The Redwood Curtain: How Humboldt's Geography Affects Junior College Athletics

Nathan Jensen, Department of Geography, Environment & Spatial Analysis Undergraduate Student

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Due to Humboldt County’s geographical location, it is uniquely isolated from the rest of the country. This isolation can make recruiting new athletes for the College of the Redwoods Cross Country and Track and Field teams difficult. This research project will investigate which factors in Humboldt County lead to difficulty in recruiting, in the hope of gaining a better understanding of this area. My goal is to study and analyze what aspects of the area may impact the recruitment and retention of Track and Field athletes at CR.

The Relationship Between Personality Characteristics and Creativity on Judgments of Facial Attractiveness

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

People may or may not realize that when they meet a physically attractive person, they are more likely to evaluate him or her as a smart and positive person compared to a less attractive person in the absence of other features besides physical attractiveness. This attractive halo effect has influenced multiple areas that include the job market, dating, and academic success. However, it is possible for other factors, such as one’s creativity and personality to affect one’s judged attractiveness level. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of facial attractiveness, creativity, and warm-cold personality characteristics when judging female attractiveness.

The Reversing of Roe: A Dialogue at Humboldt State University

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

The 2018 documentary Reversing Roe illustrated the heartfelt and often intense debate of abortion care in the U.S. today, highlighting the history of the 1973 Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade, the contemporary forces opposed to such legislation, and the individuals dedicated to defending reproductive freedom. This past April, HSU students from across disciplines held a public screening of this documentary and opened a dialogue for the community to tackle the issues at hand: why are the rights of Roe v. Wade still important today, how could overturning such legislation endanger the health of Americans across the country, and what is the role of the Humboldt county community going forward?

The Rhetoric of Immigration

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Immigration is one of the most controversial topics in the U.S. As such, this VoiceThread will focus on the rhetoric of immigration in American culture. To do so, we compare multiple dimensions of this rhetoric from the scholarly perspective of our intercultural communication course. Specifically, we incorporate intercultural communication scholarship as a vantage point off which to compare the framing of immigration in news coverage with the framing of immigration in popular culture. We conclude by emphasizing the power of rhetoric to shape public opinion.

The Road So Far: How "Carry On Wayward Son" Forged a Bond Between a Story's Creators and Their Audience

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Over the past 14 years, the classic rock song “Carry On Wayward Son” by Kansas has been adopted by the television show "Supernatural" as its unofficial anthem. The song bridges the gap between story and audience, inviting viewers to participate rather than simply observe. My research will examine how this song serves the purpose of identity formation within the creator-audience relationship. The song helps to construct cultural identity, inspires creativity, and works as a persuasive element that affects not only the audience, but also the production crew of "Supernatural."

THE ROLE OF INVOLVEMENT AND CAMPUS CLIMATE ON THE ACADEMIC SUCCESS OF BLACK COLLEGE STUDENTS

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

There has been an increasing number of Black students entering into higher education, but they continue to have greater disparities in academic achievement when compared to White students. An institution's campus climate has been found to influence student success. This study seeks to examine the factor of campus climate, specifically negative campus racial climate (NCRC), as it relates to the GPA and university satisfaction of Black students at a rural institution. The study adds to the literature by exploring the degree to which involvement (Student-Faculty Involvement (SFI) and Club/Organization involvement (COI)) may act as a moderating force within the relationship.

The Role of Polyhedral Dice

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Intuitive to use, polyhedral dice hold meaning in the nerd and geek communities as a storytelling tool for tabletop games. Dice are rolled to advance a game’s plot by limiting the action of a scene and opening options for the story to move forward. The artifact is a product, and its image is used to advertise to the nerd and geek communities. Further research would explore polyhedral dice in relation to history, psychology, and marketing.

The Societal and Envrionmental Importance of Fire

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

My research project will explore the significance of fire. I will be researching the importance of fire in environments and communities, and how we can learn from past fire management in order to improve our modern fire management.

The Star Spangled Banner at Sporting Events: 1968-2018

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

This study examines the renditions of and reactions to “The Star Spangled Banner” at sporting events in the United States from 1968 - 2018. First, music as rhetoric is defined. Second, the tradition of including the national anthem at sporting events is discussed. Third, specific examples of positive and negative reactions to different versions of “The Star Spangled Banner” at major U.S. sporting events from 1968 on are identified and examined. Finally, the symbolism of the national anthem in sports is described.

The Tohono O'odham Nation Reservation and the Border Wall in the Context of Tribal Water Rights

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

When the United States acquired the 29,670-square-mile region of present-day southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico through the Gadsen Purchase of 1854, the Tohono O'odham nation was cut in half. Now, they reside on either side of the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona and Sonora. The border wall has forever altered their way of life, and new proposals for the wall are putting their relationship with local waterways in danger as well. This poster will be examining the history between the Tohono O'odham tribe and the border wall, specifically in the context of the Federal Indian Water Rights, and what construction of the wall would mean for the tribe in the long term.