JBC Commons (New College of Florida)
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ABOUT US, NO LONGER WITHOUT US: WHAT A DISABILITY THEORY LENS HAS TO OFFER THE COGNITIVE SCIENCES
No full textThis thesis argues that producing knowledge about the brain and behavior can recognize variance in neutral terms rather than pathologizing ones. I begin by discussing the academic field of disability studies. Disability studies defines disability as separate from impairment, which describes the actual difference in body, brain, or behavior. I will then explain how redefining the way cognitive science looks at disabilities and intentionally moving away from the perspective of deficit doesn’t require the invention of new tools. Affordance theory, which discusses an emergent property between an environment and an individual that makes actions possible, has the potential to open the conversation in the cognitive sciences to include disability studies’ theories of complex embodiment. I then discuss executive functioning and its associated neuroanatomy, as well as its relationship with diagnosed “mental disorders.” The diagnoses are formed because of particular social values, and if aware of this, studies on the brain don’t have to uphold a norm. Awareness of a disability studies lens in the cognitive sciences would bolster knowledge production and reduce stigma of neurodivergent individuals
ROTATIONAL SPECTROSCOPY OF 2-VINYLOXIRANE, 2,2-DIMETHYLOXIRANE AND 2-CHLOROETHANOL
No full textThe rotational spectra of 2,2-dimethyloxirane and 2-chloroethanol from 8 to 26 GHz were obtained using a waveguide, chirped-pulse microwave spectrometer at room temperature, and the rotational spectrum of 2-vinyloxirane from 75 to 110 GHz was obtained by collaborators at BrightSpec using a BrightSpec Fourier Transform- Molecular Rotational Resonance (FT-MRR) Broadband Discovery Spectrometer. Each spectrum was examined to refine rotational and distortion constants for the ground state of the dominant conformer for each molecule. For 2-chloroethanol, the ground state of the dominant conformer for both isotopologues was examined. For all three molecules, additional transitions were assigned within the spectrum, improving upon previous work. Ab initio calculations have been performed for future use in the assignment of additional excited states and conformers
MINKOWSKI-SIGNATURE FINITE-VOLUME NUCLEAR PHYSICS
No full textRecent algorithmic advances in formulating quantum field theories on quantum computing hardware provide hope that a larger class of time-dependent observables will be accessible by simulation. Specifically, quantum computers may be able to perform quantum field theory simulations with a Minkowski-metric. This is in contrast to the Euclidean-metric classical calculations currently use. However, even on quantum hardware, quantum field theories must be computed using finite-volume space-times. New relations must be established between the finite-volume Minkowski-signature amplitudes a quantum computer would produce and the desired infinite-volume observables. In anticipation of these developments, this thesis looks at new methods and formalisms for the extraction of metric sensitive data from finite-volume Minkowskisignature correlation functions. The goal is to develop ways of estimating the infinitevolume limit without resorting to prohibitively large volume sizes. After outlining the formalism for encoding and exploring finite-volume effects, infinite-volume extraction procedures are tested. A brute-force extrapolation to larger volumes is first shown to be inadequate. Recovery to sub-percent deviation from the infinite-volume target is possible only for volumes several orders of magnitude larger than what is used in modern classical simulations. An improvement strategy that greatly reduces the volume size needed is presented. The strategy is based on averaging over the reduced symmetries of the finite-volume system. Sub-percent deviation is recovered for volume-sizes more feasible for the first quantum computer simulations
REDUCING INCONSISTENCIES IN OUR ATTITUDES TOWARDS ANIMALS
No full textWhy do we classify some animals as disgusting pests and some as beloved pets? Although many people do not enjoy recognizing it, there are many obvious inconsistencies concerning the way in which we perceive, categorize, and consequently treat animals based on our relationships with them. The same animal might be classified as both a potential pest or pet, depending on the environment and context it is placed in, such as rats and snakes. Others may fall into categories that make them lab subjects or food. The categories we place animals in are automatically mentally associated with varying degrees of moral obligation to said animal, as well as our justifications for doing so. I explain the psychological research that causes this mental process to occur in order to support the argument that this should not be the only determining factor in our moral consideration of an animal. I show that the psychological factors that influence our categorization and subsequent treatment of animals are socially constructed and are much more flexible than we may believe using the example of urban animals as a case study. The goal of this thesis is to draw from existing psychological research in order to better understand and find a solution for the huge contradiction in human behavior in which we claim to love animals while simultaneously killing them for food, using them as test subjects, and terminating them for trespassing. This analysis has the potential to serve as evidence in the attempt to give certain species a higher standing in the moral community on the grounds of the consideration of the human-animal relationship as it interacts with a concept of basic moral rights
STORIES TOLD, READ, AND LIVED : THREE ESSAYS ON STORYTELLING, AMBIGUITY, AND THE REALITIES OF THE UNSEEN
No full textNo abstract provided
CRAFTING THE NEXT WORLD THROUGH POETRY
No full textI seek to understand how and why artists can use poetry events to co-create meanings, feelings, and understandings in the service of social justice movements. Previous research on this topic has come from different disciplines and been limited to specific cases. Research on social movements does not look at these gatherings. This case study is a valuable addition to the study of social movements and expands the framework of scholarship on the significance of poetry in society. I observed an open mic in Sarasota, Florida, conducted qualitative interviews with four of the participants, and performed literary analysis on some of the poems shared that night. I found the open mic can be a unique space for community building and vulnerable dialogue on controversial topics. Through conversations and audience engagement (such as applause and cheers), attendees co-created a place where they could relate to each other in more intimate and respectful ways than typical of public spaces. The depth of impact depends on the attendees’ attention and openness. Attendees who participated as performers described deeper connection to the event than those who only listened
SLAVERY IN CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY: THE LEGACY OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR
No full textThis thesis argues that slavery has taken on new roles in contemporary theological discourse, influenced by the legacy of the pre-Civil War conflict between abolitionists and slavery apologists. It identifies two contexts where slavery continues to be influential: as an interpretive tool to argue for progressive causes, principally women’s rights and LGBTQ+ inclusion, and as a challenge to the authority of the Bible. It finds a shift in how slavery is used to argue for progressive causes: before the 1970s slavery is used for its specific theological similarities to the oppression of women under patriarchy, while after the 1970s it is used to argue for the necessity of reinterpreting verses that traditionally go against women’s rights and LGBTQ+ inclusion. It covers contemporary conflicts over how the legacy of the abolitionist movement should be interpreted, as atheists and biblical literalists reach opposite conclusion on role of Christianity in ending or perpetuating slavery
EXAMINING THE ROLE OF PREMENSTRUAL SYMPTOMATOLOGY IN EMOTION REGULATION, INTEROCEPTIVE AWARENESS, & CORTISOL REACTIVITY TO COMPETITION
No full textPremenstrual disorders, including premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), are defined by significant fluctuations in mood, behavior, and cognition across the menstrual cycle that are inextricably linked to a differential sensitivity to cyclical hormone changes. This thesis aimed to investigate several psychological and biological correlates of premenstrual symptomatology, including emotion regulation difficulties and interoceptive abilities, as well as how premenstrual disorders are connected to cortisol reactivity and competitive stress. Two different studies were conducted to achieve this. In Study 1, self-reports, along with a competitive behavioral task and hormone assay data, were used to assess 54 participants’ extent of premenstrual symptomatology, cortisol reactivity to competition, and competitive persistence. However, analyses revealed there was no significant relationship between either cortisol reactivity or competitive persistence and premenstrual symptom severity. In Study 2, self-report questionnaires were administered to examine 241 participants’ premenstrual symptomatology, along with their extent of body awareness and emotion regulation and flexibility of emotional expression. It was hypothesized that premenstrual symptoms would be positively correlated with emotional dysregulation and less regulatory flexibility, and that physical premenstrual symptoms, like headaches and bloating, would be associated with interoceptive awareness levels. Results showed a significant and positive correlation between premenstrual symptoms and emotional dysregulation, while no significant associations were found between premenstrual symptoms and interoceptive awareness or flexibility in emotion expression. Overall, this study contributes to the current knowledge on the impacts of premenstrual symptoms and disorders. Promoting the use of adaptive emotion regulation strategies could improve the ability to confront and manage premenstrual changes for individuals who experience PMS/PMDD and could help prevent the development of PMS/PMDD in unaffected populations
Healthy Writing, Unhealthy Writer: An Anomalous Autoethnography
No full textA cognitively disabled writer does not have the same problems as a writer who is not. I explore the extent to which a writer may struggle, the erasure of disability from the equation, and the implications of this from a critical psychology perspective. I found my project through literature review of writing inhibitions, and careful study of, rhetorical understandings of, and my own experience with, disability. I first contextualize my experience by describing some of my own writing endeavors, learning experiences, and limitations. I then establish and define subjective viewpoints of disability, courtesy of Dan Goodley\u27s Disability Studies: An Interdisciplinary Introduction. I then examine two studies that attempt to diagnose and assess the problem of writer\u27s block. Lastly, I give my perspective and synthesize the understandings at I know of disability studies and writing studies of the present. In the appendix, I share my own narrative about my disability and writing process, exploring the concept of writing as a whole and why embracing my own way of writing was so helpful to me
WHERE ARE YOUR TROUBLES NOW? THE CONCEPTUALIZATION, DESIGN, AND CONSTRUCTION OF COSTUMES FOR CABARET THE MUSICAL
No full textThis thesis focuses on the design and creation of costumes for Cabaret the Musical and the research it takes to fully realize the concept. The first part describes the time in which the musical takes place to ground the play historically and explores the concept of gender as performance, focusing on the works of Judith Butler and Siegfried Kracauer. Delving into the expression of gender through dress, action, and performance allowed me to better understand the characters I costumed and aided in the design process. The second part of my thesis focuses on designing, constructing, fitting, styling and documenting a selection of costumes from the show. I limited my practical design and construction work to four costumes: the Emcee during ‘Willkommen’(Act 1 Scene 1), Lulu during “Don\u27t Tell Mama”(Act 1 Scene), Helga during the ‘Kickline’(Act 2 Scene ) and Sally Bowles during ‘Cabaret’ (Act 2 Scene ). These costumes and characters were chosen specifically because they best visually showcase the underlying themes of LGBTQ+ characters and spaces that existed in 1930’s Berlin, Germany. I wanted each character to have a specific relationship with gender and the Kit Kat Club and these four characters gave me a diverse group to work with. Through costumes I wanted to express how each character fit into the world of the play while also enhancing the underlying gay representation that would have been far more obvious during the 1930’s. I wanted to emphasize historical queerness to better portray the tragedy that theplay represents: the distruction and murder of the gay community by the Nazis