Why is Rwanda the top-ranking country in the world for gender equity in parliament, while other countries adopting gender quotas struggle to achieve their goals for women’s representation? I study the implementation of gender equity quotas in post-genocide Rwanda by analyzing the country’s socio-political history. I identify the impacts of three main schools of thought: war/conflict induced disruption of leadership/gender roles, dominant party ideology, and the strength of women’s empowerment movements, tracing them through the period of the genocide, the Reconstruction Era, and finally the current era where women hold 64% of parliamentary seats.
Faculty Sponsor: Greg Felker
Discipline: International Studies
Global fertility is in a prolonged decline, sparking concerns about future demographic trends. Some countries face the "low fertility trap" hypothesis, asserting that once the total fertility rate (TFR) falls below 1.5, it stays there. Despite numerous socio-economic, cultural theories explaining fertility decline, consensus remains elusive. My research focuses on Hungary and China, both low-fertility countries, analyzing child-rearing costs, religiosity/traditional gender roles, fertility policies, and women's education. This paper validates the fertility trap hypothesis, arguing that Hungary, positioned above the 1.5 threshold, can stabilize its TFR, while China, below the threshold, may struggle to raise its TFR.
Faculty Sponsor: Greg Felker
Discipline: International Studies
Some countries with anti-egalitarian religious regimes have high rates of female educational attainment. In Iran, women made significant gains in literacy, school enrollment, and post-secondary degrees despite discriminatory policies implemented after the religious revolution of 1979. Drawing on the work of scholars of education in Iran and the Middle East at large, and analyzing this paradox from economic, religious, and political perspectives, my research finds that the admonition to educate women found in Islam’s sacred texts have enabled Iranian women to strive for autonomy through education. This challenges Western beliefs about the relationship between religion, Islam specifically, and women’s agency.
Faculty Sponsor: Greg Felker
Discipline: International Studies
The modern image of the cowboy diverges vastly from the frontier-era reality, where work in all-male ranches fostered intimate same-sex bonds—captured in poems and journals and generally accepted at the time. Yet, as the frontier era closed and a binary view of gender and sexuality emerged, non-heterosexual identities were marginalized. Hollywood's idealized narrative subsequently erased the queer aspects of cowboy culture, upholding a heteronormative standard that symbolized the nation. This historical denial resonates today, as shown in the polarized reception of the film 'Brokeback Mountain', which challenged the heteronormative myth, revealing biases in American views of masculinity and sexuality.
Faculty Sponsor: Ana Montero
Discipline: Global Cultural Studies
This thesis delves into the representation of the tourist gaze in contemporary Ecuadorian cinema, specifically in the film “Que tan lejos” (Tania Hermida, 2006). The tourist gaze is the idea that travel experiences aren't solely individual, but are shaped by societal influences. Tourists often pursue an idealized destination based on various sources, such as word of mouth and visual mediums. Though, the tourist gaze can unveil unique aspects of everyday beauty that locals might be used to. This research project explores how “Qué tan lejos” examines and critiques the tourist gaze through nuanced portrayals of gender, language, and personal identity.
Faculty Sponsor: Ana Montero
Discipline: Global Cultural Studies
This study examines how Wildman folklore, such as Bigfoot, Sasquatch, and the Yeti, contributes to the formation of collective identities across cultures. This topic raises crucial questions regarding the prevalence of Wildman legends cross-culturally. My research consists of primary source analysis regarding Wildman belief experiences, individual interviews, and large group surveys. I will build upon the theoretical framework established by scholars like Michael McLeod and Joshua Blu Buhs, who laid the foundations for Wildman research within anthropology and folkloric studies. Underscoring the role of folklore in anthropological research, this thesis will show the significance of these legends within cultural identities.
Faculty Sponsor: Ana Montero
Discipline: Global Cultural Studies
Exploring the impact of ‘Generational wokeness’ on media representations of Indigenous Water Rights Movements amid shifting political landscapes, this thesis examines coverage and narratives presented in US and Canadian media from 2000 to 2024. This study will focus on the 10 Tribes Partnership of the United States and the First Nation Peoples of Canada to shed light on the environmental challenges faced by marginalized communities. It will demonstrate how these challenges are often overshadowed in the growing world of mass media.
Faculty Sponsor: Ana Montero
Discipline: Global Cultural Studies
Disability rights is an emerging field of study that examines what it means to be disabled. Using research spanning from 1994-2024, this thesis examines accessible healthcare and disability services in Mexico and the United States, acknowledging that disabilities and chronic illnesses frequently receive inadequate attention and treatment due to their persistent nature. By reviewing and comparing services and approaches to caring for their disabled constituents, patient’s quality of life, efficacy of treatment, and disability rights discourse in both countries, this research project will shed light on the experiences of disabled individuals and healthcare systems across these two bordering nations.
Faculty Sponsor: Ana Montero
Discipline: Global Cultural Studies
The development of rituals in Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG) is an active demonstration of communal digital social intelligence and how it’s performed through a player's avatar. Be it through rites of passage like birthdays or funerals, to mentorship and power negotiations within non-verbal cues, this paper means to explore the intersection between building digital communities, their manifestation as player interactions, and conceptions of identity infrastructure as a member of a larger collective. The methods of this project were twofold, a mixture of past literature across anthropology and communications, alongside interviews from active players within Square-Enix’s MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV.
Faculty Sponsor: Ana Montero
Discipline: Global Cultural Studies
Humor is a noteworthy form of human communication that accentuates what is unique and important to a culture or language. Humor research is deeply context-dependent, both within cultures and across languages. This project delves into a key linguistic challenge of studying humor: universality. Linguistic research has been piloted by Anglocentrism, where English is treated as the standard for studying all other languages. Building upon Cliff Goddard's work, this study explores how the Minimal English approach contributes to decentering English and simplifying cross-cultural translations, providing a better understanding of humor across all languages.
Faculty Sponsor: Ana Montero
Discipline: Global Cultural Studies
This research project explores the intersection of religion with identity and gender perceptions in contemporary Mexico, highlighting intergenerational differences among Mexicans. It will also examine the significance and symbolism of the Virgin Mary and Malinche, revealing their cultural and religious confluence. This study will show the widespread influence of religion in Mexico and how religious beliefs are ingrained not only in church settings but also in the broader cultural and social context.
Faculty Sponsor: Ana Montero
Discipline: Global Cultural Studies
This thesis aims to understand the intergenerational effects of colonialism in Southeast Asia and its manifestation in sex work, sexual violence, and female sexual dysfunction, particularly within the Philippines and Thailand. Although these nations have distinct colonial histories, they both developed thriving sex industries. Utilizing critical comparative analysis, drawing from applied medical anthropology, this study integrates diverse sources including interdisciplinary articles, ethnographies, and interviews for qualitative examination. This data will subsequently inform practical recommendations for education and healthcare policies to address issues related to sex and colonialism.
Faculty Sponsor: Ana Montero
Discipline: Global Cultural Studies
Bedtime stories have a tremendous impact on children, serving to inform and entertain them while representing contemporary cultural mores. This project takes a deeper look into the retellings of popular children’s myths and follows the retention patterns of adaptations in young adults. The study analyzes the history of fairy-tale adaptations and grounds the trends in the present with a survey and interviews of young adults. The results will be discussed and used to identify the “survivability” of current children’s myths retellings.
Faculty Sponsor: Ana Montero
Discipline: Global Cultural Studies
This thesis will explore resilience, hope, and prospective futures within the cultural milieu of North American Indigenous peoples, largely the Anishinaabe First Nation. Using a review of academic literature and graphic novel anthologies by Indigenous voices, this research project will establish the philosophical basis of Indigenous futurity (potentials for change) and the conceptually related artistic movement of Indigenous futurism. We will explore throughlines like Indigenous time, hope, and land ties, advocating for narratives that transcend past adversities and allow diverse perspectives of the future.
Faculty Sponsor: Ana Montero
Discipline: Global Cultural Studies