Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Arts and Humanities Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 30 of 113

Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities

A Comparison Of Neo-Hobbesian Social Contract Theory And Anthropological Accounts Of Socio-Political Complexity, Benjamin Lee May 2024

A Comparison Of Neo-Hobbesian Social Contract Theory And Anthropological Accounts Of Socio-Political Complexity, Benjamin Lee

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Social contract theory continues to be a leading theoretical framework in political philosophy. It argues that an individual's moral and political obligations are generated by, and dependent upon, an agreement or contract between that individual and the other individuals within their society. Notable scholars who have championed this theory include Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Rawls, and Gauthier. This thesis focuses on reviewing the descriptive aspects of Hobbes’ social contract theory, by revising an already revised account provided by Gregory Kavka. Once this revision is complete, it will be argued that the descriptive aspects of Hobbes’ account of social contract are in …


The People's House?: Countermajoritarianism In The House Of Representatives, Andrew Hoffman Apr 2024

The People's House?: Countermajoritarianism In The House Of Representatives, Andrew Hoffman

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This is the first study of countermajoritarianism in the House of Representatives. Although the House is considered a majoritarian institution, intrastate malapportionment remained rampant prior to the 1964 Wesberry decision; the three-fifths clause drove systematic antebellum differences in the number of free people in northern and southern House districts; and widespread voter discrimination in the South led to systematically different levels of turnout. Combined, these factors potentialized roll calls in which the chamber’s majority did not actually represent more free individuals, voters, or electoral supporters than the minority. Using three separate measures, I characterize such outcomes as countermajoritarian. I find …


France's Compliance Of The International Convention On The Elimination Of All Forms Of Racial Discrimination: French Universalism Versus Group Rights, Alex Earls May 2023

France's Compliance Of The International Convention On The Elimination Of All Forms Of Racial Discrimination: French Universalism Versus Group Rights, Alex Earls

Undergraduate Honors Theses

There exists a constant battle between universalism and anti-racism in France, where universalism is positioned as the predominant force of western values and anti-racism as a dog-whistle for ‘wokeness’. This thesis will position that France is predisposed to incomplete compliance with the International Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) in part due to its rooted concept of French universalism and the nationalistic undertones therein that do not tolerate intermediate identifications between the individual and the Republic. The purpose of this argument is to generate an interpretive tool to observe and analyze France’s relatively weak civil …


Rethinking ‘Feminicide’: The Role Of Organized Crime Groups In Increased Rates Of Feminicide In Mexico, Giselle Figueroa May 2023

Rethinking ‘Feminicide’: The Role Of Organized Crime Groups In Increased Rates Of Feminicide In Mexico, Giselle Figueroa

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Why has feminicide significantly increased in Mexico over the past two decades? Previous feminicide research in Mexico has centered around the idea that the introduction of neoliberal politics changed family structures and increased the vulnerability of women as they entered the workforce. However, this explanation does not fully explain patterns of political violence against women in Mexico. I argue that Mexico’s War on Drugs and the intrinsic patriarchal ideologies and structures of organized crime groups (OCGs) reinforce gender hierarchies and increase the vulnerability of women. To evaluate my argument, I analyze state-level public government data on organized crime and feminicide …


Black Lives, White Kids: White Parenting Practices Following Black-Led Protests, Allison P. Anoll, Andrew M. Engelhardt, Mackenzie Israel-Trummel Dec 2022

Black Lives, White Kids: White Parenting Practices Following Black-Led Protests, Allison P. Anoll, Andrew M. Engelhardt, Mackenzie Israel-Trummel

Arts & Sciences Articles

Summer 2020 saw widespread protests under the banner Black Lives Matter. Coupled with the global pandemic that kept America’s children in the predominant care of their parents, we argue that the latter half of 2020 offers a unique moment to consider whites’ race-focused parenting practices. We use Google Trends data and posts on public parenting Facebook pages to show that the remarkable levels of protest activity in summer 2020 served as a focusing event that not only directed Americans’ attention to racial concepts but connected those concepts to parenting. Using a national survey of non-Hispanic white parents with white school-age …


The Cash Crop Revolution, Colonialism And Economic Reorganization In Africa, Philip Roessler, Yannick I. Pengl, Robert Marty, Kyle Sorlie Titlow, Nicholas Van De Walle Jun 2022

The Cash Crop Revolution, Colonialism And Economic Reorganization In Africa, Philip Roessler, Yannick I. Pengl, Robert Marty, Kyle Sorlie Titlow, Nicholas Van De Walle

Arts & Sciences Articles

In the 19th and 20th centuries, African economies experienced a significant structural transformation from the slave trades to commercial agriculture. We analyze the long-run impact of this economic transition focusing on the dynamic effects of: shifting geographic fundamentals to favor agroclimatic suitability for cash crops; infrastructural investments to reduce trade costs; and external forward production linkages. Using agro-climatic suitability scores and historical data on the source location of more than 95 percent of all exports across 38 African states, we assess the consequences of these changes on economic reorganization across the continent. We find that colonial cash crop production had …


The Journey Of Unlearning: A Close Reading Of Civil War Pedagogy In Alabama And Virginia, Michaela Hill May 2022

The Journey Of Unlearning: A Close Reading Of Civil War Pedagogy In Alabama And Virginia, Michaela Hill

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis is a close reading of Civil War pedagogy in Alabama and Virginia with special attention given to Black history during the Civil War era. Through an examination of Civil War history, it is evident that slavery was the main cause of the War. The development of the Lost Cause narrative, a reaction to Blacks gaining Civil Rights that aimed to prove the Confederate war effort was honorable, is still promoted in southern schools. Alabama and Virginia both provide state standards, outlines of the minimum required knowledge to be obtained on a given subject by the end of the …


Showing Off And Going Out: China’S Vanity Project Phenomenon, Caroline Morin May 2022

Showing Off And Going Out: China’S Vanity Project Phenomenon, Caroline Morin

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In September 2018, Xi Jinping announced that BRI financing will not be spent on vanity projects. Despite and prior to this proclamation, using the AidData data set, I uncovered a vanity project phenomenon in Chinese development financing. Chinese financed vanity projects, or development projects that do not aid a country’s development needs, are present in 79 countries across the world, ranging from sports stadiums in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to community centers in the Pacific islands. In this thesis, I find that vanity projects are most likely to occur in fragile states with strong international political cooperation with …


The Rails That Bind: America's Freedom Trains As Reflections Of Efforts To Form Cultural Consensus And Indicators Of The Weakness Of Cold War Memory, Daniel Speer May 2022

The Rails That Bind: America's Freedom Trains As Reflections Of Efforts To Form Cultural Consensus And Indicators Of The Weakness Of Cold War Memory, Daniel Speer

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper assesses why two projects with the same name, concept and intent of forming cultural consensus, the Freedom Trains, took such different forms between the postwar "consensus" (1947-1963) and detente (1963-1979) phases of the Cold War. It argues that organizers Attorney General Tom C. Clark (1947), Ross Rowland (1975), and their corporate backers articulated histories based on perceived common values of limited rights (1947), cultural pluralism (1975) and consumption (both) that attempted unity, but resulted in silences. The reception to each train, and the organizers' responses to those reactions, showed the limitations of a unifying consensus, but varied between …


Communism And The Politics Of Cultural Labeling: Patriotism And Piety In American Life, Mark Smith May 2022

Communism And The Politics Of Cultural Labeling: Patriotism And Piety In American Life, Mark Smith

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The goal of this paper is to analyze the history of Marxism and its emergent opponents in American political, religious, and cultural spheres. Examining Karl Marx and his influences reveals that, contrary to popular belief, Marxist thought has deep roots in ancient philosophy and literature. Marx drew upon these influences to highlight industrial and economic problems and propose a dialectically-based prescription for these ailments that sought to eradicate class divides and abolish private property. Marx’s reception in the United States came long after his death and was coupled with the rise of the Soviet Union and the end of World …


Media Coverage Of Muslims: Introduction And Overview, Erik Bleich, A. Maurits Van Der Veen Jan 2022

Media Coverage Of Muslims: Introduction And Overview, Erik Bleich, A. Maurits Van Der Veen

Arts & Sciences Book Chapters

Existing research largely concurs that coverage of Muslims is negative. Yet this masks how much remains unknown. In particular, there has been no clear or consistent way to gauge precisely how much negativity is present in stories about Muslims. This chapter introduces a systematic way to assess the tone of articles and discusses how this allows for answers to six important questions about coverage of Muslims. The chapter also outlines the structure of the book and summarizes the key findings. In particular, it argues that coverage of Muslims is strikingly negative by every comparative measure examined.


Obscured Conflations, (Un)Bending Frames: Considering The Concept Of "Truth" In The Politics And Rhetoric Of The Religious Right, Anna Catharine Rosenkranz Jan 2014

Obscured Conflations, (Un)Bending Frames: Considering The Concept Of "Truth" In The Politics And Rhetoric Of The Religious Right, Anna Catharine Rosenkranz

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


From "Lying Low" To "Harmonious World": Changes In Chinese Foreign Policy From The 1970s To The 2000s, Charles Monahan Murray Jan 2014

From "Lying Low" To "Harmonious World": Changes In Chinese Foreign Policy From The 1970s To The 2000s, Charles Monahan Murray

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Possessing The Holy Land: The Palestine Exploration Fund And The American Palestine Exploration Society, Ashley M. Irizarry Jan 2014

Possessing The Holy Land: The Palestine Exploration Fund And The American Palestine Exploration Society, Ashley M. Irizarry

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


The Reynolds Affair, Party Politics And Sexuality In The Early Republic, Alexandra Marie Gross Jan 2014

The Reynolds Affair, Party Politics And Sexuality In The Early Republic, Alexandra Marie Gross

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Merrymaking At The Madisons': Feasting, Alcohol, And Political Strategy, Christine Hope Heacock Jan 2013

Merrymaking At The Madisons': Feasting, Alcohol, And Political Strategy, Christine Hope Heacock

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


The Death Of John Pierce And The Political Culture Of The Early Republic, Jennifer Leigh Petrafesa Jan 2012

The Death Of John Pierce And The Political Culture Of The Early Republic, Jennifer Leigh Petrafesa

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


The 2008 Election: Prior Belief Strength, Cognitive Dissonance, And Voter Reactions, Elicia Chelsey Lair Jan 2010

The 2008 Election: Prior Belief Strength, Cognitive Dissonance, And Voter Reactions, Elicia Chelsey Lair

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Voters In A Foreign Land: Alien Suffrage And Citizenship In The United States, 1704-1926, Alan Kennedy-Shaffer Jan 2009

Voters In A Foreign Land: Alien Suffrage And Citizenship In The United States, 1704-1926, Alan Kennedy-Shaffer

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


"Dance, Dance Revolution": The Function Of Dance In American Politics, 1763-1800, Amy Catherine Green Jan 2009

"Dance, Dance Revolution": The Function Of Dance In American Politics, 1763-1800, Amy Catherine Green

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


A Stranger In The Land?: Reassessing The Political Writings Of Gershom Bulkeley, Jeffrey W. Kuckuck Jan 2008

A Stranger In The Land?: Reassessing The Political Writings Of Gershom Bulkeley, Jeffrey W. Kuckuck

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


"Of More Consequence Than The President": Frances Folsom Cleveland And The Role Of First Lady In The Late Nineteenth Century, Ellen E. Adams Jan 2004

"Of More Consequence Than The President": Frances Folsom Cleveland And The Role Of First Lady In The Late Nineteenth Century, Ellen E. Adams

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


The Origins Of The Presidential Election: The Creation Of The Electoral College Through The First Federal Elections, Giacomo Mazzei Jan 2004

The Origins Of The Presidential Election: The Creation Of The Electoral College Through The First Federal Elections, Giacomo Mazzei

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Commonwealth: Republican Rhetoric In The Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention Of 1837-38, Sean Patrick Harvey Jan 2002

Commonwealth: Republican Rhetoric In The Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention Of 1837-38, Sean Patrick Harvey

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


The Proper Role Of Religious Conviction In Moral-Political Discourse, Jerry Owens Jan 2001

The Proper Role Of Religious Conviction In Moral-Political Discourse, Jerry Owens

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


"A Bad Case Of Fossilized Tradition": The Discourse Of Race And Gender In Women's Battle For The Ballot In Richmond, Virginia 1909-1920, Melissa D. Ooten Jan 2001

"A Bad Case Of Fossilized Tradition": The Discourse Of Race And Gender In Women's Battle For The Ballot In Richmond, Virginia 1909-1920, Melissa D. Ooten

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


United States' Foreign Policy During The Haitian Revolution: A Story Of Continuity, Power Politics, And The Lure Of Empire In The Early Republic, Jeffrey B. Nickel Jan 2001

United States' Foreign Policy During The Haitian Revolution: A Story Of Continuity, Power Politics, And The Lure Of Empire In The Early Republic, Jeffrey B. Nickel

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Rethinking The Red Scare: The Lusk Committee And New York State's Fight Against Radicalism, 1919--1923, Todd J. Pfannestiel Jan 2001

Rethinking The Red Scare: The Lusk Committee And New York State's Fight Against Radicalism, 1919--1923, Todd J. Pfannestiel

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

This study re-examines the Great Red Scare that followed the First World War in an effort to more accurately determine its origins, tactics, duration, and conclusion. Specifically, it analyzes the efforts of the Lusk Committee, New York State's joint legislative committee to combat radicalism, between 1919 and 1923.;Prior studies agree that the Red Scare was intense and brief in duration. Physical raids upon Socialist Party, Communist Party, and Industrial Workers of the World offices dominated the episode, culminating with Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer's infamous national raids in January, 1920. His heavy-handed tactics, which failed to uncover any serious revolutionary …


The Lost Philosopher: Algernon Sidney And The American Enlightenment, Laura K. Semel Jan 2001

The Lost Philosopher: Algernon Sidney And The American Enlightenment, Laura K. Semel

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Atoms, Pounds And Poor Relations: The Illusion Of An Anglo-American Special Relationship, 1941-1946, Edward J. Gustafson Jan 2000

Atoms, Pounds And Poor Relations: The Illusion Of An Anglo-American Special Relationship, 1941-1946, Edward J. Gustafson

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.