Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Reflections On Critical Pedagogy In America Latina: La Lucha Continua, Peter Mclaren

Education Faculty Articles and Research

"When I speak in Mexico, I support efforts there to create a revolutionary critical pedagogy—one that has not been domesticated and depotentiated by neoliberal dogma. This means the inclusion of a decolonial pedagogy which challenges the “coloniality of power” (patron de poder colonial) that still resides at the heart of post-colonial societies. I would advise as a central, overarching goal of critical pedagogy the struggle for a socialist alternative to the “value form of labor” that exists in capitalist societies throughout North and South America, and that such efforts must be transnational in scope since capitalism is now transnational in …

The End Of The World: Fear Of The Apocalypse, Hannah Richardson

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Predicting the end of the world has been a practice for thousands of years. In recent years, it was seen in 1891 with the Mormon Armageddon, 2000 with Y2k, and 2012 when the Mayan calendar was believed to have ended. While these moments in history are often seen as entertainment by the greater population, there are many groups of people that support and live by the idea that the world will end in their lifetime or the near future. This paper will develop ideas of why people form a fear of the world ending, and the public opinion around this …

Religion And Politics: The Influence Of Religious Affiliation And Beliefs On Political Participation, Samuel Gonzalez

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Religion has had a significant effect on voter participation in the United States and continues to change with society as it continues to develop into a more diverse environment. The “God Gap”, a coined term used to describe the more religiously attentive an individual is the more likely they are to vote Republican. Many different survey studies of the 2004 American National Election Survey (ANES) have supported this term with data showing a gap between republican and democratic votes when individuals report their attendance to religious services more than once a week.

Of those that participated in the 2016 American …

Carta Abierta: A Eliott Abrams (Enviado De Los Estados Unidos A Venezuela), Peter Mclaren

Education Faculty Articles and Research

An open letter, in Spanish, from Peter McLaren to Eliott Abrams, the the Special Representative for Venezuela at the U.S. Department of State.

Open Letter: To Eliott Abrams (U. S. Venezuela Envoy), Peter Mclaren

Education Faculty Articles and Research

An open letter from Peter McLaren to Eliott Abrams, the the Special Representative for Venezuela at the U.S. Department of State.

A Spanish translation is available here.

Review Of The Third Disestablishment: Church, State, And American Culture, 1940-1975. By Steven K. Green, John W. Compton

Political Science Faculty Articles and Research

A book review of Steven K. Green's The Third Disestablishment: Church, State, and American Culture, 1940-1975.

Democracy Unchained: Contractualism, Individualism, And Independence In Buchanan’S Democratic Theory, John Thrasher

Philosophy Faculty Articles and Research

Contrary to the claims of some of his critics, James Buchanan was an ardent democrat. I argue that Buchanan’s conception of democratic governance organized by a contractually justified constitution is highly distinctive because of his commitment to a strong conception of individualism. For Buchanan, democracy is neither justified instrumentally—by the goods it generates—nor by reference to some antecedent conception of justice. Instead, democracy is the only political option for a society that takes individualism seriously. One implication of this view is that democracies can only be limited by the rules they collectively give themselves in the form of constitutions. I …

Technologizing The Divine, Peter Mclaren

Education Faculty Articles and Research

"Technology has helped us to define who we are as a species. But for all of its potential for good, it has wrought a malignant vengeance, calumniating the poor as disposable wastrels and inducing all but the owners of the means of production to endure many species of alienation. An intemperate obstacle arises when we attempt to technologize human spirituality."

Media Discourses That Normalize Colonial Relations: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of (Im)Migrants And Refugees, Meng Zhao, Jorge Rodriguez, Lilia D. Monzó

Education Faculty Articles and Research

The im(migration) and refugee crisis that are being exacerbated under the Trump administration, is a manifestation of empire-building and the long history of colonization of the Global South. A Marxist-humanist perspective recognizes these as consistent aspects of a clearly racist global capitalism that functions in the interest of multibillion dollar U.S.–based corporations and increasingly transnational corporations. Trade agreements, international economic policy, political intervention, invasion or the threat of these, often secure corporate interests in specific countries and regions. The authors use critical discourse analysis to examine the discourses around Mexican, Central American, and Syrian im(migrants) and refugees as examples of …

God And Governance: Reflections On Living In The Belly Of The Beast, Peter Mclaren

Education Faculty Articles and Research

In this critical rage article, Peter McLaren unleashes his revolutionary critique aimed at capitalist injustice behind postdigital socio-technological developments, historical forms of injustice such as racism and colonialism, and recent political events and developments including but not limited to US interventions in Latin America and the presidency of Donald Trump. Rising from two important prongs of McLaren’s work—revolutionary critical pedagogy and liberation theology—the article connects myth, religion, science, politics, technology, and humanity. The article reveals McLaren’s most intimate thoughts and experiences and aligns them with sophisticated theory and philosophy. It dances between the individual and the collective, the realistic and …

Why The Covenant Worked: On The Institutional Foundations Of The American Civil Religion, John W. Compton

Political Science Faculty Articles and Research

Scholars of American civil religion (ACR) have paid insufficient attention to the micro-level processes through which civil religious ideas have historically influenced beliefs and behavior. We know little about what makes such appeals meaningful to average Americans (assuming they are meaningful); nor do we know much about the mechanisms through which abstract religious themes and imagery come to be associated with specific policy aims, or what Robert Bellah called “national goals.” This article argues that a renewed focus on the relationship between civil religion and organized religion can help fill this gap in the literature. More specifically, I draw attention …

Reasons For Public Opinion On Foreign Policy, Maria Kachulis-Moriarty

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

In recent years, especially under President Trump’s administration, United States foreign policy has seen a great deal of changes, as has public opinion on U.S. foreign policy. Foreign policy faces increasing criticism and scrutiny as information about international trade and relationships between countries becomes more accessible to the public. This paper will address public opinion on current U.S. foreign policy with regards to three countries – China, Russia, and Mexico – and how it may differ based on variables such as trust in media, ideology, and belief that immigration increases the U.S. crime rate. These variables are vital to understanding …

A Roundtable On Robert K. Brigham, Reckless: Henry Kissinger’S Responsibility For The Tragedy In Vietnam, Amanda Demmer, Richard A. Moss, Scott Laderman, Luke A. Nichter, David F. Schmitz, Robert K. Brigham

Presidential Studies Faculty Articles and Research

A set of reviews of Robert K. Brigham's Reckless: Henry Kissinger and the Tragedy of Vietnam, with a response from the author.

H-Diplo Roundtable Xx-20 On Matthew J. Ambrose. The Control Agenda: A History Of The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, Scott Kaufman, Ronald J. Granieri, John Maurer, Luke A. Nichter, David Tal, Matthew Ambrose

Presidential Studies Faculty Articles and Research

A set of reviews of Matthew J. Ambrose's The Control Agenda: A History of the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, with a response from the author.