The main purpose of this thesis is to describe my philosophical and theoretical orientation as a music therapist. I will describe a proposed music therapy group for adolescents with depression that will be based within my philosophical and theoretical orientation. This group can be implemented in collaboration with various institutions such as schools and afterschool organizations, or in my own private practice.

Children with autism spectrum disorder face many challenges on a daily basis, including their struggle to communicate their needs, especially in times of distress. This can lead to meltdowns, making it difficult for them to learn, make friends, or have a positive social or educational experience. Existing research detecting meltdowns, specifically using deep learning combined with either facial recognition [1] or a variety of sensors such as heart rate, electrodermal, and temperature sensors [2], have proved successful. However, optimization for practical application utilizing more affordable technology could improve upon the accessibility of these tools for the autistic community, especially working class families. This thesis provides a method to detect and prevent autistic meltdowns inspired by my son, aiming to make a wearable device that can be used whenever and wherever by combining heart rate monitors and electrodermal sensors as a more practical means of detection, as well as a more cost friendly option using low power equipment. The device was built on an STM32-F446RE nucleo board using the kernel based operating system FreeRTOS. A bluetooth android application was created using MIT APP Inventor 2, allowing easy access to sensor data. The device was tested on a child diagnosed with autism by wearing a finger glove with sensors attached during their every day homework routine. A simple logistic regression model was applied to calculate the slope of the sensor's data. The logistic regression model showed promising results with an accuracy score of 0.82 and a recall score of 0.83. This device can be easily modified into a wrist watch interface, making it more comfortable and practical for autistic children to wear. The low cost sensors and processor, combined with a lower cost method of machine learning gives families a better chance at owning a device that could help their child. Meltdown predictions will allow teachers and guardians an opportunity for early intervention and meltdown mitigation.

By applying the lenses of postcolonial and trauma theory to the novel, we can begin to develop an understanding of how Jane and Bertha can become critically intersectional characters. Each of these lenses illuminates the clear struggle that each woman faces within a tightly structured Victorian society, and their means of navigating it result in their processing of emotions on a deeper level. I argue that while on the surface it appears that Jane and Bertha are each recognizing the other, they do so only on the most basic level because each only sees it in relation to her own self rather than on a more widespread level. Throughout this thesis, I argue that by exposing the crudeness of this original intersectionality, as well as the privileges gained and lost through the patriarchal structure of Victorian society and empire, Brontë's initial creation of crude intersectional characters can evolve into a deeper level of understanding of one another, or what I am calling critical postcolonial intersectionality.

My graduation creation is a series of drawings, the material used is charcoal pencil, I named the series of works "World". The epidemic that started in 2019 and quickly spread to the world has brought disaster to human beings. Since then, not only diseases, but also all aspects of human life have undergone tremendous changes. Everything we used to know has become unfamiliar. This is the background of my drawing works. I raise new questions about human existence and hope that people will rethink how to coexist between human beings and between human beings and nature.

As academics are to understand it, transgender studies generally concerns itself with the triangulated relationship between the body, culture, and power (the power to name, to normalize, and to efface). This thesis is intimately concerned with such subjects, examining representations of the body, culture, and power in two contemporary transgender texts: Torrey Peters’ 2021 novel Detransition, Baby, and Maggie Nelson’s 2015 autobiography The Argonauts. In these two examples of transgender literature, authors represent the body as a heuristic tool; a field against which normative fantasies play out in frequently incongruent ways.

When we examine the night sky and consider the history and progression of science and astronomy, we observe the sky through a specific cultural lens. Contemporary understandings and interpretations of the sky and of science have been distorted by the biases of Western European history and culture. Consequently, indigenous astronomy has been eradicated, depreciated, forgotten, and omitted from the historical record. After thousands of years of colonization and the purposeful destruction of indigenous cultures, much knowledge of indigenous astronomy has been lost. However, the knowledge that has been preserved is extraordinary. A study of the methods and strategies of astronomical observation developed by indigenous civilizations and the roles that astronomy served within indigenous societies crafts a compelling argument about the validity, sophistication, and value of indigenous astronomy and sky culture. With that knowledge, we can then consider the drastic repercussions of the erasure of indigenous astronomy and why it is essential that we incorporate indigenous knowledge into modern understandings of science and astronomy.

Preliminary research in regard to this thesis project began in part of Glenn Geher’s Seminar in Psychology course that focused on the concept of positive evolutionary psychology. This literature review, similarly to aspects of evolutionary psychology, is not stand-alone. In addition to research that will be provided on the concept of evolutionary mismatch, I will be discussing how I chose to artistically interpret these subconcepts within mismatch—and apply them to various mediums within the realm of fine arts. Having the space and support to combine my interests to create this interdisciplinary project is something I am really thankful for.

Presidents apply the populist approach as a way to gain support from the public and to preserve their thrones. President Erdogan took this approach during his nearly 18 years in office, through multiple electoral campaigns. This research paper explores the level of Turkish public support for Erdogan and seeks to explain which citizens continue to support Erdogan’s agenda. The 7th wave of the World Values Survey in Turkey in 2018 was used in this research, in which over 2,000 Turkish citizens from all regions of Turkey were interviewed to collect the data. An analysis of those who expressed a willingness to vote for the AKP suggests that the usual demographic indicators do not predict support as expected. The Turkish public is divided in its support for continued AKP rule, and these divisions do not correlate with gender, or income. There is mild support for more religious people voting for the AKP, but most respondents actually report that religion is important in their life, even those that do not support the AKP. The picture becomes even more complicated when examining attitudes about democracy and perceptions about the democratic quality of the regime.