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Constructing the Market: Development, Revolution, and History in Ghana’s Urban Markets
No full textIn this thesis, I draw on archival materials and oral histories to examine the shifting figurations of urban markets and traders across Ghana’s 20th century. I discuss themes of informality, development, and revolution to argue that markets have been central to historical transformation over this period. From the early Nkrumah years to the demolition of Makola Market in 1979, I consider continuities and transformations of Ghanaian markets across eras of political, economic, and social change
Platicas, Poetry, & Perteneciendo: First-generation Chicanas’ guidebook navigating PWI’s
Get PDFThis thesis project delves into the experiences of Chicanas in predominantly white institutions that have the funding for resources and support centers, yet fall short for the students they target. Six Chicanas share their stories, how they navigate higher academia, and how they create community in these spaces. At the end of each plática, the participants share consejos to current and future first-generation students attending predominantly white institutions. These conversations were important not only to the thesis project itself but also because they are part of the healing process necessary for many first-generation students. Oftentimes, first-generation Chicanas feel as if they can not truly open up about their feelings and emotions due to the lack of understanding and support inside and outside of the institutions. Ultimately, to culminate the thesis, a collective poetry book was created that is a pillar of voice, advice, and comunidad. Through meaningful pláticas and relationship building within the space of knowledge, this research seeks to understand the challenges students experience and encourage a new practice of care from the institution
Assessing the Threat: A Survey of Goldspotted Oak Borer Infestation in Bearpaw Reserve
No full textThe Goldspotted Oak Borer (GSOB), Agrilus auroguttatus, is an invasive beetle that affects oak trees in Southern California. The GSOB was discovered in Southern California in 2004 and has caused mass oak mortality over the past 20 years. The beetle was likely brought to the region through mass transportation of firewood into San Diego County from Arizona. The larvae feed on the cambium layer of the oaks through the spring until they emerge as adults in mid-May leaving behind D-shaped exit holes. Working with the Wildlands Conservancy, our project team traveled to Bearpaw Reserve five times throughout the spring semester to survey the California Black Oaks (Quercus kelloggii) for signs of the GSOB. The prevalence rate of the GSOB in the oaks is eight percent, with just 53 trees containing at least one exit hole out of the 636 trees surveyed. Through mapping of survey data correlations between GSOB infestation and diameter at breast height (DBH), slope, and aspect were explored. While current work on this project has ended, there are still countless projects to be done with the GSOB and the Wildlands Conservancy. The findings from our survey underscore the need for continued research into the GSOB and awareness to the general public about the consequences of transporting firewood. With this research and continued monitoring there is a possibility of saving Southern California’s oak woodlands
The Structure of Universal History: An Architectural Analysis of the Museo Nacional de Antropología
Get PDFThe Museo Nacional de Antropología (MNA) is the largest and most frequently visited museum in Mexico. This monument to the splendor of Mexico’s pre-Hispanic past claims to document the entirety of Mexico\u27s past and contemporary Indigenous heritage within its 25 archaeology and ethnography rooms However, the architects reduce Indigenous architectural features into symbols of the pre-Hispanic past in their idealization of a mixed-race (mestizo) heritage to promote the modern Mexican nation as the successors of the Mexica (Aztec) empire. My architectural analysis dissects the museum\u27s claims of hybridity through comparing the structure to several architectural precedents, including the Maya pre-Hispanic site of Uxmal, and colonial Christian church architecture, as well as analyzing the materiality, location, and narrative that the museum constructs
The Impact of Social Security on Saving Behavior and the Fiscal Multiplier Across California Counties
No full textWhile the New Deal is often viewed as a legislative response to the economic conditions of the Great Depression, the Social Security program has its roots in pre-Depression calls for increased American welfare support. The program’s creation is found to have been driven primarily by President Franklin Roosevelt’s desire to accomplish that goal, capitalizing on an opportune political climate to pass old-age insurance legislation at the expense of alternative pension proposals. This thesis studies the creation and impact of the Old-Age and Survivors’ Insurance (OASI) provision of the 1939 Amendments to the Social Security Act on American saving behavior and the fiscal multiplier. The study specifically looks at county-level changes in saving rates in California, using state bank deposits as a proxy for total county savings, and the impact that the public’s perception of the program played in determining its effect. I hypothesized that the expansion of retirement benefits reduced private saving rates as people treated mandated Social Security saving as a perfect substitute, which in turn increased the size of the fiscal multiplier, making fiscal policy a more effective policy tool. However, my results show that while Social Security’s public reception was overwhelmingly positive, the 1939 Amendments led to a 1.48 percentage point reduction in the county-level saving rate, indicating that the program made people more aware of the need to save for retirement and reduced the size of the fiscal multiplier, thereby reducing the effectiveness of American fiscal policy
Die Baukästen des Bauhauses: Futurität und Affekt in Entwürfen von Alma Siedhoff-Buscher
No full textIn den frühen 1900er Jahren manifestierte sich die wachsende Besorgnis über Kinder und ihre Entwicklung in den Arten von Spielzeug, die entwickelt und vermarktet wurden. Die Entwürfe von Alma Siedhoff-Buscher, einer Bauhaus-Schülerin, verkörpern am besten die Zukunftsorientierung der Designschule und die latenten Ängste, die um die nächste Generation kreisen. Durch die Analyse ihres Schiffbauspiels und des Kinderspielschranks werden die Fragen nach Normalität, Kreativität und dem „richtigen“ Kind deutlich
TOWARDS JUST WATER STEWARDSHIP: HISTORICAL RESEARCH AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SANTA ANA REGIONAL WATER QUALITY CONTROL BOARD
No full textThis report serves as a summary and reflection of a semester-long collaborative project in my Environmental Analysis senior capstone class. I spent the semester working in a group of four students to support several initiatives of the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Board (SARWQB), a regulatory agency whose responsibilities include protecting beneficial water uses, enforcing water quality standards, monitoring and permitting, addressing pollution, and engaging the community. Our work focused primarily on conducting research on the history of the Santa Ana River watershed in order to contribute to the agency’s Basin Plan update. This research centered on tribal histories and was done to contribute to the project of amending colonial frameworks and historical misconceptions embedded within the plan’s history section. Additionally, we worked with several associates at SARWQB on efforts for improved community engagement and outreach
AI\u27s Environmental Equation: Balancing Innovation With Sustainability
No full textAs artificial intelligence (AI) continues to expand in both its reach and capability, its environmental impact, particularly energy and water usage, is an urgent concern. To understand the current research and create public resources detailing AI\u27s environmental impacts, the Union of Concerned Scientists clinic team created an in-depth literature review to highlight the current state of artificial intelligence\u27s energy and water consumption and an accessible, public-facing website to educate the United State\u27s public and decision-makers. To create a public-facing resource guide, the website translates the literature review\u27s content into non-technical, interactive explanations about AI\u27s impact on energy and water. Throughout this thesis, we detail the process of researching and analyzing trends within artificial intelligence\u27s energy and water usage and applying them throughout our website in user stories, website development, and website feedback. We continue to discuss current research in the complimentary literature review to propose future areas of research and critical processes to lessen the energy and water withdrawal from artificial intelligence and data centers. We conclude by highlighting the limitations of current research
Crafting Cultural Power: Artistic Interventions as Tools for Political Organizing Among Los Angeles Street Vendors
Get PDFThis thesis focuses on the intersections of collaborative and artistic interventions (such as collective songwriting and poetry) within the ongoing fight to legalize and decriminalize street vending in Los Angeles. Through the close partnership with Community Power Collective (CPC), this thesis analyzes the use of narrative in artistic collaborations and oral traditions throughout the political mobilization of street vendors in Los Angeles. Through an interdisciplinary approach, this investigation explores the use of early influences of street theater, to collective songwriting workshops, as well as artistic collaborations with local artists. Ultimately, suggesting CPC’s use of artistic practices and collaborations are essential to street vendor’s political organizing. Furthermore, this study analyzes arts-based narrative building practices and other artistic interventions on their effect on street vendors within CPC. The following research questions guide this work: How do CPC’s artistic practices influence street vending organizing strategies and relationships? How do Latina/o street vendors, in Community Power Collective (CPC), harness cultural power through oral and visual narratives
Reading Between the Lines: An Exercise in Translation
No full textThis thesis explores the linguistic and cultural challenges of translating dialogue from Korean into Spanish using the Korean drama Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (Goblin). Through an analysis of titles based on factors like age, occupation, and experience, formal and informal speech, and emerging trends within the drama industry, this exercise examines how culture is embedded within the Korean language. Drawing on translation theories from Spivak, Venuti, Hahn, and Nakayasu, various decisions are considered during the translation process like domestication versus foreignization in maintaining the cultural nuances of the original dialogue even after translation. Ultimately, the project utilizes a hybrid translation strategy with the understanding that the process of translating is highly subjective and largely influenced by the translator\u27s own background