The Honors College

The Cloudland Hotel once sat atop Roan Mountain on the Tennessee-North Carolina border. The views from the mountain which rises nearly 6,300 feet above sea level are amazing. Although the Cloudland Hotel was dismantled nearly a century ago, the mountain remains a thriving haven for hikers and campers. Mitchell County, North Carolina holds a festival in honor of the gorgeous rhododendron blossoms found on the Roan. These blossoms draw thousands of nature lovers each year. Memories and old photos of the Cloudland still remain and surface in many publications.

Delayed plumage maturation occurs in many bird species and is considered an honest signal of subordinance in younger individuals. Although these younger individuals may be able to breed, they stand to benefit from avoiding aggression from older, more experienced individuals. While the significance of male plumage coloration is well studied, few studies have addressed the importance of plumage coloration in mediating female-female interactions or in signaling female quality and reproductive investment.

Conservation Trust for North Carolina (CTNC) collaborates with the National Park Service to preserve land in proximity of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Parkway. The visibility of parcels or viewsheds within a two-mile buffer of the Parkway was examined. A distance decay model was created to lessen visibility impact as distance from observer points increased (Fels and Tomlinson, 1995), (Harness, 2002). Escalating pressures of development and land degradation are threatening scenic views in this region (Harness, 2002).

My thesis was a project in which I attempted to learn how to read music and play the piano. The premise was that I am a varsity athlete and academic scholar, but at age 23, I have had no experience in the music field whatsoever. I decided that during my project of learning the piano, I would keep journals that would act as reflections to my experiences in learning, hardships, and introductory endeavors in the musical world. As a result of this project,I accomplished how to read music and how to play a small number of songs.

In developing countries where organic economic growth has been historically difficult due to  a lack of domestic capital, the ability to attract foreign investment has become increasingly important.  Madagascar is a traditionally poor country incapable of growth from within, and has therefore become increasingly focused on making itself a more attractive destination for foreign direct investment (FDI).  Since 2003, Madagascar's FDI has shown tremendous growth largely due to actions taken by the Malagasy government.

This thesis studies the phenomenon of Spanish Writing Centers around the United States and explores the need for assistance in foreign language departments within the compositions concerns of the students.  The literature reviewed focuses on where higher education Spanish has failed to provide students with composition instruction and why it is so difficult to incorporate such educational strategies given current pedagogy.

Adrenoleukodystrophy is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that mainly affects males.  During the past 100 years, research has been conducted to discover aspects of the disease, including the cause and symptoms, and also has helped classify it as adrenoleukodystrophy.  Current areas of understanding include molecular, biochemical and neurological descriptions of the disease.  It is derived from a genetic defect on the X-chromosome that produces a biochemcial abnormality that affects the white matter of the brain.

Environmental policy is not a new topic to American politics. The necessary incorporation of a myriad of disciplines, ever-evolving toolbox of policy strategies, and blurring of political boundaries to solve environmental issues affecting the United States of America makes this category of policy unique. Environmental policy's complexity expands beyond implementation to its definition. Environmental policy is typically "made to protect human health as much as it is to further [issues like] species conservation or biodiversity" (Birkland 7).

The thesis is the final project honors students complete before they graduate with honors.  This project is thought of as a way for students to integrate the knowledge and skills they have learned as an undergraduate, yet there is little evidence as to how the honors thesis is beneficial to students.  This study was designed to examine whether or not the honors students and mentors felt that the thesis was academically beneficial to students.  Students who completed an honors thesis were surveyed and faculty who mentored an honors thesis were interviewed.

The Chinese government's implementation of the one-child policy in 1979 was the first time in the world's history that such a strict fertility restriction was placed on a large population.  The policy led to the fast-paced modernization of China from a third World country to a first World nation of only children also known as "Little Emperors".  Parents and grandparents of these only children had lived through the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, and therefore see it as imperative to provide their children a better life than they experienced.