The Relationship between typographic design and photography: Effectively combining type with image

This thesis project examines the way in which typographic and photographic variables influence visual communication

The Effects of Workforce Creativity on Earnings in U.S. Counties

This paper examines the effects of local workforce creativity on county-level earnings. Descriptive analysis of the data shows that most of the high-creativity counties in the United States are part of metropolitan areas, and that employee earnings are high in these places. Regression results indicate that, other things being equal, workforce creativity enhances county-level labor earnings. However, the returns to creativity that we found can be confirmed only in the urban context. An extension of the analysis suggests that the creative workforce wage premium may be capturing the effects of "technical workforce creativity" on earnings.creative economy, wages, economic development, Labor and Human Capital,

Uncompromising mercy

Tension reigns between mercy and justice. Mercy seasons justice – it gives less than what justice mandates – and in that sense, it requires a departure from justice. But a departure from justice is unjust. On the other hand, if mercy is not distinct from justice, then it is redundant. Mercy would not be mercy, it would simply be justice. Mercy either undermines or collapses into justice, rendering it apparently impossible to be both just and merciful. If mercy is to have an appropriate place in a criminal justice system that prizes justice, we must articulate an uncompromising mercy; a mercy that compromises neither justice nor itself. In this thesis, I argue that mercy is uncompromising when it is given not for reasons of justice, but for other good reasons that do not conflict with justice. I argue that one such reason is that the punisher stands in a relation of liability toward the offender

Mercy and criminal justice

This dissertation analyzes criminal justice from the perspective of non-ideal theory. In the first half of the dissertation, I propose a new understanding of mercy as a moral response to injustice within existing criminal justice systems. In the second half, I argue that certain expressions of blame are an injustice plaguing most criminal justice systems. In short, I am highlighting a new type of injustice and suggesting a new mode of response to injustice. In my analysis of mercy in Part I, I distinguish between two concepts of mercy in Western political thought: negative mercy and positive mercy. To grant negative mercy is to compassionately spare someone from harsh treatment that she deserves. To grant positive mercy is to respond to someone justly when unjust social rules call for a harsher response. Following Seneca and departing from most contemporary philosophical literature, I focus on the concept of positive mercy. I argue that officials within criminal justice systems have moral reason to exercise positive mercy and that most political communities have moral reason to incorporate a general practice of positive mercy into their criminal justice systems. I argue that judges who exercise positive mercy are not impermissibly derogating from rules in service of personal feelings, but are rather serving the rule of law and fulfilling their obligation to support just institutions. In my analysis of blame in Part II, I identify a species of blame that I call abrasive blame: the expression of attitudes meant to hurt a person because she did something wrong. The political community expresses abrasive blame to criminal offenders through the organ of the criminal justice system. Although I argue that this abrasive blame is permissible under certain conditions, the justification is fragile at best. I argue that it is unfair for the political community to abrasively blame battered offenders and fragile offenders. I raise a red flag about abrasive blame toward these offenders; I do not argue that it is necessarily wrong to punish them. I suggest that in some cases, the exercise of positive mercy might be the political community's best response to these offenders

Academic and Civic Outcomes of African American Graduates of Historically Black and Historically White High Schools

The purpose of this study was to examine how high school experience impacts adult outcomes for African Americans across time given changes in academic, social, and political climates. This research is very much needed to help the African American community identify what factors are related to individuals giving back to their community through civic engagement in order to promote self-sufficiency within the African American community. The study design explored the role of these factors by comparing the personal high school experience, long-term outcomes of civic engagement and academic attainment as well as racial identity perceptions of African American graduates of historically Black high schools (HBHSs) and historically White high schools (HWHSs). Statistically, 2x3 Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) designs were run to compare group outcomes by school type and graduation year. Overall results indicated that African American graduates did not differ significantly on long-term outcomes or personal racial identity as a function of school type, but HBHS graduates reported more positive school experiences compared to HWHS graduates. Study results provide support for the contribution of Historically Black Institutions in secondary education with implications for identification of factors related to academic attainment and civic engagement.Doctor of Philosoph

Conservation ecology of amphibians and reptiles in Sarapiqui, Costa Rica : forest fragmentation and long term population change

In order to explore the conservation ecology of frogs and lizards in the Sarapiqui region of Costa Rica, I compared populations and communities among forest fragments and La Selva Biological Station, as well as across 35 years of sampling at La Selva. Species richness in nine fragments combined was 85% of that found in La Selva, and community composition varied among sites and by fragment size class. Although communities in fragments differed fundamentally from those in intact forest, the high diversity observed across all fragments indicates that preserving a network of small forest patches may be of great conservation value to the herpetofauna of this region. According to data from past studies at La Selva, most common species of leaf-litter frogs and lizards demonstrated significant decreases in density over the 35-year period. My findings may represent either natural population fluctuations or sweeping faunal declines at this site

Revisiting Brown Versus Board of Education: Differences in School Context and the influence of Racial Attitudes on Academic Attainment and Civic Engagement among Black Americans across the Lifespan

Since Brown versus the Board of Education 60 years ago, educators and social and behavioral scientists have tried to identify factors related to better achievement for Black Americans. Since the desegregation of schools in the U.S., Black American students have reported lower grade point averages, standardized test scores, and graduation rates (Allen, 1992). Previous research has investigated school context and climate as well as the influence of racial attitudes on academic achievement. Findings suggest that positive student perceptions of school climate and context (e.g., pride, social support, relationships with a teacher, access to resources) were related to better academic outcomes (Hurley & Lustbader, 1997). However, the research on the influence of racial attitudes have been inconclusive (Chavous et al., 2003; Fordham & Ogbu 1986). Thus, the purpose of this study is two-fold. First, to explore whether racial attitudes were related to academic attainment and civic engagement, and second, to examine whether there are differences in perceptions in school pride and school climate for students in historically black high schools and historically white high schools. To assess the aforementioned research questions, thirty-three Black American high school graduates from a historically white high school and eighty-two Black Americans from historically black high schools were sampled. Spearman Rho correlations and Independent sample T-tests were run to assess the relationship between the following. 1) Racial attitudes, educational attainment, and civic engagement. 2) Differences in perceptions of school climate for Blacks at historically White and Black high schools. Findings reveal statistically significant associations between racial attitudes and educational attainment as well as civic engagement. Moreover, differences were also found in perceptions of climate across school types. Given these results, further research is needed to explore the influence of students’ perception of their school experience and racial attitudes upon educational and life outcomes