Love is Historically, Institutionally, and Societally Constructed: Using Intersectionality to Examine Racial Issues of Power and Privilege in Queer Relationships

How does interracial attraction expose power dynamics within both heterosexual and queer relationships in accordance with historical and institutional infringements on civil rights? With my research paper, I aim to unpack the power dynamics, present and historically constructed, within white-person of color relationships, as well as the desires for whiteness, cisheteronormativity, and assimilation inherent in them due to hegemonic, normative systems of superiority and dependency. I will use American court cases to demonstrate institutional infringements on queerness as well as scholarly articles which support my point that whiteness infiltrates every aspect of life including relationships and the dynamics which form them, with a specific focus on visibility.

Loss of Balance: Destructive Legal Mechanisms Within USA Gymnastics Policy and their Contributions to a Toxic and Abusive Environment

Since the 1980’s, USA Gymnastics has emerged as a producer of Olympic champions, international success, and athletic excellence. However, with that growing dominance came a network of sexual abuse perpetuated among individuals at all levels of the organization. This paper seeks to examine the way in which USA Gymnastics allowed such abuse to continue and thrive by creating a system in which athletes were discriminated against in their inability to come forward without fear of retribution. I analyzed the rules and legal mechanisms in place within the organization and how they might prevent athletes and/or their coaches from wishing to come forward. I also sought out instances in which these rules were put into practice or warped for the benefit of abusers and enablers. Ultimately, my research showed that the hierarchy of the organization and the rules it enforced were structured in a way that any athlete wishing to report abuse had to risk being ostracized or not taken seriously. In addition, there were many discreet elements embedded in the culture of the organization, and the sport as a whole, that contributed to a toxic atmosphere that was wholly not conducive to safety and fairness in the practice of reporting abuse.

The Greek Voyage

During the spring semester of 2018, I took History 4497, a writing intensive course with an emphasis on European travel writing. My research focused on English travel writers of the late 16th and early 17th centuries voyaging to Greece. In my analysis, I examine the interactions early English travel writers experienced with the peoples of Greece. These interactions not only allow for an interesting first-hand insight of Greek life but provide reflections of the authors and their culture. Major themes discussed in my analysis include the anti-Greek bias, civilization versus barbarism, and non-elitist perception. I came to the conclusion that while formally-educated English travel writers’ perceptions of Greece were influenced greatly by the negative biases of their teachings, Thomas Dallam, an English organ-builder with no classical knowledge nor formal education, experienced his Greek voyage with a radically different perspective.

Foreign Born Populations and Unemployment in the United States: Myth or Reality?

Immigration to the United States has played a crucial role in the founding and development of the nation. However, there has also been a consistent trend of native born United States citizens to pin employment struggles on new immigrant populations. In the wake of the 2016 presidential election and the rhetoric espoused about immigrants, the relationship between new immigrant populations and employment has continued. Is there a relationship between areas with high foreign born populations and high unemployment? By conducting a regression analysis using U.S. Congressional districts as the unit of analysis, I find that there does appear to be a statistically significant relationship between areas with high foreign born populations and high unemployment rates. However, there appears to be a more statistically significant and larger change in the unemployment rate caused by median family incomes and the commuting time to work. I concluded that efforts to better address transportation systems in the United States and addressing income inequality will be more effective at solving unemployment issues than divisive rhetoric towards immigrants. I also recommend that policy initiatives to better integrate new immigrants into U.S. society be studied to curb the relationship between high unemployment areas and high foreign born populations.

Gridlock in Global Ocean Governance: Diverging National Interests in the South China Sea

With the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 1994, it was intended to serve as a means of universal ocean governance in resolving international maritime disputes. However, the failure to resolve the ongoing South China Sea Dispute, between the neighboring countries of China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, and the Philippines, has revealed regulatory gaps on the part of global ocean governance. This paper identifies the origins of gridlock in global ocean governance by identifying the diverging national interests of the actors involved in the South China Sea dispute that hinder cooperation in the region. Furthermore, this paper will show how the legacy of UNCLOS has stifled its own ability to mediate this contemporary conflict. In conclusion, this paper asserts that the key to resolving the South China Sea dispute is through multilateral natural resource extraction between the actors involved in the conflict, aided by the legal and diplomatic support of UNCLOS.

Trade in Conflict Minerals -- Congolese Warlords, MNC’s, and Dodd-Frank 1502

This paper seeks to provide an overview of conflict mineral trade by analyzing it through an economic lens. Using data gathered from news sources, the memo first defines the term “conflict minerals” and identifies that the primary actors involved in the conflict mineral market are rebel militia groups and multinational corporations. The trade is mutually beneficial for these actors as it serves as the primary source of revenue for militia groups and allows multinational corporations to buy minerals at low costs. The memo also highlights the struggles legitimate Congolese miners face, as they face threats from militia groups and low market prices Also identified is Section 1502 of the Dodd Frank act, legislation which forces multinational corporations to list their mineral suppliers, thereby increasing supply chain transparency. While implemented with good intentions, it is extremely unsuccessful in stifling the conflict mineral trade as it lacks substantive regulatory measures. Furthermore, the EU and US plan to implement opposing conflict mineral trade policies — the EU looks to increase supply chain transparency while the US looks to repeal Section 1502 of Dodd Frank (an action which would decrease supply chain transparency). This paper believes that coordinated and homogenous action on the part of both federal governments and IGOs is necessary in order to concretely enforce restrictions on conflict mineral trade.

The Gender Correctional Machine: Institutional Mechanisms that Reinforce a Patriarchal Gender Order in Correctional Facilities

Mass incarceration is a feminist struggle. Not only are women the fastest growing population in correctional facilities in the United States but they also face institutional regulations that aim at "correcting" their gender and sexual "deviance." Correction, within women's correctional facilities, refers to the structural attempt to enforce a gendered, class-based, and racialized order. The mechanism that allows the gender correctional machine to be enacted functions through two branches: correctional industries and library content. This study examines the extent to which regulatory programs, such as limited labor options and libraries, are actually constructed through male-gaze-dominated norms. By looking at the connection between vocational programs and the prison-industrial complex, it is evident that labor-oriented programs not only exploit women but do so in a gendered way. Low-waged, traditionally feminine, and potentially racialized training within the facilities showcase the regulatory mechanism to keep women "were they belong." Furthermore, this study imports the theoretical lens of Laura Mulvey's notion of the male gaze into the area of sociology of law, and seeks to understand how prison libraries enforce patriarchal norms. By looking at denied and permitted library publications in the Philadelphia Department of Prisons, this study shows that the male gaze functions as a normalizing and correcting force in the ways that gender and sexuality are visually portrayed in publications' covers. Thus, the study unveils the regulatory mechanisms of the gender correctional machine, and proposes radical resistance as an alternative to it.

Gender and Memory: Depictions of Femininity in Irish Revolutionary Art

This paper uses artistic depictions of the allegorical figure, Kathleen ni Houlihan, who represented the personification of Ireland, to analyze the role of gender in the Irish Revolution. Drawing on a number of primary source artistic works from the years surrounding the 1916 Easter Rising, this paper questions the impact highly gendered portrayals of Irish nationalism had on nationalist communities. This paper also relies on primary and secondary sources that highlight the highly gendered environment of revolutionary Ireland, and the hardships faced by nationalist women. In this study, I found that gendered depictions of Kathleen ni Houlihan were rooted in the gendered revolutionary environment, and reflected typical ideas of the roles men and women should play in the independence movement. The figure of Kathleen ni Houlihan offers an excellent case study of the role the arts played in both reflecting and altering Irish revolutionary society. Additionally, these artistic portrayals reflect the strict binaries of Irish society at the turn of the century, and provide insight into the ways women negotiated their positions in the revolution.

Socioeconomic Status, Math Achievement, and Head Start Attendance

Research has shown that socioeconomic status impacts student achievement consistently over time and there have been several suggestions in mediating this effect. Most notably may be preschool attendance, and especially publicly funded programs like Head Start. The nationwide program aims to serve primarily low-income youth, but has been reported to experience major fadeout in the early years of elementary school. Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study: Kindergarten Cohort 1998-9, this study exhibits the expected and persistent positive effects of SES on student math achievement, as well as the effectiveness of Head Start in mediating this effect and equalizing the opportunity for educational achievement in mathematics. Implications of these findings are discussed in the context of Head Start implementation across the country, and the general need for universal preschool to minimize the effects of SES on long-term academic achievement.

“It’s a Battle for Information”: Mau Mau as the Boogeyman of Decolonization

This paper sought to place a collection of newsreels from Pathé News about the Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya into the historical narrative of the revolt. The current understanding of the Mau Mau has not included a comprehensive discussion of the coverage of the group and the way that news of the revolt shaped the history that follows it. What was observed throughout the reels was an increasingly hostile propaganda campaign against the Mau Mau. This stronger rhetoric coincided with greater atrocities committed by the British as the war dragged on. The main findings of the paper were that the Mau Mau became a kind of “boogeyman” for the British about the dangers of decolonization, as well as the way that the news about the revolt served to paint the revolt in explicitly racist terms. The Mau Mau play an important role in the history of Kenya, and collections like that of Pathé News help to illuminate the narrative that the British developed for the independence struggle.