JOPLIN - Three senior honors program students at Missouri Southern State University, Aryn Crawford of Joplin, Kevin Zimmerman from Olathe, KS and Joseph Hobbs from Raymore, MO are scheduled to give their thesis presentations to fulfill the program requirement.

Crawford, a sociology major, will speak on "Social Research in West Africa: The Interview Process in a Cross-Cultural Setting" at 3 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 19 in Room 223 of Webster Hall. In 2008, she spent six months living in the West African nation of Niger. During that time, she was thwarted in her attempts to conduct interview-based research for possible use in her thesis. However, after analyzing her experiences in West Africa and conducting secondary research, she developed a new, more useful methodology. She will explore the thought processes underlying communication, explore how culture affects communication norms and determine how those norms can complicate the research process.

Zimmerman, an elementary education and French major, will present "Why Aren't Men Teaching?" at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 2 in Room 217 of Taylor Hall. His thesis focuses on the question of why fewer males than females tend to become elementary school teachers. He will look at choices men make when approaching this profession, exploring male barriers to the profession and a discussion of male and female points of view regarding this issue.

Hobbs, a speech/communication major, will present "On Genre and Culture: A Rhetorical Examination of the Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki" at 3:30 p.m., Dec. 8 in Room 105 of Webster Hall. His presentation explores the relationship between cultural genres and events by examining how different countries responded to the bombings.

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