INQUIRY

INQUIRY • Volume 19, 2015
arbitrarily shift between different pronunciations of
and , this study shows whether or not the rates of their
usage of each sound are correlated with social factors, an
important question throughout sociolinguistics.
Baudelaire to Hilton: The Chronological Development
of the Flâneur and its Role in Confessional Literature
and Luxury Branding
Sian Kitchener, Global Liberal Studies
Sponsor: Professor Christopher Packard, Global Liberal
Studies
This thesis explores three main issues. First, as background,
this study examines the relationship between literature
and luxury, in terms of the relationship between affluence and
“high culture;” the unspoken relationship between confessional
literature and luxury and the work of Baudelaire in
clarifying it; and the permutation of traditional confessional
literature as seen in a chronological list of authors succeeding
Baudelaire. Second, this thesis analyzes the use of literature
and confession in luxury branding by compiling case studies
including brand ambassadors, designers’ memoirs and social
media “stories.” Third, it considers how literature may make
use of the luxury connection by defining a common motive
in publishing confessional literature and luxury consumption
with reference to postmodern narrative identity theory as well
as providing a case study of the author’s luxury-influenced PR
and marketing plan put into action by the London Review of
Books and London Review Bookshop. The main arguments
of this thesis are supported by several research articles and
studies as well as extensive research and practical application
with the London Review of Books.
Collective Self-Esteem and College Satisfaction
Drew Kogon, History, Psychology
Sponsor: Professor James Uleman, Psychology
This study investigates the impact of reference programs
on NYU students’ collective and global self-esteem.
“Reference programs” are programs in which some, but
not all, students are offered admission to the university on
the condition that they attend a two-year program before
continuing to the college to which they originally applied.
Collective self-esteem refers to how much students identify
with their college, perceive worthiness of membership, privately
believe in the college’s prestige and perceive positive
peer opinion of the college. Participants in this study were
first-year students in the College of Arts and Science (a
four-year college) and Liberal Studies: the Core Program
(a reference program of comparable size of first-year students).
Participants responded to an online questionnaire
that measured collective self-esteem and global self-esteem.
Results indicated that while there were marginal differences
in global self-esteem, there were significant differences in
all subscales of collective self-esteem as well as the degree
to which the participant felt they belong in the college they
attend. Liberal Studies students scored lower on scales that
assessed collective self-esteem, global self-esteem and sense
of belonging to college than their CAS counterparts. Furthermore,
participants in CAS ranked Liberal Studies students
significantly lower in general ability than Liberal Studies
participants while there was no difference in how Liberal
Studies and CAS participants ranked students in the CAS.
Finally, results indicated that there is a significant positive
correlation between self-esteem and collective self-esteem,
particularly for Liberal Studies participants. These findings
suggest that students in a reference program may identify
with their college to a lesser degree than their non-reference
counterparts, which may be a result of feeling stigmatized
as a member of the program. Future research is needed to
address self-identification and stigmatization in this context.
Microfinance and Women’s Empowerment
Mary La Rocque, International Relations
Sponsor: Professor Alastair Smith, Politics
Bridging the gap between socially responsible investment
bankers, World Bank officials and non-profit workers,
the idea of microfinance has become paramount to the
development industry. By investing in the untapped potential
of the “unbanked,” microfinance sponsors economic growth
and development through a sustainable and less paternal
approach. However one of the important caveats of the
industry is its focus on women. Almost 73% of all microfinance
borrowers are women. A fact claimed by many to
show microfinance’s intense emphasis on women’s empowerment.
The purpose of this study is to test this claim and
analyze the effects of microfinance on women’s empowerment.
Through the use of traditional OLS regression, this
study determined whether or not a highly developed microfinance
sector increases the female enrollment in secondary
school. The model also tested the claim that microfinance
will lead to a proportionally higher increase in girl’s enrollment
as compared to boys. Afterwards an additional study
was conducted using household survey data from the DHS
database to determine if microfinance leads to an increase
in women’s financial independence. The results of this
study showed limited and, in a few cases, negative effects
of microfinance on women’s development indicators. There
are three proposed reasons for this lack of significant results:
a) microfinance causes negative incentives and encourages
girls to be employed in small family businesses instead of
enrolling in school, b) the effects of microfinance follows
a generational effect and is therefore not displayed in the
limited years the study addresses and c) in the majority of
countries enrollment rates are already fairly high which
causes little variation to be explained within the values.
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