Senior Conducted Capstone Research in Israel
Posted on Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Rachael Hoffman, a Westminster College senior psychology major, conducted research for her capstone project at Western Galilee College in Akko, Israel, over the summer.
She was accompanied by her faculty adviser, Dr. Sherri Pataki, Westminster assistant professor of psychology.
Hoffman's project is an investigation of implicit and explicit attitudes (i.e., attitudes that a person is not consciously aware of and those that he/she is aware of) toward religious and non-religious individuals. Because she wanted to study this topic in a cross-cultural context, she collected data related to attitudes between religious and secular Jews in Israel. She is in the process of collecting additional data at Westminster.
"Israel is an amazing place," Hoffman said. "Many people have very negative preconceived notions about Israel due to the persistent conflict there, but the conflict involves only a small part of the country. The majority of the country is steeped in history, cultural diversity, and gorgeous scenery."
"I have never been one to enjoy studying history, but walking through the tunnels under the Western Wall, visiting the Holocaust museum Yad Vashem, going to Masada for an incredible view of the Dead Sea, and many other experiences led me to become very enthusiastic about learning the historical context of the places I visited," Hoffman added. "It was also fascinating to see representations of so many cultures in one place: Orthodox Jews, secular Jews, Muslims, Christians, and people from many other religious and ethnic backgrounds all walked the same streets."
"This was an incredible experience for Rachael and me," Pataki said. "Not only were we able to collect cross-cultural data from Israeli students, but we were also able to experience the rich diversity of Israel as well as the relevance of this research in an Israeli context."
Hoffman appreciates the opportunity to work with students and faculty at Western Galilee: "Interacting with them provided me a great deal of information that I would never find in a textbook. I formed several valuable friendships while in Israel and have continued to collaborate with Tal Koren, a student who assisted me, to collect additional data."
At Westminster, the final component of liberal studies is a senior study, or capstone, course. The capstone is a four-semester-hour (minimum) course within the major designed to provide an opportunity for students to evaluate and assess the strengths and limitations of their major field.
The capstone experience permits opportunity for structured reflection on the value of education in and beyond the major and provides an opportunity to strengthen communication and problem-solving skills.
Financial support for the trip was provided by the Heinz Collaborative Research Fund.
Hoffman is a daughter of Walter and Patricia Hoffman of Transfer and a graduate of Reynolds High School.
Pataki, who has been with Westminster since 2004, earned an undergraduate degree from Allegheny College and Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University.
Contact Pataki at (724) 946-7361 or e-mail patakisp@westminster.edu for additional information.
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