132,225 research outputs found

    A Comparative Study on Death Penalty Statutes and Their Effects on Certain Minority Groups in Light of Furman v. Georgia

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    Part One of this comment will address the recent history of the death penalty in the United States, focusing on Furman v. Georgia, which placed a four-year moratorium on the death penalty in 1972. Part Two examines which states still have death penalty statutes and the reasons for choosing the selected states for further analysis. Part Two also addresses the difference between facial and as-applied attacks on the state statutes and the reason for analyzing the statutes under as applied unconstitutionality. Part Three explains the thought behind choosing to examine the death penalty’s effect on racial minorities, low socio-economic classes, and those with mental disorders, and these groups’ history with the death penalty. Part Four analyzes three specific state statutes (Alabama, Ohio, and Texas) in light of the constitutional qualifications set by Furman v. Georgia and how those statutes negatively impact racial minorities, low socioeconomic classes, and those with mental disorders. Ultimately, this comment argues that the remaining death penalty statutes are unconstitutional under the elements set forth in Furman v. Georgia. While the statutes may seem legal on its face, an examination of the as-applied effects on the three aforementioned groups reveals that the statutes are invalid and should be replace

    Female Identity in Baroque Art

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    Throughout the Baroque period, and much of art history, women were portrayed as either saints or sinners, pictures of purity or wicked temptresses. Women have known little middle ground historically, despite occupying diverse roles and representing half the world’s population. In the Baroque, Catholic-dominated period, this polarization prescribed women the biblically-based roles of either saint or “sinner.” Jusepe de Ribera’s “The Holy Family with Saints Anne and Catherine of Alexandria” (1648), exemplifies women’s roles as saint, mother and virgin, depicting each with soft, feminine energy surrounding baby Jesus. Relation to men bounds Maryóher lack of intimacy with men, her purity; her birthing of Jesus, her importance. Valetin de Boulogne’s “Christ and the Adulteress” (1618) displays the ìsinfulî woman as a scantily clad adulteress (notably without a co-adulterer), mobbed by men, is presented to Jesus for judgement. Women see some alternative roles in Northern “genre paintings” like Johannes Vermeer’s ìYoung Woman with a Water Pitcherî (1662), which depicts a chaste wife in an idyllic home. Both monikers reference her value to men and, while neither saint nor sinner, her flat, domestically-bound role is clear. Mythological themes were women’s only freedom, as in Peter Paul Rubens’ “Venus in Front of the Mirror” (1614). Venus, naked but aware of the viewer, attempts no modesty, exuding sexuality as she commands eye contact. She is neither sinner nor whore nor related to any man. With limited exception, Baroque women rarely found representation outside their relation to men, something not improved for hundreds of years

    Line as Site and Material

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    This paper recounts my artistic practice over the last three years. I will describe the places, artists, artworks, and processes that have been meaningful to me in this time as I pursued my MFA and worked to understand my relationship to the living world. In the thesis Line as Site and Material, I respond to materiality and site through installation, sculpture, drawing, and video. I work with clay harvested from my hometown of El Paso, TX to connect to the personal histories of the borderlands and geological time. In the Second River Series, I walk in the empty riverbed of the Rio Grande to look for in-between space and document with video. Sculptures, drawings, and photography explore Portal or Void concepts. Time Study drawings scratched into the clay painted surfaces project light and shadows, changing shape and size with the rotational shift of the earth around the sun. With sensitivity to light, material, and site, I pay attention to nature in relation to how I see myself connected to place. My work hinges on the transformation of material and the healing realization that the human-nature relationship is not singular

    Exploring the Association Between Humility and Self-Compassion

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    Humility is virtue that allows one to pursue life with limited pride or arrogance. Humble people tend to view themselves accurately, and tend to be aware and appreciate their strengths and weaknesses. We wondered whether humble people would be more self-compassionate. Self-compassionate people are more likely to treat themselves with kindness, and mindfulness, especially when faced with adverse events. As such, it would make sense that humble people, who have the ability to assess their own faults and gifts, can extend themselves grace and kindness in the face of adversity. To test this association, we asked participants to complete an online study where they provided responses to measure humility and self-compassion. We are currently in the process of analyzing the data, and expectto find that humility is positively correlated with self-compassion. This research has the potential to inform how people achieve growth in the spirit of positive psychology

    Unwanted Sexual Experiences: Exploring Conservative Socialization as an Important Contextual Factor

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    This mixed methods study examined sexual assault experiences and interpretations within a conservative religious context. In study one, male and female undergraduates (n=234) responded to survey questions assessing religious dogmatism, sexist ideology, traditional gender roles, and rape myth acceptance. Religious fundamentalism was related to rape myth acceptance for women, but not men, and both benevolent sexism (e.g., chivalry) and traditional gender role adherence fully mediated the relationship between religious fundamentalism and rape myth acceptance for women. In study two, 14 women were interviewed about their unwanted sexual assault experiences (USE) and were asked to evaluate their experiences with reference to their religious and cultural backgrounds. Thematic analyses highlighted the complicated, but important process of labeling the USE as assault or rape. In addition, women viewed their sexuality education and religious socialization as inadequate to prepare them for navigating ambiguous and dangerous sexual interactions. The combination of naiveté and moral messaging left women both disempowered in their sexual interactions, and overwhelmed by self-blame and guilt following their assault experiences

    The Self-Reference Effect, Emotion, and Self-Esteem

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    This study examines the effect of emotionally-charged stimuli on surprise recall rates of self-referentially processed words. In a between-subjects experimental design, 101 undergraduate students from the University of Central Florida (UCF) were randomly assigned to one of three groups (positive words, negative words, or neutral words) and presented with a list of seven adjectives describing appearance (e.g. cute, appalling, tall); experimental procedures were carried out through the UCF Qualtrics online survey design platform. After self-referential processing, a significant difference between all three groups was demonstrated by completion of a one-way ANOVA, with recall rates decreasing from the neutral, to the positive, to the negative group, respectively. Self-Esteem and Contingencies of Self-Worth (CSW) scores for participants were also investigated as possible moderating variables, but no significant interaction effect was identified

    Pepperdine University School of Law Legal Summaries

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    Bi the Wayside?: Shifts in Bisexual Representations in Teen Television

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    Television can be a reflection of the values we have as a society and its representations can have an impact on the way people, especially youth, shape their identities. This examination of teen-oriented television shows on the CW network looks at bisexual and queer representations and compares them with previous representations. I ground this essay in the youth-oriented television context, the progression of queer television representations, and ideas about media representation in a post-gay era. My assessment of the CW’s bisexual protagonist Clarke Griffin in The 100 and several sexually fluid characters in Legacies help show how the network has evolved in branding itself around diversity of representation, and aiming their content at a socially-liberal target audience. There are several tropes that the network falls into, particularly the death of Lexa in The 100 that sparked a queer/ally social movement characterized by the hashtag #LexaDeservedBetter; these representations have helped inform the TV industry about the stakes of minority representation. My textual analyses find that the queer characters I examine avoid stereotypical coming out narratives and labels of sexual identity, in what I argue is a progressive form of representation. Ultimately, I argue that a larger quantity of queer characters on the CW has resulted in more diverse representations of teen/queer identity

    Young people who fireset in Western Australia: Peer group influences and impulsiveness trump consequences

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    The paradoxical character of fire is perfectly captured by the juxtaposition between the initial ease and excitement of lighting fires, and fire’s destructive and uncontrollable nature. Australia is fire prone with its hot, dry climate, volatile vegetation and urban sprawl surrounded by bushland. Since an estimated 50% of fires lit in Australia are deliberate (Stanley & Read, 2016) the problem of intentional firesetting cannot be overstated. This thesis argues that youth firesetting requires both macro- and microlevel approaches to appreciate the complexities of the problem, and aims to identify applicable and directed responses to minimise youth firesetting. Study one analysed data collected by the Western Australia Police to gain an understanding of characteristics associated with 20 medium to high-risk adult firesetters, such as proximal and developmental vulnerabilities. This study determined macro and microlevel theories are essential to explain firesetting. In study two, seven child and adolescent firesetters were interviewed to explore why they chose to light a fire. This qualitative research examined firesetting through the personal stories of young people who have set fires in Western Australia. Findings suggest that peer influence and impulsiveness outweigh a child’s capacity to anticipate the consequences of their firesetting. Supported also is the relevance of fire-specific and antisocial activity in the development of firesetting behaviour. Family function presented as both an influencing factor, and as a moderating factor for firesetting behaviour. This thesis found that social factors contribute a proximal and antecedent role in firesetting behaviour. Consequently, findings confirmed the need for the development of a micro-level theory to explain youth firesetting
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