This thesis examines the inaugural addresses of Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Understanding how they operate under the framework given by Murray Edelman in his book, The Political Spectacle, one can better understand how President Obama and President Trump use ideas of leaders, enemies, the media, and the overall political spectacle to position themselves as solutions to created problems.

Building on research on family communication and forgiveness, this study seeks to understand how families communicate the value and practice of forgiveness. Through semi-structured interviews, the study asks participants to recall their formative conversations and experiences about forgiveness with their family members and to discuss how those conversations influenced their current perspectives on forgiveness. Interviews from five female undergraduate students yielded seven main themes from where individuals learn how to forgive: 1) Sibling conflicts, 2) Family conversations about friendship conflicts, 3) Conversations with Mom, 4) Living by example, 5) Take the high road, 6) “Life’s too short”, and 7) Messages rooted in faith and morality.

Research has shown that being a female athlete in a male-dominated sports world is an oppressive burden, yet the experiences of being a black female athlete have been largely ignored. To combat this lack of attention, this paper invokes communication and feminist theorist Bell Hook's concept of moving black women from margin to center to reveal the intersectional oppression of gender and racial narratives that they face in sports. By outlining the difference between white and black femininity and studying media portrayals of popular black female athletes such as Venus and Serena Williams and others, it becomes obvious how black women are typecast into certain social and athletic roles. This research also includes an auto-ethnographic component of my own experience as a black female lacrosse player at the NCAA Division I level. This component functions as a point of comparison and contrast of the ideas and concepts I discuss. Lastly, I offer recommendations and suggestions as to how to empower young black female athletes and retain them in a variety of sports. The goal of my thesis is to place special attention onto black women in an area which there is an extreme lack of representation. My own empirical research has led me to the conclusion that not only is such a discussion important, but it is absolutely necessary. If we are to fight back against hegemonic social structures such as racism and gender roles in the sports world, we must first understand what we are up against. My thesis gives us a glimpse into our imposing opponents, and I hope that future research continues this trend so that black female athletes like myself may one day be considered an athlete in the same sense that our white peers are.

The main reason behind this video recorded interview is to understand what today’s Jewish population believes about tattoos. There are many different rumors that are believed to be true by a larger portion of the Jewish population. This project will choose to focus on an array of different members of the Jewish community, and their differing opinions when it comes to tattoos. This documentary video will discuss the different aspects of who is “allowed” to get a tattoo, what the burial myth is, why it exists in the first place, etc. The people interviewed will range from Rabbi’s to Jewish kids in college. The reason why this project is being created is in order to better understand one religions viewpoint on body modification and what this means for future generations to come. Will also at one point discuss what the project meant to me personally, and also the implications of COVID-19. The video recorded interview will help to uncover opinions, and beliefs of Jewish people alive today.