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The Life History of a Queen’s Maimed Stela: An Analysis and Review of the Ethics Regarding the Repatriation of El Perú Stela 34
No full textLooting has been a persistent issue in the Petén region of Guatemala since the Spanish conquest. However, the 1960s witnessed a significant escalation in looting activities, resulting in the widespread theft of numerous Maya artifacts across the region. Among these, El Perú Stela 34, which is the focus of this study, became a notable casualty. In the early 1970s, epigrapher Ian Graham conducted a survey at El Perú-Waka’, where he documented various monuments. During this fieldwork, Graham encountered the back portion of what is now identified as El Perú Stela 34. This project contributes to the ongoing discourse on cultural heritage and enhanced practices surrounding the restitution of significant artifacts by focusing on El Perú Stela 34, a pivotal monument from Waka’. Attention is paid to its historical journey and the ethical implications of its acquisition and repatriation. Commissioned by Lady K’abel, the Kaanul queen who ruled at Waka’ between 672 C.E. and 692 C.E., the stela features numerous signatures and elaborately executed carvings in high relief. Looted in the 1960s, El Perú Stela 34 was disassembled into three distinct sections: the upper register, the back and sides, and the lower register. While the back and sides were abandoned at site as blocks, the upper and lower register were subsequently trafficked in the art market. The upper register was ultimately acquired by the Cleveland Museum of Art in Ohio, while the lower register found its way into the possession of a private individual in San Diego before it was ultimately returned to Guatemala. I employ a comprehensive methodology, utilizing ethnographic interviews and archival sources, to discuss the artifact’s three complex life histories. Furthermore, I outline an advocacy plan aimed at addressing the irreversible harm inflicted by the artifact’s removal and dissection from the site while exploring ethical pathways for repatriation. By integrating archaeological ethics and Indigenous perspectives, I seek to derive lessons from past practices to inform better methods and enhanced ethical standards for repatriation of cultural heritage in Guatemala
Assessing the Relationship Between Adult Attachment and College Stress
No full textAttachment is a process that allows infants and children to have a secure base to explore their environments and comfort to regulate their emotions. Adult attachment works similarly with adults forming relationships and bonds that follow the same basic constructs as infant and child attachment. This study examined the relationship between attachment style and its relationship to stress experienced by international college students compared to national college students. The Vulnerable Attachment Style Questionnaire (VASQ) and the College Student Stress Scale (CSSS) were used to measure attachment style and stress experienced. Results indicated that dismissively attached international students experience the least amount of college stress compared to the other attachment types. fearfully attached individuals recorded the highest stress levels. Securely attached individuals recorded the lowest average stress levels over both student types (international vs domestic)
Hellenistic Ideals and Actual Well-Being in a Contemporary World: A Comparison of Epicureanism and Early Stoicism
No full textThis Independent Study is divided into four chapters. The first chapter, “Epicurus and the Atoms,” explores the roots of Epicureanism in the Hellenistic period. The chapter analyzes both the metaphysical foundations and the implications of the Epicurean position that the ethical theory of Epicurus rests upon. The chapter also focuses on clarifying the ethical doctrine of Epicureanism. I conclude the section by giving my thoughts on key parts of the doctrine.
The second chapter, “From Fiery Foundations; the Stoics,” explores Stoicism in the Hellenistic period. The chapter analyzes both the metaphysical foundations and the implications of the Stoic position. The chapter also focuses on clarifying the ethical doctrine of Stoicism. I conclude the section by giving my thoughts on key parts and implications of the doctrine whilst comparing Stoicism to Epicureanism.
The third chapter is a psychology research article examining how endorsements of Stoicism and Epicureanism predict measures of happiness and well-being. The results indicate that stronger endorsement of Epicureanism was associated with more positive outcomes compared to stronger endorsement of Stoicism. I discuss implications for future psychological research in this area.
The fourth and final chapter is “Contemporary Ideas and Concluding Remarks.” It starts by analyzing one modern Epicurean work and a modern Stoic text. After discussing the works, I contrasted my view of the ancient foundations and discussed how faithful the modern texts are compared to the Hellenistic roots. The end of the chapter focuses on the difficulties and benefits of working across disciplines
Bilingualism and Personality: Exploring the Impact of Language and Culture on Personality Traits in English-French Bilinguals
No full textThis interdisciplinary study examines whether self-perception and personality shifts occur in English-French bilingual speakers, and to what extent. Empirically, it draws on Dylman and Zakrisson’s (2023) study, which found a significant effect on language and culture. Qualitatively, this study analyzed a series of personal writings and interviews with a famous English-French bilingual named Nancy Huston, whose personal recounts offer a deep understanding of a bilingual’s unique experiences and lifelong journey of exploring identity. This study surveyed 32 college students at The College of Wooster. Participants were randomly placed into one of four conditions (French language and French speaking countries cultures, French language and American culture, English language and French speaking countries cultures, and English language and American culture) and then told to take a 60-question HEXACO personality questionnaire. Then participants responded to 20 qualitative questions about their experiences being bilingual. The study found that there was a significant main effect of language on Extraversion and Emotionality; however, no other significant main effects of language or culture were found for any of the other HEXACO factors. The qualitative responses showed that self-perceptions and personality do shift when switching languages and that participants become more open-minded to new experiences when they acquire a new language or have multicultural experiences. Some of these responses align with Nancy Huston’s own experiences. This study sheds light on the unique experiences of bilinguals, and how bilingualism can have an impact on our personalities and self-perceptions
Exploring Trend-Following and Mean Reversion Strategies: Moving Averages, RSI, and Bollinger Bands on Apple, Microsoft, and Meta
No full textIn this research, I investigate the performance of three technical trading strategies—Moving Average Crossover, Bollinger Bands, and a combined Bollinger Bands with RSI ap- proach—applied to three major U.S. stocks: Apple (AAPL), Microsoft (MSFT) and Meta (META). By systematically tuning key parameters and conducting in-sample and out- of-sample testing, the study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and robustness of these strategies. The results show that it is possible to identify parameter sets that outperform the SPY benchmark during the in-sample period. In particular, the combined Bollinger Bands and RSI strategy achieved the highest returns on META. However, out-of-sample analysis reveals that Method 3 did not execute trades, highlighting limitations in signal adaptability. Meanwhile, Methods 1 and 2 maintained stronger performance on MSFT and META during the out-of-sample period but failed to beat the benchmark on AAPL. These findings emphasize the trade-offs between optimizing historical performance and ensuring future robustness. In general, this study underscores the importance of combining technical signals with adaptive parameter management to improve the resilience of strategies in real world markets
Plato
No full textSomething exists if and only if it is individuated. Individuation requires judging with the appropriate concepts. Experiencing is nothing over and above making judgments about reality. All concepts relate to each other within coherent and adequate frameworks of explanation. Call such a framework a story, whose concepts are its roles. Coherent and adequate stories about reality are empirically indefeasible. To individuate something is to situate it within a world. Call a world the environment of things identified and implied by a story. There is more than one such coherent and adequate story about reality. There is more than one world. What exists in one world does not exist in another. What exists is relative to worlds and dependent on the stories which create them. Nothing exists beyond these worlds. Therefore, what exists and how it exists are dependent on our stories, immanent to its worlds
Wooster Magazine: Annual Report Edition 2024-25
No full textThe fall Annual Report Edition 2024-25 of Wooster magazine highlights a year of meaningful progress and shared achievement across campus. The annual financial review reports on the College’s operating revenues and expenses and showcases the ways donors contributed to the ongoing success of Wooster and its students in the past year. New endowments honoring beloved professors Ralph Bangham of biology and Nancy Ditmer of music are highlighted. Members of the Class of 2025 share their new paths in graduate study, research, and fulfilling careers. Wooster’s new minors in climate studies and humanities, arts and creative computing broaden curricular opportunities, providing paths for student in an ever-evolving world. The fully renovated Douglass Hall is captured on the page with quotes from students about what excites them about living in the new space. Photos from Reunion Weekend and profiles of Wooster’s newest Distinguished Alumni Award recipients Reggie Minton ’63 and Jeff Keefer ’74 are also included.https://openworks.wooster.edu/wooalumnimag_2021-2030/1014/thumbnail.jp