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- Description:
- Directioners. Believers. Beatlemania. Swifties. Selenators. Trekkies. Hiddlestoners. All of these fandoms are based on one very important factor -- parasocial relationships. A term coined by Donald Horton and Richard Wohl in 1956, a parasocial relationship is used to describe the form of communication between ordinary people and performers in the mass media. These relationships are controlled by the performer based on what they chose to share with their audience. They also lack reciprocity, as the performers don't know nearly as much about each individual as the audience as a whole knows about them. Nonetheless, nearly 70 years after being defined, this perception of a relationship between a performer and a fan has expanded and intensified as mass media consumers our lives and we, the fans, begin to think of the people who we once idolized as friends. The study conducted took a look at parasocial relationship and the way in which they affect our interactions with celebrities on social media. In addition to basic questions used to understand the demographics of the sample, participants were asked a series of questions involving social media, celebrities, and their tv-watching and music-listening behaviors using Likert scales to allow the individual to express how much they agree or disagree with a particular statement. Although the participants may disagree, some questions were simple, asking for their favorite television shows and musicians. Others required more self-reflection and thought about how they relate to these strangers they say are their favorite people and why they even like them in the first place. Finally, participants were asked to criticize their own use of social media, from the posts they like, their willingness to unfollow a celebrity, and their tendency to comment on posts, if they do at all. Since this study was conducted at a primarily Hispanic, majority-female institution, ethnicity and gender are not as relevant in this study but it is still remarkable that females seem to be more open about their interactions with their favorite celebrities. More often than not these are people we have never met or spoken to yet we know more about them at times than we know about our friends, family members, or even ourselves. Why is this a thing? How is this a thing? Is there a benefit to it all? These are just some of the questions that arose throughout the study. Through the research conducted, it seems that although there is no end to the extent of a parasocial relationship, there are ways in which they can legitimately benefit people. Of course, today parasocial interactions have grown from simply what we see of television personalities on the shows the star into celebrities and influencers in general, really anyone we interact with through social media.
- Keyword:
- social media, parasocial relationships, celebrity, and mass media
- Subject:
- Communication and Media Studies
- Creator:
- Morales, Alexis
- Contributor:
- Dr. Cynthia Walker, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 06/09/2020
- Date Modified:
- 06/09/2020
- Date Created:
- April 20, 2020
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Description:
- For the 2016 United States Presidential election, 61.4% of the voting-age population reporting voting, "a number not statistically different from the 61.8% who reported voting in 2012," ("Voting in American", 2017). While race, economic status and age are seen as obvious factors that contribute to an active voter, there are factors that are just as important but have been less researched. If a person was raised in a household that openly discussed politics, are they more likely to actively vote in local, state and national elections? If a person's parents or friends subscribe to a specific political party, how likely is it that a voting-age adult will feel pressured to vote for a certain candidate? Does the type of media that of media that one consumes have an effect on a person's voting habits? Theses are just a few of the questions that were answered through the research conducted. With the use of printed surveys and later on, an online survey, 102 respondents were asked 24 questions about the voting habits, and the habits of the friends and family. The study shows that most young adults do consider themselves "active voters, and vote in local, state and national elections, although the emphasis is placed on the national election. The research also showed that individuals who grew up in politically active households (their parents voted, they discussed politics, etc.) were more likely to become active voters themselves versus individuals who had parents who did not vote and did not discuss politics. This was despite the fact whether the individuals agreed with their parents about politics. These results suggest that a person's upbringing and who they hang around with does have an effect on the type of voter that they are.
- Keyword:
- voting, elections, and U.S. Politics
- Subject:
- Communication and Media Studies
- Creator:
- Antonucci, Alexandra
- Contributor:
- Dr. Cynthia Walker, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 06/09/2020
- Date Modified:
- 06/09/2020
- Date Created:
- April 20, 2020
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Description:
- My Honors thesis is the product of my experience in the classrooms at Saint Peter's University and overseas in London and Paris. Through a challenging and rewarding curriculum at The Jesuit University of New Hersey, I have been exposed to important factors of global economics: intellectual capital, technology, natural resources, and, especially, the robotics and drones industry. I have also learned much about the private equity industry, famed for its leveraged buyouts (LBOs), as well as its prevalence in everyday life. The structure of this paper will include an introduction with general background information on my study a history of the private equity and robotics and drones industries, why what I will be arguing is significant, my leveraged buyouts (LBO) and discounted cash flow (DCF) analyses, and the implications of my research, followed by a conclusion. The purpose of my study is to analyze LBOs in the robotics and drones industry. Through this analysis, I unearthed a positive correlation between the number of LBOs conducted and rising inequality between the world's developed and developing countries.
- Keyword:
- robotics and drones, private equity, economic inequality, and leveraged buyouts
- Subject:
- Finance
- Creator:
- Slawinski, Alexander R.
- Contributor:
- Dr. Devin T. Rafferty Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 06/09/2020
- Date Modified:
- 09/16/2020
- Date Created:
- April 20, 2020
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Keyword:
- medieval studies, University of Paris, Renaissance, University of Bologna, and medieval universities
- Creator:
- Giorlando, Chris
- Contributor:
- Dr. Sheila Rabin, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 11/26/2019
- Date Modified:
- 11/26/2019
- Date Created:
- May 2011
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Keyword:
- Classics, translation, Virgil, and Latin
- Creator:
- Carney, Sean
- Contributor:
- Dr. Kristina Chew, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 11/26/2019
- Date Modified:
- 11/26/2019
- Date Created:
- May 2011
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Keyword:
- Edmund Spenser, Renaissance literature, Elizabethan literature, and Britomart
- Creator:
- Danis, Stephanie
- Contributor:
- Dr. Rachel Wifall, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 11/26/2019
- Date Modified:
- 11/26/2019
- Date Created:
- May 2011
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Keyword:
- American legal system, biological cognition, mental capacity, mental illness, and legal cognition
- Creator:
- Smith, Jeffrey Phillip
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 11/26/2019
- Date Modified:
- 11/26/2019
- Date Created:
- May 2011
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Description:
- In the years leading up to and including World War II, the Japanese invaded China, committing war crimes and atrocities that some say rivaled those committed by the German National Socialist (Nazi) Party in Europe. However, due to a number of factors following the end of World War II, many conflicting points of view about Nanjing have arisen, including views from Japanese ultranationalists, Chinese victims and their descendants, and from other outside parties, including Americans and Europeans. In the present day, the evidence and the different testimonies of what may have happened in Nanjing have become so convoluted that it would be impossible to come up with a purely factual, unbiased historical account of the events in Nanjing during the Japanese invasion on December 13, 1937 and the weeks leading up to and following that invasion. By looking at some of the most popular sources and references pertaining to the Nanjing Massacre, one can assess just how disputed the topic has become and how truly impossible it is for historians to arrive at a single, agreed upon history of the event.
- Keyword:
- nationalism, war crimes, Asian studies, China, World War II, and Japan
- Creator:
- Downing, Heather
- Contributor:
- Dr. Mark DeStephano, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 11/26/2019
- Date Modified:
- 11/26/2019
- Date Created:
- May 2011
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Keyword:
- baseball, Birmingham Black Barons, Kansas City Monarchs, Negro Leagues, Homestead Grays, and integration
- Creator:
- Frakes, Christopher
- Contributor:
- Dr. Jerome Gillen, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 11/26/2019
- Date Modified:
- 11/26/2019
- Date Created:
- May 2011
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Keyword:
- language, vernacular, native speaker, and world literature
- Creator:
- Wang, Mindy
- Contributor:
- Dr. Paul Almonte, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 11/26/2019
- Date Modified:
- 11/26/2019
- Date Created:
- May 2011
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Description:
- Can a sports franchise be an economic necessity for a city? For decades there have been studies and projects done about the effect sports franchises can have on their surrounding area; but most of the focus falls on the role that taxpayer funding plays in stadium construction or the economic impact that revenue and job creation from specific franchises plays on the city that hosts them. Very few studies exist that determine exactly how a sports franchise can impact its surrounding area. This is for a myriad of reasons. in larger cities with booming entertainment industries, the sports market is almost impossible to measure, as if fans were not spending money on the teams, they would simply repurpose those funds into an auxiliary entertainment market. Therefore, it shows no economic impact since the money is still being spent elsewhere. However, what about the smaller cities that have a more minor entertainment market? Are their sports teams then more valuable to the local economy? This is a question that is often ignored when studies are done on sports and the economy. In areas that have a less dynamic entertainment and tourism industry, a sports team should be able to play a much larger role in not just the structure of a city's economy, but also the entire makeup of the culture of that area. Therefore, a sports franchise can, in the right environment, create an atmosphere of culture and tourism while defining the city's identity and drastically affecting the local community's economy. The cities Indianapolis and Cleveland will be used to prove this point, as they match the criteria of having a lackluster entertainment industry and a struggling tourism market.
- Keyword:
- financial impact, tourism, sports, Cleveland, economics, Indianapolis, and job creation
- Creator:
- Brown, Nicholas
- Contributor:
- Dr. La Quita Frederick, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 11/22/2019
- Date Modified:
- 11/22/2019
- Date Created:
- May 2018
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Keyword:
- finance, China, international business, comparison, and global relations
- Creator:
- Calloni, Thomas Benjamin Luigi
- Contributor:
- Dr. Devin Rafferty, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 11/22/2019
- Date Modified:
- 11/22/2019
- Date Created:
- May 2018
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Description:
- Franz Kafka’s works have been studied by literary scholars and students since the posthumous publication of his literature. Often noted for their absurd and fantastical elements, Kafka’s short stories and novels present protagonists who undergo extreme experiences of suffering and death. Through a Marxist reading of his works, suffering is revealed as a product of a capitalist society and its alienation of individuals. In addition, through analyzing Kafka’s religious symbolism and motifs, his protagonists act as foils to Jesus Christ, whose passion and death is perhaps the most widely recognized and celebrated story of suffering. Finally, Kafka’s characters often exhibit the ideals of existentialism, the rejection of organized systems such as government and religion in favor of an introspective existence and an acceptance of suffering and death. Through these perspectives, Kafka explores the different meanings that can be derived from suffering.
- Keyword:
- suffering, Marxism, Franz Kafka, existentialism, and Christ
- Subject:
- English
- Creator:
- Caoile, Patrick
- Contributor:
- Dr. Paul Almonte, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 11/22/2019
- Date Modified:
- 06/11/2020
- Date Created:
- May 2018
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Description:
- This paper asserts the link between the current wave of right-wing populism and the theoretical flaws of our current system of globalization. In the same way that the well being of trees can be traced to its root system, this thesis states that the rise of right-wing populists should have been expected, given the way in which globalization was engineered. In order to prove this point, the paper takes a brief look at the economic theories that went behind globalization, how these theories became implemented, who won and who lost as a consequence, as well as how these theories directly led to the factors that fed the rise of people and groups such as Donald Trump in the United Stated, Brexit movement in the United Kingdom, and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Finally, the paper suggests that there is a need to change the current concept of globalization, and that in case changes do not occur, more chaos could lie ahead. The right-wing populists can be labeled as negative, but our way of exercising globalization is even more harmful.
- Keyword:
- Brexit, economics, globalization, populism, and right-wing politics
- Creator:
- Guevane, Marvin
- Contributor:
- Dr. Devin Rafferty, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 11/22/2019
- Date Modified:
- 11/22/2019
- Date Created:
- May 2018
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
95. NASA's Space Exploration and Earth Based Mission's Funding Comparison Under the Obama Administration
- Description:
- This thesis will focus on how Congress’s decisions influenced NASA’s programs in Space exploration. The factors that will be examined are the budgetary process and bills. Another factor that will be examined is NASA’s growing partnership with Commercial Space Industries due to Congress’s push towards new forms of handling with space programs. A comparison will be made between Earth related/practical programs and exploration/discovery programs.
- Keyword:
- NASA, government funding, and Obama administration
- Creator:
- Shibly, Shina
- Contributor:
- Dr. Alain Sanders, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 11/22/2019
- Date Modified:
- 11/22/2019
- Date Created:
- May 2017
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Description:
- During my collegiate career as an Elementary Education major at Saint Peter’s University, I have struggled to find the validity in the methods I have come to learn are a part of the educational system. The classes, overall seem to do the proper works in preparing a student who is seeking to become a teacher. As a prospective teacher, there were times where I understood the curriculum very clearly while at other times, it was difficult to decipher relevance. In the course of training to become a teacher, I have taken introductory courses giving background knowledge as preparation, some classes had clear and distinct purposes for my use, and other classes left a looming cloud of confusion. Something that the program succeeds in is preparing prospective teachers in the theoretical sense of education, but it does all but prepare prospects for practical situations. There is the implication that the courses are designed with the intention of helping teachers for when they enter into the classroom while only presenting students with hypotheticals; but where does the real experience come in? In this paper, I include my account of Saint Peter’s Education curriculum, the meanings of theoretical and practical education, and what those terms mean for teachers before and after they enter their own classrooms as the educator.
- Keyword:
- curriculum, theoretical education, practical education, and qualitative analysis
- Creator:
- McCray, Nadirah
- Contributor:
- Dr. Nicole Luongo, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 11/22/2019
- Date Modified:
- 11/22/2019
- Date Created:
- May 2019
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Description:
- This paper studies cyclic partitions under the operation 2-row Bulgarian solitaire. We develop tools such as block notation to make characterizing cyclic partitions easier. Using these blocks, we see that cyclic partition under 2-row Bulgarian solitaire have independently cycling diagonals satisfying one of four conditions. We conclude with an enumeration results that allow us to calculate the number of cyclic partitions for a given integer n.
- Keyword:
- 2-Row Bulgarian Solitaire
- Creator:
- Pradhan, Sabin
- Contributor:
- Dr. Brian Hopkins, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 10/23/2019
- Date Modified:
- 10/23/2019
- Date Created:
- May 2016
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Description:
- Artificial sweeteners are a relatively recent addition to the human diet. These substances, developed to fight rising obesity and diabetes rates by providing a low calorie sugar substitute, have become very popular among consumers. The result has been increased consumption of chemicals whose effects on the human body are not fully understood. The purpose of these experiments is to determine the effects of the artificial sweeteners sucralose, saccharin, rebaudioside (in Stevia) and aspartame on development of Xenopus laevis embryos. Trials consisted of four experimental groups and one control group. Each experimental group consisted of one artificial sweetener dissolved in aged tap water at a concentration of 10 µg/ml. The control group was exposed only to aged tap water. The rate of subsequent development was measured and photos were taken of specimens to record any morphological changes. Results, with the exception of a single saccharin trial, indicated that the rate of development was unaffected by the artificial sweeteners. However, in several trials individuals in the aspartame group presented with tail defects in which the tail appeared underdeveloped and curved.
- Keyword:
- saccharine, sucralose, aspartame, artificial sweeteners, and Stevia
- Creator:
- Graffin, Robert
- Contributor:
- Dr. Laura Twersky, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 10/23/2019
- Date Modified:
- 10/23/2019
- Date Created:
- May 2016
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Description:
- Many college students graduate without finding employment, which causes students to ask themselves if going to college was a waste. Additionally, students may wonder whether or not the required classes for their major even benefited them in finding employment. Therefore, this qualitative study is designated to assess whether or not Saint Peter's University's Criminal Justice Curriculum adequately prepares its Senior Seminar students today's career market. This study will specifically examine the criminal justice core classes only.
- Keyword:
- criminal justice department
- Creator:
- Gerraah, Mary
- Contributor:
- Dr. Brian Royster
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 10/23/2019
- Date Modified:
- 10/23/2019
- Date Created:
- May 2016
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Description:
- This thesis examines the question of whether or not medieval author and philosopher Christine de Pizan can be considered a feminist. It also gives a brief biography of the subject and outlines the influence she had over subsequent generations of feminist thinkers. Drawing from the portrait painted by Christine’s major biographers, as well as from arguments made by second-wave feminist historians on both sides of the question, it determines that although she cannot be labeled a feminist using the contemporary definition, she exhibits certain modes of feminist thought, notably her belief in education for women.
- Keyword:
- Christine de Pizan, medieval studies, feminism, and The Book of the City of Ladies
- Creator:
- Squillante, Lauren
- Contributor:
- Dr. Sheila Rabin, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 10/23/2019
- Date Modified:
- 10/23/2019
- Date Created:
- May 2016
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper