Václav Havel on Human Conscience by Zachary Mattson
History
Václav Havel is one the main European dissidents and political leaders that helped bring the change from the old style communist regimes to capitalist democracies. Havel’s experience of living and playwriting under the Czechoslovakia’s communist regime and eventually becoming their democratically elected president greatly influenced his ideology of stressing the importance of human conscience. The political philosophy of human conscience falls into two main camps freedom of expression, which includes free thought, identity, and natural rights. The other factor is the idea of responsibility which evolves from non-political means to political means, and eventually global responsibility. Havel’s human conscience is rooted in a tradition of Czech humanism and Havel’s life experiences.
Zachary Mattson
Senior Showcase Oral Presentation
Ripon College
April 18, 2017
The author reserves all rights.
Majors: History and Politics & Government
Disabled by “Repair”: The Textual and Extratextual Prosthesis of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The (Love of the) Last Tycoon by Katie Warczak
English
F. Scott Fitzgerald's final unfinished novel, The Love of the Last Tycoon: A Western is a text that has historically received minimal scholarly attention due ot its incomplete state. Most often put in dialogue with other Fitzgerald works, such as The Great Gatsby (1925) and Tender Is the Night (1934), Tycoon has been the subject of few independent studies, unless the focus has been on the text's "tragic" unfinished status. This label of "incomplete" led the work's editors, Edmund Wilson in 1941 and Matthew J. Bruccoli in 1993, to attempt to "finish" the novel by including introductions, facsimiles of Fitzgerald's notes, and, in Wilson's case, a synopsis of Fitzgerald's outline for the remainder of the work, in their respective editions. However, this paper argues that such attempts to "repair" Tycoon have only disabled the novel by adding extratextual prostheses that make the individual editions of Tycoon more about the editor than the author or the text. By applying David Mitchell and Sharon Snyder's textual theory of narrative prosthesis at the extratextual level, the problematic editorial prostheses reveal themselves and point to the need for a new way to read unfinished texts. This new method involves removing previously normalized prostheses, such as introductions, notes, and the tagline of "unfinished," from the published versions of incomplete texts in order to encourage readers to come to their own conclusions about these works and foster a broader conversation about unfinished literature that centers on editorial and textual theory rather than tragedy.
Warczak, Katie
Senior Showcase Oral presentation
Ripon College
April 19, 2016
The author reserves all rights.
pdf
Majors: English, History
Minor: German and American Studies
Oshkosh, WI
ENG 430 - Senior Seminar
Undermining Whiteness and Promoting Protest: Frank Yerby’s The Foxes of Harrow and the Fledgling Civil Rights Movement by Katie Warczak
History
This paper offers a revisionist perspective on the relationship between white-life novels, or literature written by African Americans that features majority white casts of characters, and the early Civil Rights Movement in the United States. While most scholars have dismissed white-life texts, particularly those published in the post-World War II era, as pandering, raceless works unworthy of study, this paper shows that the rise in the number of white-life novels in the years following the Second World War was a response to societal and publishing pressures that made it nearly impossible for African Americans to publish more traditional protest literature. However, as Yerby's Foxes illustrates, while these works appeared raceless, they contained racial messages that interacted with, and furthered, several goals of the early Civil Rights Movement, specifically undermining white supremacy and advocating for racial integration. In Foxes, the novel that begin the postwar white-life novel trend, these Civil Rights goals are furthered through the white protagonist, Stephen Fox's gradual transformation from a racist slave-holding plantation owner to a tolerant man who contemplates freeing and paying his former slaves as well as through one slave, Inch's, successful integration into white society. As the harbinger of a new wave of white-life novels, Foxes was extremely influential and many African American authors subsequently penned white-life texts that built on these anti-white supremacy and pro-integration arguments. Examining white-life works is therefore essential, not only for understanding the literature of the time, but for comprehending another grassroots contribution to the early Civil Rights Movement.
Warczak, Katie
Senior Showcase Oral presentation
Ripon College
April 19, 2016
The author reserves all rights.
pdf
Majors: English, History
Minors: German and American Studies
Oshkosh, WI
HIS 490 - Senior Seminar
10 Ways to Get Lost in Your Own Neighborhood by Maddison Vega
English
The poem upon which this video is based, titled 10 Ways to Get Lost in Your Own Neighborhood, was written by Maddy Vega during Professor Gannon's ENG 310: Advanced Poetry course. It was then selected for use in a video project, for which students were tasked to create a short creative video based on their poem.
As the poem explores themes of an adolescence navigating typical adolescent struggles along with those additionally imposed by mental illness, the video similarly combines elements of the mundane and elements of the strange, from the distorted voiceover to the innocent knickknacks decorating the walls of the room.
The video was shot during the spring of 2016 and directed by the author of the poem, Maddy Vega, who also stars in it.
Vega, Maddison
Senior Showcase Digital presentation
Ripon College
April 19, 2016
The author reserves all rights.
Website
Major: English
Minors: Sociology, Education
Kenosha, WI
ENG 310 - Advanced Poetry
Bro Country: Creating a New Image of Country Music
Communication
Over the years country music has changed a lot through the development of new sounds, shifting ideas, and new audiences, leading to many new subgenres within the larger musical genre. "Bro-country" is one of these alleged new subgenres, and it has seen a lot of commercial and crossover success in recent years. In this paper, I introduce how a genre is traditionally defined and then present why "bro-country" is indeed considered its own subgroup of the country music genre. I then discuss how a new image of country music is created through this subgenre and how it differs from the image that is often perceived by fans and outside parties. Through analyzing this image, it is possible to see how it has influenced perceptions of country music in the context of recent events, particularly that of the shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas on October 1st 2017. Overall, I argue that bro-country is a subgenre of country music, and that the image criticized in the wake of the shootings is based on an image that is represented by only a small minority, most of whom are not considered "bro-country" within the large genre of country music, and many artists have actually attempted to distance themselves from this image.
Van Swol, Katelyn
Senior Showcase Oral presentation
Ripon College
April 17, 2018
The author reserves all rights.
pdf
Majors: Communication, English
Racine, WI
CMM 505: Rhetorical Criticism - Senior Thesis
Formerly Buddhist Practices Offer Great Potential to the World of Western Psychology by Katlyn Troisi
Religion
Psychology
Over time science has grown in importance in the way in which people live today. This has caused conflict in the eyes of those who are religiously affiliated and have been instructed to ignore scientific findings. The true issue is the polarization of these two aspects of life. Rather religion and science should grow together. Buddhism has acknowledged the potential of incorporating science into their teachings and when new evidence comes to light they openly change how they see the world. Since Buddhism is open-minded to the benefits of science, there has been an opportunity to study many of the Buddhist practices which are now being used in the western field of psychology. There is an entire adapted field of Buddhist-derived Interventions which have impacted the world of psychotherapy greatly (Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., & Griffiths, M. D., 2014). Specifically, this paper discusses the many benefits of meditation and mindfulness when added as a treatment method for therapy. This overlap presents immense opportunity for the relationship of religion and the social sciences to feed off of one another to form a greater understanding of each discipline.
Troisi, Katlyn
Senior Showcase Oral presentation
Ripon College
April 19, 2016
The author reserves all rights.
pdf
Majors: Psychology, Religion
South Williamsport, PA
REL 450 - Senior Seminar
Does Exposure to Social Media Discourse Affect Openness to Future Political Discourse? by Katlyn Troisi & RaeAnn Brixius
Psychology
The present study sought to expand on previous research which had indicated that engaging in political discourse through social media increases the level of comfortability people have when discussing those topics in person. This study used screenshotted pictures of fake Facebook posts between either authority figures (politicians) or civilians. The posts were also either between two people or a group discussion amongst five people. Results showed that there was no significant effect reported by including either an authority figure or a civilian or the group size involved in the conversation. However, the analysis did report near significance in the condition which examined question three in relation to group size. The neutral condition also reported no significance.
Troisi, Katlyn
Brixius, RaeAnn
Senior Showcase Poster presentation
Ripon College
April 19, 2016
The author reserves all rights.
pdf
Majors: Psychology, Religion
South Williamsport, PA
PSC 423 - Senior Research Seminar
Ocean, The Final Frontier: The Demise of Turner’s Thesis by Alison Thiel
Communication
The Frontier Thesis has shaped the way western culture has approached the ocean for many years, and its presence can be found within the early photographs of sea exploration documented by the National Geographic Society (NGS). Today, however, its prevalence has become challenged and arguably broken. Images presented by the NGS remain one of the most influential aspects of the magazine and can serve as a reflection of western culture’s mentality regarding each location or species being framed. An historical timeline of illustrations depicting the sea turtle, as presented by the NGS, reveals an early dominance of Turner’s Frontier Thesis that epitomizes imperialism in America. By reviewing past and present photographs used by the NGS to represent sea turtles, one can trace the evolution of the narrative of humankind’s exploitation of this ecosystem and the eventual termination of the Frontier Thesis.
This essay analyzes nine feature stories depicting sea turtles in a timeline of 1924-2009. Within the narrative perspective I identify the sea turtle and human characters through two character/action-driven plots and one scene-driven plot. These three narratives reveal the past, present, and future influence of Frederick Jackson Turner’s Frontier Thesis and the implications of its demise. The narrative approach ultimately allows me to understand the role that sea turtles have held in the past, what their current role is, and where it will lead them in the future.
Thiel, Alison
Senior Showcase Oral presentation
Ripon College
April 23, 2015
The author reserves all rights.
pdf
Majors: Communication, Environmental Studies
Rosendale, Wisconsin
CMM 510 - Senior Seminar
The Influence of Task Complexity on Performance and Arousal by Tessa Dillenbeck and Josh Plummer
Psychology
The effects of task difficulty and task type on physiological arousal levels and task performance were examined by testing participants’ physiological arousal levels on a physiograph machine and scoring how well they performed on given tasks. Participants were given simple, medium, and complex tasks in either a quantitative or verbal condition, for which questions were chosen from the GRE. Three 3x2 mixed design analyses of variance were conducted to test significance between task difficulty and physiological arousal levels, task difficulty and type of task on performance scores, and type of task and physiological arousal levels. Significance was found in the main effects of task difficulty on physiological arousal levels, task difficulty on performance scores, type of task on performance scores, and the interaction of type of task and task difficulty on performance scores. There was no significant correlation found between physiological arousal levels and performance scores.
Tessa Dillenbeck and Josh Plummer
Senior Showcase Oral Presentation
Ripon College
April 18, 2017
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Major: Psychology
Minor: Business Management (Tessa Dillenbeck)
Iliotibial Band Syndrome: A Friction Syndrome or a Compression Syndrome? by Stephanie Peterson
Biology
For a long time, Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS), a common injury seen in athletes of all different backgrounds, was believed to be due to friction between the iliotibial band (ITB) and the lateral femoral epicondyle of the femur. However, Fairclough et al. 2006 recently proposed a new compression model that looks at the compression of a highly innervated fatty tissue layer beneath the ITB, instead of the pain stemming from the ITB itself. This new model has led researchers to rethink previous beliefs and conduct more research to better understand the syndrome. Under further examination, MRI’s back up Fairclough et al. by revealing the presence of inflammation beneath the ITB in a layer of highly innervated fatty tissue that becomes tightly compressed during 30° flexion, an angle that can be reached by an activity as simple as climbing a flight of stairs. Further research has been performed to reevaluate two precursors that have been found to be associated with ITBS in the past, increased peak hip adduction and increased peak internal knee rotation, to determine whether it would be possible for them to lead to the new compression syndrome. Due to the ability of both of these precursors to pull the ITB tighter than it normally would be, it was concluded that they could increase the pressure the ITB places on the highly innervated fatty tissue layer, resulting in the compression syndrome.
Stephanie Peterson
Senior Showcase Oral Presentation
Ripon College
April 18, 2017
The author reserves all rights.
Major: Biology
Minor: Psychology
Wild Rose, Wisconsin
Product Differentiation: Applying Game Theory to Politics by Logan Soich
Economics
In this paper, I discuss how product differentiation models from game theory can be applied to the political arena. The paper briefly reviews partisan politics in the United States and then discusses product differentiation and the “linear city” product differentiation model. I then create a game to model the current Congress. The solved version of the game yields a prediction for the actions of the Republican-controlled Congress and President Obama.
Soich, Logan
Senior Showcase Oral presentation
Ripon College
April 23, 2015
The author reserves all rights.
pdf
Majors: Mathematics, Economics
Franklin, Wisconsin
ECO 346 - Game Theory for Business and Economics
Studiorum Classicorum et Linguae Latinae Laudatio by Ryan Slattery
Classical Languages
Original Latin oration on the importance of the Latin language and foreign language study.
Slattery, Ryan
Senior Showcase Oral presentation
Ripon College
April 19, 2016
The author reserves all rights.
Majors: Classical Languages, History
CLA 430 - Senior Seminar
Hometown: Wilmette, Illinois
The Effect of Assigned Gender Roles on Evaluations of the Self and Others by Sierra Elsbury
Psychology
One theory that has sought to understand gender identity development is Bem’s gender schema theory (Bem, 1981). The present study sought to build off of Bem’s theory and evaluate the effect of manipulating gender perceptions on evaluations of the self and others. Participants completed the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) and were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: control (no feedback), truthful (received their truthful male and female scores), or deceptive (received the opposite scores for their male and female characteristics). Analysis of the amount to which participants stereotyped others and adjusted their answers on the second BSRI was conducted. It was hypothesized that male participants in the deceptive condition would both stereotype others and adjust their answers significantly more than the other conditions. This hypothesis was not supported by the data collected. Limitations of the present study and suggestions for future research directions are discussed.
Sierra Elsbury
Senior Showcase Poster presentation
Ripon College
April 17, 2018
The author reserves all rights.
pdf
Major: Psychology
Minor: Education
Adell, Wisconsin
Psychology Senior Seminar
Captain America: A Visual Depiction of American Identity by Laura Shively
Art History
Shively, Laura
Senior Showcase Oral presentation
Ripon College
April 23, 2015
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pdf
Majors: History, Art History
ART 570 Senior Seminar
Roots of Economic Dichotomy: A Comparative Analysis of Adam Smith and Karl Marx by Eric Seiler
Economics
One of the most commonly referenced dichotomies in the field of economics is that which pits capitalism against communism. The economists behind these ideologies, Adam Smith and Karl Marx, respectively, are generally seen as foils of each other, not having anything in common while having strictly opposing ideals. This paper aims to analyze the works of Smith and Marx in order to see just how strong of a dichotomy exists between the two while exploring the idea that there may have been some agreement between the two.
Seiler, Eric
Senior Showcase Oral presentation
Ripon College
April 23, 2015
The author reserves all rights.
pdf
Major: Business Management/Economics
Minor: Sociology
Gurnee, Illinois
ECO 481 - History of Economic Thought