks. Using Department of Transportation data, airline ridership is examined in order to determine what percentage of the resulting decrease in ridership can be attributed to passengers’ fears of flying and what role mediating factors could have in the decreased number of passengers choosing to fly. Using a difference-in-differences model, the top 30 airports, as measured in terms of enplaned passengers, are compared to smaller airports before and after the 9/11 attacks. The resulting regression shows a significant drop in ridership at the largest airports which is consistent with an additional fear of flying from these more heavily trafficked locations
The Impact of the Great Recession on Post-Secondary Enrollment in Japan
No full textThis project seeks to investigate how the Great Recession of 2008 affected the decision of students to enroll in Japanese universities. Prior to 2008, the United States’ system of higher education was experiencing major changes which made it difficult to determine the exact impacts of the Great Recession. The college-age student population increased, a greater proportion of students depended on loans to finance their education, and the amount of financial aid per student increased (Long, 2013). However, the Japanese system of higher education immediately prior to the Great Recession faced a fairly stable environment, except for the overall decline of the population. After the onset of the recession, unemployment rose, household income fell, and prices in the real-estate market dropped to around 50 percent above the previous low seen in 2002. Using data from the Statistics Bureau of Japan, I will explore how the Great Recession, through parental wealth, impacted enrollment rates in different prefectures throughout Japan. While literature exists showing that enrollment decisions in the United Sates are sensitive to housing market fluctuations, asking the same question outside of the United States could result in new findings which could further advise student loan and financial aid policy in Japan
In China and America, How Do Differing Societal Values Regarding Parenting Affect a Child’s Development?
No full textThis project aims to expose an issue concerned with the hierarchical approach of contrasting authoritative and authoritarian parenting styles, which often recognizes authoritative parenting as superior and authoritarian parenting as inferior. Using American culture as an example that favors authoritative parenting and Chinese culture as an example that favors authoritarian parenting, we have discovered that both styles are effective forms of parenting, and are even favored in their respective cultures due to core beliefs and traditions. Understanding this is key in eliminating the mindset that one form of parenting is universally superior to another
Holland Vietnam Veteran Stories
No full textThe Vietnam War stands as one of the most transformative conflicts in American history, yet one of the most under-researched. An initial search in Hope College’s Theil Archives in Holland, Michigan, revealed very little available archival materials on how the war impacted one of West Michigan’s largest coastal cities. Furthermore, a collective silence surrounds many of Holland’s Vietnam veterans; their stories are largely unavailable to members of the Holland community. This project sought to address this silence through the production of three short audio-visual slideshows on YouTube. Although it is still in its initial stages, this project will be a stepping stone for future exploration of the stories of local Vietnam veterans. Through future investigation, this project may be able to weave together shared experiences between other veterans to present an accurate depiction of the collective experience of Holland’s Vietnam veteran community. At its core, however, the project provides the Holland community with a digital platform to examine and discuss a story about one man, one town, and their intersection with the Vietnam War
News from Hope College, Volume 48.1: August, 2016
Get PDFhttps://digitalcommons.hope.edu/news_from_hope_college/1242/thumbnail.jp