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NCUR Proceedings NCUR 2021 Proceedings A Look into American Political Polarization as a Product of Psychological Phenomena Political Science - Time: Wed 3:00pm-4:00pm - Session Number: 1131 Joel Thomas and Robert Johnson, Department of History, City University of New York- Brooklyn College, 2900 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn NY 11210 Joel Thomas My project seeks to define and clarify the extent/progression of polarization in the American political landscape. A general consensus exists that polarization has increased dramatically in recent years, the acceleration of a trend that has seen division among the American public deepen drastically over the last few decades. After investigating the truth of this claim and understanding the degree of polarization today, I hope to then examine it though the lens of social psychology. Accordingly, I intend to portray the effect that certain psychological phenomena (such as group polarization, motivated reasoning, groupthink...etc) have had in exacerbating this issue, and understand exactly how they contribute to the formation of an environment that fosters increased polarization. Ultimately, I hope that a thorough examination of these contributing psychological phenomena will then yield possible methods to help disrupt this process. My project seeks to define and clarify the extent/progression of polarization in the American political landscape. A general consensus exists that polarization has increased dramatically in recent years, the acceleration of a trend that has seen division among the American public deepen drastically over the last few decades. After investigating the truth of this claim and understanding the degree of polarization today, I hope to then examine it though the lens of social psychology. Accordingly, I intend to portray the effect that certain psychological phenomena (such as group polarization, motivated reasoning, groupthink...etc) have had in exacerbating this issue, and understand exactly how they contribute to the formation of an environment that fosters increased polarization. Ultimately, I hope that a thorough examination of these contributing psychological phenomena will then yield possible methods to help disrupt this process. Female Orientalist Artists: The Creation of a Counter Culture in the 19th Century Art History & Visual Arts - Time: Tue 11:00am-12:00pm - Session Number: 438 Susan Gong and Dr. Robert Johnson, Department of Art, City University of New York - Brooklyn College, 2900 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11210 Susan Gong In the 19th century, Orientalism— the representation of Asia and Africa in stereotypical ways regarding a colonialist attitude—overtook the arts in Europe and European-derived societies, as explorers documented travel experiences on the Silk Road. My research project argues that female Orientalist artists depicted the “East” in more accurate ways, as they responded to contradictory societal expectations and gender privileges, which countered the imperialist attitudes perpetuated by Orientalism in Europe. Initially, I plan to use books and research articles to establish a background for Orientalism as a general concept before focusing on artwork. In art, iconic Orientalist painters are men like Ingres and Gerome, who portray opulence and sexuality. However, these depictions were inaccurate and offensive. Many of these painters did not travel outside Europe and they tended to exoticize Asian and African wealth and people in order to please their audience. My project also uses books, research papers, and artworks to show how and why Orientalist paintings by females were different from but more accurate than paintings by males of the same movement. A woman artist could not depict inappropriate subjects like a man could because society believed that her artwork reflected her moral character. This double standard forced women to paint Asian and African interiors and people in less erotic -- and thus more accurate -- ways. Additionally, women were allowed into harems and could witness culture first-handedly, which also produced more accuracy. These different depictions by women formed a new, counter-orientalist culture. Orientalism, especially in the arts, reflects European superiority but was countered by women artists who refused to perpetuate racist attitudes. In the 19th century, Orientalism— the representation of Asia and Africa in stereotypical ways regarding a colonialist attitude—overtook the arts in Europe and European-derived societies, as explorers documented travel experiences on the Silk Road. My research project argues that female Orientalist artists depicted the “East” in more accurate ways, as they responded to contradictory societal expectations and gender privileges, which countered the imperialist attitudes perpetuated by Orientalism in Europe. Initially, I plan to use books and research articles to establish a background for Orientalism as a general concept before focusing on artwork. In art, iconic Orientalist painters are men like Ingres and Gerome, who portray opulence and sexuality. However, these depictions were inaccurate and offensive. Many of these painters did not travel outside Europe and they tended to exoticize Asian and African wealth and people in order to please their audience. My project also uses books, research papers, and artworks to show how and why Orientalist paintings by females were different from but more accurate than paintings by males of the same movement. A woman artist could not depict inappropriate subjects like a man could because society believed that her artwork reflected her moral character. This double standard forced women to paint Asian and African interiors and people in less erotic -- and thus more accurate -- ways. Additionally, women were allowed into harems and could witness culture first-handedly, which also produced more accuracy. These different depictions by women formed a new, counter-orientalist culture. Orientalism, especially in the arts, reflects European superiority but was countered by women artists who refused to perpetuate racist attitudes. Food Insecurity: Determinants and the Role of Climate Change in Its Progression Global Health - Time: Mon 1:30pm-2:30pm - Session Number: 128 Sahil Chaudhry, Robert Johnson, Honors College, City University of New York- Brooklyn College, 2900 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11210 Sahil Chaudhry The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN has estimated that 25.9% of the world, around 2 billion people, faced moderate to severe levels of food insecurity in 2019, making the issue one of the most pressing to address in the coming years. This project seeks to elucidate the determinants of food insecurity and to examine how climate change will shape the future of food insecurity. Understanding how to ameliorate food insecurity requires determining which factors play a large role in its development. While many NGOs have studied variables that contribute to food insecurity, there are many other possible factors that have not been incorporated into existing models. Some new variables addressed in this study include access to contraceptives, which impacts the ability of families to control the size of families they need to feed, and the presence of democratic leadership. After compiling a variety of well-established and novel variables, multiple OLS regression models will be generated to determine whether these factors are significantly correlated with food insecurity. In addition, climate change is a global issue predicted to cause irreversible changes to the food and water supply across the world. Examining nutrition of crops, migration/political conflict, and biodiversity, this project will address the effects climate change will have on food insecurity in the future as well as which countries will face the most harm from it. This information can be used to determine which areas may need additional aid and attention in the coming years to prevent potential nutritional deficiencies and political conflict. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN has estimated that 25.9% of the world, around 2 billion people, faced moderate to severe levels of food insecurity in 2019, making the issue one of the most pressing to address in the coming years. This project seeks to elucidate the determinants of food insecurity and to examine how climate change will shape the future of food insecurity. Understanding how to ameliorate food insecurity requires determining which factors play a large role in its development. While many NGOs have studied variables that contribute to food insecurity, there are many other possible factors that have not been incorporated into existing models. Some new variables addressed in this study include access to contraceptives, which impacts the ability of families to control the size of families they need to feed, and the presence of democratic leadership. After compiling a variety of well-established and novel variables, multiple OLS regression models will be generated to determine whether these factors are significantly correlated with food insecurity. In addition, climate change is a global issue predicted to cause irreversible changes to the food and water supply across the world. Examining nutrition of crops, migration/political conflict, and biodiversity, this project will address the effects climate change will have on food insecurity in the future as well as which countries will face the most harm from it. This information can be used to determine which areas may need additional aid and attention in the coming years to prevent
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