An Endangered Sport: Examining Sentiments of Climate Anxiety Through the Perspectives of Cross Country Skiers

Since its emergence in the late nineteenth century, cross country skiing in the United States has grown in popularity and is a recreational and competitive outlet for millions of participants today. Given its dependence on snow, however, the sport is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, which have already taken place in the form of shortened seasons, canceled races, and an increased reliance on artificial snow making facilities. Recent research has begun to look at the psychological impacts of climate change, and this research assesses levels of climate anxiety among a nationwide sample of cross country skiers. 129 survey responses show that cross country skiers (1) tend to express having an intimate and valued relationship with nature and the outdoors in which cross country skiing plays a highly supportive role, (2) that many feel their participation in the sport has been negatively impacted by climate change, generally in the form of having less natural snow and/or having to increasingly rely on artificial snow, (3) that most cross country skiers are experiencing climate anxiety to at least some extent, (4) that their participation in cross country skiing tends to be related with these sentiments of climate anxiety, often because it heightens their awareness of climate change, and (5) that most are taking action to address climate change. There was also a strong association between awareness that the sport is being impacted by climate change and increased levels of climate anxiety. This demonstrates that climate anxiety is not only relevant to individuals who have experienced the impacts of climate change via catastrophic extreme weather events but is also relevant to individuals whose lives may be impacted more subtly but are still highly exposed to climate change. Therefore adequate adaptations to climate change must include measures to address its associated mental health impacts

Who’s Laughing Now? Satire’s Effect on Negative Partisanship

“Negative partisanship,” most basically defined as the phenomenon whereby Americans largely align against one party instead of affiliating with the other, has grave implications for democracy: it has already affected productivity in Congress, the acceptance (rather, lack thereof) of election results (e.g. 2016), and watered down the importance of ideology in American politics. Parsing the independent variables that influence negative partisanship is vital in combating its detrimental effects, and this project proposes satire as a possibility. An analytical history of both topics is explored. Interestingly, psychological mechanisms for interpreting satire and the out-party share many similarities in mechanisms of subjective interpretation (e.g. self-reinforcement, intertextuality, and motivated reasoning). The importance of research investigating a link between satire and negative partisanship is heightened by the money-driven algorithmic realities that power contemporary media consumption. An analysis of the cross-sectional, experimental survey (N=2,839) conducted in this study revealed surprising and complicated demographic trends linking satire and negative partisanship. Most demographics reported higher levels of negative partisan attitudes when exposed to out-party satirical stimuli, and older female Democrats were the most “provoked” in this way. Interpretive theories are briefly explored, including low-exposure “misinterpretations” and high-exposure “echo chambers.” The study then discusses recommendations and implications, exploring the responsibilities of both producers and consumers of satire as well as the political entities that represent them

Geology, Uranium, and Apartheid: South Africa’s Nuclear Program and the International Politics of the Cold War

This paper examines the history of mining and uranium and its importance in South Africa’s nuclear history. It begins with the development of minable mineral deposits in South Africa through geologic processes and ends with the South African signing of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The paper explores the intermittent period between creating the Atomic Energy Board and developing South Africa’s energy program through assistance from the United States and France. As the apartheid government brought sanctions to South Africa, the government began considering nuclear weapons through a different lens to project power. South Africa slid towards isolation under sanctions from the West. The study draws on the personal archive of E.S Reddy, government memos from the United States and South Africa, anti-apartheid publications, and more to understand the implications of South Africa’s “geologic luck” and how the early mining history in South Africa has longer-term consequences for the development of a South African nuclear program

Pluralistic Ethical Personalism

In the thesis, I sketch out a general outline for a pluralistic, personalist theory of ethics. This theory intends to capture the phenomenon that our life experience is saturated with ethical and other kinds of values; and it also emphasizes the idea that each ethical agent, or human being, has a unique ethical project that is understandable in light of various ethical values

Food as a vector for change: lessons from the third sector on improving livelihoods with nutritional knowledge in Medellín and Bogotá

In this thesis I argue that improving diet in communities depends on building nutritional knowledge. In examining the role of community level organizations, I look specifically at how knowledge is conveyed through agriculture and gastronomy. This project analyzes how civil society organizations work to reintegrate individuals into food systems, compelling consumers to take agency over their diets and pursue better livelihoods. The industrialization of food systems has fundamentally changed the way humans connect with food and diet. In Colombia, internal displacements and urban migration have accelerated a loss of connection with the land and food processes. At the same time, Colombia and countries around the world suffer from epidemic rates of obesity and non-communicable disease. The education processes and community initiatives introduced by organizations seek to build nutritional knowledge and connect people to food systems. Through interviews with community members and civil society leaders, I paint a picture of what knowledge-based diet interventions look like in Medellín and Bogotá. The actions of organizations at the community level represent one tool in a landscape of interventions needed to reverse diet-related disease. Interventions range from policy changes at the government level to broad changes across corporate food systems. This project focuses specifically on the unique positioning of civil society. In creating my argument for how dietary changes can serve as a vector for social change, I also unpack the historical context shaping the current food and nutrition landscape and the implications that history has for current interventions. In contrast to humanitarian efforts aimed at providing temporary solutions to endemic issues of poverty and malnutrition, I look at the ways organizations foster agency through education and community building

Map, Census, Museum: Imagining the Malaysian Nation-State and the Malay Identity

Using historian Benedict Anderson\u27s framework from his seminal text Imagined Communities of examining nation-building and identity construction through colonial artifacts, this thesis turns to maps, censuses, and museums to better understand the colonial and post-colonial imagining of the country that is now known as Malaysia. Reconciling with regional histories that predate the nation-state and defy the contemporary boundaries of territoriality, this thesis largely seeks to elucidate the contestation between colonially-imposed ideas of spatiality, categorization, and the reproduction of history with the modern Malaysian nation-state and the conflation of ethnicity with nationalism from which much of this contestation is derived from

Portraits of Practice: A Case Study on Elementary Schools Successfully Implementing Multi-Tiered Systems of Support

Multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) is an educational framework that aims to make the general education classroom more inclusive to all students and types of learners. MTSS has been found to improve student growth and achievement and decrease special education referrals through the use of layered supports that allow students to stay in the classroom as much as possible. There is a direct focus on progress monitoring, universal screening, and data-based decision making in order to ensure that all students are getting the support they need, whether it be universal, group-based, or individualized. This study aimed to understand what factors allow schools to successfully implement the framework. Through interviews with staff at two elementary schools in a New England state, findings shed light on why these schools have been successful in implementing MTSS when others have struggled. These findings suggest that collaboration between educators, families, and the state is necessary to fully support both students and teachers. Strong school leadership that prioritizes communication and listening also seemed to contribute to teachers’ abilities to better support students. Teachers’ understanding and buy-in to the framework further enhanced their implementation. Despite these positive factors, educators identified areas for improvement, such as their communication from the state during the exploration phase, efficiency of everyday processes, and integration of gifted programs in an MTSS. This research may be able to inform some scaffolding for other schools looking to implement MTSS in the future. These findings contribute to the conversation on successful MTSS implementation and provide implementation recommendations

Jewish Presence in the Venetian Empire: A Challenge to Venetian Mythology

This paper attempts to explain the significance of Jewish presence in the Venetian Empire in the context of the myth of Venice. Jews were officially permitted to settle in Venice in 1516, but their connection with the Venetian Empire goes further back. Jews were important for the success of the Venetian Empire, particularly from the sixteenth century onward. The permanent settlement of the Jews in Venice directly impacted the very ideology of the Venetian Empire. Although the phrase myth of Venice was developed by twentieth-century historians, Venetians perpetuated the myth and wove its ideals into the foundation of the Venetian Empire. Blessed by the Patron Saint Mark, the Venetians believed their stable, homogenous, tolerant, Christian, mercantile Republic was destined for greatness. The Venetians perpetuated the image that Venice maintained these ideals, so this was the image Europeans had of the Venetian Empire. The reality in Venice, however, was much different. Venetians had one goal; to maintain dominance in the Adriatic Sea and gain wealth through trade. Jewish presence in Venice supported this goal, so the Venetian government ultimately permitted Jews to settle in the city. By studying the Jews in Venice, we can understand the extent that Venice was pragmatic and Venice\u27s maritime superiority and eastward-looking economy came at the expense of all else

The Art of Influence: A Study of Leverage in US-Israel Relations

In its attempts to serve as an ‘honest broker’ for peace, the US has at times used its unique aid relationship with Israel as a source of leverage, seeking to influence Israeli policy to fall into compliance with US goals in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. When successfully leveraged, US assistance has served as a powerful diplomatic asset which has given the US great sway over Israeli policy. Successfully translating aid into influence, and that influence effectively catalyzing change in Israeli policy, however, is a complex process that demands navigating the competing interests of a variety of actors both in the US and Israel. These influence attempts utilizing aid have employed strategies of coercion, inducement, and combinations of both. Utilizing expert interviews and relying on case studies of US influence attempts across time, I investigate the US approach to aid-as-influence attempts on Israel within the context of the Israel-Palestine peace process and the variables which limit or enhance the efficacy of these attempts, as well as those which should be considered in the future. When US leverage has found a degree of success, it has generally arisen from a strong US president who can overcome the domestic political price incurred by pressuring Israel. Further, in Israel, the issue of settlements and the peace process is especially salient, and Israeli leaders must carefully weigh their coalitional constraints, the state of Israeli public opinion, and the political cost of resisting US influence attempts. I find that, over time, as US leaders have opted for influence strategies led by inducements rather than coercion, Israeli leaders have become increasingly comfortable resisting US pressure while the value of inducements has progressively diminished. Additionally, I find that US leaders face significant domestic limitations on utilizing coercive leverage due to the influence of the pro-Israel community, enhancing the Israeli ability to withstand pressure from the US