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Examining Liberty In France And The United States Through Religious Accommodations In Education, Carly Hitchcock Apr 2024

Examining Liberty In France And The United States Through Religious Accommodations In Education, Carly Hitchcock

Honors Projects

Liberty is a key value of the United States of America and France as seen in their key phrases « Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité, » and “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”. Liberty can be broken down into two forms, positive liberty, or the freedom to something, and negative liberty, or the freedom from something. The separation of church and state is a primary pillar of both France and the United States, as it determines how the government of each country interacts with different religions. Public education is a primary socialization experience of citizens in both countries, where …


The Legal Culpability Of Emperor Hirohito In The Outbreak Of The Second Sino-Japanese War, Joseph Castellano Apr 2024

The Legal Culpability Of Emperor Hirohito In The Outbreak Of The Second Sino-Japanese War, Joseph Castellano

Honors Projects

An analysis of the legal culpability of Emperor Hirohito in the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War based on primary source evidence. Combines an examination of primary and secondary sources to demonstrate that Emperor Hirohito was legally responsible for his role in the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War.


Demographics Impact On Feelings Towards The Democratic And Republican Parties, Quinn Layden Apr 2024

Demographics Impact On Feelings Towards The Democratic And Republican Parties, Quinn Layden

Honors Projects

The purpose of this paper is to determine how the demographics of gender, race, religion, age, income, education, and political party affect feelings toward the Democratic and Republican parties in the United States. The American National Elections Study (ANES) data was used to create a multivariate linear regression for each of the Democratic and Republican parties that modeled how the demographics felt towards the parties. The ANES feeling thermometer was used to represent the group’s feelings towards each party. The model showed that there was a slightly strong correlation between demographics and feelings towards the Democratic and Republican parties. With …


How The Global Migration Crisis Created Social Change In Europe., Brandon Piehler Apr 2024

How The Global Migration Crisis Created Social Change In Europe., Brandon Piehler

Honors Projects

The Global Migration crisis started in 2015, when refugees began arriving on the shores of Europe. Europe had not seen a large-scale movement of refugees from middle eastern countries. This tested long standing agreements that defined relations between European countries. As a result, countries began to seek measures to restrict the flow of migrants across the continent. Migrants were meet with hostility from local populations and not welcomed by communities. The point of this honors project was to explore the social changes that the migration crisis caused. The historical backgrounds of different European countries helped dictate how they responded to …


Defendant Attractiveness And Gender: A Question Of Juror Bias, Genevieve Smiley Apr 2024

Defendant Attractiveness And Gender: A Question Of Juror Bias, Genevieve Smiley

Honors Projects

Despite the United States’ punitive reputation, many perpetrators of sexual assault are often left unprosecuted. A reason for this, among many, may be the jury’s propensity for bias due to several extralegal factors. The current study examines the ways the extralegal factors of defendant attractiveness and gender affect juror decision-making in an acquaintance sexual assault case. Mock jurors read a short summary of a sexual assault case accompanied by a randomized photograph of a defendant manipulated by attractiveness and gender. Mock jurors were then asked to give determinations of guilt and sentencing length, their perceptions of the defendant, and responsibility …


Learning The Legislative Process With A Board Game, Michael Posadny May 2023

Learning The Legislative Process With A Board Game, Michael Posadny

Honors Projects

Standard methods of teaching classroom material can generally work effectively for educating the majority of a class’s students, but some students may still struggle to find the information to be comprehensive, enjoyable to learn, or even necessary. Alternative methods of instruction can be used to educate students in different ways, and this study looks into the educational merit that a board game can provide to learning new material. Previous research has shown the effectiveness of board games on various elements of education, and this project addresses the findings of previous works to predict the effects that a game will have …


Accessibility Of On-Campus Food Pantries: A Comparative Review, Jayden Parrott Apr 2023

Accessibility Of On-Campus Food Pantries: A Comparative Review, Jayden Parrott

Honors Projects

This project explores ways in which food pantries across Ohio college campuses are accommodating for those with food restrictions such as food allergies, religious diets, or personal choice (vegan/vegetarian). Food insecurity is a widespread issue that affects many Americans. College students especially bear the burden of this issue. Food pantries are a common institution to combat food insecurity, and these work for many of the individuals that use them. Those with special dietary needs, however, may find more difficulty when accessing these resources. Having a food allergy or being on a religious or personal diet may impact how you can …


Teaching About The Global Refugee Crisis, Melissa Kafer Apr 2023

Teaching About The Global Refugee Crisis, Melissa Kafer

Honors Projects

Around the world, there are more than 30 million refugees (UNHCR, 2023) facing language barriers, cultural differences, prejudice, racism, and xenophobia. The number of admitted refugees in 2022 has more than doubled since 2021 (Duffin, 2022), and yet, many Americans do not know or understand the global refugee crisis. There are misconceptions in America that cause lack of empathy, bias, and prejudice towards refugees. Through the creation of four lesson plans, this research project aims to discover Americans’ misunderstandings regarding refugees and teach them about the crisis to remedy the misconceptions. This study includes a literature review detailing appropriate teaching …


Your Honor’S Misdeeds: The Consequences Of Judicial Scandal On Specific And Diffuse Support, Joshua Boston, Benjamin J. Kassow, Ali S. Masood, David R. Miller Apr 2023

Your Honor’S Misdeeds: The Consequences Of Judicial Scandal On Specific And Diffuse Support, Joshua Boston, Benjamin J. Kassow, Ali S. Masood, David R. Miller

Political Science Faculty Publications

Legitimacy is a bulwark for courts; even when judges engage in controversial or disagreeable behavior, the public tends to acquiesce. Recent studies identify several threats to the legitimacy of courts, including polarization and attacks by political elites. This article contributes to the scholarly discourse by exploring a previously unconsidered threat: scandal, or allegations of personal misbehavior. We argue that scandals can undermine confidence in judges as virtuous arbiters and erode broad public support for the courts. Using survey experiments, we draw on real-world judicial controversies to evaluate the impact of scandal on specific support for judicial actors and their rulings …


Promoting Information And Visual Literacy Skills In Undergraduate Students Using Infographics, Nicole Kalaf-Hughes Apr 2023

Promoting Information And Visual Literacy Skills In Undergraduate Students Using Infographics, Nicole Kalaf-Hughes

Political Science Faculty Publications

Because research and communication proficiency is ubiquitous in the academic and professional world, teaching students the necessary information literacy (IL) and visual literacy (VL) skills has become increasingly important. Integrating IL and VL pedagogy into substantive coursework can enhance students’ comprehension of the material and teach them to make a meaningful contribution to public awareness and understanding of political science. Yet, faculty often find it challenging to include instruction in these skills with necessary coverage of substantive course material. This article discusses the use of an infographic assignment in an introductory American government course as a tool to teach literacy …


The Electoral Connection In Court: How Sentencing Responds To Voter Preferences, Joshua Boston, Bernardo S. Silveira Mar 2023

The Electoral Connection In Court: How Sentencing Responds To Voter Preferences, Joshua Boston, Bernardo S. Silveira

Political Science Faculty Publications

Do elected judges tailor criminal sentences to the electorate’s ideology? Utilizing sentencing data from North Carolina’s Superior Courts—which transitioned from statewide to local elections in 1996—we study whether judges are obliging to voters’ preferences. We find some evidence of responsiveness: judges from liberal districts were more lenient, while those from moderately conservative districts assigned harsher sentences. Judges from increasingly conservative districts did not change their sentencing patterns, which leads to lower re-election rates. These findings suggest that judges adapt their behavior to retain office, or else they are held accountable by the public.


Political Competition And Judicial Independence: How Courts Fill The Void When Legislatures Are Ineffective, Joshua Boston, David Carlson, J. Brandon Duck-Mayr, Greg Sasso Jan 2023

Political Competition And Judicial Independence: How Courts Fill The Void When Legislatures Are Ineffective, Joshua Boston, David Carlson, J. Brandon Duck-Mayr, Greg Sasso

Political Science Faculty Publications

What effect does political competition have in generating de facto judicial independence? We argue that competition in a legislature can drive increases in de facto judicial independence. Our game-theoretic model reveals that increased competition for seats impedes legislators’ ability to enact their platforms, regardless of government turnover probability, and increased legislative fractionalization also makes court intervention more likely. Utilizing a sample of democratic states, empirical evidence suggests when a country’s legislature is increasingly fractionalized among parties or has increasing seat turnover, we observe increases in de facto independence. This research provides new perspectives on the link between independence and competition.


The Symbolic Politics Of Same-Sex Marriage Legalization, Kaden Sinning Dec 2022

The Symbolic Politics Of Same-Sex Marriage Legalization, Kaden Sinning

Honors Projects

In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s landmark decision Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide, many commentators highlighted increasing resistance to the ruling. Some observed typical public backlash, but others noted targeted LGBTQ rights bills from state legislators. While much of the scholarly literature suggests that public backlash is short-lived and tends to resolve toward Supreme Court doctrine, less clear is the impact of state legislative efforts following judicial decisions. To help clarify this discrepancy, this research examines the effect of Obergefell on state bill proposals. I argue that Obergefell acts as a trigger for state legislators to …


Inspiring Active Citizenship In The Community From Within The Classroom, Nathan A. Halm Apr 2022

Inspiring Active Citizenship In The Community From Within The Classroom, Nathan A. Halm

Honors Projects

This project presents an alternative to contemporary civic education courses and methods in an attempt to inspire students to become Active Citizens. Fighting against common sentiments surrounding contemporary politics such as divisiveness, polarization, apathy, and disenfranchisement, this project provides a framework for students to engage at the local level in an effective and genuine way.


Securing The Future Of Democracy Through The Continued Education Of "Divisive" Concepts, Rachel Larsen Apr 2022

Securing The Future Of Democracy Through The Continued Education Of "Divisive" Concepts, Rachel Larsen

Honors Projects

Research shows that social studies education should be about more than just teaching standards to a test. The curriculum should be integrated with student life, to prepare them for a future of participating in our democracy. House Bills 322 and 327 would directly prevent these efforts and further alienate students of color and LGBTQ+ students. Students should be included and feel welcome in the school building, considering they will spend the majority of their childhood learning there. A preferred policy alternative to the two House Bills would be to draft legislation that protects divisive concepts, provides training for teachers and …


For Our Future: Why Suffrage Must Be Extended To Disenfranchised Youth, Nolan Mchugh Apr 2022

For Our Future: Why Suffrage Must Be Extended To Disenfranchised Youth, Nolan Mchugh

Honors Projects

Is our democracy truly representative if large portions of our population consistently fail to make their voices heard at the polls? 18-24 year olds consistently turn out to vote at the lowest levels of any age group, and yet these are the voters who will live the longest with the policy decisions being made today: how can we improve voter turnout and civic engagement in the next generation to ensure our democracy is truly "by the people and for the people?" To answer this question, we must turn to another group whose voices are not heard at the ballot box, …


Fellowship Application Sample, Nicole Kalaf-Hughes Jan 2022

Fellowship Application Sample, Nicole Kalaf-Hughes

ICS Fellow Applications

No abstract provided.


Serving Our Students: Evidence-Based Sex Education Policies And Practices Needed In Ohio, Lily Mckenzie Rosenberg Dec 2021

Serving Our Students: Evidence-Based Sex Education Policies And Practices Needed In Ohio, Lily Mckenzie Rosenberg

Honors Projects

Ohio has very minimal state-wide sex education laws, requiring only venereal disease education that has many similarities with abstinence-only education. Abstinence-only education has been shown to be ineffective in delaying first sex and lowering teen STDs, pregnancy, and birth rates. When students receive ineffective (or no) sex education it can impact them in many ways, leaving them unprepared for sexual lives as adults. To analyze the state of sex education in Ohio, this paper will look at sex education throughout Ohio both in law and in practice. I will then explore the impact of these minimal sex education laws on …


Grappling With The Aftereffects Of Modernism In American Literature And Culture: Spiritual, Political, And Ecological, Joseph Neary Apr 2021

Grappling With The Aftereffects Of Modernism In American Literature And Culture: Spiritual, Political, And Ecological, Joseph Neary

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

In this portfolio, Joe Neary examines various texts within contemporary American culture, including David Foster Wallace’s short story, “Good Old Neon,” Harmony Korine’s film, Spring Breakers, Richard Powers’ novel, The Overstory, and Bruce Holsinger’s book of criticism, Neomedievalism, Neoconservatism, and the War on Terror.


Why The Philanthropic Donations Of Wealthy Individuals Are Not As Great As We May Think, Alyissa Horn Apr 2021

Why The Philanthropic Donations Of Wealthy Individuals Are Not As Great As We May Think, Alyissa Horn

Honors Projects

Largely overlooked when it comes to nonprofit organizations and their influence in society are the practices and influences of wealthy donors. Throughout history, wealthy individuals have been able to find immense amounts of influence through the donation of their wealth to the nonprofit sector. As individuals, we struggle to be critical of a sector that creates such an immense amount of good. However, this article pushes readers to ask: “What are the true motivations of wealthy donors?” Through a critical analysis of the philanthropic practices of Andrew Carnegie, who is often credited with the start of modern-day big philanthropic giving, …


Best Practices For Voter Engagement Within Higher Education, Alyssa Tomins Apr 2021

Best Practices For Voter Engagement Within Higher Education, Alyssa Tomins

Honors Projects

It is imperative that higher education institutions learn more about how to recruit members of younger generations to participate in future elections. Young people have historically voted at low rates, but that trend has started to change in recent years as more resources are being devoted to voter engagement among young people. This leads to the interest of understanding what best practices and strategies have academic institutions utilized to advance voter engagement on their campuses. This qualitative study analyzes these best practices and strategies at 84 colleges and universities, all of whom are members of The Andrew Goodman Foundation Vote …


Racial Racial Discrimination Within The United States Criminal Justice System, Courtney Speigal Apr 2021

Racial Racial Discrimination Within The United States Criminal Justice System, Courtney Speigal

Honors Projects

For my senior honors project, I chose the topic of discrimination within our criminal justice system. I will be attending law school next year, and this topic has inspired me to become a lawyer. 2020 has been a year with a lot of protesting against social injustice, and change in our democracy. The Black Lives Matter Movement came to light once again, because of a number of questionable cases involving African American citizens. Considering all of this, I decided to research further the discrimination in our country, in a number of areas. I also will be looking at how we …


From Memory To Present To An Uncertain Future: An Analysis Of History And Policy On Chinese Food Security, Justin Mascarin Apr 2021

From Memory To Present To An Uncertain Future: An Analysis Of History And Policy On Chinese Food Security, Justin Mascarin

Honors Projects

This paper seeks to analyze China’s historical relationship to famine to better understand contemporary Chinese policy on food security. The historical analysis focuses both at the political level and the level of the peasantry, with a particular focus on the Great Chinese Famine. This Chinese specific analysis in conjunction with an understanding of food security history helps to better understand two white papers on food security from the Chinese Government in 1996 and 2019. This paper finds these white papers to be response to deep rooted doubts in the ability for the Chinese Government to logistically support such a massive …


An Understanding Of Prisons, Race, And Class In The United States, Seth Ketchum Dec 2020

An Understanding Of Prisons, Race, And Class In The United States, Seth Ketchum

Honors Projects

After a summer of protests sparked by police brutality, the United States remains divided on this most important issue. This paper will seek to contextualize this country’s situation to explain that these protests stem from a history of inequality, in order to argue against claims that the protests are unjustified. With a multidisciplinary approach, we can begin to observe just how unequal this country is and understand what drives so many people to protest during the middle of a global pandemic.


Politics For Angels, William Kanwischer Dec 2020

Politics For Angels, William Kanwischer

Honors Projects

How many idealizing assumptions may we make when doing political philosophy? May we assume our citizens more rational than they are, or our governments more efficient than in reality? These questions lie at the center of the debate between ideal and non-ideal theorists. Ideal theorists believe it permissible to engage in counterfactual assumptions about citizens and states when doing political philosophy, and non-ideal theorists think the opposite. In this paper, I will argue against a particular defense of ideal theory given by David Estlund, who argues that the low probability that a standard of justice will be met does not …


The Chinese Communist Party And The Uyghurs: Securitization And How Ethnic Minorities Are Oppressed In An Multi-Ethnic State, Justin C. Mascarin Jun 2020

The Chinese Communist Party And The Uyghurs: Securitization And How Ethnic Minorities Are Oppressed In An Multi-Ethnic State, Justin C. Mascarin

International ResearchScape Journal

Since the beginning of the War on Terror in 2001, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has convinced its own populace as well as foreign countries that increasing security measures in the Xinjiang region are necessary. In 2014, in response to terror attacks, the Chinese Government announced the “Strike Hard Campaign Against Violent Terrorism” aimed at the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and more specifically the Uyghur ethnic minority. This paper will analyze the oppression of the Uyghurs in China through securitization theory and the political and ethnic theories to construct a better understanding of how large multi-ethnic states legitimize oppressing minority …


The Association Between Family Income And Adults’ Attitudes On Whether The Government Should Help The Poor, Emily Malloy May 2020

The Association Between Family Income And Adults’ Attitudes On Whether The Government Should Help The Poor, Emily Malloy

Honors Projects

This research examines whether people in different social classes have varying views on whether the government should help the poor and whether that depends on political affiliation. Income inequality has become a greater problem in the U.S. in recent decades. This means that the poor could require more assistance and it is important to know if the public thinks the government should help the poor. Knowing what influences public opinion on this issue could help policy makers make informed decisions about whether the government should help the poor. Data from the 2008 (N=2,023) and 2018 (N=2,348) General Social Survey (GSS) …


Trust, Political Participation, And Poverty: The Effects Of Poverty On Political Behavior, Melanie Cain May 2020

Trust, Political Participation, And Poverty: The Effects Of Poverty On Political Behavior, Melanie Cain

Honors Projects

With the upcoming 2020 election, the right to vote and otherwise participate in politics is as important as ever. In this research, I have examine the relationship between trust in government, political efficacy, participation in politics, and poverty to study why those in low-income households have lower rates of political participation and offer solutions to raise the rate of participation.


College Students And Their Political Participation, Emily Williams May 2020

College Students And Their Political Participation, Emily Williams

Honors Projects

Historically, college students have had a low voter turnout despite having particularly high political engagement. This is a problem because it is instilling a bad habit of not politically engaging to the extent that a productive United States citizen should. By not voting, Americans are losing their rights to representation that reflects their views and beliefs. In this paper I discuss why this low voter turnout is negative and what the United States can do, via the government and educational institutions, to increase voter turnout. In this research, the reader will discover the reasons for low voting rates among college …


Bowling Green Business: The Incentives Inciting Economic Growth, Paul Garbarino Apr 2019

Bowling Green Business: The Incentives Inciting Economic Growth, Paul Garbarino

Honors Projects

This paper analyzes the different factors and incentives influencing company and business site selection decision making. Policy incentives offered by governments for businesses, such as tax exemptions and reductions, subsidies, and promises of quality community life are evaluated for their effectiveness. This paper focuses on the City of Bowling Green, OH as a case study on what attracts businesses into local, smaller municipalities. Three manufacturer's within the Bowling Green jurisdiction are closely evaluated to determine what factors, including location, labor force, and quality of life, influenced their decisions to operate in Bowling Green.