In the mid 20th century two opposing strains of Marxism emerged out of the political turmoil following the second world war. First was Marxism Humanism, a product of the disillusionment felt by many socialist regarding the policies of the Soviet Union. Marxist Humanists emphasize the role of human agency and ethics in class struggle. They believe that at the core of class struggle is the desire to make society a more free, equal, and ethical place. Much of their philosophy is rooted in the early writings of Karl Marx. Second is Structural Marxism. Structural Marxists claim socialism to be a rigid scientific method of analyzing history and economics. They emphasize the role of larger systems such as state institutions and ideological structures while arguing that Marxism needs to be purged of all its humanist character. For nearly a century these two strands of Marxism have been at odds with one another, resulting in a fragmentation of revolutionary potential based on ideological lines. This research will conduct a comparative document analysis of key texts from Karl Marx as well as other prominent humanist and structural Marxist. This will involve close readings, specifically symptomatic readings which involve addressing the underlying presuppositions to reveal the unconscious assumptions present within a text. It will analyze both lines of thought to highlight the differences and potential similarities in how they view class struggle, the material conditions of society, and the building of socialism. The goal is to explore the idea that the two strands of Marxism need not be antagonistic to each other. This is in an effort to explain that the scientific critique of capitalism found in Marx’s later works like Das Kapital is presupposed by the humanist character of his early writing. Furthermore, illustrating a continuity in his thought that is essential in developing a more informed understanding of his theory that can be applied to a modern critique of capitalism.

Method acting, famously popularized by Lee Strasberg with the roots of Konstantin Stanislavski's system, focuses on emotional authenticity as well as psychological immersion. While the technique continues to shape and transform film and theater, it still raises serious issues regarding the emotional weight it places on actors. A 2019 study literary review outlines that blurring the boundaries between the character and oneself can result in changes in personality, speech, physicality, or even dissociation. Drawing on affective memory and personal trauma for a performance can reopen closed wounds. What are the psychological consequences of using method acting, and what are some basic techniques that can be used as aftercare? I will use a qualitative case study methodology and have chosen three Black actors: Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland), Danielle Deadwyler (The Piano Lesson), and Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave), whose performances involved intense emotional immersion into racially confined roles. Using media and documented analysis (recorded interviews, shared writings, and news articles), I will explore the impact these historic roles had on their mental health and performance. My focus will be on the year prior to, during, and the year after each of their productions was filmed. My emphasis for this case study will be on noting mental shifts, speech, and overall perceptions of identity. This research will highlight the importance of preventing burnout and supporting actors ' mental health.

The United States imprisons more people per capita than any other nation. However, in the 2000s, movements to reduce incarceration gained support across the political spectrum. While scholars have studied reforms to correctional budgets and sentencing laws, research on plea bargaining reform remains scarce. Understanding these efforts is crucial, as plea bargaining is a main driver of mass incarceration and mass criminalization, and also resists broader reform trends. While previous research shows the 2008 recession pushed politicians to lower incarceration costs, reforming plea bargaining could do the opposite by increasing scrutiny of deals, expanding defendants’ rights, and raising the number of trials. This study examines how reformers justify altering a system seen as efficient and cost-effective during an era of “cheap on crime” politics. Using frame analysis, I explore how actors across the political spectrum frame plea bargaining’s problems, potential solutions, and broader ideas about justice and punishment. As a case study, I analyze a collective initiative by a politically diverse set of legal actors and think tanks, who, after a series of meetings, published a collection of articles on plea bargaining reform in the 2019 Federal Sentencing Reporter. Using qualitative analysis software, I employ inductive and deductive coding to identify the frames legal actors use to discuss these challenges and reforms. By mapping the rhetoric in these debates, I contribute to recent calls for research on penal reform discourse, highlighting areas of agreement and disagreement in approaches to reform.

The intersection of parental bereavement and emerging adulthood is a rare occurrence, yet in the experience lies a vast amount of unstudied knowledge. The questions, concerns, and emotions of this specific population have yet to be fully understood within the literature. Outside of the clinical setting, there is a lack of research focusing on the perspective of parentally bereaved emerging adults, unlike available research on bereaved young children. Thus, this research aims to shift the spotlight to the group of individuals who are entering a new stage of development alongside coping with the loss of a parent. The participants in this study are between the ages of 18 and 25, who are in the stage of ‘emerging adulthood’ according to Jeffry Jenson Arnett (2000). Semi-structured interviews will be conducted to understand the lived experiences of their grief, as well as a journal submission by participants with the questions they have in relation to the loss of their parents with the support of guiding questions. Thematic analysis will allow for data to then categorize the questions made by the bereaved group of participants. The findings will provide perspective on emerging adults and their process of bereavement. This study contributes to the literature by detailing the ways in which emerging adults identify, cope with, and manage grief, which will lead to a better understanding of how grief affects their lives.