University Honors Program

The Constitutional, Legal, and Ethical Concerns of Employing Jury Consultants to Assist in the Jury Selection Process

Patricia L. Martinez — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:08:31 PDT

[No abstract available.]

A Cinematic Challenge to Modernity Critical Theory in Postwar Japanese Cinema: An Introduction to Fukasaku Kinji

Michael Francis Phillips — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 09:23:03 PDT

Presented to the Honors Committee of Texas State University-San Marcos In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For Graduation in the University Honors Program, May 2009. Approved: Dr. Heather C. Galloway, Director, University Honors Program Dr. Peter D. Siegenthaler, Senior Lecturer, Department of History, Supervising Professor

Dialects: A Study of Dialects Around the World and How to Learn Them

Jenny (Jennifer) Anne Canfield — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:11:59 PDT

Analysis of the changes in dialectal patterns and techniques used to reproduce the sounds of each dialect. Accompanied by a video entitled "Interviews on the 2009 Economic Recession", produced , written, acted, and directed by Jenny Canfield. The Accompanying video is a presentation on several different spoken dialects. It is presented as a series of interviews with common people about the present economic situation. All parts are played by Jenny Canfield, as she explores the spoken word through different dialects by changing rhythm, oral posture, melody, and resonance point.

Coral Reef Madness

Chloe Yingst — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:57:38 PDT

We are engaged in an environmental war: fighting global warming, confronting an energy crisis, battling pollutions of all sorts, even struggling to save trees from deforestation. The Earth is our home and it is our duty to defend her; we are the principal architects of our future. As an artist I feel it is my duty to use what I know to educate others about the importance of helping our planet. Inspired by the simple but powerful environmental messages conveyed in Dr. Seuss's The Lorax and Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree, I am writing and illustrating my own children's picture book for my thesis. Both authors were able to use art in order to express how important the Earth is and the relationship we have with it. Children's books are an excellent way to educate the public about the rising problems we have with our environment. Not only do they teach children about our growing responsibility to the Earth, but they also educate the parents who purchase them. My story takes place in the beautiful coral reef where a funky, fish dance party gets too wild. The dancers scare off the wildlife, break coral, and kick up the sand on the ocean floor creating murky water that blocks the necessary sunlight to the reef. One tiny voice shows the coral reef community the error of their ways.

Food Perception Bias: Body Mass Index and Snacking Behaviors

Bliss Wilson — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:00:45 PDT

It is possible that overweight people have greater perceptual biases of food and drink than people of healthy weight and has been suggested that current diet may affect dietary memories. I hypothesized that (1) there would be a significant negative correlation between participants' body mass index and accuracy of perception of cheese puff amounts, (2) participants' estimates of food amounts would be significantly more accurate when the cheese puffs were visually present compared to participants' estimates when the cheese puff containers were occluded from view, and (3) participants' estimates would be significantly more accurate for containers having fewer, large cheese puffs compared to participants' accuracy estimates for containers having more, smaller cheese puffs. After surveying 51 Texas State University undergraduate psychology majors, using 10 identically cylindrical, clear, glass containers of identical weight displaying varying amounts of large cheese puffs and small cheese puffs, it was found that BMI was unrelated to accuracy of cheese puff estimates, the manipulation had no effect on the accuracy of estimates, and overall, amounts of large cheese puffs were estimated more accurately than small cheese puffs.

The German Composer Louis Spohr (1784-1859): His Life and Work, an Overview of His Clarinet Music, and an Analytical Approach to the Sechs Deutsche Lieder for Clarinet, Voice, and Piano

Stephanie Lynnette Vogler — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 07:07:30 PDT

Although Ludwig Spohr - with an opus list of more than 150 - enjoyed much fame during his lifetime, his works for clarinet, besides his four widely-known clarinet concertos, now receive little attention, though they are high-quality compositions. Some of Spohr's works for the clarinet are essentially violin music, but he understood the possibilities and limitations of the instrument due to an acquaintance with a talented clarinetist (Simon Hermstedt). Thus, many of his works involving the clarinet are suited especially for the clarinet and are wonderful recital pieces. This paper will provide an analytical approach to Spohr's Sechs Deutsche Lieder, op. 103.

Gender Differences in Parenting Styles and Effects on the Parent-Child Relationship

Meredith Ashley Stephens — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 06:17:09 PDT

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were any gender differences in parenting styles and if so, measure how they affect the parent-child relationship. Participants were given a survey asking basic demographic questions, questions about which parent/parents they have lived with the most, and questions that related to the gender roles of each parent. Participants were also given the Parental Bonding Inventory that measures maternal care and over protectiveness and paternal care and over protectiveness. There were significant gender differences in the ways that parents interacted with their children. For example most young people have been raised by traditional parents and felt closest to their mothers. Mothers on average spent more time with their children in general than fathers, spent more time taking care of their children, were more likely not to work full time, were seen as more overprotective and more caring, spent the most quality time with their children, and still speak to their children more often today. Another gender difference between fathers and mothers was that fathers were more likely to be overprotective of their daughters than their sons. The results supported traditional gender expectations, with mothers spending more time with their children and children feeling closer to their mothers when growing up.

Defensive Attributions as a Function of Gender

Catherine Elizabeth Solon — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 05:50:13 PDT

Two hundred thirty six students were assessed based on their self-esteem, locus of control, and defensive attributions made. Participants read two different scenarios of abuse and answered questions about who they blamed for the abuse. Participants with an external locus of control were found to blame the men more for the abuse in comparison to participants with an internal locus of control (M = -1.8268, SD = 1.38355, for external and M = -1.1852, SD = 1.63146 for internal). Participants with low self-esteem were found to blame the man less for the abuse in comparison with participants with high self-esteem (M = -1.3147, SD = 1.64387 for low self-esteem and M = -1.7125, SD = 1.42702 for high self-esteem). Self-esteem and locus of control were both found to be significant predictors of the ratings of the causes of abuse.

The Baptist Way(s): A Rhetorical Analysis of Texas Baptist Topical Sermons on Original Sin and Salvation

Kailey Rae Slone — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:59:04 PDT

Sermons are a source of rhetorical power that unlock the key to people's perceptions of religion, church, and Scripture; therefore, it is imperative that the homiletic genre be examined for persuasive tools, rhetorical structure, and language choice. For my thesis I will conduct a rhetorical analysis of Texas Baptist sermon rhetoric. My research examines topical sermons on "original sin" and "salvation" from pastors in the area of San Marcos, Texas. The churches of the participating pastors are affiliated with either the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC) or the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT). These two Texas conventions emerged from a controversial, political split in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) that took place between 1979 and 1990. Cluster and narrative criticisms were performed in order to uproot the key similarities and differences between the two conventions. Conclusions from the cluster criticism served as a point of unification for the conventions, while the narrative criticism highlighted differences in preaching styles, life applications, and the use of illustrations.

Low Energy Electron Diffraction Study of Epitaxial Cr2O3(0001) Films Grown on Cr(110)

Sy Redding — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:43:20 PDT

The (110) surface of Cr is somewhat unique in that its native oxide forms an epitaxial Cr2O3(0001) overlayer. Previous studies of this epitaxial surface found that a (v3xv3)R30� surface reconstruction was observed over a temperature range of 125 K to 175 K, and this has been attributed to a surface magnetic transition. To determine the nature of this surface reconstruction, we have grown an epitaxial Cr2O3(0001) surface on a Cr(110) single crystal and characterized its surface structure over a temperature range of 140 K to 675 K using low energy electron diffraction (LEED). Before growth of the epitaxial oxide, the Cr(110) surface was cleaned by performing several cycles of sputtering the surface with Ar ions followed by annealing at 725 �C to heal the surface. Although moderate surface contamination was observed on the Cr(110) surface after several sputter/anneal cycles, it was possible to grow an epitaxial Cr2O3(0001) film, which exhibited the characteristic LEED pattern of the (1x1) structure at 300 K. Our film failed to exhibit the characteristic pattern of the (v3xv3)R30� overlayer structure over the entire temperature range used in this study. It is possible that lingering impurities present in the bulk chromium prevented the reconstruction. However, it is noted that CO adsorption on this surface begins at 175 K and also results in a (v3xv3)R30� overlayer. Since CO is present in all vacuum systems and itinerate magnetic effects are very unusual, the source of the surface reconstruction is most likely not from a surface magnetic transition but from CO adsorption at low temperatures. It is probable, due to the lower base pressure of our vacuum system in comparison to the previous studies, that the cleaner environment failed to provide sufficient CO to produce the (v3xv3)R30� surface reconstruction during our measurement time.