Four Sociology seniors will graduate with Latin Honors this year! Jaden Lanza, Jacob Nayowitz, Ranen Miao, and Julia Stotz all wrote senior theses and have been recommended for honors by their committees. Below are brief summaries of their projects, including motivations and results, and what they plan to do after graduation.
Jaden Lanza
Advisor: Steve Fazzari
What is your thesis on? (include the title and a brief summary of the topic)
My thesis is titled, "The Financialization of Food: Investigating the Effects of Financial Speculation on Agricultural Prices in the 21st Century." In the paper, I offer a quantitative analysis concerning the association between increasing investments in agricultural futures markets and increases in the real price of commodities like wheat or corn.
What drew you to this topic in the first place?
I was drawn in by the literature about financialization, particularly on agricultural production, which has serious implications for food inequalities. Just a handful of companies dominate the trade of key agricultural goods as well as the other parts of the food supply chain. On top of that, financial firms (like banks, wealthy investors, or corporations) have increasingly invested directly in food commodities as assets on futures markets, which has been seen as relatively new and often lucrative. I wanted to investigate the relationship speculation had with prices because I suspected (as other scholars do) that financial activity was inflating food prices.
Can you provide a brief summary of your results?
I conducted a multivariate regression analysis between financial speculation and commodity price inflation for wheat, corn, soybeans, and coffee. Ultimately, the results suggested there was a statistically significant positive association between speculation and increases in commodity prices between 2006 and 2022. However, speculation had a negative association with price volatility, which suggests it is possible that more financial activity can reduce the degree of volatility, even if it nonetheless contributes to rising prices over time.
What's next for you after graduation?
I will be going to law school in the fall!
Jacob Nayowitz
Advisor: Jake Rosenfeld
What is your thesis on? (include the title and a brief summary of the topic)
My thesis “Moneyball? Evaluating the Effect of Non-performance Factors on Major League Baseball Salaries” studies the human capital and relational inequality models of pay determination, using Major League Baseball free agent salaries as a case study.
What drew you to this topic in the first place?
I became interested in the topic of pay setting in Professor Rosenfeld’s class on pay setting. I’ve always been interested in baseball and felt that due to various factors unique to baseball(that I touch on in the thesis), I felt it would make for a terrific case study that would shed light on my broader research question.
Can you provide a brief summary of your results?
Player race and player age both proved to be significant factors in how players were paid, with white players earning more vs. their expected pay than Hispanic players, Hispanic players earning more than black players relative to their expected pay, and black players earning more than Asian players relative to their expected pay. In relation to age, players earned more relative to their expected pay as they got older. I suggest that these results support the relational inequality model of pay setting.
What's next for you after graduation?
Law school!
Ranen Miao
Advisor: Cynthia Feliciano
What is your thesis on? (include the title and a brief summary of the topic)
My thesis is called "The Dating and Sexual Experiences of Queer Men of Color: Racial Preference in the 21st Century Bedroom" and explores the concept of intimate racism. Through 18 qualitative interviews with queer men of color, I explored the ways Black, Asian, and Latino men experienced race in their intimate relationships with other men and their experiences with exclusion, fetishization, and racism.
What drew you to this topic in the first place?
I was drawn to this topic after reading a paper by Professor Feliciano, whose class I took as a sophomore. Her research on dating racism was really compelling and helped me reflect more on my own internalized racial preferences for dating, leading me to do deeper research in the ways that race affects our own sexual and romantic lives.
Can you provide a brief summary of your results?
Probably my most interesting finding is about a discrepancy between erotic and dating capital. Some men of color described how they were viewed as sexually desirable and were able to have fulfilling sexual relationships, but that they had partners who didn't want to date. I coined the term sociosexual desirability conflict to reflect a discrepancy between wanting to sleep with someone versus wanting to bring them home to meet the parents, and theorize that its because of conflicting racial stereotypes against people of color. Another finding that I found interesting are the types of resistance men of color engage in to challenge racist preferences and hierarchies. Some of this involved direct confrontations, while in others manifested as an anti-white dating preference. This was also connected to other cultural or social reasons respondents cited for not wanting to date white partners, including racist parents, cultural incompatibility, or a lack of understanding about racism.
What's next for you after graduation?
I'm not sure! I hope I'll be working on public policy and social justice activism after graduation for a few years prior to applying for a Masters, PhD, or JD program. My long term interest is in civil rights and I hope to apply the sociological knowledge I've accrued at WashU to shape policy and ensure that all people are treated with dignity and respect.
Julia Stotz
Advisor: Elizabeth Korver-Glenn
What is your thesis on? (include the title and a brief summary of the topic)
My thesis is titled “How Court Advocates Perceive the Benefits and Limitations of Specialized Domestic Violence Courts.” Specialized domestic violence courts are an increasingly common type of specialized court used as part of the criminal-legal system’s response to domestic violence, but little research has focus on how court advocates, who assist survivors going through court processes, perceive these specialized courts. To fill this gap, I conducted 7 semi-structured interviews with court advocates and domestic violence advocacy professionals.
What drew you to this topic in the first place?
I was interested in this topic after completing my sociology internship working at the St. Louis County Domestic Violence Court.
Can you provide a brief summary of your results?
I found that participants perceived the benefits of specialized domestic violence courts in three main categories: 1) the ability to provide enhanced advocacy services, 2) the ability to promote change from within the court system, and 3) the ability to implement enforcement and compliance programs. Additionally, participants perceived the limitations of specialized domestic violence courts in two main categories: the challenges of systems work and the challenges of legal processes.
What's next for you after graduation?
I’m not sure what’s next after graduation!
Congratulations to all four Sociology honors students! We are proud of you!
