Sounding Order : Sound, Race, and the Auditory Politics of Public Space
This study looks at the role of space and sound in perpetuating racial violence and maintaining social order. Sound has often been used as a social mechanism for policing public space. Spaces, and the aural rules attached to them, have also provided the framework for racial discrimination. Starting in the early days of the colonies, this analysis traces the root of racialized sound practices in the United States, and investigates the way these practices are used to organize social space and the people who inhabit it. This project concludes with potential solutions and approaches to sound that could undermine racial and social hierarchies, rather than affirm them.
Mi Nombre Es: An Analysis on the Community's Influence, Understanding, and Response to Feminicidios
What are femicidios and why is their extent in Mexico significant? How do the government, media, and cultural norms legitimize or exacerbate femicides? How do feminicidios affect the community? How can they be stopped?
The review analyzes effects and consequences of the common perceptions of undocumented and detained immigrants in the United States and at the U.S. - Mexico Border. Doing this by taking a look into a wide range of mainstream media sources such as political speeches, popular marketing, news sources, tv shows, etc. This review will hopefully uncover what kind of stereotypes are being perpetuated and what themes are the most common portrayals of undocumented and detained immigrants. Doing this will hopefully shine a light on an important issue and potentially change the way people are portrayed and perceived.
International students experience a voluntary and temporary displacement when they move for college. The occupation of a liminal space creates significant challenges for them and it is important to recognize that factors at the macro, meso, and micro levels stack upon each other and affect their sense of belonging. The present research employed semi-strucutre interviews in a focus group setting with 24 international students representing 17 countries to examine what institutional, symbolic, and individual factors affect their sense of belonging at Bennington College, a small liberal arts college located in rural Southern Vermont. Through the conceptual framework of intersectionality, four overarching themes emerged in the results that affect an international student's sense of belonging: financial strain, federal and institutional policies, discrimination including racism, neo-racism, and everyday microaggressions, and lastly, changes over time. The research argues for and highlights important policy implications for increasing international students' sense of belonging.
Restorative Justice as a Practice of Accountability in Abolition
The United States Criminal Justice system is an institution that perpetuates systems of poverty, racial inequalities, and harm. To imagine different models of responding to societal harm, we can look to Restorative Justice, a conception of justice that recognizes the significance of community connections, focuses on the needs of the survivors and seeks to repair harm to the extent possible. This thesis is an exploration of the failures of the United States criminal justice system and of an alternative strategy for justice: Restorative Justice.
When readers discover that the characters, either main or side characters, are BIPOC and LGBTQ+, they identify themselves within the text and feel represented.