Resolving Conflicts within the Mind: Internal Warfare in Non-Human Primates

This thesis explores the implications of non-human primates’ propensity to hyperbolically discount the future. Hyperbolic discounting occurs when small, near-term rewards are preferred over larger rewards that are realized at a future point in time, but these preferences do not hold when the choice between long term and short term rewards is made at a time far removed from when the choice produces rewards-- i.e., at a time when the payoff of the choice is distant. I discuss two mutually exclusive models that attempt to explain why non-human primates hyperbolically discount: the cognitivist and the behaviorist model. I then present evidence that supports the cognitivist model and undermines the behaviorist model. I then argue that a “War of Interests” (WOI) occurs within the non-human primate mind. I explain this WOI model, discuss its philosophical implications, and then conclude with a general theory of the non-human primate mind

Proposal for an undergraduate humanities course which studies the handling of death and grief by C.S. Lewis

The purpose of this project was to establish an undergraduate lower-division humanities course that explores the immediate human response to grief, specifically grief inflicted by the loss of a loved one. The suggested importance of offering a course designed in this manner at a university is to explore the ultimate shared human experience: death and grief inflicted by death. This course would cause a confrontation of our own views on death and grief and attempt to normalize the discussion of an otherwise challenging subject. The well-known British author C.S. Lewis has written an array of literature that offers an extensive look into his handling of grief in his life. The researcher recommends that the content of the humanities course be primarily focused on C.S. Lewis's works. Lewis experienced grief at multiple stages in his life, ranging from a young child to a few years prior to his own death; his literature reached and continues to reach individuals all over the world, thus serving as an appropriate study for all. Research for this project was conducted at the Marion E. Wade Center in Wheaton, Illinois, which houses most of Lewis's personal library. This extensive look into his personal library beyond his published works supports the argument that Lewis was no stranger to grief, and one who reads and studies his life through his works can learn more about humanity's response to suffering in grief. A syllabus was created for an undergraduate lower-division humanities course

Making Mallorcan mischief: translating, rehearsing, and performing the Entremès del Pasquedó at the 2022 Out of the Wings Festival

Catalan-language theatre from the Middle Ages is completely unknown in the Anglophone world, even though the Catalan Countries have rich performance histories from this historical period. An unknowing audience presents both opportunities and challenges to any theatre translator, but the transition from page to stage is not a simple transaction. Considering translation as a space for playful probing and creative intervention, this article reflects on the rehearsal process for the Mallorcan cuckoldry play, l’Entremès del Pasquedó, which was performed as part of the Out of the Wings festival in the summer of 2022. By looking at how the rehearsal process led to (re)translating, as well as (re)negotiating the jump from text to body, this article highlights that theatre translation is a never-ending process and, much like texts from the Middle Ages, it can continually be reimagined and reworked in new contexts