Arts - Buffalo State College

W.H.”? Why did Shakespeare not consent to the publication of his
poetry? Are they even in chronological order, considering the author
did not watch over the publishing? I propose to rearrange the order
of the sonnets, and find the most accurate chronology. I’ll perform
this arrangement by following the evolution and development of
Shakespeare’s metaphors, since research I’ve already conducted has
established a pattern throughout Shakespeare’s poetry. He works on
a metaphor for a while, then once it reaches full complexity and he’s
no longer interested in it, he moves on to another, therefore grouping
these sonnets together. Other authors, such as Samuel Butler, have
also tried to rearrange the sonnets, and I plan to use their research
in conjunction with my own to find the most coherent order. This, I
hope, will further prove the fluidity of the sonnets as a piece of art,
namely that there is a unity among what looks like individual pieces.
Presentation Type and Session: Poster IV
Preying On the Children: Effects of
Consumer Culture On Our Children
William Langer, COM 450: Communication and Society
Faculty Mentor: Professor Michael Niman, Communication
Marketing researchers increasingly define and view American
children between the ages of four and twelve by their spending
capacity. These researchers estimate that children directly influence
over $200 billion dollars in sales, indirectly influence over $300
billion dollars of purchases and personally spend over $29 billion of
their own money. Because of the vast amount of spending influenced
by children, marketers have developed specialized “kid centered”
marketing techniques to capture children as “branded consumers”
in much the same way that they target adult audiences. This
project focuses on describing the effects of the consumer culture
and marketing on children, both in the United States and abroad.
It examines potential negative effects including but not limited to:
Impairment of normal social development and identity, the branding
of children as commodities, and the rise of childhood obesity and
other negative effects on health. Using content analysis of peer
reviewed papers and scholarly texts,I will show that marketers
purposely target children as consumers the same way they do adults
to exploit them for profit. I also argue that the vast majority of
commodities marketed to children can cause negative effects on their
psychological development and physical health.
Presentation Type and Session: Oral – Humanities I
Respect and Nuclear Weapons: An
Exploration In International Affairs
Matthew Guminiak, PHI 401: Respect Seminar
Faculty Mentor: Professor John Draeger, Philosophy
In recent years, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been pursuing,
in secret, the refinement of radioactive material in the face of strong
international opposition. Israel and the United States object under
suspicion that beyond domestic power generation this material will
Humanities
be used to construct nuclear weapons. President Obama Identified
this issue as a major source of tension between the Muslim and
Western world during his 2008 Cairo speech and claimed weapons
of such nature to be “a decisive point” beyond which mutual respect
for nations applies. In this paper, I intend to use a theory on respect
by Philosopher Thomas E. Hill and argue that respect does, in
fact, apply to nations. From this vantage point, I intend to critique
President Obama’s claim that suggests that there are limits to respect
for nations and think about what those limits might be and whether
nuclear weapons are an instantiation of them.
Presentation Type and Session: Poster V
Respect In Zombie Land
Jason Offerman, PHI 401W: Respect Seminar
Faculty Mentor: Professor John Draeger, Philosophy
Imagine a land in which the dead walk. There is no law and
the main goal is survival. We might call this place “Zombie Land.”
In this lawless land it must be wondered whether respect for the
moral law exists at all. Respect for persons typically stems from
the acknowledgement of the special status of human beings, but
zombies are not human beings. Respect for persons also promotes
the greatest good of the many, but it is unclear how this would
apply to zombies. Now imagine having to let zombies consume a
fellow human in order to get vital medicine back to large group
of human survivors. More people will benefit in the long run, but
it comes at the expense of leaving an innocent human to be eaten.
This presentation considers whether innocent human lives can be
sacrificed for the greater good or whether valuing each life prohibits
such actions.
Presentation Type and Session: Oral – Humanities II
The Rights of Women and the Rights of the
Unborn
Nickolas Beauharnois, PHI 401W: Respect Seminar
Faculty Mentor: Professor John Draeger, Philosophy
The debate on abortion brings about equal amounts of
passionate emotion from both sides. The problem is typically
characterized as a conflict between the rights of the unborn who
cannot presently speak for themselves, but have the potential to
do so in the future, and the rights of the matured women carrying
them. This paper explores whether rights should be seen as moral
principles or claims about well-being. According to the principle
conception, rights are due to women because of the fact of their
personhood and due to the unborn because of their potential of
gaining personhood. According to the well-being conception, rights
are due to women and the unborn because it is in the interest of the
greater good. I will argue for the former, and specifically that the
rights of women trump those of the unborn.
Presentation Type and Session: Oral – Humanities II
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