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Colby Undergraduate Research Symposium 2013
May 1 - May 3, Colby College, Waterville, Maine
Abstracts - Research Symposium
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| SCRIPTURE AND FICTION: AN AESTHETIC APPROACH TO THE LITTLE PILGRIM |
| Brian Russo ('13), Religious Studies |
| The Little Pilgrim describes the pilgrimage of the Gandavyuhas protagonist, the youth Sudhana. At the behest of the Bodhisattva Manjushri, he visits fifty-three masters to attain a greater understanding of the nature of reality. My question is: How does Ko Uns aesthetic approach employ Sudhana to represent the Bodhisattva ideal? Un utilizes Sudhana as a didactic tool to espouse the primacy of experiential insight. His method is aesthetic because it relies on an underlying set of principles that guide our understanding of Sudhanas quest. The principles of life as suffering, no-self and impermanence are exquisitely interwoven within the novel. His writing style beckons us to appreciate the beauty of such pervasive themes such as interdependence and attaining enlightenment. The most important principle Un demonstrates is the worlds relative illusoriness and its liberating capacity from all unsatisfactoriness. Un depicts Sudhana as a vehicle that removes himself from the cycle of unsatisfactoriness by ideally progressing through mindful, virtuous activity to attain Bodhisattvahood. His hermeneutical transformation of the Gandavyuha engenders a Sudhana that is entirely accessible and expressive. Rather than depicting the esoteric philosophical dialogues of the Gandavyuha Sutra, Un humanizes Sudhana by personalizing his journey. In his journey to detach himself from desire and sense of self, he becomes a hero as he is propelled by the purest desire: to realize the primordial consciousness. |
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| 'A SHRIMP BEHIND THE STONE:' UNDERSTANDING POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN INDONESIA |
| Carter Stevens ('13), Government |
| My paper encompassed the three major areas of political violence in Indonesia: Islamist extremism, Christian-Muslim violence, and separatist violence. Research included an investigation of the history of these three areas, an analysis and mapping of the triggers and sustaining factors of the violence in each case, and how they work together to affect political and daily life in Indonesia. |
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| A TROJAN HORSE IN SENEGAL: EXPLORING THE ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS OF CHINESE MERCHANTS IN DAKAR, SENEGAL (SUBJECT TO CHANGE) |
| Georgina Hurst ('13), Global Studies |
| China is on the path to becoming the worlds largest economy by 2021. By investing millions directly into developmental and mineral extraction projects throughout the African continent, China continues to boost its manufacturing output, and grow at exponential rates. But as economic ties strengthen, so does the presence of Chinese immigrants in Africa. Senegal is no exception. Since the 1990s, a neighborhood consisting of 300 Chinese storefronts selling cheap goods has developed in Dakar, setting the informal sector of the economy off-balance. The Chinese have adapted to the demands of Senegalese consumers, focusing their products on Islamic goods, such as prayer beads, and traditional Senegalese goods, such as wax clothing. They are able to mass-manufacture these goods in China under cheaper production costs, allowing Chinese retailers to undersell Senegalese retailers in Senegal. The literature suggests that, while democratizing consumption for low-income shoppers, the rock bottom prices Chinese merchants offer trigger competition between Chinese and Senegalese retailers that puts many Senegalese retailers out of business. Through examination of literature, statistical analysis, and field research in Dakar, Senegal, this study explores the economic implications of an expanding Chinese presence on Senegalese retailers in the informal market of Dakar, and on Senegalese consumers of cheap goods that shop primarily in this market. |
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| AFFECT AND AUTHORSHIP: OR, HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE [SIGN] |
| Michael Perreault ('13), Independent Studies |
| In describing his third criterion of auteur status, Andrew Sarris struggled with words. Daring to call it an 'elan of the soul,' Sarris, like Franois Truffaut before him, struggled to verbalize the qualities of those directors who have been bestowed by critics with the title auteur. This paper claims that critics (and critical theorists) of the 1960s lacked the language to more concretely describe what Sarris calls the 'temperature of the director' or 'the tension between a director's personality and his material,' a seemingly flawed theory that made it easy for Pauline Kael and others to interrogate. However, this theorywhat Andre Bazin calls la politique des auteurs benefits from another reading through the lens of Brian Massumi's writings on affect. Using Stanley Kubricks Dr. Strangelove (1964) as a case study, this paper approaches author theory through the tensions between signs and senses to argue that the elan, or extension of a directors interiority, can be more aptly defined as the process by which Kubrick orchestrates the formal and narrative aspects of the film to create moments of affective intensity, politicizing spectators by first inviting them to feel. |
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| FILLING THE GAP OF GOVERNANCE: COMMUNAL VIOLENCE IN INDIA AND THE NAXALITE INSURGENCY |
| Patrick Martin ('13), Government |
| India is experiencing a wide variety of politically-motivated acts of violence, from ethnic separatist movements in the countryside to sectarian conflict in the cities. This study looks at two manifestations of political violence - Hindu-Muslim communal conflict and the Naxalite insurgency - and analyzes the variables that enable and facilitate their occurrence. While both types of violence are extremely different in many regards, including motivations of the leadership, geographic concentration, and scale, they both share one root cause: the inability of the Indian state to fulfill its role as a provider of essential services. |
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| FROM THE DEPTHS OF GREAT POND (MAINE): ANTHROPOGENIC AND NATURAL INFLUENCES ON BOTTOM SEDIMENTS AND THEIR IMPACT ON LOCAL SUSTAINABILITY |
| Sara George ('15) and Clara Bicher ('15), Geology |
| As part of a Maine EPSCoR grant focusing on sustainability in the Belgrade Lakes watershed of central Maine, current research consists of collecting bottom sediment samples from Great Pond. Samples were analyzed to create a sediment map of the lake basin in regards to depth, grain-size distribution, organic content (%C), C:N ratios and phosphorus concentration. Great Pond has the largest surface area (3,453 ha) of the 7 lakes in the watershed. It receives most of its water from East and North Ponds via Great Meadow Stream, as well as the surrounding uplands and groundwater discharge. Lake volume was increased by the construction of a hydroelectric dam in 1886. Results from this investigation will aid in the understanding of the glacial formation of the lake, distribution of sediment within, and human impacts. Additionally, knowing the distribution of phosphorus within the sediments may allow development of a strategy to avoid accelerated eutrophication. To evaluate natural and anthropogenic changes in the lake environment, 67 bottom sediment samples were collected using an Ekman dredge. Multiple sedimentologic and geochemical proxies will be used to infer in-lake ecological responses. Grain-size will be used to determine sediment source. Grain-size analysis indicates a predominance of silt and clay-sized sediment related to the underlying glacio-marine Presumpscot Formation. Other samples, however, contain sand and pebble-sized sediments indicating a local esker and outwash sources. Total organic carbon (TOC) was used to evaluate biomass productivity, while C:N ratios was used to determine the source of organic matter in the sediment. C:N ratios from the samples range between 8 and 11, indicating a nonvascular plant (algal) origin for the organic matter in the sediment. These results will |
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| OY GAVULT! JEWISH VIOLENT EXTREMISM IN THE WEST BANK |
| Lauren Fisher ('13), Government |
| Settler violence began in the 1980s as ideologically motivated phenomenon that targeted Palestinians who rejected halachic rule. However, it devolved from pointed attacks in the name of messianic redemption to normalized aggression. The transition from one type of violence to another reflects a shift in the relationship between four primary variables: ideology, Israeli government support, diaspora support, and impunity. My research establishes a framework for understanding settler violence by analyzing the relationship between the four primary drivers from the 1980s to the present. In doing so, it explores the political and strategic interests that make prospects for addressing political violence in the occupied Palestinian territories unlikely in the near future. |
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| SUSTAINABILITY REPORT: LEAP ORGANICS |
| Lisa Hoopes ('13), Kimberly Cunningham ('13) and Theresa Petesch ('13), Environmental Studies |
| In this project, we will be reporting the sustainability efforts of the company LEAP Organics. We will report on the company's carbon emissions, through our conduction of a life cycle analysis. This includes research on the environmental impacts of the company's products, packaging, and shipping. We will also discuss the benefits of organic skincare products to human health, in comparison to conventional skincare products. |
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| THE FRANKFURTER SCHOOL AND THE THEORY OF ALIENATION: THE LEGACY OF KARL MARX IN THE WORKS OF THEODOR ADORNO, MAX HORKHEIMER, AND ALEXANDER KLUGE |
| Thomas Chippendale ('13), German/Russian |
| Following the philosophy of the Frankfuter School, the work of Theodor Adorno, Max Horkheimer and Alexander Kluge has made a lasting impact on the German academic world and beyond. Their message is not only a critique of the ideals of the Enlightenment as they have been applied in the past; it is also a message of optimism. The message is that through a constant dialectical struggle to establish the guiding principles of a society, mankind has the ability to build a future that it desires. This optimism is rooted in the early philosophy of Karl Marx, who believed that a better understanding of subject and object could free humanity from its own alienation. With regard to the Enlightenment's role in the modern world, Marx remains as relavent as ever. |
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| THE GIVING THREE |
| Erin Caputo ('15), Anna Doyle ('15) and Kaitlyn O'Connell ('15), Psychology |
| A great deal of research has been done in regards to gift giving; asymmetries between givers and receivers, gifts as symbols and gift reciprocation. Yet, no experimental study to date has specifically combined gift price with relationship length. This study explores the effects of relationship length and price of gift on appreciation of gift and satisfaction with a romantic partner. This research examined a new area of gift giving. We looked more deeply into the asymmetries of givers and receivers, the effects of relationship and monetary value on the appreciation of gifts, and whether or not feelings of appreciation are driven solely by gift price. Gift giving represents a willingness to invest in a relationship and conveys meanings about the givers tastes or their beliefs about the receiver (Camerer, 1988). Our research explored the findings of Camerer a little further; we examined whether the length of the relationship with a partner and the knowledge of gift price will affect the receivers appreciation of the gift they receive. This study will conclude _________. |
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| THE LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA AND VIOLENT CRIME RATES IN THE UNITED STATES |
| Rebecca Newman ('13) and Arthur Huber ('13), Economics |
| The illicit drug trade in the United States has long been associated with violent crime. A factor contributing to this dynamic includes higher than perceived market prices for drugs due to their illegality and the consequent formation of black markets. These high profit margins incentivize greater protection of trade routes ruled by rogue agents or powerful syndicates in the drug trade. This paper examines the correlation between the decriminalization and legalization of medical marijuana in the United States and occurrences of violent crime. As of mid-November 2012, seventeen states and the District of Columbia allow the use of medical marijuana, fourteen permit decriminalized possession in small quantities, and six states sanction both. Colorado and Washington recently legalized recreational use. Other factors observed include income per capita, legalization of abortion, the crack cocaine epidemic, and proximity to the Mexican border to control for additional contributors to violent crime over the observed time period. The results of this paper indicate strongly suggestive evidence of reduced violent crime rates after the decriminalization of marijuana while controlling for in-state and time effects. These findings warrant further research on the subject, especially if more states continue to legalize its use. |
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| THE SUNK-TIME EFFECT AND PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY IN ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS AND EDUCATION |
| Hillary Keach ('13), Psychology |
| People often persist in failing endeavors despite negative feedback and poor outcomes, a phenomenon termed the sunk-cost effect, which Arkes and Blumer (1985) defined as the greater tendency to continue an endeavor once an investment in money, effort, or time has been made (p. 124). While robust evidence exists for monetary decisions, evidence for temporal scenarios (sunk-time) is inconsistent. This behavior in non-monetary scenarios, such as interpersonal relationships and work tasks, could be particularly harmful and distressing. In two studies with two different samples of undergraduate participants, the sunk-time effect and the role of personal responsibility were examined within settings relevant to emerging adults: an education scenario and a romantic relationship scenario. The relationship between various personality factors and the sunk-time effect was also explored. The sunk-time effect manifested differently in an educational project versus a romantic relationship, and as a function of the level of personal responsibility felt for the failure. Additionally, the speed and impatience factor of Type A personality moderated decisions to abandon a failing romantic relationship as a function of personal responsibility felt for the relationships failure. |
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| THE VALUE OF TRUTH: THE ELIJAH PARISH LOVEJOY STORY AND AN EXAMINATION OF THE IDEA OF 'TRUTH' IN JOURNALISM |
| Eliza Larson ('13), English |
| Fascinated by the gap between 19th century and 21st century journalism, I decided to research the story of Elijah Parish Lovejoy and look for some connections between his writing and journalism today. I wanted to find ways in which the past can inform the present. First, I studied Lovejoys biography to draw a causal line from his formative years to his writing career. This way, I could examine how his writings were influenced, why they received such a strong reaction from the public, and what the relationship is between the journalist and journalism personal and universal truths. I looked closely at his religious history because as I anticipated before starting this project that had the largest affect on Lovejoys beliefs. Because of my research on his religion, I was able to critically examine his career as a journalist and the ways his religion and other things influenced his writing. Then, I followed Lovejoys journey throughout the United States to pick up clues on how his perspective changed with his location. Next, I researched the First Amendment of the United States where it is stated, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Since Lovejoy is hailed as a martyr for freedom of the press, I wanted to point out why. Although Congress may not make a law outlawing religions or religious teachings nor will they stop people from trying to write, speak, or gather, but that does not mean that everyone will agree to go along with these laws. |
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| THROUGH THE EYES OF URBAN STUDENTS: EDUCATIONAL INEQUALITY AND SOCIOECONOMIC DISPARITIES IN SANTIAGO, CHILE |
| Hillary Sapanski ('13), Global Studies |
| This project explores student perceptions of educational inequality in Santiago, Chile. Educational inequality in Santiago is statistically well documented; this study is novel in that it gives voice to the students. Distinctions among Chilean student perceptions in low, middle and upper classes exist due to different educational and societal experiences, yet across all classes there is an overwhelming awareness of inequality, despite a major emerging middle class. The results in this study are two-fold: not only do the diverse student experiences support critical theory around issues of social justice, but student contributions to the ongoing conversation about inequality and education reform provide insight towards making change, and demonstrate the realities of power relations within Chilean society. |
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| UTILIZING PHYSICAL AND MENTAL ACTIVITY TO DECREASE THE RATE OF COGNITIVE DECLINE |
| Anna Caron ('13) and Miia-Liisa Termonen ('14), Psychology |
| As the baby-boom generation approaches retirement age, the social and personal burdens associated with reduced independence and various forms of dementia are expected to increase. Healthy cognitive functioning (e.g., attention, language, memory, decision making) is essential for remaining independent in old age. Thus, maintaining health across the lifespan is an increasingly pressing concern. A key issue is whether there are activities and behaviors in which older adults can engage to slow the rate of cognitive decline. The present research addresses this question by reviewing scientific findings on how physical and mental activity can mitigate cognitive decline. Aging slows us down, both physically and mentally. While some decline is perfectly normal, and partially genetically determined, keeping or getting active can help maintain cognitive ability at a high level for longer. Physical activity, especially aerobic exercise, reduces brain cell death and increases neurogenesis, thus helping to keep in check age-related cognitive decline (Kramer & Willis, 2002; Greenwood, 2010). Similarly, maintaining a high level of cognitive activity can delay onset of memory decline by as much as 20 years, especially in areas of personal expertise (Anstey, 1999; Carlson, 2011). The variety of activities and learning in new and stimulating skills are especially effective in maintaining cognitive health; for example, volunteering - which combines physical, mental, and social activation - correlates with maintenance of cognitive ability (Carlson, 2011). Taken together, these engaging at multiple levels of these lifestyle choices with a focus on proactive engagement can promote more positive outcomes for the quality of life of our aging population. |
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| WHEN THE CONFEDERATES TERRORIZED MAINE: THE BATTLE OF PORTLAND HARBOR |
| Carter Stevens ('13), History |
| My honors thesis focuses on the Confederate raid into Portland, Maine, on June 26-27 1863, when a ship under the command of Confederate Naval Lt. Charles W. Read entered the harbor and commandeered a U.S. Revenue Cutter there. A short pursuit and battle followed off the coast of Portland, where the Confederates surrendered but scuttled the ship. The talk will cover the details of the battle, how it was reported in local and national media, the reactions of Mainers to the raid, and how this small incident fits into the larger picture of the Civil War. |
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| WHEN THE WALLS TALK: POLITICAL GRAFFITI AT LA UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL IN BOGOTá, COLOMBIA |
| Abbott Matthews ('13), Latin American Studies |
| Most of the literature on graffiti examines how graffiti is used as a form of resistance and opposition in the face of repressive regimes. In Argentina and Chile, for example, graffiti has been referred to as an alternative, subaltern method of communicating political dissent in times of authoritarianism. In this analysis, I look at the case of la Universidad Nacional (UNAL) in Bogot, Colombia. This research analyzes the ways in which students express themselves politically through graffiti. Colombia presents a unique case, as political graffiti does not seem connected to the cycles of democracy and repression. Instead, graffiti seems to be a cultural and historically based response by leftist groups. More importantly, UNAL serves as an important centerpiece for graffiti, whereas the los Andes exhibits little, if any, graffiti. I question why the use of graffiti persists in the wake of political party reform and rhetoric of increased participation in politics by previously marginalized groups, looking specifically to the history of the dominant two-party system in Colombia as a possible explanation. |
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from student presentations, is archived in links in the left-hand column, and
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