Theses I'll Never Write

A home for the papers/ideas I'd pursue if I had the time and background. Please feel free to use them as prompts/jumping off points for your own work.

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The Shifting Lens on Pedophilai

Background: Reading about the North Carolina recent trains-related bathroom legislation and reading related articles on how anti-LGBTQ sentiments have been linked to the "pro-family" movement. Specifically concerns that having homosexual (male) neighbors endangered their sons by giving molesters unfettered access. Which led to: Questions: Why was homosexuality linked to pedophilia in the first place? How is the definition of pedophilia changing, with rumors of it being seen/designated as an "orientation" rather than a "deviancy/illness"? How would such a change, considering the perceived link between homosexuality and pedophilia, affect LGBTQ rights? How do leaders fighting for LGBTQ rights, particularly leaders who identify as LGBTQ, feel about this change and its potential effect on this fight? Where does the distinction between pedophilia and sexual molestation fit into this discussion? Bonus: Focus on female sexual offenders, as those are hardly talked about/considered in this discussion? Might be of interest to: Enthusiasts of: criminology, deviance, LGBTQ, sexual orientation, psychology, social movements, conservative family values,

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Mental Health and Massacre

Background: Orlando happened. Sitting with my mother on the day after, I asked, "Who wakes up and thinks this is the best way to spend their day?" Which led to: Questions: Can there be a separate mental illness describing the willingness to massacre? There's a faint sense of audacity - along with the horror - that makes me wonder if there's a link between mass-murder and entitlement? What are the links between violence and entitlement? Might be of interest to: Enthusiasts of: criminology, politics, psychology, psychiatry

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Experimenting in Street Harassment

Background: I was on the phone with a great friend while she was walking home. A man called out to her. To him, she said nothing. To me, she delivered an impressive and thorough disparagement of the man. This led into a mutual recollection of similar commentary delivered earlier that week, month, lifetime. We spent a bit of time trying to understand the psyche of the would-be :paramours”. Which led to the usual

Questions: What do men think they will achieve with cat-calls or “how you doin” or “smile beautiful”? Is there a different mentality/reasoning behind calling from a speeding-away car versus following a women down the block versus staying stationary and continuing to talk at women as they approach until they’ve walked a suitable distance away? What is the conscious goal of these interactions (different from the explanation that social scientists/psychologists might give to explain this behavior)? If the answer is getting dates/sexual favors/women in general, does it work? How often ? If it doesn’t, what is the impetus behind continuing an action with a general failure rate? What is the protocol in place if rare success is achieved?  Which lead to (plot twist) 

Requests/Suggestions: Can someone do a psych experiment on this? I’m thinking of female confederates (if I’m using that term correctly here) responding positively to some of these approaches and then recording/reporting what happens from there. I’m not sure how to do this while guaranteeing these women’s safety. I’d also love to interview men with my questions above, but how to ensure honesty? And of course there’s the selection bias - who will respond to a call for men to talk about catcalling and street harassment? Very importantly, race and SES are embedded in this conversation. For one, this study would need to cast a net that pulls in men of all races (because yes men of all races and classes do this) as well as consulting sources that talk about why we might be led to believe these are exclusively poor/black/Latino male activities. Responders might be 

Enthusiasts of: psychology, anthropologists, women and gender studies, masculinity studies, ethnic studies, Black men, Latino men, gender dynamics, politics of public spaces, street harassment, violence against women, rape culture

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Society & Donors of Yale

Background: Yale is an institution. Institutions have a vested interest in, among other things, sustaining themselves. This is where donors come in.  It requires significant care and investment to give finances to a place where they spent 4 years. Compare to how often you hear about people donaing to their hometowns or primary schools. Which led to:

Questions: How does Yale train us to become donors? How do the opulence of the buildings, the boasting of the weekly Yale news updates, the glamorized events, encourage us to give back? How do societies prompt a sense of belonging to Yale (emphasis on the possessiveness embedded in the word “belong”)? How does Yale prepare freshmen and sophomores for the society experience? Is there a link between societies and donor particiation, or even alumni participation in general? Potential responders include:

Enthusiastis of: Yale, ritual studies, social psychology, education, indoctrination, 

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What’s In a Name

Background: I was reading an article - unfortunately lost to me now - describing a group of criminals as a gang. And I thought about how the combination of low-income, Latino/black men, and crime earns the designation of gang. Which led to:

Questions:  Why is gang only applied when this trifecta of characteristics are achieved? Why don’t we use gang for old white men also conspiring to do awful things - politicians orchestrating genocide (legal) or businessmen cheating their clients (illegal)? Are middle-class or upper-class groups, of any race, committing crimes together referred to as a gang? When did gang fall into common usage? What are its origins? When did it become so specific/coded? Has it always been? What makes a gang? Potential responders might be

Enthusiasts of: linguistics, etymology, discourse, race and ethnic studies, politics, media, ritual studies, langauge, syntax

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Dyslexia in Character-based Languages

Background: Inspired by this website, which attempts to mimic the effects of dyslexia. I was notably struck by the letters moving around within the words. Which led to

Questions: What is the effect of that kind of movement in languages that don’t have letters? Do the characters move? How does that affect the meaning of the sentence? Do parts of the character move? Does that not drastically change the meaning? Potential responders might be

Enthusiasts of: linguistics, East Asian languages, Indigenous languages, psychology, neuroscience

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Origin Story

I’m a current college senior, staring down the barrel of my own thesis and, like most college students, desperately searching for a form of procrastination. Mine came in the form of questions. Like most people, I have a ton of questions ablout different aspects of life and nowhere near enough time to pursue them all, let alone the background to do them justice. so. *alarm bell* I decided to share them here, hoping that someone else is asking a similar question and is actually in a position to answer. 

So because I have more thoughts than I know what to do with, I’m giving them to y’all. If you have answers, or more questions, please slide into my inbox. I’d love to talk these through and learn from y’all. And if you turn these questions into a paper or project, please share! I’d love to edit or talk through your work.