State of North Carolina

Undergraduate Research & Creativity Symposium

Social Sciences and Humanities Abstracts

Student Author(s):	Andes, Melanie
Dept & College or University:	School of Nursing, UNC-Greensboro
Research Mentor(s):	Mona Shattell/School of Nursing, UNC-Greensboro
Title of Presentation:	“We're Like Caged-In Animals": Patients' and Nurses' Experiences of the Acute Care Psychiatric Environment

Patients and nurses have different priorities and experiences in the psychiatric acute care environment. In the inpatient psychiatric environment, the therapeutic milieu is considered the primary treatment modality. The therapeutic milieu can be described as a growth-promoting environment created by physical space and the relationships that are created within that space. Where patient outcomes are dependant upon the therapeutic milieu, it is important to know how nurses and patients experience this phenomenon. However, other than theoretical knowledge, little is known about similarities and differences in patients' and nurses' perceptions of this environment. This study explores the experiences of patients and nurses by asking them, "What stands out to you about this psychiatric hospital environment?" Preliminary phenomenological analysis of patients' and nurses' experiences reveals themes that include powerlessness, safety, trust, freedom, intimidation, and degradation; however, the groups experience the themes differently. For example, patients experience staff as degrading and dehumanizing, and nurses experience hospital administrators as degrading and dehumanizing. Nurses feel caged-in by the nursing station and patients feel caged-in by the locked doors of the unit. As data analysis continues, we hope to more fully understand how the lived experience of patients and nurses in the psychiatric environment is affected by the space they inhabit, the people they encounter there, and the relationships created between them.

Student Author(s):	Boston, Yallana
Dept & College or University:	History and Political Science, Saint Augustine's College
Research Mentor(s):	James A. Kendrick/Political Science, Saint Augustine's College
Title of Presentation:	Race and Racism: Biological or Socio-Political Construct

Race is so deeply rooted in the heart of American History that the answers to the race problems that people thought were solved many decades ago only create more questions that only highlight the problem. Racism (based on one's race) is so pervasive in the United States that it has affected welfare, education, Medicare, employment, crime and even one's residency. Many of the solutions that have been suggested to alleviate the race-related problems in America so often intensify the problem. This is partly because many of the suggested solutions forces change upon individuals and are often legislated instead of addressing one's attitude about persons who don't look like them. In addition, racial groups tend to abide and socialize in areas and activities they share with other members of their racial group. As a result, racial stereotypes are taught and passed on from generation to generation. Are the phenotypic differences in individuals biological or socio-political constructs? I suggest that race and racism in America are socio-political constructs developed by the American people and government. The word "race" was not included in the English language until 1508 and there is no genetic trait that is common to all people of any one race. There is no accepted scientific evidence that shows that race and racism are biological constructs. America's preoccupation with race is not unfounded or unreasonable because there are obvious historical reasons for race's pervasive presence in America. However, these concepts are kept alive and thriving by living Americans and will not change until Americans as a whole change them.

Student Author(s):	Brake, Ellen R.
Dept & College or University:	East Carolina University
Research Mentor(s):	Ellen Arnold/English; Ethnic Studies, East Carolina University
Title of Presentation:	Socioacupuncture in Practice: A New Look at Leslie Marmon Silko's Gardens in the Dunes

As literature progresses into the 21st century, the literary canon is becoming increasingly outdated. Many writers, including American Indian and non-Western authors, are pushed into the shadows of the "literary giants" of our past, their stories relegated to the few multicultural literature classes, most of which are almost exclusively populated by the renegade English major seeking shelter from the more canonical offerings. This separation of cultures is creating an environment of divisiveness among literary scholars, a divisiveness that must be rectified if the human story is to be told in its entirety. The proposition of this paper is that the field of literature can be healed and unified once more if socioacupuncture is utilized. Socioacupuncture is an invasive technique of reinterpreting literature, specifically American Indian literature that has been mistranslated and mal-interpreted in a post-colonial literary scene. However, I propose that socioacupuncture is a technique that can be applied to any literature, regardless of the ethnicity of its author. In an effort to clarify the concept of socioacupuncture, this paper takes a critical look at Leslie Marmon Silko's novel, Gardens in the Dunes. Incorporating both a Western European Victorian world and an Native American world, Gardens in the Dunes is an ideal candidate for examining how socioacupuncture, when correctly applied, can be used to benefit any piece of literature. By using Silko's example, I hope to demonstrate that socioacupuncture is a necessary step in the healing of the literary canon through the incorporation of non-Western writers.

Student Author(s):	Brown, Angela
Dept & College or University:	History and Political Science, Saint Augustine's College
Research Mentor(s):	Joyce Blackwell/Division of Social Sciences, Saint Augustine's College
Title of Presentation:	African Influence in a Small Bahian Community: Using Salvador as a Case Study to learn More About Ancient West African Culture and Its Effect on Other Cultures

The study of ancient African cultural influences on cultures in the African Diaspora is becoming increasingly important to historians and other scholars. For American scholars interested in a definitive answer as to why some Africanisms have remained a central part of the African-American culture, perhaps the answer lies in communities in the African Diaspora with a strong African presence and unique political, social and economic institutions. Salvador, located in the northeastern province of Bahia, Brazil, has extremely strong African influences in its cultural practices, which are still evident today. Even more significant is how Salvadorans have been able to maintain their cultural practices. I believe that a closer examination of this culture can reveal important informaton about why other communities with a large African population were not able to retain much of their ancient African cultural practices. I contend that Salvador was able to retain much of its Africanisms because of its unique political, economic and social development.

Student Author(s):	Caldwell, Ticola S.
Dept & College or University:	Psychology, NCSU
Research Mentor(s):	Pamela Martin/Psychology in the Public Interest, NCSU
Title of Presentation:	Factors that Contribute or Hinder Achievement Motivation among Low-income African American Elementary Students

The focus of this qualitative study is to examine the multiple factors that influence the reasons why low-income African American elementary age students are experiencing low academic achievement. Four educators in the North Carolina area were interviewed about their opinions and theories of academic motivation in relation to low-income African American students. A content analysis was employed to determine the underlying themes discussed by the participants. The themes underscore the importance of children nested in the context of their family, school, and community to understand the diverse learning strategies children bring to school, especially, low-income African American students. This research underscores the role of parental socialization as well as extended family networks in communicating values about African American culture and education. Implications for future community and school based interventions are also discussed.

Student Author(s):	Dalrymple, Anne S.
Dept & College or University:	Foreign Languages and Literature, East Carolina University
Research Mentor(s):	Debra L. Anderson/Foreign Languages, East Carolina University.
Title of Presentation:	Faat Kine: African Feminism in the Twentieth-First Century

The Senegalese film director Ousmane Sembene has been and continues to be one of the most emblematic and influential in Africa and beyond its borders. His 2001 film, Faat Kine, which he wrote and produced, is a tribute to “the daily heroism of African women.” Through flashbacks, Ousmane Sembene retraces the history of Faat Kine, a Senegalese Muslim woman, who manages a gas station in Dakar. The film recounts her struggles to raise her two children, to move up the social ladder and to be respected as a single mother. The film is an analysis of the role of African women in a patriarchal society with regards to their financial, social, and religious roles and influence. This study will concentrate on the character of Faat Kine as a symbol of the social evolution of African women.

Student Author(s):	Dellinger, Kathryn Anne Elizabeth Justice
Dept & College or University:	Religion and Philosophy, Mars Hill College
Research Mentor(s):	Katharine Meacham/Religion and Philosophy, Mars Hill College
Title of Presentation:	Harry Potter and Miss. Ogyny’s Cloak of Invisibility

The popular children’s series, Harry Potter, is widely known for its religious and mythological themes. Author J.K. Rowling creates multi-dimensional worlds with Christian, neopagan and mythological symbols that have fascinated children and adults alike. The reader who views the books from the perspective of Christian feminist theology can see a symbolic cloak of social ideas that are less obvious and perhaps unintentional. One such thing is the “hierarchical dualism” of the male/female relationship (Johnson, 11). Rowling presents the wizarding world as patriarchal ---powered by males and even misogynistic. Rowling’s use of the social constructs of masculinity and femininity show the reader that this dualism is not only present in the muggle world but also the wizarding world.

Student Author(s):	Elliott, Patrick
Dept & College or University:	Political Science, Elon University
Research Mentor(s):	Robert Anderson/Political Science, Elon University
Title of Presentation:	North Carolina’s Incorporation of the Public as a Means of Preventing Terrorist Attacks

As the United States government continues the complex task of protecting the homeland from terrorist attack, it must continually examine available resources, methods of operation, and means of prevention. This study examines the conditions under which the government of North Carolina attempts to incorporate the public into preventing terrorist attacks within its three largest metropolitan areas: Raleigh/Durham, Charlotte, and Greensboro. By investigating the current measures taken by the different levels of the government, interviewing the officials responsible for matters of homeland security, and comprehending the intricate nature of awareness campaigns, this study will assess the practice and possible alternatives for North Carolina’s involvement of the public in terrorism prevention.

Student Author(s):	Errickson, Marissa A. Ragland, Angelita
Dept & College or University:	Psychology, East Carolina University
Research Mentor(s):	Elaine Ironsmith/Psychology, East Carolina University Marion Eppler/Psychology, East Carolina University
Title of Presentation:	Achievement Motivation in Lower Income English Language Learners

Research on achievement motivation has shown that young children differ in how they respond to criticism and challenging situations. For example, children who downgrade their performance after criticism also tend to make negative self-judgments, have negative affect, and prefer non-challenging tasks. In contrast, children who are less affected by criticism show increased persistence. Past research has focused on upper-middle class children. Our research focused on an understudied population – lower SES children whose native language was Spanish. We studied achievement motivation in English Language Learners ages 5-7 years. Each child completed an easy puzzle and then worked on a difficult puzzle with inadequate time to finish. As a measure of preference for challenge, they were asked to choose a puzzle to work on again. Next, the children listened to two stories and were encouraged to identify with the protagonist. Both stories involved the protagonist making an error, but one story included criticism and the other did not. After both tasks, the children answered questions about their confidence in doing the task, affect, and willingness to perform the same task (persistence in response to challenge). Our analyses compared children who chose the easy puzzle (n = 11) versus children who chose the difficult puzzle (n = 7). Children’s affect was more negative after hearing the story followed by criticism. However, children who chose the easy puzzle showed greater negative change. Our sample size was small, so these trends failed to reach statistical significance. In addition, children who preferred the difficult puzzle also tended to complete twice as many of the puzzle pieces, suggesting that they used more effective strategies. This group also had greater confidence in their ability. Overall, this understudied population showed patterns similar to middle class samples. Understanding achievement motivation goals should aid in planning educational interventions for this group.

Student Author(s):	Fulmer, Everett C.
Dept & College or University:	Philosophy and Religion, UNC-Wilmington
Research Mentor(s):	Diana Pasulka/Philosophy and Religion, UNC-Wilmington
Title of Presentation:	Heidegger’s Social Critiques: The Problem of Technology and the Possibility of Salvation through Art

Two of the most influential essays by Martin Heidegger are "The Question Concerning Technology" and "The Origin of the Work of Art." Despite the fact that these two essays appear to be about very different things, both are in fact motivated by the same grounding insight. This insight is Heidegger's notion that modern technology, and the epistemology that perpetuates it, is alienating to human beings, in their relationships to one another, and in their relationships to their world. The scope and scale of this problem is directly laid out in “The Question Concerning Technology,” but it is not until one looks back to the earlier essay, “The Origin of the Work of Art” that it becomes explicitly clear how and why art is the salvific power. In this paper I will explore Heidegger’s position on the problem of technology, discuss why it is a problem, and how this problem has been manifested in the social settings in which we live. In referencing particular examples I will first illustrate the world as Heidegger saw it in the 1950s discussing the particulars he mentions as instantiations of the problem. Then I will present current examples from contemporary society showing that this technological epistemology has only become more pervasive and thus more destructive. After setting out the problem as it exists today I will explore Heidegger’s panacea and the arguments supporting it in “The Origin of the Work of Art.” Finally tackling the most pertinent question, I will address whether Heidegger’s solution is possible in our current globalized technological age.

Student Author(s):	Gordon, Christina M. Gharpure, Devki Shunmugamm, Gunasehare
Dept & College or University:	Sociology and Anthropology, NCSU
Research Mentor(s):	Anne L. Schiller/Sociology and Anthropology, NCSU
Title of Presentation:	Changing Human Infrastructure: Immigrant Vendors in Florence’s Central Market

San Lorenzo Market, located in Florence, Italy, is one of that city’s major commercial centers. The large warehouse that houses the interior market has been a source of pride to Florentines since 1874. The warehouse is also the centerpiece of a vibrant neighborhood with a strong local identity. In the past two decades, however, the face of the San Lorenzo Market and its role in the community have experienced dramatic transformation. This transformation is due to factors including tourism, global market forces, local politics, and a massive influx of legal and illegal immigrants. This anthropological research project was designed to yield a deeper understanding of the impact of immigration and other changes on the interior market’s human infrastructure. Through a focus on social and economic relationships among local and immigrant vendors, researchers sought to determine whether new, interethnic social networks were taking shape. The study revealed that while a diversified merchant body has brought an increased variety of goods to San Lorenzo, cultural clashes and intercultural competition has also resulted between the local vendors and newer migrant vendors. Modernity and globalization have thus challenged the traditional human infrastructure and identity of this market socially, physically and economically.

Student Author(s):	Hacic-Vlahovic, Ana
Dept & College or University:	Political Science, UNC-Chapel Hill
Research Mentor(s):	Milada Anna Vachudova/Political Science/UNC-Chapel Hill
Title of Presentation:	Croatia Looking Westward

Croatia Looking Westward is an examination of public opinion attitudes of Croatian elites towards European integration and the reasons behind public opinion support and disapproval of European integration. Research was complied using interviews and news sources during the summer of 2006 in Zagreb, Croatia. This project studies why Croatian elites think differently about European integration and why public support for the European Union in Croatia is shifting. Subjects such as access to information, cultural identity, national consciousness, government, the media, and economics are all discussed and evaluated.

Student Author(s):	Harrell, Nicholas
Dept & College or University:	Geography, UNC-Greensboro
Research Mentor(s):	Selima Sultana/Geography, UNC-Greensboro
Title of Presentation:	Measuring Accessibility to Employment and other Destinations by Bicycle

Bicycling is often viewed as a possible alternate transportation mode to the automobile. It is commonly chosen for health/recreational, environmental, and cost reasons. However, there are many deterrents to cycling for commuting or other urban travel. Commute distances, weather, topography and most notably the safety of biking on city streets, have kept the public from cycling to many urban destinations. There are also socioeconomic factors involved, such as education level, income, and race that may play a role in cycling. The objective of this project is to determine the accessibility of activity centers by bicycle travel within the city of Greensboro. Greensboro is a rapidly growing city, and has developed a bicycle plan that allows for alternative transportation modes in future transportation planning. Activity centers considered are such destinations as job concentrations, public schools and universities, shopping centers, and grocery stores. Cycling times between these centers and residential neighborhoods will be estimated using bicycle paths or other feasible routes on city streets. This project will use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to digitally represent street networks and travel speeds. These cycling speeds will then be used to calculate the number and importance of destinations in close proximity to neighborhoods with different socioeconomic characteristics. This measure of accessibility can be mapped to show how different areas of the city vary in their access to destinations, as well as showing the potential impacts of additional bicycle facilities on travel patterns. This is crucial in order to better promote bicycling in North Carolina cities.

Student Author(s):	Hart, Blake
Dept & College or University:	Religion and Philosophy, Mars Hill College
Research Mentor(s):	Matthew Baldwin/Religion and Philosophy, Mars Hill College
Title of Presentation:	Voices of Adolescents: Bridging Rock Music with the Rock of Ages

Rock and roll has always been a strong voice of youth culture. Ever since the rock artists of the 1950s, adolescents have looked up to and at times emulated these pop culture icons. This has caused rock and roll music to come under intense scrutiny by parents, government, and the Christian church. Rock artists have often been attacked as inappropriate, deviant role models who are useless to greater society. This rejection has usually come most strongly from the Christian church. However, youth have such a strong connection with their music, something much deeper than mere appreciation. Therefore, it should be feared that such a reckless rejection of this voice of youth culture may in fact send the message that adolescents are not needed or wanted. The church has two basic options for its response to pop culture: rejection and declared war upon deviant culture, or research and engagement of the culture. My paper demonstrates that the developmental concerns of adolescents, as they are played out in modern times, contribute to a sociological tie between adolescents and their music. Through research and active engagement with the culture of rock music, the church can learn to understand the concerns of young people and will be better able to reach them in their ministry.

Student Author(s):	Hartzell, Sam
Dept & College or University:	Political Science, UNC-Chapel Hill
Research Mentor(s):	Georg S. Vanberg/Political Science, UNC-Chapel Hill
Title of Presentation:	The Anatomy of Delay: Statistics Concerning Appeals in the North Carolina Courts

Every case decided in the North Carolina trial courts involves a built-in right to appeal to the North Carolina Court of Appeals. During 2005, the Court of Appeals decided appeals in 1,636 cases. Analysis of these cases reveals a court system that is falling well short of American Bar Association guidelines for timeliness. The Court resolved 75% of criminal cases within 21 months (615 days), 2.1 times as long as the ABA guideline of 290 days. Only 1% of criminal appeals were resolved within the stipulated number of days. While delay is rampant in both criminal and civil cases, it is especially pronounced in criminal appeals. The average appeal in a criminal case took 511 days to be resolved, 83 days longer than the average civil appeal. This figure is especially significant because in 2005 29% of criminal appeals resulted in an appeals decision disapproving some aspect of the trial court’s rulings. While the errors found range in severity from minor to serious, the courts have a responsibility to correct them quickly and my research sheds light on those areas where the Court of Appeals is falling short.

Student Author(s):	Hill, Stephanie R.
Dept & College or University:	Psychology, East Carolina University
Research Mentor(s):	Marsha Ironsmith/Psychology, East Carolina University
Title of Presentation:	Implicit Theories, Social Attitudes and Volunteerism in College Students

Dweck (2000) found that individuals hold implicit theories about personal attributes, which influence their academic achievement, personal relationships and belief in cultural stereotypes. Entity theorists believe that qualities such as ability and personality are fixed while incremental theorists believe they are malleable. Entity theorists tend to adopt stereotyped views toward social groups and feel less efficacious in dealing with challenging tasks. Incremental theorists are less prone to stereotyping and respond to challenges with persistence and flexibility. I examined the relations among implicit theories, motivations for community service and social attitudes. Participants included freshmen honors students, introductory psychology students and students participating in an Americorps-funded tutoring program. Measures included Volunteerism (frequency of volunteer service and number of volunteer hours), Volunteer Functions Inventory (motivations for volunteering), Social Dominance Orientation Scale (preference for in-group dominance over out-groups), Community Service Self Efficacy (the belief that you can make a difference in people's lives) and Goals Orientation scale (entity and incremental goals). Incremental goals were negatively correlated with Social Dominance (r = -.12, p < .05) and positively correlated with volunteerism (r = .16, p < .006), the Volunteer Functions values subscale (motivated by concern for others) (r = .31, p < .001) and Community Service Efficacy (r = .18, p < .004). In contrast, an entity orientation correlated positively with the Volunteer Function of advancing careers (r = .17, p < .004) and social dominance (r = .19, p < .002) and negatively with Efficacy (r = .17, p < .006). Students with different implicit theories have varying motivations for volunteering, social beliefs and beliefs about the efficacy of community service. Recognizing these individual differences should help us better understand how service learning and volunteer experience influence college students' personal growth and development.

Student Author(s):	Hoffman, Candace
Dept & College or University:	Meredith College
Research Mentor(s):	Rebecca Duncan/English Studies, Literary Theory, Meredith College
Title of Presentation:	Floating on Fact: Life of Pi as Postmodern Survival Narrative

Survivor literature records the struggle to recover selfhood. This struggle may involve negation, as in Elie Wiesel’s denial of God in Night, yet the subgenre generally presumes the possibility of a stable, unified self. What happens when a survivor’s experience and recovery occur in a postmodern context that questions the notions of selfhood? Like Melville’s Ishmael, Martel’s Pi Patel relies on fact and facticity to construct his self and world. In youth his reflections drift among three religions and zoological minutae. When literally adrift and fighting for survival, he confronts the materiality of the encyclopedic and theoretical pastiche that has constructed his selfhood. Pressing questions—rendered more complex by a somewhat intrusive authorial voice—involve relationships of fact to truth and truth to new notions of selfhood. This research combines multi-disciplinary approaches to survivor narratives with postmodern literary theory to produce new understandings of trauma survival in fiction and in life.

Student Author(s):	Hopkins, Ingrid R.
Dept & College or University:	English, Mars Hill College
Research Mentor(s):	Carol Boggess/English, Mars Hill College
Title of Presentation:	The Passages of India

E. M. Forster’s A Passage to India, published in 1924, is set during England’s oppressive period of colonization at the turn of the twentieth century. As a member of the Bloomsbury Group, Forster had successfully explored the social effects of economic inequities on the human condition. Throughout his life, Forster was interested in perfecting the form of the novel as his own contribution to the remedy of such social ills. In Aspects of the Novel Forster explains his motivation by stating that “the development of the novel --[was] important, because it implied the development of humanity.” A Passage to India exemplifies how a novel can fulfill such a purpose. Forster accomplishes his goal by using the term “passage” as a thread to interconnect the story, setting, and characters in a way that reinforces and gives larger meaning to the “aspects” of the novel than they would carry individually. The concept of “passage” becomes a theme capable of coherently expressing the relationship of struggles among the diverging cultures of India. Forster argued that pattern and rhythm can add what he calls “aesthetic beauty” to the novel and that such beauty “may be nourished by anything--[even] a word.” Within his title, the term “passage” suggests a critical approach that allows readers to judge the book on its own intrinsic merits as a work of art. This study will explore how varying definitions of “passage” are relevant to Forster’s own experiences in India, to the work as a whole, and to the contemporary western awareness of the effects of colonization.

Student Author(s):	Hudspeth, John T. Clemmons, Jon
Dept & College or University:	Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, NCSU
Research Mentor(s):	Jason Bocarro/Parks Recreation and Tourism Management, NCSU
Title of Presentation:	Intramural Programs in Middle Schools

Obesity is a problem in the United States that has significant social and economic implications for the future. Studies have shown that the middle school years are when adolescents are most likely to drop out of participating in organized sports. Research has also shown that the middle school years are a time when children engage in less moderate- vigorous physical activity which has a direct impact on their overall health and well-being. In order to effectively address this problem there must be an avenue that will reach a large audience of children. The inclusive multiple sport orientation of intramural sport programs may be well suited to achieve the goal of facilitating physically active adults that are committed sport participants. Through exposing children to an extensive array of activities it is possible to expand a child’s recreational repertoire and ensure that they have a better chance of active participation in sports later in life. An inclusive intramural program could benefit society as a whole by giving children the basis for an active adulthood. Potential benefits include an overall healthier population with a lowered healthcare burden. The purpose of this undergraduate research project was to examine the role of intramural program in facilitating immediate and long term effects on physical activity, healthy behavior, and obesity in children. This pilot study used a self –report psychological measure based on the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1985; 2001), designed to assess attitudes or intentions toward continuing to participate in a current activity(s). The theory of planned behavior model predicts intention through three latent variables: attitude toward the activity, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. Along with the quantitative data, qualitative interviews were conducted with 15-20 children participating in the program as well as focus groups with teachers involved in the intramural program.

Student Author(s):	Kelsch, Katherine M.
Dept & College or University:	Philosophy and Religion, NCSU
Research Mentor(s):	Marina Bykova/Philosophy and Religion, NCSU
Title of Presentation:	Politics and Social Interaction in Hegel and Traditional Social Contract Theory

The paper will focus on the analysis of Hegel's concept of social contract comparing it with classic social contract theories, such as those developed by Hobbes and Locke. Both Hegel's approach and the social contract theorists' approach will be compared and contrasted based on several levels of critical and comparative analysis. Specifically examined will be their respective contents, theoretical and practical implications, traditional deficiencies, as well as the theoretical benefits provided. Comparatively examining the above mentioned aspects of both Hegel’s political philosophy and that of traditional social contract theory, will lay the theoretical foundation necessary to allow for an interpretive analysis in terms of the appropriateness of their respective practical application to the contemporary – and characteristically interconnected – global community.

Student Author(s):	Laws, Randall
Dept & College or University:	History, Mars Hill College
Research Mentor(s):	Lucia Carter/History Department/Mars Hill College
Title of Presentation:	The Meaning of a Symbol: How did the People of Yancey County, North Carolina View the Confederate Battle Flag during the Civil War Era?

Today in Southern Appalachia there exists a heated debate over what some have called America's most controversial symbol: The Confederate Battle Flag. Many have viewed this flag through their own cultural and economic experiences thereby allowing their own values to interpret this symbol. The division over the Confederate Battle Flag during the Civil War is commonly known in terms of the sectional differences between Northern and Southern people. Many assume that all people who lived in the South during the Civil War were loyal to their flag and the Southern cause. This was not the case in many mountain communities. What my study will attempt to do is to look back at the time of the Civil War and see how the people of Yancey County, North Carolina viewed the Confederate Battle Flag. Loyalties in the mountains shifted as the war lingered on. When the Confederate government enacted the Conscription Act that would require much longer service, many soldiers began to see that loyalty to the family was more important than loyalty to the Confederate cause. These divisions of loyalties, that often ran along class lines in the mountains between rural farmers and the wealthier townspeople, show that many Southerners saw the Confederacy and its symbols in a very different way than commonly expected. Presently, when we see the Confederate Battle Flag displayed in Yancey County, one can't help but think: Would the residents that lived here during the Civil War era have want to see this controversial symbol?

Student Author(s):	Lomax, Tara
Dept & College or University:	Psychology, Jackson State University
Research Mentor(s):	Michael Carignan/History, Elon University
Title of Presentation:	Correlates of Grieving

Hidden grief costs U.S. companies more than $75 billion annually, according to the Grief Recovery Institute. Some people find themselves withdrawing from social situations and feel unable to act or feel normal. In the end, grief becomes an all encompassing process that requires both physical and emotional energy, thus it is not unusual for one who is grieving to feel exhausted. The present study attempted to identify some correlates of grief for the purpose of guiding recovery counseling. Fifty-four (n = 54) African American college students completed a brief questionnaire about grief. This questionnaire contained demographic items and several Likert-type items on grief. Church attendance correlated inversely with “My family was my greatest support during my loss.” As the effect of grief increased, a significant increase was observed for “Family support is critical during a loss,” and “My family was my greatest support during my loss.” “If there is good insurance, the grief is not as bad” correlated significantly with “If your loved one is suffering; the grief is not as bad.” Finally, income correlated inversely with “Bereavement leave is not necessary when you lose someone.”

Student Author(s):	Lorincz, Lauren A.
Dept & College or University:	History, Elon University
Research Mentor(s):	Michael Carignan/History, Elon University
Title of Presentation:	Wallace, Bruce, and the Birth of the Scottish Nation

The status of Scotland as a nation has long been a contentious issue. It is even more difficult to explore the state of the Scottish nation in the medieval context, knowing that some historians do not believe that medieval nations could exist in the first place. However, I argue that William Wallace and Robert Bruce, two of Scotland’s greatest national heroes, led to the birth of Scottish national consciousness and the Scottish nation itself as early as the 14th Century. Wallace and Bruce’s actions during the Scottish Wars of Independence caused Scots to begin to identity as Scots. Their actions also led the Scots to assert their inherent right to independence from England, culminating in the pivotal Declaration of Arbroath in 1320. Wallace was the foremost figure in the creation of a unique and separate Scottish national identity while Bruce was the foremost figure in the creation of the modern Scottish nation. Although Wallace and Bruce had a troubled relationship during Wallace’s involvement in the Scottish Wars of Independence, 1297-1305, both men eventually fought for the independence of Scotland. Bruce gained full recognition of independence for Scotland in 1328, when Edward III of England formally renounced English claims to rule Scotland. The Scottish nation was finally at peace with its southern neighbor, and the Bruce/Stuart dynasty was left to rule Scotland for centuries to come. Thus, Wallace and Bruce can be credited with the establishment of Scottish national identity and the Scottish nation itself.

Student Author(s):	Malan, Elizabeth
Dept & College or University:	English, NCSU
Research Mentor(s):	M. Thomas Hester/English, NCSU
Title of Presentation:	The Path of Antony: Exploring the Importance of Location in Shakespeare’s Plays Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra

Shakespeare’s combination of fact and fiction provides insight into the meaning of his plays Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra that continue to affect interpretations on stage. The ways in which Shakespeare's source, The Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans by Plutarch, the plays, and the present-day performances relate are complex. Following the character Mark Antony through Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra is one way to explore this relationship. Antony's path highlights different attitudes and philosophies in each play that Shakespeare represents through location. The changes in Antony’s character signal broader changes that occur in the location and attitudes of the plays. The impact of the settings of the plays can be seen today in modern productions. The approach to the production of each play still varies according to location and is still influenced by the messages communicated through Shakespeare’s use of Antony.

Student Author(s):	Miller, Eileen
Dept & College or University:	UNC-Greensboro
Research Mentor(s):	Mark R. Schulz/Public Health Education, UNC-Greensboro
Title of Presentation:	Overweight in the Stroke Belt: A Comparison between Self-perceived Overweight and Clinical Standards

Background: Understanding the reasons for overweight and obesity is critical to addressing the obesity epidemic. Often the decision to lose weight is based as much on one’s self-perception of being overweight as on inherent health benefits. Objective: Examine the influence of sex, race, socioeconomic factors, and self-reported health status on self-perceived weight, controlling for objective weight as determined by BMI. Design: Cross-sectional study of factors associated with self-perceived overweight status at the Community Initiative to Eliminate Stroke (CITIES). At their baseline screening, participants (n= 4,053) were asked, “Are you overweight?” before determining objective weight status from measured weight and self-reported height. Demographics including, sex, race, education, and location with health status variables including history of CVD, diabetes and stress were collected. Results: Mean BMI for the group was 30 kg/m2. Most women (53%) perceived themselves to be overweight while most men (59.6%) perceived themselves not to be overweight. A greater proportion of normal weight women (13.9%) than men (2.2%) perceived themselves to be overweight. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that even when adjusting for BMI and age, female sex, lack of exercise, and self-reported stress were positively associated with self-perceived overweight status. African-American race, rural residence, and current smoker were inversely associated with self-perceived overweight status. Discussion: Social acceptance of being overweight among men and African American women is reflected in their perception of their overweight status. Explaining the disconnect between clinical measures of overweight and self-evaluated overweight may assist in addressing the causes of increased obesity in these subgroups.

Student Author(s):	Montgomery, Ian L.
Dept & College or University:	Sociology and Anthropology, UNC-Asheville
Research Mentor(s):	John Wood/Sociology and Anthropology, UNC-Asheville Karin Peterson/Honors Program, UNC-Asheville
Title of Presentation:	Paradise in the Making: The Complexities of Tourism Development in Honduras

Honduras, as with many other Latin American nations, is in a state of liminality; it is caught between the troubled remnants of post-colonial dependency on American fruit companies, and realizing an autonomous position within a globalizing world. Honduras’ prospects for the future have had to be diverted from the original idea that it would continue to be the world’s premier supplier of bananas (Acker 1988). As the country confronts the new millennium, it must battle poverty, AIDS, class and racial struggles, and cultural as well as environmental degradation. Meanwhile, tourism is on the rise in Honduras. This is an encouraging prospect, promising economic improvement for the country’s citizens. As excited as many Hondurans are about the prospects of economic improvement through tourism development, different viewpoints exist about how to implement such development. This research was conducted ethnographically, over a five week period between June and July, 2006, in the context of a service-learning class participant, and as a traveler around Honduras. Using data collected from ten locations within Honduras, I investigate the problematic nature of tourism development, focusing on peoples’ motivations behind supporting large-scale, traditional tourism, or ecotourism. My findings suggest that a number of factors contribute to peoples’ desires for one of these two forms of tourism development. These factors include: poverty, foreign dependency, declining integrity of the environment and cultures, repression of activism, powerlessness and apathy, and the drive for lucrative investment.

Student Author(s):	Morton, Arick R.
Dept & College or University:	Political Science, UNC-Chapel Hill
Research Mentor(s):	Michele Hoyman/Political Science, UNC-Chapel Hill
Title of Presentation:	For Richer or Poorer: Equity in North Carolina's Business Incentives Programs

Before disbursing over $200 million taxpayer dollars over the past ten years in an effort to lure businesses to the state, North Carolina asserted its commitment to reaching the "goal of economic growth through uniform regional prosperity." With this statement, North Carolina declared its dedication to achieving intercounty parity and equity in dispersing government funds to attract private businesses, and it is an issue with special importance to North Carolina, as the past twenty years have seen an increase in income inequality between the state’s richest counties (Wake, Mecklenberg, etc.) and its poorest counties (Bertie, Halifax, etc.) Yet as those familiar with the political process know, there is often a harsh disconnect between rhetoric and reality, and this study examines this disparity. By analyzing each disbursement of North Carolina’s two central discretionary business incentive funds, the One North Carolina Fund and the Jobs Development Investment Grant, against its principal beneficiary county, this study seeks to answer the following question: Are the corporate incentive dollars doled out by North Carolina distributed equitably among the state's counties, specifically with respect to the counties' relative economic standing? This study’s answer to this question illustrates a stark government complicity in reinforcing trends of income inequality growth across the state, as it finds that approximately 75% of the $215 million dispersed by these programs over the past ten years has gone to the state’s richest counties.

Student Author(s):	Ransome, Brigid
Dept & College or University:	Psychology, NCSU
Research Mentor(s):	Kitty Klein/Psychology, NCSU
Title of Presentation:	The Relationship between Recollection and Descriptions of Stressful Life Events

Memories of past stressful experiences can be very upsetting and can break into conscious awareness even when people do not want to think about them. This study was undertaken to see if the format people use to describe stressful experiences reflects the difficulty in controlling these memories. Fifty-one student volunteers provided brief written descriptions of either a negative experience or a mundane one, were subsequently asked to suppress thoughts of this experience while working on a simple cognitive task, and then rated how often thoughts about the experience had bothered them in the past week. Two coders, blind to the participants’ experimental condition, categorized each response as a narrative (paragraph) or a list, counted the number of words and the number of emotion words in each description. Results indicated that no one asked to describe a mundane event used a list format; 11 of 26 participants who described a stressful experience used a list format. Participants who made lists used fewer words and a greater proportion of emotion words. Compared to participants who wrote more complete descriptions of the experience, the list makers also reported more attempts to avoid thoughts about the experience they described and had more suppression failures when trying to suppress the memory (all p’s < .05). A second study with 24 participants extended these findings, indicating that compared to writers used a narrative format, list makers reported that the experience was less upsetting when it occurred. The data support clinical observations that more stressful memories are poorly organized, making them hyperaccessible to consciousness and difficult for people to avoid recalling without extensive additional processing.

Student Author(s):	Renes, Lance M.
Dept & College or University:	Religion and Philosophy, Mars Hill College
Research Mentor(s):	Katharine Meacham/Religion and Philosophy, Mars Hill College
Title of Presentation:	Arjuna and the D-Pole; Lacrosse as an Analogy for Hinduism and the Four Yogas

The Bhagavad-Gita describes the four paths of Jnana, Bhakti, Karma, and Hatha yoga. The paper develops an analogy by using the game of lacrosse to explain the concepts of the four yogas in Hinduism.

Student Author(s):	Rising, Cassandra L.
Dept & College or University:	Religion and Philosophy, Mars Hill College
Research Mentor(s):	Marc Mullinax/Religion and Philosophy, Mars Hill College
Title of Presentation:	The Not So Distant Memory of the Cryltian Experience: A Look at the Religious Practices of the Planet Tralfamadore

Do you believe the “truth is out there?” Have you ever thought of the religious practices of aliens on other planets? Meet the Cryltians, a fictitious race of yard gnome aliens on the planet Tralfamadore. Through the help of an Earth Ambassador Religious Research Assistant, we are able to view much of their religious environment. There is overview on their deities, ethics, rituals, prayer, worldview, sin and virtue, doctrine, etc. The Cryltian religion is called, undoubtedly, Vonnegutism. Their entire existence is based on the works of Kurt Vonnegut from Breakfast of Champions to Slaughterhouse-5. Follow the Earth Ambassador Gnisir L. Ardnassac as she tries to determine what the Cryltians believe in so she can take that valuable information back to Earth with her.

Student Author(s):	Robbins, Arryn S. Holt, Heather A.
Dept & College or University:	Psychology, Appalachian State University
Research Mentor(s):	Sandra G. Gagnon/School Psychology, Appalachian State University
Title of Presentation:	Parenting Stress and Child Temperament

Studies demonstrate significant correlations between various aspects of children’s ecologies (e.g., classroom behavior, home behavior, and parent and teacher characteristics) and temperament, or individuals’ patterns of innate emotional responses to the surrounding environment. Yet current literature does not yield any studies that examine the direct correlation between parenting stress, which is an important aspect of children’s environments, and child temperament. This study focuses on this particular relationship in a sample of preschool children. Mothers and fathers rated their stress levels with regard to childrearing using the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI; Abidin, 1995) and completed the Behavioral Style Questionnaire (BSQ; McDevitt & Carey, 1995) to provide information about their children’s temperaments. Correlational analyses will examine the associations between various temperament domains and aspects of parenting stress. It is expected that significant correlations will emerge between the two variables, such that parenting stress is inversely related to child temperament. This research is important within the context of relational factors associated with child development.

Student Author(s):	Robinson, Clifford A.
Dept & College or University:	Multidisciplinary Studies-Classics, East Carolina University
Research Mentor(s):	Charles Fantazzi/Foreign Languages and Literatures, East Carolina University
Title of Presentation:	Redeemed "Furor": Extremes of Psychic Life in Marsilio Ficino's Christian Platonism

Marsilio Ficino, the preeminent Platonist of the Florentine Renaissance, was the first Occidental philosopher of the Modern era to engage directly with the complete Platonic corpus since Antiquity. The result of his lifelong study of ancient Platonism was an original, synthetic system of philosophical theology, forged both from his influences, Ancient as well as Medieval, and from his own creative response to these traditions. Peculiar to his philosophy was a renewed celebration of psychological and spiritual extremes; in no place is this more evident than in the "Argumentum et Commentaria Marsilii Ficini in Phedrum." Here he comments on the "divine madness" of Plato’s Socrates in the so-called mythical hymn, an inspired speech Socrates delivers to his pupil Phaedrus, wherein he compares the philosopher, in his efforts to achieve spiritual transcendence, to the charioteer, striving to discipline an unruly horse and to bring it into harmony with another dutiful one. In this paper, I will discuss the reasons why the mythical hymn and the accompanying “divine madness” were relevant philosophically and personally to Ficino, and I will touch on his other philosophical works where they are relevant to an understanding of this particular commentary.

Student Author(s):	Sadler, Janaya
Dept & College or University:	Criminal Justice, Saint Augustine's College
Research Mentor(s):	Joyce Blackwell/Division of Social Sciences, Saint Augustine's College
Title of Presentation:	The Dual Burdens of Race and Gender: An Analysis of How Double Oppression Shaped Three Distinct Periods of the Black Feminist Movement, 1820-1990

Black feminists have helped change the social, cultural, political and historical landscape of the United States. They have been leading advocates for gender and racial equality. However, their feminist agenda has changed over time, often influenced by societal issues critical to the advancement of the African-American community, in general, and Black women, in particular. An analysis of three distinct periods in the Black Feminist Movement demonstrates how race and gender shaped black feminist consciousness and thought. The three periods that are the focus of this paper are: Antebellum (1820-1860); Civil Rights (1920-1970); and, Contemporary (1970-1990). As time changes people change as well as their needs and wants. From 1820 to 1860 Black women focused on issues critical to both the African-American community and women, which ranged from the abolition of slavery to an end to lynching. Between 1920 and 1970, middle-class Black women began to organize on a local level to address educational, philanthropic and welfare-related activities. Like their foremothers, these issues were important to the Black community and women during those turbulent decades. During the Contemporary Feminist Era, between 1970 and 1990, African-American women advocated for the liberation of gender, race and class oppression. Usually, the Black feminist movement began in conjunction with other movements such as the Women's Suffrage Movement, the Women's Liberation movement and the Civil Rights Movement. Ironically, Black women, who were constantly struggling with the dual burdens of race and gender, had to leave the aforementioned movements to fight for issues relevant only to them as Black females. Their Black male and White female counterparts often discriminated against them either because of their race or gender, respectively. I suggest that Black women's dual oppression shaped their feminist thought, thereby creating a distinctive Black feminist movement.

Student Author(s):	Shaw, Kimberly
Dept & College or University:	Social Work, Meredith College
Research Mentor(s):	Gail Kenyon/Social Work, Meredith College
Title of Presentation:	How Much Does Meredith College Know about HIV/AIDS?

"As a disease that, if current trend lines continue, will creep, perhaps invisibly at first, into college population, university educators have an urgent need to promote the most effective educational strategies for understanding HIV/AIDS. AIDS has grown into an international pandemic" (Jones, 2003). Stopping the spread of a communicable disease requires interrupting the process whereby it is transmitted from one person to another. The social construction of an illness, however, inevitably affects this task. AIDS is more than a disease; it is a powerful set of stresses on the fabric of our society. Stopping the spread starts with education about HIV/AIDS and how exactly it is transmitted. In this study the author uses a conceptual framework based on the students understanding to guide an examination of Meredith College students and their knowledge of HIV/AIDS. This study was done in order to investigate how much knowledge students had about HIV/AIDS. A survey instrument from "Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs, and Practices" was sent to 2600 Meredith students. Two hundred and sixty responses were analyzed to learn if there was a need for an intervention to increase knowledge about this important issue at a private women's college in the south.

Student Author(s):	Smith, Krystal
Dept & College or University:	NCSU
Research Mentor(s):	Robert Sellers/Personality Psychology, University of Michigan
Title of Presentation:	The Role of Discrimination on Depression and Substance Use among African Americans

Racial discrimination is defined as differences in treatment of people on the basis of skin color and cultural heritage. This phenomenon may cause lower levels of psychological functioning, especially among the African American community. Sellers, Copeland-Linder, Martin, and Lewis (2006); William, Neighbors, and Jackson (2003) both found that racial discrimination can lead to impaired psychological functioning such as depression, anxiety, distress, etc. In addition, an increase in racial discrimination can also contribute to an increase in substance use. Gibbons, Gerrad, Cleveland, Wills, and Brody (2004) found that participants who reported an increase in discrimination also reported an increase in substance use. Given the previous research, the investigator plans to explore how discrimination is linked to depression and substance use in three age groups. More specifically, the investigator hypothesizes that higher levels of racial discrimination will result in higher levels of depression and substance use among African Americans. The sample consisted of African American adolescents, college students, and adults. The youth sample was 56% female with a mean age of 13. The adult sample was 87% female with a mean age of 42. The college student sample was 75% female, with a mean age of 18. The preliminary results of the current study suggest that an increase level of discrimination predicts an increase in substance use. The implications of this research can enhance society by making people cognizant of the negative psychological effects that can be triggered by discrimination.

Student Author(s):	Tulloh, Jennifer R.
Dept & College or University:	Psychology, UNC-Pembroke
Research Mentor(s):	King, Beverly/Psychology, UNC-Pembroke
Title of Presentation:	Empathy and Helping: A Gender Study

The present study examined helping behavior in Introductory Psychology 101 students in regard to empathic tendency and gender. The participants rated their likelihood to help in three different student-oriented scenarios. A modified version of Caruso and Mayer’s empathy scale (1998) was used to measure empathic tendency. In order to study the effects of ordering half of the participants were given the empathy scale first and half of the participants were given the helping questionnaire first. The specific independent variables are empathy, gender and ordering. The dependent variable is helping scores. The results from the study are currently being analyzed. It was expected that women would be more likely than men to report that they would help in the student-oriented scenarios. It was also expected that students with higher scores on the empathy scale would report being more willing to help than would students with lower scores on the empathy scale. Finally, it was expected that students who received the empathy scale before reading the helping scenarios would report more helping behavior than would students who received the helping scenarios first.

Student Author(s):	Vann, Carrie Elizabeth
Dept & College or University:	Mars Hill College
Research Mentor(s):	Leslee Johnson/Religion and Philosophy, Mars Hill College
Title of Presentation:	Aesthetics or Ontology: A Quest for Primacy

What is beautiful? How do human beings know what is beautiful? How do we define the beautiful? Is beauty just a word whose definition is lost in Derrida’s infinite deferral? Would philosophers respond to aesthetics with the same answers they find in the realm of being—ontology? Can philosophy teach us about beauty? This paper criticizes the primacy of epistemology that the Anglo-American “logic philosophers”, e.g., Bertrand Russell claim and the primacy of ontology in Heidegger. Simone Weil and Gabriel Marcel provide an alternative argument that aesthetics is more fundamental for doing philosophy than epistemology or ontology.

Student Author(s):	West, Robert J.
Dept & College or University:	History, NCSU
Research Mentor(s):	John M. Riddle/History, NCSU
Title of Presentation:	The House of the Lord Vase: An Analysis of Authenticity with Commentary on the Implications of its Historical Significance

For many scholars, the Bible holds an immense wealth of historical data. Explorers are constantly embarking on quests to discover physical evidence to support the Bible’s writings. While historians and treasure hunters alike search the globe for the remains of Noah’s Ark, still more search for the great cities and structures of the biblical era; King Solomon’s Temple is no exception to this tendency. Recently, an artifact known as the House of the Lord Vase was discovered in an antique shop and eventually wound up in the collection of the Israel Museum—the same museum which permanently houses the Dead Sea Scrolls. The vase is a small ivory sphere carved into the likeness of a pomegranate, which in many ancient societies was linked to royalty and religious ceremonies. Most important, the vase bears an inscription that, if authentic, could make the vase the only archaeological evidence supporting the physical existence of King Solomon’s Temple. This presentation will first expand on this historical background, and then will offer serious inquiry into the vase’s authenticity with emphasis on scientific and historical dating techniques. Following this analysis, the ramifications of these findings will be discussed; does the inscription prove the vase’s association with the Temple? And if so, what significance lies in this association? The investigation of this specific artifact will provide an avenue to the subjects of both artifact validation and the vase’s unique historical relevance.

Student Author(s):	Winters, Lynette S.
Dept & College or University:	Psychology, Mars Hill College
Research Mentor(s):	Katharine R. Meacham/Philosophy, Mars Hill College
Title of Presentation:	Anatta: Awareness but No Self

The Buddhist religion states there are three marks of existence: annica “impermanence”, dukkha “suffering”, and anatta “no self.” This last concept is one of the most difficult for westerners to understand. On the one hand, a person needs to have self in order to understand the five skandhas--physical body, senses, perceptions, responses, and consciousness-- allowing that person to see the interconnectedness between physical and mental factors which make up reality. Once a certain skandha is learned, then it must then be let go of so that the others may be found. Anatta is a continual experience of letting go of any conceptions of permanence. At a larger scale, experiences are different phenomena happening that show the interconnectedness of everything. This paper uses the thought of Thich Nhat Hanh to explore the concept of anatta. Through the practice of “mindfulness,” a realization of anatta is achieved as the enlightened person also realizes that there is no separation of self-and-not-self, just as there is no separation of inside and outside. There is only awareness.

Student Author(s):	Wu, Anna
Dept & College or University:	Program II: Asian American Studies and Documentary Studies, Duke University
Research Mentor(s):	Sean Metzger/English, Duke University
Title of Presentation:	Taiwanese/American History, Memory, and Filmic Representation

Taiwan: it was dubbed Ilha Formosa, beautiful island, by the Portuguese; colonized by the Dutch and the Spanish; Chinese for two hundred years; Japanese for fifty; under martial law for forty; and it has had an indeterminate status as a nation for more than sixty years. Taiwanese/American: facilitated by the Immigration Act of 1965, Taiwanese have had a significant presence in the United States for several decades. Successive generations of Taiwanese/Americans have become highly visible in a whole range of industries, from science to politics to entertainment. Yet the notion of “Taiwanese/Americaness” is still practically nonexistent in popular discourses and even within the field of Asian American studies. As my honors thesis project for Asian American studies and documentary studies, I have taken on the idea of “Taiwanese/Americanness” and the politics of history, memory, and representation in documentary films. Specifically, I look at two personal documentaries made by Taiwanese American women: Han Chee by Jean Cheng and 62 Years and 6500 Miles Between by Anita Chang as well as my own documentary film produced as a part of this thesis project. Why mark Taiwanese as an index of difference? How can the people of such a multiply colonialized space even begin to define an identity or a history? What impact does this disjointed past have on the narratives of diasporic Taiwanese today? How is Taiwanese/Americanness marked under conditions of erasure and moreover, what are the conditions of possibility for its emergence?

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