People always say ‘never talk about religion at a party,’ this is true even for college students. But if you’re a female in college, talking about religion is not only taboo, it’s unheard of. After being brought up by parents with two different ideologies, Christianity and Islam, I set out with this research project to better understand what role religion plays for my other female peers. Analyzing predominantly what their chosen theology means to their identity, how they advocate for their faith, how their ideology intersects with dating and what they perceive to be the biggest misconception about them for being religiously affiliated. I chose women who were students at UW from a variety of majors who identified with either Christian or Islamic based faiths, since this is where the majority of my previous research and experience has been. My primary methods were through long-form interviews, ethnographic observations and interacting with them on a daily basis as they moved their lives and their faith. Hearing about the challenges these women overcome on a daily basis just for identifying with a particular religion has solidified my hypothesis that ideology plays a pivotal role in their undergraduate career. Based on my research thus far, it has proven that it affects them in regards to their academics, involvement on campus and their interactions with their peers on campus. Further research will yield more information about the depth that these affects have taken. Overall, the outcomes have also been both surprising and inspirational to see how these women embrace, advocate and represent their faith. This work aims to open up and spark some dialogue about what religion means to college students and how societal framework does not always accurately represent these identities.

According to the World Health Organization, every year about 3.3 million babies are stillborn and more than 4 million die within 28 days of birth. Yet the death of a baby remains a very difficult subject in contemporary American society and bereavement interventions in perinatal medicine are still quite limited. This research will expand our understanding of the role photography plays in assisting parents with the process of mourning neonatal, perinatal, and infant death. By examining the perspectives of healthcare professionals, photographers, and parents in regard to the practice of bereavement photography, the research will investigate the ways in which photographs are used and transmitted, in both the private realm of bereaved families and the public domain of cyberspace. This study aims to understand how photography is used in the process of memory making and consequently, how the act of creating memories enables emotional healing. Finally, it will explore how bereavement photography exists at the junction of two shifts simultaneously occurring in cultural practices and social attitudes: the renegotiation of the boundaries between public and private, and the development of newer, characteristically modern, expressions of grief. This work has the potential to raise awareness about this developing mourning practice and increase the efficacy of bereavement interventions in neonatal and perinatal care, with the ultimate goal of providing a more widely available framework for helping parents cope with this hitherto often unspoken of, and invisible, loss.