Theses (2018)

While Puritanism is often regarded today as an unpleasant and patriarchal religion, this project offers a counter narrative. The project explores the ways in which two Puritan women, Katherine Sutton and an anonymous author, drew comfort and solace from their Puritan beliefs. They subtly inserted themselves into the Bible through their unmediated conversion narratives (i.e. those unedited by a minister). By doing so, they claimed a place in Puritan theological conversations that traditionally excluded them.

The common misconception that fair is equal can present problems for students in inclusive classrooms. Rather, fairness in the classroom is more often founded on an individual student's needs rather than equality with others. Drawing from the research of Yu & Ostrosky, Berry, Duckworth, and several others, I explore the issue further on what students consider fair when thinking of their education: I then use information this to develop and implement a five week unit for first grade students at the Mission Grammar School in Roxbury, MA. This unit highlights the definition of fair and what it may look like in an inclusive classroom, leading into the understanding that fair does not always mean equal. My project includes the research, the five week unit and its results, several interventions created to encourage a more accepting view of inclusion, as well as applications for this unit in the future.

Moyamoya disease is an unpreventable, incurable, and rare congenital brain disorder. Due to the physical and developmental difficulties that can arise as side effects, moyamoya disease can prove to be very isolating. Group art therapy has proven to be beneficial in improving feelings of isolation as well as being an effective way of managing various mental health issues, such as depression. This thesis examines the effects of moyamoya disease on a thirty-year-old Hispanic male and how attendance at a vocational art day program influences his social and emotional well- being and his individual outlook on himself though the therapeutic process of art making

Art Therapy is examined as a therapeutic mechanism that can result in effectively promoting the betterment of the homeless/low-income community. Young and older adults are noted to have a better self-understanding and artistic experience when art therapy caters to their human, psychosocial, financial, and individual needs. An open studio promotes an environment where practice of self empowerment and community empowerment, whether it is artistically or personally, is essential to human development. The homeless/low-income population is extremely marginalized in society because of a constructed financial hierarchy. Art Therapy can combat this form of oppression by reducing neglect in favor of genuine human connection, artistic creation, and redefinition of identity.

Recent scholarship on childhood has suggested that children who migrate between cultural and national spaces form unique identities independent of their parents. Pollock and Van Reken add to this theory with their concept of CrossCultural Kids (CCKs). This term refers to children from diverse national, racial, ethnic and economic backgrounds who encounter multiple cultures during their developmental years and develop transcultural identities as a result. This paper examines Yolanda and Sofia in Julia Alvarez's How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents and Dike in Chimamanda Adichie's Americanah using Pollock and Van Reken's CCK concept. It proposes that these children form and perform transcultural identities post-migration because of exposure to, and interactions with, the cultures of their host countries and countries of origin. In addition, it suggests that returning to countries of origin is important in each child's transcultural identity formation and attenuation of cultural loss.

This distinction project presents a case study of the implementation of a project-based unit on composite volume, with a focus on accommodations and modifications created to make the unit accessible for all learners. Background is provided on the inclusive school and classroom setting for which the unit was created and implemented. An overview of the unit is presented from inception to final products. In addition, detailed discussion of implementation of key learning experiences is presented which highlight how the diverse needs of learners were met. Finally, outcomes from the unit are discussed, examining what worked for students and what I, as the teacher, learned from this experience.

When a state becomes nuclear armed, it enters a de facto deterrence relationship with other nuclear-armed states insofar as it cannot use its nuclear arsenal because the retaliatory action would ensure the mutual destruction of both states. In the case of North Korea, however, this deterrence-induced stability cannot be expected to materialize for four reasons: the reclusive state may maintain inadequate safeguards on their nuclear arsenal; they may have an incompetent, vulnerable, or overzealous command and control protocol; they may pursue non-deterrent uses of their nuclear arsenal; they have demonstrated an ability and will to proliferate nuclear material. These four considerations indicate that the United States should continue to pursue denuclearization as opposed to accepting the DPRK's arsenal. While stopping short of advocating for a specific policy approach, this paper offers an introduction to five policy avenues that can be used in conjunction to change the Kim family regime's cost-benefit ratio against maintaining an arsenal. Three policy pitfalls that would detract from that end are likewise introduced.

The following essay evaluates human perception of causality. Specifically, it will address whether or not we perceive a necessary connection between cause and effect. When we view events in the world, such as one billiard ball colliding with another, do we perceive the first ball "acting" on the second? David

Integrating movement into classrooms has been a popular topic of study in recent years. Movement is not only essential in combating the obesity epidemic, but it also has been shown to improve concentration and understanding. While many teachers recognize the importance of incorporating movement into their classrooms, the application often falls short. I began my exploration during my student teaching practicum. I used my observations along with informal student interviews to gain a better understanding of movement throughout a typical day.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a disease characterized by lethal progressive paralysis. ALS currently has no definitive treatment or diagnostic biomarker. Dipeptide repeat proteins (DRPs) derived from unconventional translation of a mutation in chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C90RF72) are hypothesized to contribute to the most common known mode of ALS pathogenesis. To studV how C9-DRPs impact cell viability, we transientlv transfected Chinese hamster ovarv (CHO) and neuroblastoma-spinal cord hVbrid (NSC-34) cells with plasm ids encoding for each of the 5 known C9-DRPs. Using WST-l, LDH, and BrdU assavs, we found that the DRP glvcine-arginine (GR) was associated with significant dvsmetabolism and proliferation inhibition, but not apoptosis. These results were mirrored less robustly with DRP proline-arginine (PR). These data suggest that GR and PR DRPs do not act bV triggering apoptotic pathwavs, and instead mav contribute to C9-ALS pathogenesis by inhibiting vital cellular processes such as metabolism and proliferation.

Following the September 11th terrorist attacks in New York, the war on global terrorism was waged and stronger security measures within the United States were adopted. Among the security measures that were taken, information collection and surveillance by government agencies became a central strategy for the prevention of future terrorist attacks in the homeland. The intelligence community united behind surveillance programs aimed at detecting and preventing terrorism. In the context of the digital age where everyday life is surrounded by data creating technologies, surveillance is a major threat to information privacy. Information privacy is an instrumental value, which acts as a foundation for promoting other important social values and rights to be exercised. This paper explores how the post-gill security response in the United States has limited information privacy, therefore resulting in the erosion of democratic values.

Despite the enormous popularity of her Gothic novels during her lifetime, author Ann Radcliffe (1764-1823) left behind little documentation of her life and religious beliefs. The latter, however, plays a significant role in her most famous novel, The Mysteries of Udolpho. A close reading of that text reveals frequent instances in which Radcliffe places female characters, clearly modeled on biblical disciples such as Mary Magdalene and Martha, within gothic contexts. Yet scholars have largely ignored this aspect of her work. This presentation examines the ways in which she constructs an amalgamated faith that claims theological space for female disciples. Radcliffe at once explores the space allotted for women within Christianity and formulates an idealized space for them beyond it. Radcliffe is thus revealed as a feminist theologian who, contrary to conventional interpretations, deliberately employed the gothic as a means of exploring her faith and giving voice to female discipleship.

This paper examines the evolution of political sectarianism, or the politicization of religious identities, in Lebanon from its origins as a means to distribute power and determine representation by foreign rulers to its modern manifestations as a means to mobilize political support in elections and formulate electoral law. It also explores the corporate consociational power-sharing arrangements in Lebanon that have produced a government and political system that relies on political sectarianism to form its structure and determine its function. Responses to the phenomenon of political sectarianism are analyzed, with the Parliamentary elections of 2005 being used as the primary example. Finally, suggestions for reform of the electoral system and political system to institute a mixed proportional electoral system alongside an integrative consociational political system made in order to cure the divisive and detrimental effects political sectarianism has had on Lebanese politics, which prevents the state from achieving unity and stability.

This paper will focus on perceptions of female sexuality aboard ships during the Age of SailLcomparing the histories of ship figureheads to women on ships. Women's sexuality was often portrayed in a negative light onboard ships, yet mythified, glorified, and revered when they were represented in artworks, literature, and the infamous "wooden women," also known as figureheads. Figureheads became a pivotal part of the ship and myths of life aboard ships for captains and sailors. The objectification, hypersexualized of figureheads led to a duality for women at sea.

Research has indicated an increased prevalence in male body image dissatisfaction. However, little information is known about how praise and criticism from different sources including female and male family and peers effect male body image. This study hopes to fill this gap by examining how the source ofthe praise and criticism men receive is related to body dissatisfaction and muscle dysmorphia. Two hundred and fifty male participants from the United States who are over the age of 18 were recruited from an online system to complete surveys about the body-related praise and criticism they receive from male and female friends and family members, muscle dysmorphia, and male body dissatisfaction. The main findings suggested praise and criticism from different peer sources appear to have a greater impact on muscle dysmorphia and body dissatisfaction than family sources. Rowe,