Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Opinions On The Affordable Care Act: The Role Of Self-Interest, Bradley J. West

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Since its passage in 2010, the Affordable Care Act has received some of the most public backlash than any other bill in recent history. The bill aims to expand healthcare to those who were previously ineligible for coverage due to a pre-existing condition and to those who cannot afford it by subsidising their purchase of private health care plans. One would expect unhealthy, uninsured, and poor Americans to support this. However, there are plenty of uninsured, unhealthy, poor Americans who have a negative opinion of the ACA. This paper attempts to reconcile this fact with a popular theory of voting …

Campaign Finance Makes America Go ‘Round: Individual Campaign Contributions And The Effects Of Citizens United On The American Election System, Geneva Sherman

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

How political campaigns are financed directly affects every citizen in the United States. This can be attributed to the fact that campaign money is correlated to the laws that pass through congress and the interests that are taken into consideration. After the passage of Citizens United in 2010, campaign donation caps were lifted to allow for virtual unregulated money in politics with PACs, Super PACs and 501(c)(4)s. Although the 2010 passage of Citizens United has increased the influence of corporate and wealthy interests, individual campaign donations represent a major percentage of funds raised and are heavily relied upon. The present …

Muslim Stereotypes And Nuclear Iran, David S. Norick

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Popular opinion among American citizens would attest that the United States should promote the restriction of nuclear weapons being developed. While other nations already have or are developing nuclear weapons, Iran continues to dominate the conversation. It may be possible that the prolonged focus on Iranian nuclear weapons development could be the result of past American intervention, but the United States has not directly attacked Iran since 1988. While the past has impacted opinion, it is not because of Iran itself. After the events of September 11^th, 2001 and the wars in the Middle East, American paranoia has …

Attitudes Towards Immigration In The United States, Tianna M. Martinez

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The topic of immigration in the United States has been one of great contention for U.S citizens over the past year. Despite being a country built on immigrants, it seems that public attitudes towards the issue are changing. It is hard to pinpoint an exact reason for this change in opinion as there are so many factors playing a role. This paper will examine quantitative research data provided by the American National Election Survey to assess different factors that are actively playing a role in altering the public’s overall opinion on immigration levels. The data examined reveals how age, feeling …

Gun Control And Public Opinion, Jessica J. Nicholas

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

With over 49,000 violent incidents involving firearms occurring in 2015, legislation regarding the availability of guns is an extremely critical issue. Using the American National Election Study’s 2012 Time Series Study, this research considers the results of this survey, specifically whether certain demographics of respondents are more likely to believe the federal government should make laws on gun purchases more stringent. The independent variables of party identification, gender, and age are tested in relation to respondents’ opinions on gun control laws. Bivariate analysis finds that demographics of Americans identifying as Democrats, female, and sixty years or older are the most …

Voter Trust And The Power Of Direct Democracy: An Exploration Into The Importance Of Legitimate Forms Of Governing In A Democracy, Emma Brent

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Legitimacy is the only concept that gives a government control of a population. For a democracy, legitimacy is especially imperative to its function. Current polling in the United States reflects the lowest approval ratings of Congress in history, and a sense of hopelessness in the system. Civil unrest has become a trademark of the 21st century, and much of the unrest has spawned from voters believing their voice is lost in a system that never valued it to begin with. When it comes to direct democracy in the U.S., initiated through ballot measures, many studies point to trust in government, …

Nichter On Burr And Kimball, 'Nixon's Nuclear Specter: The Secret Alert Of 1969, Madman Diplomacy, And The Vietnam War', Luke A. Nichter

Presidential Studies Faculty Articles and Research

A review of Nixon's Nuclear Specter: The Secret Alert of 1969, Madman Diplomacy, and the Vietnam War by William Burr and Jeffrey P. Kimball.

Peace Profile: Christiana Thorpe, Whitney Mcintyre Miller, Michael Wundah

Education Faculty Articles and Research

"The profile of an illustrious Sierra Leonean, Dr. Christiana Thorpe, epitomizes a success story worthy of emulation. The cultivation of sustainable peace and political stability through the eyes of social activism, service for gender parity, and electoral and education reforms are at the heart of this account. Christiana’s kind heartedness and relentless urge to labor in the service of her country and mankind make her a unique and fascinating peace maker."

Review Of Global Activism In Food Politics: Powershift, Ashley Wendell Kranjac

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

A review of Alana Mann's Global Activism in Food Politics: Power Shift.

Smoller/Grindle: Time Is Now For An Ethics Commission, Fred Smoller, Shirley Grindle

Political Science Faculty Articles and Research

"Orange County is the only major metropolitan jurisdiction in California that does not have an Ethics Commission… For these reasons, a group of citizens have written an ordinance to establish an independent, non-partisan Ethics Commission tasked with overseeing ethics and campaign law violations by county elected and appointed officials and county employees."

Young Voter Turnout, Conner Larkin

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Low voter turnout amount young adults in the United States is problematic especially compared to older adults. This paper will explore why there is a low young voter turnout rate. Recent literature has proposed that educational achievement and economic advancement has accounted for higher voter turnout in older adults, while the lack there of is attributed to lower young turnout. Other literature also points to apathy as a possible causation for low youth votes. The Youth don't realize the impact they can have on an election, or the impact the election can have on them, because of lack of interest. …

Negative Campaigns And Their Influence On Voter Attitudes, Estefan Colindres

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

There is a legitimate debate over negative campaigning and whether it either mobilizes voter participation or suppresses it. Previous studies suggest that the relevant political information brought by negative campaigns play a significant role in mobilizing the electorate (Finkel and Geer, 1998). On the other hand, some studies explain that negative campaigns challenge the legitimacy of the electoral process and consequently drain the electorate (Krupnikov, 2011).

As such, my research question asks of the effect of negative campaigning on voter participation - are people turned off and to what extent? What kind of impact does negative campaigning have on voters …

Terrorism Through American Eyes, Jacob Blaznek

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The ‘War on Terror’ has been a highly debated topic since President Bush first said it after the attack to the United States on September 11th. Many articles and books have been written about the growing problem of terrorism and how the United States is handling it. Each article provides different ways that the United States has wrongly handled the situation and ways that they could improve their efforts to reduce terrorism. After the terrorist attack on World Trade Center and The Pentagon, the United States went to War against Al-Qaeda. Today, the US is still in a highly dangerous …

Partisanship And Foreign Policy, Sauran Mussin

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Throughout the Cold War era matters of US foreign policy have been met with increasing bipartisanship as a result of the looming threat of a possible military confrontation with the USSR. Divergence between the two parties was sidelined due to the necessity for unity on account of the military and economical threat that rivaled US interests. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, more recently post 9/11 era and the launch of the Global War on Terror there has been an increasing partisanship disagreement within the US government towards foreign policy. This research paper will attempt to explain the relationship …

The Angry Electorate - Affect And Voting Decision Making, Negeen Amirieh

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Political scientists do not typically focus on the affect, but rather they focus exclusively on cognition. Relying on the 2012 ANES, the present study seeks to understand and analyze the importance of how a voter’s emotions specifically anger towards a political figure can effect the voter’s actions. In this paper, the factors that are essential in understanding emotions in politics are: effect of anger in comparison to other affects, distrust in media and reliance on party identification, and the role of cognition in relation to affect, the correlation between affect and cognition with voting behavior. The present research answers the …

Economic Voting: Election Outcomes At The Toss Of A Coin?, Damaris Bangean

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Given the severe shock of the 2008 economic crisis, this paper examines the relationship the relationship between individual and aggregate economic evaluations and democratic accountability through data analysis of the 2012 American National Election Studies. It includes statistical analysis of presidential and congressional approval, personal restrospective and prospective economic evaluations, macroeconomic restrospective and prospective evaluations, and other relevant variables, such as income and ideological preferences to broaden the scope of analysis on political behavior. As the notion of democratic accountability is a foundational pillar of the American political system, such studies are critical to election years following economic fluctuations, where …

Political Participation Of Millennials In The United States And Western Europe, Jenny Bhatia

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Millennials are a very large generation, the second largest in the US history. More than half of the millennials are already of voting age adults, have graduated from schools or college, and are into careers. Millennials are often described with more than a bit of a sneer, as the new "me" generation and have always participated in politics at a lower rate due to a various reasons such as the generation’s size, demographics, and views on cultural, foreign policy, role of government, and economic issues which somehow, make them unique when compared to the older generation. This research will analyze …

American Perceptions Of Iran, Avery Bissett

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

American foreign policy in regards to Iran has been among the most visible stories in recent years and will certainly continue to be as negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program continue. Although many factors influence how Americans view other countries, one of the most important factors is the media and how it covers Iran. In addition to investigating how specific media outlets shape our views of Iran, it will also investigate how the medium (print, TV, online, radio) influences our perception. It will use data from the 2012 American National Election Study, which asked participants whether they believe Iran is pursuing …

Gender Gap In The Environmental Movement, Nicholas Burghard

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

It has been known in recent years, that there is a connection between political party choice, and the importance of the environment to their members. However, this correlation may only be skin deep. The objective of this research is to delve into the specific correlations between the importance of the environment to the voter, and their gender, religion, and propensity to joining New Social Movements (NSM’s). With environmentalism becoming a strong topic in candidate and voter discussions today, studies are being done to see what the audiences are backing environmentalism, and promoting its integration into modern American society. Therefore studies …

Perceptions Of Immigration In America, Manuel Cardoza

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Throughout history the United States as a nation saw many waves of immigrants who collectively shaped and helped build the America we see today. Today immigration has become a prevalent issue that is impeding progress and potentially facilitating the rise of new conflicts in a country plagued by civil injustices toward minority groups who are feeling marginalized and discriminated. Immigration desperately needs the attention of the U.S government in order to reach a solution and stop a community from being ostracized. Much of this great nation has been formed and built on the fundamental idea of immigrant forces coming together …

Predictors Of Support For A Woman President, Frances Chang

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

In recent years, the number of women holding a higher political position is rising; additionally, more and more women are running for office. Furthermore, female politicians are increasingly being elected as the head of nations globally. Although the number of women in the government is increasing, they are still underrepresented politically compared to men and are still facing obstacles while running for office. The United States is one of the strongest countries around the world, with a successful democracy for hundreds of years. The country emphasizes liberty and equality; however, the United States has not yet had a female president. …

Yo Soy Latino: Does My Vote Matter?, Jonathan Charres

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

It has been said by many political scientists that the Latino population in the United States has the potential to be a huge political player in political elections, especially with their steady growing population. However, population growth is not translating into an increase of political participation. Although many studies have been made to understand why Latino political participation is low, I will take a different approach and focus on Latino political efficacy, comparing different states. Using the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) Latino National Survey, I will seek to answer whether Latinos feel more politically empowered in …

Campaign Donations And Political Efficacy, Lauren Ewashko

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

With the marked increase in campaign spending and thus campaign fundraising we have seen an increase of Super PAC donations to political campaigns. The decline of political efficacy and political trust in the United States is sometimes linked to the increase of these kinds of big money donations in elections. It has been argued that the average civilian no longer feels like their donation counts towards achieving a win in political campaigns. There are those who say that the fact that politics is dominated by a small number of big donors has lead to a decline in individual contributions by …

Judicial Activism’S Effect On Judicial Elections, Nick Fernandes

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

High profile Supreme Court cases have become increasingly commonplace, particularly with the Citizens United court decision granting unprecedented rights to corporations. Many in the media have decried these as examples of increasing “judicial activism”. This trend has trickled down to the state supreme courts as justices have increasingly played a more active role in developing policy. Gay marriage has become legalized in numerous states due to this trend. While public sentiment is unlikely to affect the appointed Supreme Court, it could have a substantial impact on state judicial elections.

This paper will specifically be looking at judicial elections in Kentucky. …

Voting Preference, Religion And Ethnicity’S Impact On Party Identification, Benjamin Gourley

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Voting in the Presidential election always comes down to the wire, which leads political scientists to contemplate the most efficient ways for candidates to target and seize voters. The study explores how ethnic and religious values affect a voter’s party identification. This study will identify theories of opinion formation and connect these theories to the values that religious and ethnic voters rely on when voting for a candidate. This study hypothesizes three things: first, religious groups will tend to vote for candidates that hold the same religious values. Second, Ethnic groups will tend to vote for candidates that share the …

The Effect Of Voter Identification Laws On Voter Turnout, Robert Heins

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

My research project studies the relationship between voter turnout and voter identification laws. This is a very controversial topic, with proponents for each side arguing that the change, or lack of change, would affect voter turnout in some way. Some states have implemented different forms of voter identification, and by comparing the state’s voter turnout before and after the new polices, the effects of voter identification laws become more apparent. Studies have been completed on this topic, however many are contradictory and do don't address specific changes but overall trends.

My independent variable is the status of voter identification laws …

Bowling Online: Youth, Participatory Politics, And New Media, Kathryn Newburn

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Understanding the ways youth engage in politics is vital to the preservation of democracy, as they will eventually be its administrators. Young Americans are disconnecting from formal political participation; election turnout is weak and membership in political parties and organizations is declining. However, the turn away from traditional, institutional political participation has been accompanied by the rise of an alternative political tool: new media. Social networks, blogs, and other virtual communities now offer alternative, informal platforms through which youth have found a political voice. Research has largely been divided into examinations of waning institutional engagement and, separately, the rise of …

Political Activism And Trust In Government, Josh Nudelman

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

22 percent of United States citizens believe that they can trust the government in Washington to do the right thing most of the time, and Congress has an 11 percent approval rate according to a Gallup Poll. These numbers statistically indicate that citizens do not believe that the individuals they elected to represent them are truly representing them and are advocating on their own behalf. Individuals do not believe congressmen and women have their best interest at hand and are simply trying to please party leaders so they can get reelected. Elected officials are often times wrapped up in scandals …

Media Use And International Engagement, Brenna Parish

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The internet’s interactive composition and fluid interface has changed the way in which individuals acquire information, and has given consumers of news media a means to access a large amount of information regarding political content and international issues. Furthermore, the internet provides users the choice of the information that they consume, which contrasts the rigid, predetermined nature of televised news media. Because of this, this research project will compare the effects of both television and internet media on engagement in international affairs in order to examine the difference between old and new forms of media. Through a statistical analysis of …

Support For Welfare, Matthew Reminick

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Although there is much debate over the effectiveness of social programs, there has not been much research attempting to discover who exactly supports spending government resources on welfare. Previous research suggests that the American people are divided over creating a welfare state. Many economic data shows that providing assistance is beneficial short-term, but can have varying effects in the future. The research I conducted attempts to define and analyze welfare while surmising which groups of Americans are most likely to back increased federal spending towards welfare. Using the ANES 2012 data, I evaluated voter responses to election surveys, paying close …