Western Senior Project Topics

Auman, Betsy, Effects of the transition of coal mining technologies from underground pit mining to surface strip mining and mountaintop removal, specifically in rural West Virginia, on Appalachian communities and the environment.
Bennett, Andy, German women's experiences and poetry during Nazism: common themes in exiled poetry.            
Berg, Christopher, Spain's response to the Madrid train bombings of March 2004 seen through the lenses of history, politics, anthropology and psychology, in contrast to the U.S. response to terrorism following the attacks of September 11th, 2001.
Brasseur, Michelle, Women in fantasy fiction: the roles of female characters (esp. wives and mothers) in the works of J.K. Rowling and Marion Zimmer Bradley and how they relate to the elements of magic and paranormal, religion, and "the other."
Brown, Emily, Third world women's resistances to globalization: implications for feminist and globalization theories.
Brule, Adam, A social history, assessment, and ecological systems model of learning disabilities on four embedded levels: ontogenic development, microsystem, macrosystem, and exosystem.
Cheng, Denise, The rise of participatory journalism, its implications for traditional journalism and the sustainability of both.
Daney, Dylan, Satire and its impact on political discourse.
Davis, Michael, Psychological and historical aspects of m-t-f transgendered persons: the 'doing' of gender.
Delphia, Nick, Treating drinking water through riverbank filtration, and data analysis of storm scour in the Great Miami River.         
Downs, Alison, The impact of neoconservative ideology on specific U.S. foreign and domestic policies post 9/11.
Elkins, Lydia, The narrative structures through which literature can convey philosophical meaning, and the implications of the metaphysical nature of fictional stories for such meaning.
Erb, Elissa, The perception of environmentalism in the American public and factors contributing to opinions of environmental issues.
Etter, Nikki, A resource guide for educators and parents, and for students returning to school after acquired traumatic brain injury.
Feister, Jesse, Re-structuring the FCC in accordance with the state of media and telecommunications technology and infrastructure.
Fincun, Cat, When and why people come together in events: details that create the desired experiences.
Fox, Jason, Video game design: creating and being immersed in completely imagined worlds.
Gresham, Seth, How animation reflects culture in America and Japan.
Guhanarayan, Gaya, Effects of religion, social support, gender differences, health, and status on the ageing process of women in India and the United States.
Harter, Maureen, Outdoor recreation programs for children with exceptionalities.         
Heinen, Florence, Global brand management.
Hendy, Justin, Fungal and pest effects on tree composition historically throughout the eastern deciduous forest.
Hirsch, Randall, Effects of federal public policy on global warming.
Jones, Amy, Indicators of success used by British publishers choosing books to send to America.
Kerosky, Thad, A study of fluctuations in quality on the internet community kuro5hin.org using the theories of agency in social movement, commons-based peer production, cyclical models of communities, and case studies of other communities online.
Krease, Kevin, Corporate social responsibility and social change. 
Kwarciany, Chris, Rethinking development and globalization: a framework for development-friendly globalization.
Lempert, Willi, Nasty noble savages: implications of hunter/gatherer representation in human nature discourse.
Lohr, BJ, How urban planning and the urban environment respond to systems of racism, classism, and sexism/misogyny.
Love, Kara, Panic disorders and family roles in early childhood, adolescence, and adulthood: analysis and documentary.
Mack, Sarah, A feminist assessment of credibility in Jean Kilbourne's Killing Us Softly through mass media and countercultural media analyses.
Marsh, Carl, International healthcare systems and their application in American healthcare reform.
McLean, Anne, The contemporary art museum: roots and definition, development of architecture, collection, and modes of display, and how these reflect the broader culture.
Moll, Alyssa, Professional and ethnographic analysis of diet, emotional regulation, and individual identity development of first year college students.
Moning, Zach, The evolution of myth and history through J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings                 
Moskowitz, Shira, Educational science television: making a pilot science television program for elementary school children, with a woman as the host.
Nordstrom, Kerry, Information access for underserved communities through municipally controlled wireless broadband.
Ober, Wade, Batman and Superman over the past 30 years: the introduction of social problems and real life issues into their lives.
Okech Oyugi, Willis, Socio-economic, cultural, and political aspects of Kenya's human-wildlife conflicts: a case study of the Masai Mara Game Reserve linked to the colonial state.
Page, Laurie, Body image of males and females at Miami University, in relation to mediations of masculinity and femininity.
Parrott, Laura, Visual representations of Tibet by Westerners, Chinese, and Tibetans, through ethnographic films and photography before and since the Chinese "liberation."
Pearl, Ryan, Zines: Cultural empowerment and popular cultural critique
Phelps, Kristen, How Western, contemporary feminist artists use popular culture imagery to address idealized femininity and beauty.
Phillips, Sara, Comparison of sustainable green city development in Beckerich, Luxembourg and a US city: the role of environmental policy.
Pliske, Jon, The role of technology and temporality in a contemporary aesthetic for examining and creating photographic art.
Pomante, Amy, Wrongful termination: a comparative analysis of American private and public sectors, and of the US and other G8 countries.
Reed, Sarah, Cultural stigmatization of women who self-injure: constructing a de-stigmatization campaign.           
Ruff, Jessica, Typologies of intercollegiate athlete experience and its relation to student support services.
Sack, Leo, Combining formal (classroom) and informal (interpretive) environmental education efforts to permit formal environmental educators to use centers of informal environmental education as a teaching resource.
Shuttleworth, Whitney, The benefits of sustainable, community-supported agriculture to rural America and family farms.
Smart, Anne, Federal energy policy to mitigate peak oil in the U.S. from limited domestic petroleum reserves and expected declines in foreign oil production.
Stern, Rachel, Multi-causal psychological analysis of schizophrenia from biological and humanistic/constructivist viewpoints.
Streicker-Howard, Zoe, Establishing a B & B in Savannah, GA that reflects the character of both the city and the American South, while remaining welcoming to all types of families with children.
Swing, Jenn, Collage critiqued through historical, feminist, and postmodern lenses: feminist activism against media hegemony within small groups of women creating and discussing collage.    
Thomas, Molly, Economic, environmental, and social implications of the U.S. failure to match Europe's extensive train system.
Trout, Andrew, Health insurance in America and the failure of the employer model with Massachusetts reform as a case study.
Weisman, Laura, Role of architecture in transplanting a culture into a new geography: the Tibetan Buddhist experience in India.
West, Craig, The rhetoric of teen literacy and the literary value of young adult fiction.
Workman, Katy, Marketing research into price elasticities of organic vs. inorganic foods in Kroger, or into what makes a college population/culture sensitive to environmental/sustainability issues.