Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a widespread problem across the U.S. that typically begins in adolescence which can cause severe struggles for the impacted individuals. IPV can be mitigated through some preventative factors, such as education and understanding of IPV. The purpose of this study is to evaluate rejection sensitivity (RS)-- the tendency to strongly react to rejection, including the dismissal or refusal of ideas, people, or offers-- as a mediator between comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) and IPV. I designed this study to use a cross-sectional online survey to measure levels of RS, themes of CSE from middle and high school education, and levels of IPV that individuals have experienced. It includes a representative sample based on Unites States census data of 340 participants who range from 18-25 years and have had a romantic relationship lasting at least two months. The data is analyzed through a mediation model, with RS as the mediator, as well as testing the direct effects of CSE on IPV using R Statistical Software. Analysis models the three pathways: path a-- CSE to RS, path b-- RS to IPV, path C-- direct effects of CSE on IPV (CSE to IPV). I anticipate that RS will act as a mediator between CSE and IPV such that higher levels of CSE will be associated with lower IPV levels through the mediation of RS. Additionally, I hypothesize there will be a direct effect of CSE on IPV. This study aims to improve the understanding of potential preventative factors of IPV as well as inform future interventions, such as CSE. Keywords: intimate partner violence, rejection sensitivity, comprehensive sexuality education

Social expectations are constantly changing, and even subjects typically considered “taboo” are changing as well. Though sex is often seen as a private, maybe even secretive, discussion, this lack of public eye to the true nature of sex can lead to many difficulties in an individual's personal and intimate life through misunderstandings and social expectations. This literature review focuses on possible correlations between behavioral sex therapy treatment (such as guided open communication, and sensate focus) and aspects of unsustainable romantic relationships (such as stonewalling and criticism). Some sexual dysfunctions can arise from emotional difficulties, such as anxiety during or before sexual encounters, lack of enjoyment from one or both partners, or different perceived ideas of what is supposed to happen during sex. These difficulties can translate into daily life in the relationship outside of sex. By treating these dysfunctions there may be a domino effect which impacts the relationship outside of sexual relations, which can improve the relationship overall and lead to a relationship that is more sustainable for all parties involved. Through comparisons of articles on treatments typical in behavioral sex therapy and articles defining aspects of unsustainable relationships, like those published by John Gottman, initial findings support connections between the topics. These positive correlations indicate an innate connection between sexuality and relationships, which could lessen the social stigma that surrounds discussing sex or sexual topics

In the wake of the Trump and Biden administrations, during which movements such as Christian nationalism and religious deconstruction brought civil religion into the public eye, scholarship regarding religion as it interacts with politics becomes increasingly relevant. My thesis aims to investigate the role of Christianity in the political communication of our two most recent presidents, arguing that public religiosity is not diminishing in America -- rather, it is in a constant state of evolution to fit an ever-changing nation. This content analysis compares Trump's and Biden's usages of Christian language to one another as well as to former presidencies, addressing the question of how religious rhetoric is shifting in American political discourse. Through creation of a codebook of more than one hundred Christian keywords, which are then applied to presidential communication such as State of the Union addresses (accessed through The American Presidency Project), I determine the frequencies and contexts of religious mentions within Trump's and Biden's communication. Using programs such as Atlas.ti, I measure, analyze, and visualize Trump's and Biden's individual invocations of Christian talk. I hypothesize that Donald Trump's use of religious language increased over the course of his presidency as well as being significantly concentrated in self-referential contexts. Meanwhile, Joseph Biden's religious language is expected to be concentrated in contexts of national crisis, mainly taking the form of Biblical quotations. Overall, findings are expected to demonstrate that Christian language in the American presidency is not broadly declining, but rather used in more niche contexts. This project contributes to the vast field of religious and political scholarship by comprehensively analyzing not just the frequency but also the context of religious language in these presidencies, supporting the notion that public religion is a living entity that functions as a sociological and cultural phenomenon.

Amidst an aggressively partisan political environment in the U.S., research has shown that a small but significant proportion of Americans find themselves isolated in co-partisan media environments (Fletcher et al., 2018; Cinelli et al, 2021). Few issues are as contentious and oft-covered within these environments as immigration, particularly during the 2024 presidential campaign. Coverage changes on immigration, down to word choice, have been shown to influence opinions in prior scholarship (Djourelova 2023; Abrajano et al., 2017). A literature gap exists on how and to what extent media coverage differs between outlets. My research thus seeks to answer, how do partisan news media differ in their immigration coverage? I focus my research on two key aspects of coverage: the use of frames, which Gamson and Modigliani define as “central organizing idea[s] or story line[s]” in the article, and sources, on which Watts and Maddison found that “publication outlet had a significant effect on proportion of” (2014 p.113), a certain source type. My content analysis will test expectations that: Broadcast outlets will have articles with a stronger general sentiment and source individual figures, Conservative outlets will use episodic frames, like Immigrant Crime, the most, and Liberal outlets will use thematic frames, such as Function of immigration System, the most. I used content analysis to categorize articles on source and data point usage, arguments made, article frame (Gamson & Modigliani 1987), and more. I investigated an article population (N=193) of two major broadcast, (including Fox News (N=57) and MSNBC (N=26)) and two major print outlets (The New York Times (N=62) and the Wall Street Journal (N=48)). Results from this research should establish a modern baseline on whether differences exist in specific details of articles, like sources and frames, representing a key contribution to the literature on partisan media and media framing.