Follow

• 

  Reporting the Holocaust: a Trend of Insufficient and Subjective Reporting

  Jeremy Goodman

  Reporting on the Holocaust, both during World War II and in the years following, varied from country to country. In Sweden, there was largely a lack of reporting due to state censorship, possibly in an effort to uphold their neutral status in the war. In Finland, an ally of Germany at the time, there was specifically a lack of reporting about Jews and Jewish suffering. In Britain, a country in the allied forces of the war, the news was focused on the Germans as the perpetrators more than it framed Jewish people as the victims. In the United States, the New York Times withheld reporting about Jews because, at least according to some observers, the editor was Jewish and may have wanted to avoid subjective reporting or giving “special treatment” to the Jews’ situation. All of these cases lead to the same result, which was subjective and insufficient reporting driven by political beliefs or general self serving motives. In this paper, I argue that these lapses in media coverage reveal a pattern of disinformation, defined as false or misleading narratives, that continues to resurface in twenty-first-century denials of Jewish suffering.

• 

  The Protocols of the Elders of Zion: Perspectives and Pathways to Identifying Present Disinformation Campaigns

  Jacob Gressin

  The rapidly emerging field of critical disinformation studies has typically analyzed case studies post-2016, a limited lens relative to the grand scope of the historical playing field. However deeper research into the origins of older cases of disinformation provides the chance to break through the surface of how disinformation propagates, expands, and dies off, just as any other living thing. Decades old cases of disinformation, such as the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and its origins, allow us to identify how disinformation has adapted to a rapidly changing social, political, and global landscape. My research project analyzes texts from scholars of the time, such as Norman Cohn’s Warrant for Genocide, in order to gain an adequate perspective from the time period. Then, through the juxtaposition of a current day perspective including the views of modern critical disinformation scholars, the field will be able to identify similarities within disinformation across time periods. These two separate events of how disinformation propagation has evolved across a century will highlight the main pathways that disinformation utilizes to seamlessly fit into society, hiding under the radar and pulling the strings of society. Then I intend to make predictions as to how disinformation will continue to evolve and allow us as critical disinformation scholars to easily identify future forms of disinformation.

• 

  Disguised Misogyny: A Deep Dive into Gendered Disinformation

  Jennasea Gruszka

  Gendered Disinformation is a growing problem that lacks coverage in the media. We often hear of sexism, misogyny, and “fake news,” but many have not begun to understand the incredibly harmful effects of those problems combined. Gendered Disinformation is a specific type of disinformation that seeks to damage women in power by deeming them incapable of their positions through sharing sexist stereotypes and narratives. Through examing case studies involving specific female politicians and studying quantitative data, this paper seeks to understand the evolving territory of misogyny and technology. Similarly, I will be exploring what kinds of users create or share this kind of content, why others may believe it, and the ways in which one could identify a gendered post versus a political opinion.

• 

  The University Under Capitalist Ideology: Knowledge Production, Radical Otherness, and Poetic Language

  Julie Ha

  Under communicative capitalism, the University, a vacuum of information within modern academia, can be considered a legitimate marketplace for the production, consumption, and circulation of new forms of capital—language, signs, information, and knowledge. By focusing on open-access communication practices, it is revealed that knowledge production within the University lacks both use value and meaning entirely. This research establishes communicative capitalism as pure ideology, which manifests in the University through a need for comprehensibility, a unity of struggle, signs of progress, and a neoliberal fantasy of transparent mediation between activism and academia, which all militaristically tightens capitalist control. Understanding the ideological functions behind the University and its image as a safe space encompassing alterity is crucial to recognize its relationship with the Radical Other—those excluded from the University and western capitalism writ large—and, thus, to forge more ethical forms of communication and representation. The proliferation of information, despite the consequential destruction of meaning, violently reduces the Radical Other to difference, or dangerously similar. Meanwhile, Radical Otherness cannot be made known to the University as a means of avoiding co-option nor can it be represented on the level of content as it transcends hegemonic language. Thus, communication practices must emphasize form. In complement, this research also explores poetic language as a mechanism of subverting the University’s need to know. In employing strategies such as mimicry, parody, onomatopoeia, and nontraditional grammar and sentence structures, poetic language may be capable of circumventing ideology and demarcating space for the Radical Other.

• 

  Prunella: An Experimental Musical

  Leif Haley

  “Prunella” is a musical theater adaptation of the story of Prunella—an Italian version of the Rapunzel fairy tale from around 1880. It is a two-act, three-principal (soprano, soprano, baritone) show existing somewhere between musical theater and chamber opera, for a small ensemble (strings, percussion, piano, some electronics). For this project I have assembled the script/libretto from nineteenth century source materials, and composed all incidental music and songs in an experimental style somewhere between theatric and operatic. The Prunella story is recognizably similar to that of Rapunzel, popularized by the Brothers Grimm, but the archetypal tale is far more ancient: over a dozen independent versions of the Maiden-in-the-Tower (ATU type 310) story exist (across six countries and more than a millennium), and I find Prunella to be one of the most unique and captivating. Her situation is not one of circumstantial moral luck, but of consequence; there is a garden, but it is not within walls, and not without danger; there is tragedy, but there is greater malevolence; there is a witch, but she is not alone; there is no prince, but instead, the entrapped son of an oedipal mother; there are no healing tears, but there is greater and more catastrophic magic; ultimately, there are the roots of something familiar—something so familiar we have collectively retold its story for hundreds of years, and across continents—but simultaneously, something unique.

• 

  Caffeine Consumption, Exercise, and MotivationKylie Harrison, Amanda Chiarelli, Jaclyn Flynn, Erica Goldstein, Rachel Helfer

  Kylie Harrison, Amanda Chiarelli, Jaclyn Flynn, Erica Goldstein, and Rachel Helfer

  Caffeine is a widely used stimulant found in drinks, like coffee, tea, and energy drinks, and is often used to stay awake and alert, as well used for exercise and getting work done. This research aimed to determine if caffeine had an impact on people's motivation, as well as the way that people exercise, by asking the question: “does caffeine consumption have an impact on motivation and exercise?” The study was conducted by distributing a Google Forms Survey through word of mouth, GroupMe, email, and text messages. The survey was anonymous for all users. A total of 150 participants completed the survey. The demographics of each participant were examined, including their location, level of education, gender, age, nutritional habits, motivational patterns, and how often they exercise and consume caffeine. The data was analyzed and interpreted using SPSS version 25.0. The results supported the initial hypothesis that caffeine does have a positive effect on motivation and exercise. The study results suggest that people who consumed caffeine for motivation also consumed pre-workout before exercise (p<.05). It also showed that people who consumed more cups of coffee in a day were more motivated to complete tasks (p<.01). The widespread use of caffeine among college students makes this study especially relevant when considering the high workload and high stress typical of this environment. The amount of caffeine consumed daily is also an important factor to examine when considering the exercise routines and motivation patterns among a population of mainly college students.

• 

  The Nature of Superfund Sites

  Ceili Heffernan

  In the United States, there are highly contaminated areas that require long-term clean-ups under the law CERCLA known as Superfund sites. Currently, in Broome County there are eight sites including the Endicott Village Well Field, however there are sites that have been taken off the list such as BEC Trucking. What leads one site to be cleaned faster than another? This investigation dives into the nature of Superfund sites and what components lead to a site being cleaned faster than the other sites. The conclusions are being drawn from documents made by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), scholarly journals, and an interview with a program manager of the EPA. By examining this information I can deduce what the differences to each Superfund site is and form connections on what conditions aid the cleaning of these sites. What can be inferred based on this information is that there is a combination of political, economic, and social factors that can lead to the rapid cleaning of superfund sites. This information emphasizes the importance of the refinement of areas that are hazardous because it impacts the communities' access to clean water and air. Getting these areas to be less polluted as quickly as possible will increase the safety of the residents in the region.

• 

  GABA-A Delta Subunit Expression in the Hippocampus of High and Low Licking/Grooming Rats

  Matthew Heider

  Alcohol use disorder can in some cases been attributed to adverse early life environments such as those characterized by maternal neglect. In rodents we can investigate maternal care by looking at the frequency of licking/grooming behavior. High licking/grooming female offspring Long Evan rats were used in a study investigating the effect of maternal care in rats on the expression of the delta subunit of the GABA-A receptor in High licking/grooming (LG) and Low LG groups based on the relative frequencies of LG behaviors exhibited the first week postnatal. We expect to see that Low licking/grooming groups will have greater GABA-A delta receptor expression in the hippocampus relative to High licking/grooming groups.

• 

  Using Paleoecology of Planktic Foraminifera to Interpret the Thermocline Behavior of the Kuroshio Current Extension across the Mid-Piacenzian Warm Period

  Charlotte Heo, Adriane Lam, Bruce Wegter, and Catherine Beck

  The Kuroshio Current Extension (KCE) is a major western boundary current as part of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. Such currents are currently warming at a rate 2-3 times faster than other regions in the world ocean. Observational sea surface temperature data from the past century have concluded that the KCE has warmed by approximately 1-2℃. Previous studies have utilized warm periods during the Pliocene to determine that the current may have warmed 3-4℃. Thus, it is imperative to quantify the behavior of the KCE under increased warming, such as using analogue warm periods in Earth’s past like the mid-Piacenzian Warm Period (mPWP). This study uses stable isotopic data from two species of thermocline-dwelling planktic foraminifera (Globoconella inflata and Neogloboquadrina incompta), from Ocean Drilling Program Hole 1207A, located on the northern edge of the KCE. Such data is used to characterize the behavior of the thermocline within the KCE through the Pliocene. This will be the first stable isotopic record to investigate the behavior of the KCE across the mPWP at a high resolution (~3 thousand years). In addition, we investigate how paleoecology of thermocline-dwelling planktic foraminifera affects the interpretations of geochemical records through time. Specifically, we compare stable isotopic records obtained from species that grow during the winter months (G. inflata) to that of a species present year-round in the KCE (N. incompta).

• 

  Judaism and Capitalism: Ideologies in Conflict

  Benji Hoff

  Under the American capitalist system, modern Jewish communities gradually and subconsciously compromise on their core values in order to flourish in said system. Jewish tradition has long espoused socialist economic practices and constructed institutions based on socialist values of social sensitivity, responsibility, and equity. My method is first to outline several ancient institutions in the Torah that exhibit these socialist values. Then, through comparing these structures to the practices of Modern Orthodox Jewish communities today, I will demonstrate that although these institutions and practices have largely been phased out, the values that underpin them remain. Furthermore, these socialist values necessarily clash with the capitalist ideology in which they are situated. This ideological conflict is reconciled by the sublimation and modification of Judaism’s socialist inclinations to fit the dominant capitalist model, which forces those values into obsolescence and instead prioritizes the pursuit of monetary gains. There are still some forms of Judaism today, though they exist on the fringe of Jewish society and society at large, that challenge capitalist ideology. The communist Kibbutzim and ascetic chassidim are two very different communities that each exist on their own and attempt to live outside of capitalistic pressures. Judaism is a religion that prizes moral character and “loving thy neighbor as thyself” above all else. As a Jew or non-Jew, it is important to recognize how our capitalist reality distorts our values and ever so slowly distances our communities from each other and from the ideals that built them.

• 

  Race and Gender’s Effect on the Prevalence and Perception of Mental Health in Athletes

  Maya Hoff, Jordan Walsh, and Sarah Well

  The public and media are becoming increasingly focused on understanding mental health and the stigmas that prevent people from receiving professional help. Athletes are especially under scrutiny in this area, as they are expected to be “mentally strong” despite external and internal pressures. Recently, well-known professional athletes such as Michael Phelps, Simone Biles, and Naomi Osaka have spoken out in an effort to normalize athletes’ coping with mental health. While the best-known advocates compete in individual sports, all athletes may be susceptible to struggles and stigma. We are interested in exploring differences between team and individual sports, gender, and race in regard to attitudes surrounding mental health. Through a meta-analysis of academic and popular sources related to athletes' mental health complemented by interviews with Binghamton University student-athletes involved in team sports, we explore the correlation between athletes’ identities and mental health. Of particular interest is whether an athlete's race or gender affects the way the public responds when someone speaks out on these issues, as well as whether participating in individual or team sports is a factor. Do athletes feel free to be open about their struggles, or does stigma encourage silence? Given the prestige of athletes in American society, their advocacy has the potential to help normalize mental health on the same level as physical health.

• 

  Does Artificial Light at Night Influence Amphibian Development and Color Changing Abilities?

  Kelsey Horn, Grascen Shidemantle, Isabela Velasquez Gutierrez, Emily Ronan, and Jurnee Blackwood

  Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) is a pervasive contaminant characterized by the presence of excessive manmade light at times not consistent with the natural day/night cycle. ALAN has several physiological and morphological effects on humans and wildlife, including altering amphibians’ development and skin pigmentation, both of which affect amphibians’ susceptibility to predators and their subsequent fitness. For instance, many amphibians can change their pigmentation to blend in with their surroundings (and hide from predators) through a process called background adaptation. While exposure to ALAN can make tadpoles darker, it is unclear how this pollutant affects background adaptation overall. To test this, I exposed three local species (wood frogs, spring peepers, and American toads) to varied light conditions and background colors for their first weeks of development. I measured tadpoles’ growth and background adaptation abilities by quantifying their skin pigmentation. I found that ALAN and background color both influence growth, although these effects vary by species. Next, I found that wood frog tadpoles were significantly darker when exposed to ALAN versus control light. In contrast, ALAN did not affect spring peeper pigmentation. Lastly, for American toads, I found that ALAN had an interactive effect with background color. In the ALAN treatment but not the control treatment, tadpoles reared in light backgrounds were significantly lighter compared to their surroundings than tadpoles reared in dark backgrounds. This suggests tadpoles’ ability to blend into their rearing background is affected by ALAN. Overall, this project demonstrates the need to further investigate ALAN and similar pollutants.

• 

  Investigating the Correlations Between Illicit ADHD Medication Use and Emotional Health

  Julia Horowitz, Courtney Hinkley, Natalie Yuvanavattana, Gabrielle Camillery, and Samantha Bonventre

  Prescription stimulants, such as Adderall, are commonly used as long-term treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Prolonged benefits seen by individuals with ADHD who have been prescribed Adderall include enhancement in focus, concentration, memory, and other executive functions. Many college students take Adderall illicitly to achieve these desired effects. When Adderall leaves the bloodstream, dopamine levels drop drastically, adversely affecting mood, appetite, and other physiological functions. The comorbidity of mental illnesses with ADHD and the effects of Adderall have been studied, but associations pertaining to mental health and unprescribed Adderall have not been explored. Therefore, the investigation of the comorbidities of emotional health with illicit Adderall usage fills a gap. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between illicit ADHD medication usage and emotional health of college students. This study gathered self-reported survey responses from 761 college students regarding experiences with ADHD medication along with diet, mental, emotional and physical health, and prior knowledge about illicit Adderall usage. The survey was built in Google Forms; data was analyzed using Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient in SPSS, Version 26.0. Individuals reported feelings of restlessness, nervousness, hopelessness, worthlessness and depression based on a descriptive scale. Data indicated positive correlations between illicit Adderall usage and poor mental health. As Adderall is commonly abused by students not diagnosed with ADHD, minimal evidence exists indicating increased neurocognitive performance, suggesting emotional and mental health are negatively affected. This investigation supports previous conclusions that ADHD medication negatively impacts various emotions and mental health.

• 

  Detecting Apparent Competition by Shared Parasitoid Enemies between a Native and a Range-Expanding Oak Insect

  Leslie Huang, Rachel Chen, Aly Milks, Dylan G. Jones, and Kirsten M. Prior

  The expansion of a species’ range due to anthropogenic change leads to changes in species interactions with cascading effects in ecosystems. Oak gall wasps and their parasitoid enemies are a diverse community of insects that are structured by a network of interactions. One important interaction is “apparent competition,” in which a gall wasp species can indirectly compete with another species through shared parasitoids. Neuroterus saltatorius, an oak gall wasp, is experiencing a range expansion on the west coast of North America, where it outbreaks and causes damage in oak ecosystems. A co-occurring oak gall wasp, Andricus opertus, shares its range with N. saltatorius. We describe the parasitoid community of A. opertus to see if it is an apparent competitor to N. saltatorius. We have identified 32 morphospecies and are performing DNA barcoding to more accurately uncover interactions between parasitoids and the two host oak gall wasp species.

• 

  Investingating the Link Between Adderall Abuse, Mood, and Diet in College Students

  Catherine Ievolella, Evan Rasco, and Danielle Chan

  Unprescribed Adderall use on college campuses as a means of increasing cognitive ability has become an increasingly prevalent problem today. This research explores the question of how Adderall abuse may be influenced by a poor diet or mood. An anonymous online survey was administered through word of mouth and social media platforms, such as GroupMe. The survey included basic demographic questions such as age and gender, as well as questions on dietary patterns, lifestyle choices, mood, frequency of ADHD medication use, and symptoms experienced. The data was analyzed using Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient, SPSS Version 25.0. In terms of diet, it was found that those who have taken Adderall were significantly more likely to have consumed frozen meals throughout the week, an indication of a low-quality diet. It was also found that those who reported being restless and fidgety during the past month were significantly more likely to have taken Adderall (p<.05). Those who reported being restless and fidgety were also significantly more likely to have consumed components of the Western diet, such as fast foods, pre-made foods, and sweets (p<.01) during the past week. Adderall abuse across college communities has been an increasing problem that has not been thoroughly acknowledged, so these results shed some light on the topic. Educating people about how their lifestyles may play a role in Adderall abuse is a step in the right direction to combat this problem.

• 

  How the Generation of Surplus Value Causes Capitalists to Assume the Risk to Kill

  Devyn Jenks

  Capitalism, the ideology that governs nearly every aspect of our lives, encourages capitalists to kill in order to protect their surplus value. Killing is not the goal of capitalism, however, capitalists assume the risk to kill for the sake of making a profit. The generation of surplus value is the driving force that causes capitalists to assume the risk to kill, and is intrinsic to capitalism. Capitalism also causes a rift in our relationship with nature, and if the way labor is viewed doesn’t change, capitalism will continue to foster death and destruction. The film Erin Brockovich and the book, The Radium Girls serve as two historically specific examples of big corporations killing several innocent community members. The unsafe labor conditions perpetuated by the Radium Dial Company led to the deaths of many Radium girls, and the lack of consideration for the environment by PG&E Hinkley further disturbed the relationship between man and nature, and killed several Hinkley residents. When confronted about their actions, these companies go through great lengths to avoid paying settlements to the people they negatively affected. These corporations cheated the people they were killing, attempting to silence their victims and defend their surplus value. In both lawsuits, the corporations were found guilty, and were forced to pay the settlements they worked hard to avoid. These lawsuits show that social movements and class struggle can yield positive change. Although environmental and labor regulations work within the capitalist system, they are able to contain the most destructive aspects of capitalism.

• 

  Analysis of the Relationship Between Exercise, Diet, and Motivation

  Jessica Jesnes, Madison Hanna, Emily Jebens, and Kate Jenkins

  This research focuses on the relationship between exercise, motivation and diet, and their association with one another. The research was further specified by studying the relationship between frequent exercise, which was determined to be four times a week or more, and the motivation to consume a nutrient-rich diet. An anonymous online survey was administered through word of mouth, social media apps, and group chats in which we received 138 responses. The survey included basic demographic questions and questions on eating habits, exercise habits, and mental health. The data collected was analyzed using SPSS version 25.0. The study results supported the study’s hypothesis that those who exercise frequently are more motivated to eat a healthier diet overall. A healthy diet was defined as one which is high in flaxseed, whole grains, and fruits and low in fast food, caffeine and food high in sugar. There is a positive correlation between frequent exercise and one’s likelihood of keeping track of and accomplishing goals (r=0.228**). Similarly, there was a positive correlation between frequent exercise and one’s willpower (r=0.196*) and their ability to enforce change in their own life (r=0.181*). Overall, frequent exercise was found to be positively correlated with a balanced diet and increased motivation to accomplish goals and enforce change in one’s life.

• 

  Disinformation and Failed Bargaining

  Marydalia Jimenez

  Incomplete information shifted the narrative of the Cold War’s outcome in many ways. This paper employs the theoretical tools and methods of Disinformation Studies to critique a model of failed bargaining proposed by political scientists Frieden, Lake, and Schultz. According to these scholars, failed bargaining is when two states resort to war rather than negotiate. While this is a convincing model, I argue that the dissemination of intentionally false or misleading narratives plays a critical role in fueling support for various types of militarized conflict. Failed bargaining is shown to be a more convincing model of the failure of diplomacy when disinformation can be factored into the equation. A new version of this model of disinformation and bargaining was, thus, constructed in order to measure how this may alter the outcome of war. This model will undersee a variety of war scenarios to measure just how drastic the impact of disinformation is on failed bargaining. For instance, one could implement the Cold War, the Iran-Iraq conflict, and the American Revolution. Analyzing such propagated scenarios will provide quantitative results that could promote the building of the aforementioned model of disinformation. Results ultimately show that incomplete information completely shifts the outcome of bargaining and gives the country doing so the upper hand. The presence of disinformation, ultimately, shifts scenarios that could have been explored in a peaceful manner. Perhaps, a median of some sort could resort to this model to prevent these implications and generate complete communication between the two states involved.

• 

  Evaluation of a Novel Reduced Enrichment Rat Model of Depression Using Elevated Plus Maze and Cortical Monoamine Analysis

  Hope Kellner, Alice Mazur, and Chelsea McNamara

  Depression is a serious mental illness that affects one in fifteen adults. However, 30% of patients with depression do not reach the treatment goal of full recovery, showing the need for more adequate treatments. The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to elevated levels of depression. This experiment investigated a novel animal model for depression caused by the removal from a high enrichment environment. Two anxiety-like behaviors, open and closed arm entries, were measured in the Elevated Plus Maze (EPM) to gather behavioral differences. Removal of enrichment caused female rats to enter fewer open arms, which indicated that they were more anxious. Females entered more open and closed arms than males, which shows innate sex differences. Levels of the neurotransmitters norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA), and serotonin (5-HT) were measured in the motor cortex (MC) and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). Reduced females had higher levels of 5-HT and a trending increase in NE in the OFC compared to control females which suggests that these monoamines could underlie the behavioral differences seen in the EPM. The novel study utilized behavioral and neurochemical analysis to evaluate the validity of an animal model for depression.

• 

  How Does Outsourcing Dining Services Affect University Students?

  Laurie Kern

  Outsourcing facilities on campus has become a popular method for cutting costs among universities nation-wide, especially among food services. Although its popularity continues to expand, the existing research done is limited and outdated. How does outsourcing dining services affect university students, especially student-workers? A number of surveys were conducted, done on the general student population regarding dining satisfaction overall. Along with that, a focus group, consisting of student workers. Also, to interview administration employees in order to pin-point the source of disconnect between them and the students, as well as the agreements made with student workers. Results have found that there is a major disconnect between administrators and students due to insufficient communication, along with an attempt to spend the least amount possible on the facilities. Student satisfaction becomes significantly lower when a university decides to outsource their facilities.

• 

  Using Thematic Analysis in Focus Groups with Children

  Molly Kildow and Judith Quaranta

  Focus groups with school age children were conducted for the development of a Pediatric Wellbeing Scale. Qualitative research methods, such as focus groups, are useful when conducting research with young children. Focus groups allow for research subjects to share personal information based on their own life experiences and this elicits data that may have been more limited using quantitative research methods. Focus groups emphasize real experiences that can provide a rich data source to understand the child’s perspective. Developmental stages, age, education level, and life experiences must be taken into consideration when using children in research. Children's personal experiences are essential when conducting pediatric research to ensure that the findings are accurate and applicable to children. Using thematic analysis is an effective approach when working with focus groups data. Thematic analysis provides background on what process the researchers went through to understand the data and obtain results. This poster discusses the use of thematic analysis on data from children focus groups that were conducted over a series of sessions to create the Pediatric Wellbeing Picture Scale.

• 

  Architecture of Power in Philadelphia, an Analysis of the Comcast City Campus

  Ryan Killenbeck

  Before 1987, Philadelphia had no significant skyscrapers to speak of due to an old “gentleman's agreement” to preserve the architecture of power of the civic monument of city hall. This situation in which the power of the city was presented as above all else was shattered by the forces of capitalism which, from the late 1980s, have determined the city skyline. The two tallest buildings in the city both bear the name of the telecommunications conglomerate Comcast. Humans have long used architecture to convey power, from soaring cathedrals to massive castles. From the kings of antiquity building palaces to the corporations of today building modern towers, architecture as a means of projecting power is nothing new. In this modern case-study of the physical architecture of power, I reveal in particular how the Comcast Building in Philadelphia conveys the power of capital over the power of the people, of democracy, via tearing the city’s central focus away from its City hall. My analysis of the architectural style of these buildings and how it contrasts to the previous city center helps illustrate why this commercialization of city space alongside a realignment of the city center to the benefit of corporations is ultimately an unfortunate event for the people of Philadelphia. The tyrannical and dictatorial nature of capital monopolizing space and using that space to affect power structures, as the Comcast building does, have been to the detriment of the populace and their lived environment.

• 

  The Paradox in the Simultaneous Existence of Catholicism and Capitalism

  Jin Kim

  Most of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics reside in capitalist societies: societies in which the means of production are controlled by private institutions and the sole aim of human productivity is surplus value (profit). After taking the History and Capitalism course, it is evident that capitalism promotes destructive consumerism and exploitation. In my research, I reveal the paradox of existing for-profit while simultaneously identifying as a Catholic, and how modern Catholics meditate on this paradox to believe that they are not living in contradiction. In true trinitarian fashion, my argument moves along three lines: In the first section, I focus on how the fundamental right of free will in Catholicism compares to how the concept is promoted in capitalism. Specifically, I demonstrate how capitalism removes freedom from the individual and thereby alienates him from a fundamental right promised by the Catholic faith, alienates him from his religion. Complementing this, I show how the Ten Commandments and the covenant with God are contradicted by the principles and actions of capitalism. Finally, I provide examples of how modern “Catholic-capitalists” turn the irrational, paradoxical conjunction of the capitalist idea and Catholic ideas into a single way of life that they see as rational and not in contradiction.

• 

  Some Day My Prince Will Come: Archival Analysis of The Disney Prince, Relationship Portrayal and “Happily Ever After”

  Danielle Kinches

  Disney is one of the largest distributors of media to children, portraying romance, love, and the happily-ever-after endings in its popular collection of animated films (DiPirro 2007). The purpose of this study is to examine the Disney princes and the phenomenon of chasing after a prince for that “happily ever after” ending. Studies have previously explored aspects of the princess and her story, therefore this research investigates another angle of this franchise. The hypothesis of the current study is that Disney Princess movies will end in “Happily Ever After” with Princes with no character or character development in the earlier films, and minimal change over time. The current research method includes a combination of observational and quantitative analysis of eleven of the Disney franchise Princess movies from Snow White in 1937 to Frozen in 2011. Descriptive statistics, as well as t-test and trend data, will be collected and analyzed. Moreover, while watching the movies, relevant quotes will be recorded that depict the character’s personality and portrayal as well as some more general observations about how the film is depicting the prince and the relationships that will included in the study. The results indicate that the hypothesis was somewhat supported as most of the Disney Princess movies end in “Happily Ever After.” However, while the prince character becomes more complex as time goes on, he is still traditionally masculine and is a part of an outdated, gendered love story.

• 

  Capitalism and the Historical Psychology of Greed

  Hannah Kirsh

  Oftentimes, greed and capitalism are viewed to coexist and connect interchangeably. Capitalism, in modern day America, has infiltrated the emotion of greed and turned it into an apparently a-historical “human nature”. Aligning with parables from the Bible, which act as foundational precepts of Judeo-Christian societies, greed, understood in general terms, has existed before capitalism, including specific stories of intense interaction between symbolic characters. Since then, societal changes were significant, and capitalism has emerged and established itself as apparently a-historical. National traits amongst society have shaped and been shaped by historical forms of the human psyche, while still upholding general values that have prevailed throughout time. Therefore, today, greed assumed a specific form under capitalism, and the people involved in the "free market" exacerbate this trait as the propensity for the infinite accumulation of abstract wealth. In dissecting psychology in the modern capitalist world, I will demonstrate through core psychological and societal truths, that greed has evolved over time and now operates in conjunction with capitalist ideology and forms of practice.