Digital Commons Network^™

The Trump Effect: How Partisanship Shapes Perceptions Of The Fbi, Carly A. Watts

LSU Master's Theses

Following the 2016 presidential election, some Republicans viewed the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as politically biased because the agency investigated the Trump campaign's possible collusion with the Russian government. Soon after, public opinion polling found that Republicans had diminishing levels of support for the agency. Using the 2020 ANES, I examine how partisanship affects perceptions of the FBI. I hypothesize that the relationship between partisanship and FBI evaluations is conditional on an individual's support for Donald Trump. The results from my analysis suggest that as support for Trump increases, the relationship between Republican partisan strength and FBI evaluations weakens.

Narrative Infidelity And White Resentment In The Rhetorical Mobilization Of The Anti-Crt Movement, Julien Burns

LSU Master's Theses

Beginning in the summer of 2020, an activist movement has arisen in opposition to Critical Race Theory (CRT). This movement has mobilized tens of thousands of Americans and passed policy curtailing the discussion of race in classrooms despite a lack of evidence that CRT has any meaningful presence in many of the public institutions targeted. This movement challenges logic-based conceptions of rhetorical persuasion and demands an alternative model. In this thesis, I propose that a narrative conception of rhetoric provides a framework for understanding how this movement is rational, despite the falsifiability of its foundation. Specifically, I respond to Walter …

Plato's Republics: A Dramatic Interpretation Of The Early Cities In Plato's "Republic", Simeon Burns

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation will demonstrate a new methodological approach to reading Plato’s Republic. I develop and apply a dramatic, dynamic hermeneutic to Book II and part of Book III in the text. This method holds that each speech is the product of a preceding agreement or disagreement between two speakers. Agreements lead to the argument’s advancement and disagreements result in a regression to a previous agreement from which to restart the exchange. The focus section is largely on the early exchange Socrates has with Adeimantus. I argue that Socrates is an unwilling participant in the famous discussion on the meaning …

Natural Lights & Natural Rights: The Problem Of The New Classical Natural Law Theory, Charles Neville Cacciatore

LSU Master's Theses

The present work examines the natural law jurisprudence of John Finnis. It argues that Finnis’s teaching is a genuinely new natural law theory. Finnis’s jurisprudence is not a re- presentation of the jurisprudence of St. Thomas Aquinas because its central element—a doctrine of natural rights—is a departure from Aquinas’s natural law teaching. In support of these claims, the present work relies upon the scholarship of Ernest L. Fortin, A.A. Following Fr. Fortin, it presents an understanding of the natural law that endorses a clear distinction between natural right and natural rights—between premodern political philosophy and modern political philosophy.

Politics & Marriage: The Generational Gap In Marriage Priorities And Political Ambition Among Black Women In Politics, Torri A. Jackson

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Religiosity And Misperceptions: The Effect Of Americans’ Religious Involvement On Their (Mis)Perceptions Of Political Parties, Rehm Nathanael Maham

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Of Language And Thought: American Political Discourse, Normative Reason, And Essentially Contested Concepts, Riley Clare Valentine

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation analyzes progressive liberalism and neoliberalism as forms of normative reason that redefine specific political concepts, which are central to American liberalism – equality, liberty, the role of the State, and the pursuit of happiness. I contend that language is an important expression of normative reason. Language is how political reason and the norms accompanying it are expressed. I move through Presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt to Barack Obama, exploring shifts in language and interpretations of political concepts through progressive liberal and neoliberal forms of normative reason. I argue that a tension emerges between progressive liberalism and neoliberalism, and a …

An Event-History Analysis Of The Diffusion Of Permitless Concealed Carry Laws Throughout The United States, Jackson Vicknair

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Court Legitimacy & The Shadow Docket, Colton Tilley

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Court Legitimacy & The Shadow Docket, Colton J. Tilley

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Gendered Scandals On The Passage Of Women’S Issues Legislation: Louisiana State University Title Ix Failures And The Elimination Of The Pink Tax, Rebecca Norton

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

The Path Of Least Resistance?: Women Government Attorneys’ Success At The U.S. Supreme Court, Bailey Chauvin

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Electoral Impact Of Sexual Scandal On Four Recent Political Candidates: Cal Cunningham, Donald Trump, David Vitter, And Bill Clinton, Madeline Mckenzie Connelly

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Lawmaker Communication On Twitter By Race And Gender Of Lawmaker, Gabriel Olivier

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Increasing The Number Of Voting Members On Parole Panels: A Case Study Of La Act 604 Of 2018, Miranda Campbell

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Human Rights As A Means To Peace: Why The Un Security Council Should Lead On Human Rights, Arden Hooper

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

United States’ Education And The Creation Of The Neoliberal Subject, Sam Stewart

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

How "Lyingnewspapers" Made Huey Long The Ruler Of His State: A Model Of Press-Populist Dynamics, Christina A. Georgacopoulos

LSU Master's Theses

Huey Long’s use of the phrase “lyingnewspapers” to discredit negative publicity is commonly cited as evidence of his negative relationship with the mainstream press, but he did not always hold a hostile view toward newspapers. Before the press turned against him during his enemies' attempt to impeach him as governor in 1929, newspapers were one of his central tools for political advancement. He devised strategies to attract press attention and relied on newspapers to publicize himself and propagate his ideas more frequently and consistently than he used circulars or radio broadcasts, which are commonly attributed to his political success. As …

Revisiting Reif And Schmitt: Second-Order Effects In European Parliament Elections, 1979-2019, Jordan Kyje Landry

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Are elections to the European Parliament (EP) truly “second-order” reactions to “first-order” national elections and politics? Ever since Reif and Schmitt (1980), the consensus in both academic and journalistic accounts has been a resounding yes. However, comprehensive quantitative confirmation of this consensus has been lacking, and those studies that have been done have been temporally limited, regionally limited, or at least somewhat critical of Reif and Schmitt’s observations. After setting the stage with a historical account of the EP’s creation and evolution, I attempt to fill this lacuna by constructing a new data set of party-election observations (over 1300 in …

Civil War Interventions: An Examination Of The Roles Of The Media, Political Executives, And The Domestic Opposition, Jonathan Charles Nickens

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines how media attention and domestic opposition parties affect third-party intervention in foreign civil wars. Previous research defines some of the ways that political executives in democratic states are constrained in their choice of actions, while also pointing out the influences and limitations of outside actors. This dissertation builds on existing research pertaining to opposition parties and the news media by providing new theories on how these outside actors can push a leader in taking an action he otherwise might not take, such as intervening in a foreign civil war. Using newly collected data, I argue that the …

Protestant Experience And Continuity Of Political Thought In Early America, 1630-1789, Stephen Michael Wolfe

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The debate on the continuity of American political thought from the 17^th century Puritan settlements to the 18^th century American founding assumes a bipolar spectrum, ranging from strong continuity to strong discontinuity. The degree that scholars recognize distinctively Christian, theological, or Protestant ideas operating in the founding era determines where they are placed on the spectrum. The most popular view today is the “amalgam” thesis, which is a moderate view, resulting from decades of debate. Amalgam theorists argue that the founders' political theory relied on a variety of sources, from classical to Protestant. The current debate centers on …

The Differences Between Political Islam And The Hizmet Movement In Turkey, Fevzi Sarac

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study analyzes the attitudes of two influential social movements in Turkey: the Hizmet movement and political Islam. Historical overview demonstrates that there are continuous and deep attitudinal differences between the movements. I aimed to see the effects of the different attitudes. First, I look how affiliation to a specific movement shape their solution-orientation. Qualitative and quantitative analysis in this research shows that the Hizmet movement follow culture-based solutions while political Islam follows institution-based solutions. Second, I delve into the relationship between affiliation and social capital. The outcomes imply that the Hizmet movement produces bridging social capital whereas political Islam …

Not Just Stone And Metal Message Effects And Symbols Of The Confederacy In The Contemporary South, Andrew D. Searles

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Examining Political Ambition: Competition And Leadership In Youth Activities, Ashley Staszak

LSU Master's Theses

Significant amounts of previous research focused on political ambition as a source of the gender gap in representation (Beyer and Bowden 1997; Pajares 2002; Fox 2010; Fox and Lawless 2014). This research looks to examine extracurricular activities (or after-school activities) and the effects they have on political ambition of girls as they grow up. Extracurricular activities provide girls access to competition, risk and female role models which can work to combat gender role socialization and other hindrances to running for political office. Using a survey of 300 undergraduate students at a large southern university, I measure the effect of extracurricular …

Strategies For Assisting Refugees: Repatriation Versus Resettlement, Hannah Cottrell

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Andrew T. Hatcher: Press, Public Information & Perception For A Nation In Transition Historical Content Analysis On The First African American To Serve As A White House Associate Press Secretary, Nayita Wilson

LSU Master's Theses

Andrew T. Hatcher rose to one of the highest positions in U.S. government when he became the first African American to serve as associate White House press secretary in 1960 under the administration of President John F. Kennedy and during the peak of the Civil Rights Movement. This is a historical content analysis that analyzes Hatcher’s role through primary sources, presidential archives, and select national, local, and minority newspapers.

The overarching purpose of this study was to ascertain Hatcher’s role as associate White House press secretary during civil rights. This study provides further insight into: 1) to what extent did …

The Religious Impact: Understanding The Influence Of Religiosity On Attitudes Toward Policy Issues, Angela Farizo Mccarthy

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to shed light on the influence of religion on Americans’ attitudes toward policy concerns. How do denominational affiliation, religious participation, and religious beliefs influence one’s views on social and/or economic policies? I consider the impact of religious belonging, religious behaving, and religious believing—also known as the “3B’s” – on public opinion toward contemporary issues in the United States. In this comprehensive analysis, I discover the importance of including the religious dimensions in models of public policy attitudes. The first part of this project is to outline the current state of the literature and present …

Political Parties For Protection And Profit: Explaining Opposition Party Competition Under Electoral Authoritarianism, Michael David Toje

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Despite the presence of open elections and contestable political offices, opposition parties in electoral authoritarian regimes face barriers – formal and informal – that prevent them from attaining de facto power. Yet, these parties still decide to spend the time, money, and effort to run candidates in unfair elections. This dissertation seeks to uncover the reasons that opposition parties decide to compete in such an uncompetitive environment, and what sustains opposition parties though cycles of defeat. It proposes that opposition parties compete not for the purposes of unseating the ruling party, but rather for controlling their own local affairs away …

The Effect Of Environmental, Facility, And Resident Characteristics On Antipsychotic Usage Rates In Louisiana Certified Nursing Facilities, Emma Looney

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Đổi Mới Diy: Tactical Ruralism And Tangible Modeling In The Mekong Delta, Phillip Fernberg

LSU Master's Theses

In recent years, the integrity of the Mekong Delta has been put at risk by a combination of environmental and institutional factors. Understanding that the degradation of the Delta would have far-reaching socioeconomic implications for both Vietnam and the Indochinese Peninsula, The World Bank has responded to the situation by implementing initiatives for climate-smart planning tools and improved water management practices throughout the lower Mekong basin. Seeing the potential for tangible modeling as a participatory planning tool, the Bank has hired a team of consultants from Louisiana State University to introduce a methodology called Tangible Landscape to its climate resilience …