Recent political administrations have focused on issues surrounding immigration in the U.S., affecting the ways that immigrant communities are seen and treated. This project recognizes that the rhetoric used by political actors influences and perpetuates views about immigration, and asks the question of how rhetoric around immigration in the 21st Century has affected the identities and experiences of Mexican immigrants in the United States. Drawing upon interviews and secondary research sources, including print and social media, we construct an intertextual and diverse series of podcast episodes, which feature candid discussions with members of the immigrant community. These interviews allow us to gain a more personalized understanding of how public rhetoric, as perpetuated by political administrations and the media, have impacted and shaped the lives and identities of real individuals, families, and communities. Through this podcast, we hope to inspire conversation around the intersection between rhetoric, politics, and immigration, while providing more insight into and compassion for individual, real-world experiences of the immigrant community.

The convergence of technology and the built environment has exposed a cyber-physical world that is susceptible to security breaches. Internet of Things (IoT) device systems—networked computing devices that are embedded directly in objects and interact with or sense the environment in some way—are becoming increasingly incorporated into the physical world around us. Examples of IoT device systems range from surveillance cameras to smart thermostats; these systems can serve as valuable nodes through which information flows or as useful tools that can make decisions based on data. However, they also bring about security concerns and vulnerabilities that have implications for humans and the physical world. One such concern is for privacy. IoT device systems can collect both personally identifiable and aggregate data—sometimes without the knowledge of the data subjects—raising privacy concerns. Through our research, we ask: How does the framework of privacy theory apply to IoT in the built environment? In particular, we will examine conceptions of privacy across different fields to determine where IoT devices in the built environment fit into this framework. To do so, we will analyze academic, legal, and governmental literature and outline the most widely accepted conceptualizations of privacy. We will then apply these ideas to the case study of testing dorm wastewater for COVID-19, which utilizes IoT device systems in the built environment. Finally, we will discuss our findings on how the system’s role in the built environment affects privacy. Results will contribute empirical data on cybersecurity practices and incite discourse surrounding the privacy threats of IoT devices in the built environment that collect aggregate, and not personally identifiable, information—a field that is not yet emergent. Ultimately, our work could have implications for regulations on IoT in the built environment, as we strive to add a new perspective to the discussion on technology and privacy.

In the process of uniting Europe, European integration has inadvertently strengthened secessionist movements that seek to fracture the very states it has brought together. Through the creation of the European Single Market, the common travel area, the single currency, and the establishment of the four freedoms of movement for goods, capital, services, and people, many of the benefits a region with a potential desire for independence gains from remaining a part of its host state are transferred to the European level. Currently, nearly all academic analysis of European integration and its impact on secessionist movements has been published around the time of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum and before the UK’s 2016 European Union membership referendum. The current academic consensus argues that European integration has harmed secessionist movements more than it has helped, but in the years since the UKs decision to leave the EU, this argument has become outdated and no longer holds the strength it once did. I conducted a review and analysis of current academic literature on the topic along with statements from current and former European politicians and separatist political parties to explore and compare the cases of secessionist movements in Scotland, Catalonia, and Flanders. My analysis incorporates the events since the UK’s Brexit referendum currently left out of academic literature published to date. I hypothesize that an updated review of European integration’s effect on secessionist movements will show that integration has helped secessionist movements and their arguments. While these cases were chosen for their strength and their diversity in circumstances, these independence movements are united in being transformed from pipedreams to real possibilities thanks to European integration.