SOAN & CJ Research

Seniors in Criminal Justice and Sociology & Anthropology propose, execute, and present an original research-based thesis, consistent with graduate research standards. They are well-prepared for professions or graduate study.

2023-2024

• Kaila Davie: "The Impact of Stereotypes on Ageism and Reverse Ageism"
• Brynn Gaugler: "Deterring Crime with the Death Penalty: Effective or Inhumane"
• Josh Grove: "A Comparative History on Criminalization of Alcohol and Marijuana"
• Cherish Hawkins: "Racial Equity in Contemporary U.S."
• Madi Hoke: "Church versus State: How has the Separation of Christian Morals from our Government Affected our Social Cohesion?"
• Anna Kreider: "The Impact of COVID-19 on Racism Against Asian Americans"
• Jordan Marcroft: "Progressions in Urbanism and the Sustanence of the Natural Environment"
• Sydney Penley: "Mental Health for Law Enforcement"
• Elizabeth Perry: "Assets and Challenges for Small-Town America"
• Sarah Vielle: "Challenges in Immigration Law"
• Cassidy Viersma: "Drug Trafficking in the U.S."

2022-2023

• Maria M. DelPo: "Front-stage and Backstage Regions: Analyzing Messiah University Students' Nonverbal Presentation"
• Ryan Fascetta: "What Factors Most Strongly Predict Juvenile Delinquency in Dauphin County, Pennslyvania"
• Sasha M. McMonigle: "Fact or Fiction: How T.V. Shows Portray the Foster Care System"
• Princess Angel Ndayishimiye: "The Lived Experience of Poverty in Mozambique"
• Phalika Oum: "Liturgy of the Dispersed: Memory, Transnationalism, and Cambodian Cuisine in the American Diaspora"

2021-2022

• McKenzie Gordon: "Gendered Deviance: How Males and Females are Different in Relation to Deviance"
• Trey D. Helgerson: "How Negative Perceptions of the Police Impact Police Officers"
• Serena McConaughey: "How College Students Cope in Relation to Stress"
• Mandi Miller: "Applying Social Bond Theory to Delinquency: An Explorative Analysis"
• Brandon Speese: "Seeking Trust: How Has Trust in the Government Changed During COVID-19?"
• Mason Valentino: "How the Stigma of Violent Games Affects the Gaming Community"
• Hunter-Austin Zacerous: "Human Trafficking and Modern-Day Law Enforcement"

2020-2021

• Rosalie V. Brunner: "Understanding Calling: The Significance of Experience for the Vocational Ministry of Female Pastors"
• Mckayla Buhr: "The Equality, Awareness, and Art Behind the Screen: Women’s Expressions on Sexual Assault through Social Media"
• Katy Deets: "'A Covenant between Two People and God to do Life Together': Experiences of Marriage at Messiah"
• Hannah Domaracki: "La réalité des actualités : Examining the Relationship between France and Lebanon"
• Kate Formcihelli: "Hybrid Pandemic Learning: COVID-19 Forces Drastic Changes at Messiah Universities Education System"
• Abi K. Johnson: "'Sluts' to 'Chippies': Editing Sexism in Golden Age Musical Revivals"
• Rachel M. McLaren: "Is Modern Society One-Dimensional? A Closer Look at Possessions and Values"
• Kaitlyn Soto: "The Natural Hair Movement: Portrayal of Black Hair in the Media"
• Grace Springer: "This Is Not a Moment, It’s the Movement: BLM as a New Social Movement"

2019-2020

• Ellie Lengacher: "Feminine and Masculine Linguistic Comparison in Team Sports" 
• Adriana Lima: “Labeled by the Police: Examining Social Media Posts about People of Color"
• Laura Almeida: "The Portrayal of Black Women in Brazilian Paintings"
• Celine Wong: "The Invisible Indigenous: Place Names, Origins and Traces of Colonization"
• Erin Byrd: "Diverse Curricula: Representations in Literature and Composition Courses" 
• Eve Harbison: "Rape Myths in the Media Reporting of the Brett Kavanaugh Case" 
• Janelle Bargerstock: "A Changing Canvas: Messages Conveyed by Illegal Art in the West Bank"
• Cole Kellison: "Media Bias and Representation of Law Enforcement"

2018-2019

• Madeline Spivey: "'Read. Question. Think.': Analyzing the Signs of the Children's Library" 
• Annabelle Ching: "Ethnocentrism in Malaysia: A Look into the Perception of Migrant Workers" 
• Lorena Reinert: "Towards Epistemic Diversity: Ways of Knowing in Indigenous Peru" 
• Shaun Mayer: "Opening Our Eyes: A Look into How Media Portrays African Americans" 
• Megan R. Eaton: "A Look into the Gaps in Basic Needs Services in the Tri-County Region of Harrisburg" 
• Laurel Hicks: "An Examination of the Incarceration of Women through Orange is the New Black"
• Ellen Musselman: "Examining the Language Used by Differing Theories of Criminal Justice" 

Faculty Research

Our faculty are actively researching, presenting and publishing.

• Dr. Jenell Paris published a second edition of Introducing Cultural Anthropology: A Christian Perspective (with Brian M. Howell, Baker Academic, 2019). This is the major resource for teaching anthropology in Christian perspective, used at Christian colleges, seminaries, and missions agencies. She also published Teach from the Heart: Pedagogy as Spriritual Practice (Cascade Press, 2016) and The Good News about Conflict: Transforming Religious Struggle over Sexuality (Cascade Press, 2016). She works to equip the church to take up divisive issues as opportunities for spiritual transformation, in her role as Senior Fellow with the Colossian Forum.