The increasing success of Eurosceptic parties in national and European elections is undeniable. In the last twenty years, the European Union (EU) has faced economic, social, and political crises without much time in between. As a result, we are now the witnesses to an institutional crisis rendered even more real by the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU in January 2020. In this paper, I analyze the changes in rhetorical strategies employed by Eurosceptic parties to gather stronger electoral support.

Many scholars have now agreed that Euroscepticism and the parties representing it have become mainstream and accepted by the general public (Taggart and Szczerbiak, 2018). The journey to that acceptance, however, is less clear. While most agree that the crises that shook the EU have served as catalysts of success for Eurosceptic parties, the strategies employed to gather and use that momentum is less evident.

Based on the cleavage theory and its subsequent adaptations, I argue that the distinction between domestic and transnational perspectives of issues can be used to understand shifts in party rhetoric and changes in their electoral scores. I use electoral data, scores from the Party Manifesto Project (Volkens et al., 2020), and original manifesto analyses to better comprehend the rhetoric of blame and its impact on party success. My findings suggest that the blame of transnational rather than domestic institutions for EU-wide issues is a strategy that allows Eurosceptic parties to strengthen their core and expand their electoral gain.

This paper will evaluate forced child migration from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, more commonly known as Central America’s Northern Triangle. More specifically, the research questions how the denial of primary education may constitute a human rights violation that catalyzes forced child migration from the region. If the denial of education constitutes a human rights abuse, then current classifications and management of child migrants at the border can no longer be deemed sufficient or legal. Ultimately, if the denial of primary education represents a significant human rights abuse and cause of forced child migration, United States immigration policy must be altered in order to conform to international law, as well as provide security and sanctuary to these vulnerable ‘refugees’. This project will also closely examine how corruption, gang violence, and economic stagnation - other ‘push’ factors for child migration - are intertwined with failing schools and the denial of education at the domestic level.

The purpose of this research is to analyze Georgia Southern nursing students’ perceptions of their White Coat Ceremony and two prominent symbols (the white coat and stethoscope) obtained upon entry into the program. The White Coat Ceremony was founded to promote humanistic and scientific values to and welcome students to the healthcare community (The Gold Foundation, 2021). For interviewees, receiving these items was exciting and wearing them led them to feel transformed from their role as a student to a nurse. This research found that the White Coat ceremony is a rite of passage. After the ceremony, students experience a period of liminality leading up to the completion of the nursing program. Students expressed feelings of transformation in their identities and/or roles, and a sense that they had joined a new community during and after their ceremonies. Students explained that the ceremony and its symbols are not often incorporated into the formal and informal curricula during their time in the program. Finally, students’ lasting impressions of the ceremony were positive, but seldom discussed its intended values. Students saw their White Coat Ceremony as a time to mark the beginning of a journey, celebrate their admission, and join the healthcare community.

Racial discrimination is the highlighted problem and the different effects that it has on African American college students. This is important because these students may respond by using certain coping strategies that can be harmful to their mental health and overall health, in the long term. It is already known that racism has been a problem in the world, but has decreased over the years to that of subtle forms of racism, such as microaggressions. The goal of this study is to examine the discriminatory experiences of African American students at a predominantly white institution. Data will be collected on different coping mechanisms students engage in when these experiences happen and the impacts of discrimination and coping methods on mental health outcomes. Methodology that will be used will consist of Racism and Life Experiences Scale, Racism-Related Coping Scale, Mental Health Inventory questionnaire, and a Structured Cultural Interview. The first aim of this study is meant to examine how these students respond to racial discrimination and how that affects their mental stability. It is expected that students respond with avoidant coping strategies. The second aim consists of seeking to understand these college students’ perspectives of mental health treatments in response to racial discrimination. It is hypothesized that African American students will favor negative attitudes toward seeking mental health treatment. The final aim is to explore and gain understanding the college experience of an African American student here at Georgia Southern. It is expected that through the interview, common themes will be found to to help future research endeavors.

The research included was utilized to determine the effect of social roles and gender equality on Japanese women’s treatment in Japanese society. Many Asian countries have experienced a prominent decline in birth rate and population, which have increased global interest in these issues. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Japanese government officials have eagerly responded, pushing Japanese women into the labor force as a possible solution. However, this decision had unanticipated drawbacks, requiring officials to address Japanese women’s concerns in and outside of the workplace. I argue that the Japanese government will have more success by addressing these needs, creating a more gender-equal society for Japanese women. I seek to find the relationships between gender roles and the prominent decrease in births and labor force participation rates. I tested this hypothesis by analyzing the legislation in regards to gender equality passed by Japanese prime ministers, Yoshihiko Noda and Shinzo Abe, from 2011-2020. I measured the amount of legislation passed, the effectiveness of the legislation, and Japanese women’s reaction to the legislation. This paper utilizes current literature and former legislation to determine whether women would have a more equal role in society if their concerns (involving pregnancy and work environment) were addressed.

In 2018, Georgia saw one of the most contested elections in recent memory with Brian Kemp narrowly defeating Stacey Abrams. As a part of that election, social media would play a critical role in how campaigns are run. This thesis takes a look at previous literature on voter turnout and social media. This thesis asks: How did the campaigns use social media to spread their message, and in what stage of the election was social media most effective? To answer that question this thesis features a content analysis of Facebook posts and Tweets from the 2018 elections compared to posts in the 2014 elections to answer my question and to see how campaigning on social media has evolved since 2014. The results are that campaigns are more likely to post from the campaign trail and Get Out the Vote messages and during the final days of the general election campaign.

Overall, 85 million (26 percent) of the United States population has some form of disability (CDC, 2020). The fashion industry has long focused on a narrowly defined retail customer; one based on contemporary societal ideals of beauty: young, conventionally attractive, and perceived physical health (Carroll, 2015). Thus, neglecting people with disabilities leaves them unsatisfied with the current selection of clothing available to them (Suri, 2016). The lack of fashionable clothing available also negatively affects the perception of people with disabilities to able-bodied individuals (Nisbett & Johnson, 1992). The sad fact is that currently there is more clothing available for pets than there are people with disabilities (Ryan, 2018).

The purpose of this qualitative study is to better understand the level of satisfaction and needs of people who use mobility aids in regards to their clothing. The researcher evaluated 13 video-based interviews to find issues with current selections in ready-to-wear (RTW) and adaptive clothing as well as desired clothing design characteristics for people who use mobility aids. Common complaints from participants include issues with fit in a seated position, donning (putting on) and doffing (taking off) independently, the attractiveness and price of adaptive clothing, and the accessibility of the fashion industry overall. This research provides insights to the gap in the market for clothing for people with disabilities. Results will be used to design and create three vintage-inspired looks that are accessible to people who use mobility aids.

Today’s consumers are increasingly drawn toward multicultural advertising, which encourages many brands to incorporate artifacts/ideas of other cultures into their visual marketing campaigns. However, recent campaigns of fashion brands such as Dior and Dolce & Gabbana have led to backlash for utilizing culturally sensitive cues, because consumers felt offended by their cultural insensitivity and/or misrepresentation. This phenomenon is called cultural appropriation, which is defined as misusing or capitalizing on cultural property, creativity or experiences of a group of (often oppressed) people without honoring or respecting the people themselves. The question arises as to how consumers can differentiate between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation as the line between them has become increasingly blurred. There is little research that has explored consumers’ perceptions of cultural appropriation and appreciation. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to identify consumers’ understanding of these two concepts by using qualitative textual analysis of 136 posts under the hashtag “cultural appropriation” on the social media platforms Twitter and Tumblr. The themes that emerged include: commodification, disrespect, and power imbalance, just to name a few. This study’s findings help product managers/marketers to create more effective multicultural marketing content incorporating culturally sensitive cues that resonate positively with their target market.

After school programs have proven themselves to be a fantastic way for students to gain extra learning and social skills while not in the usual school setting. Another benefit is to increase physical activity to lessen the chance of childhood obesity. In Butts county, more specifically Daughtry Elementary School, there is currently an after-school program, but it does not have much of a structure--recreationally or at all. This poses a hidden problem for the students in the school system, who may have no one to motivate them to get active or to make them do any kind of outside socializing. By assessing the current needs of the students at Daughtry Elementary school, recommendations will be made to open the possibility of integrating an inclusive, recreationally-based after school program--should they choose to do so. In order to do this, Zoom interviews will need to be conducted to fully understand the student’s, teacher’s, and parent’s needs at the school. The interviews will address any roadblocks for not already having an inclusive program and the benefits for the students specifically at DES that an inclusive, programmed after school program would bring. Currently, most after school programs do not allow students who have special needs or behavior issues to attend. By making an after-school program inclusive for all, we can offer a relationship outside of academia between a student and staff member. By having an after-school program in place, we are adhering to a student’s emotional, physical, and behavioral needs.

Restorative justice is a growing school of penal thought which places emphasis on restoration and healing rather than punitive solutions. The purpose of this study is to assess whether prior experience with the criminal justice system, either as a victim, as an offender, or as an employee, affects perceptions of the foundations of restorative justice. These foundations include ideas such as punishment, retribution, and victim involvement. Additionally, this study examines how these perspectives influence the respondents’ perception of effectiveness or “justness” of the criminal justice system. Findings reveal that offenders have more negative views of punishment as a method of always dealing with crime compared to their non-offender counterparts, while the opposite is true for those employed in the criminal justice system. Additionally, findings reveal that victims tend to be less satisfied with the criminal justice system as community members, as opposed to their non-victim counterparts, while the opposite is true for those employed in the criminal justice system.

Current research on teacher support in the classroom has found a positive relationship between student academic engagement and teacher involvement. The purpose of this study was to review the literature on how this relationship functions specifically for students within contexts of poverty and lower socioeconomic status. Students in these disadvantaged circumstances face challenges, such as insufficient resources at home and school, that put them at risk for poorer academic performance (Sirin, 2005; White, 1982). Determining how teacher support tactics positively impact students’ academic engagement will inform future educational interventions on how to tailor to the needs of students who are socioeconomically disadvantaged. Therefore, a systematic literature review was conducted and found that teacher support is present through both direct (i.e., praise) and indirect (i.e., classroom management) student support tactics, which are positively associated with academic engagement for disadvantaged students (Fang & Kalogeropoulos, 2020; Lee & Bierman, 2015; Reddy et al., 2019). While this review found evidence that increased teacher involvement positively predicts student engagement, future research should explore how to best utilize the direct and indirect effects of teacher support to maximize student academic engagement.

Peer relationships contribute to the development of adolescent minds in many ways. It is important that we explore the connection between positive peer relationships and academic achievement because the current literature overwhelmingly focuses on the negative. Bullying, peer victimization, and negative peer relationships have been thoroughly researched while positive peer relationships are often overlooked. A systematic literature review was conducted to explore the associations between positive peer interactions and adolescent academic performance. Research suggests improving peer relationships increases and improves academic functioning, specifically because peer relationships and acceptance can lead to a stronger connection to academic life (Gallardo & Barrassa, 2016). The improvement of social relationships increases the likelihood of peer influence on positive academic performance (DeLay et al., 2016). The findings of this review will provide context for the importance of incorporating positive peer relationships inside and outside of classrooms. This work is particularly relevant because of the pandemic bracing our world. During days of Zoom calls and remote/online learning, many children are unable to engage with their peers and friends as they used to before. Considering the importance of peer relationships in relation to academic achievement is crucial to adolescent academic success, now and in the future.