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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
A Comparison Of Neo-Hobbesian Social Contract Theory And Anthropological Accounts Of Socio-Political Complexity, Benjamin Lee
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 …
An Experimental Test On The Effects Of Digital Framing Disputes On Social Movement Organization’S Mobilization And Organizational Image, Alison Trahan
An Experimental Test On The Effects Of Digital Framing Disputes On Social Movement Organization’S Mobilization And Organizational Image, Alison Trahan
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Framing disputes within social movement organizations have been shown to damage people’s opinions of the organization and the organization's ability to maintain mobilization. However, the majority of the research surrounding framing disputes has been conducted through case studies at in-person movement meetings. While these town hall-style meetings do still take place, many social movement organizations have begun to utilize social media as a part of their regular interactions with supporters and messaging efforts. This study employs a survey experimental design to examine the effects of online framing disputes on how social movement organizations are perceived and their ability to generate …
Ai-Ing The Future: An Analysis Of Past Treaty Features In Regulating Innovative Technologies, Sophia Tammera
Ai-Ing The Future: An Analysis Of Past Treaty Features In Regulating Innovative Technologies, Sophia Tammera
Undergraduate Honors Theses
This thesis examines the relationship between the specific features written into multilateral treaties and their success in regulating innovative technologies. It explores why detailed treaty provisions such as periodic reviews, trigger mechanisms, amendment provisions, and knowledge sharing are critical to the effectiveness of these international agreements. I argue that the presence of these features contributes significantly to a treaty's ability to adapt to changing circumstances, ensure transparency, and facilitate ongoing cooperation and collaboration among signatories. To test this claim, I completed an in-depth case study analysis of technologies like railroads, telegraphs, electricity, and nuclear weapons. The findings indicate that treaties …
Developing Politics While Detained: How Juvenile Incarceration Impacts Political Participation And Behavior, Jonathan Wilkins
Developing Politics While Detained: How Juvenile Incarceration Impacts Political Participation And Behavior, Jonathan Wilkins
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Carceral contact and childhood socialization matters, but we know little about how early encounters with carcerality mold political socialization. In this study, I examine a) if juvenile detention is a socializing agent, and b) how juvenile incarceration can shape political engagement and participation. I find that those incarcerated in their youth were less likely to be politically engaged but more likely to have negative feelings towards the criminal justice system compared to those first incarcerated as adults. Through semi-structured interviews of 8 people first incarcerated in their youth and 7 people first incarcerated in adulthood from Virginia, this paper analyzes …
Defining Greekness: The Effect Of Ethnic Identity On Foreign Policy Opinions, Iliana Tzafolias
Defining Greekness: The Effect Of Ethnic Identity On Foreign Policy Opinions, Iliana Tzafolias
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Many scholars agree: identity plays a significant role in shaping political opinion. What about foreign policy opinions, though? The literature on ethnic identity focuses on how ethnic identity affects domestic political opinion and political activism, paying little attention to its effect on foreign policy opinions. However, in a nation like the United States, where ethnic interest groups hold much power to influence US foreign policy, it is important to understand how people’s ethnic identity affects their foreign policy opinions about homeland politics. The Greek diaspora is widely considered one of the most politically involved diasporas in the US. By conducting …
The People's House?: Countermajoritarianism In The House Of Representatives, Andrew Hoffman
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 …
Under The Blue Berets: Race And Ethnicity As Factors For Peacekeeping Success, Sam Ketchem
Under The Blue Berets: Race And Ethnicity As Factors For Peacekeeping Success, Sam Ketchem
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Do race and ethnicity impact peacekeeping success? Scholars provide many arguments for why peacekeeping missions succeed or fail, but there has been little systematic study of how identity similarities or differences between peacekeepers and populations affect mission outcomes. I propose that racial and ethnic similarities or differences between the two groups are causal mechanisms that help determine whether a mission is on the road to operational success or failure. I use a mixed-method design to test these claims. First, I use a linear regression analysis to measure the impact of racial similarity between peacekeepers and populations on violence against civilians …
Rethinking ‘Feminicide’: The Role Of Organized Crime Groups In Increased Rates Of Feminicide In Mexico, Giselle Figueroa
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 …
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 …
Terror Management Theory In International Relations: Vladimir Putin And Slobodan Milosevic, Poojitha Tanjore
Terror Management Theory In International Relations: Vladimir Putin And Slobodan Milosevic, Poojitha Tanjore
Undergraduate Honors Theses
This thesis outlines Terror Management Theory as a psychological motive measure that can be used to study leaders in international relations. This descriptive piece analyzes Putin and Milosevic as leaders who are possible case studies for further research regarding Terror Management Theory. The case studies focus on early childhood, political career, and present decisions through the frame of worldview preservation and self-esteem-bolstering actions. The conclusions of this piece suggest that individual backgrounds matter and can potentially illuminate the decisions made by leaders in the long run.
The Journey Of Unlearning: A Close Reading Of Civil War Pedagogy In Alabama And Virginia, Michaela Hill
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 …
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 …
Reset The Boundary: State Activism In Juvenile Transfer Reform, Yuchen Tang
Reset The Boundary: State Activism In Juvenile Transfer Reform, Yuchen Tang
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Law and policy are deeply intertwined. States themselves are the main venues to deliberate and implement policies that alter the status quo of juvenile transfer. The policymaking process in some states can increase our ability to understand and predict how others will similarly react. This learning model has been the foundation for juvenile justice reform where lessons are drawn from past successes or failures to keep more youths from incarceration. Legislative and judicial capacity to influence criminal justice reforms are complementary, and there is an ongoing debate on the designated function of the judiciary, whether it should be more active …
Showing Off And Going Out: China’S Vanity Project Phenomenon, Caroline Morin
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 …
Psychological Peacebuilding: When The Time Is Ripe For An Election, Kaiming Chen
Psychological Peacebuilding: When The Time Is Ripe For An Election, Kaiming Chen
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Elections play a key role in post-conflict peace-building operations since the end of Cold War. Its conflictual nature and conflicting purposes may lead to another war. This thesis proposes three psychological factors that may predict peace after an election: parity of esteem, integrative complexity, and vocal rejection of violence. Drawing on the successful transition to peace in Mozambique 1994 and the failure of the 1992 Angolan election, this thesis argues that a high respect for the opponents, a complex thinking process, and a vocal rejection of violence would lead to peace after elections in post-conflict settings.
Communism And The Politics Of Cultural Labeling: Patriotism And Piety In American Life, Mark Smith
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 …
State Political Entrepreneurs In The Age Of Modi: Opposition Politics In Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, And West Bengal From 2019-2021, Maxwell Markel
State Political Entrepreneurs In The Age Of Modi: Opposition Politics In Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, And West Bengal From 2019-2021, Maxwell Markel
Undergraduate Honors Theses
This research paper will discuss the contemporary limitations of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its Hindutva ideology. The key research question will be examining 5 states and union territories to examine why the BJP has been unable to win or maintain power in the state. The states in question will be Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and the Union Territory of Delhi. Each state was chosen for their high population (more than 10 million), the recentness of its state election (from 2019 through 2021), their geographical variety, and having extant political systems that were upended by the …
Behind Every Successful Diplomat Is Their Spouse: The Buffer Role Of Indian And Pakistani Diplomatic Spouses, Sania Shahid
Behind Every Successful Diplomat Is Their Spouse: The Buffer Role Of Indian And Pakistani Diplomatic Spouses, Sania Shahid
Undergraduate Honors Theses
How do political dynamics between countries and the individual characteristics of diplomatic spouses affect their ability to take on a “buffer” role—that is, make interactions less contentious? The existing literature on diplomatic spouses focuses on gendered advantages that allow spouses to access unique information. Building on this body of literature, this study investigates the ideal setting for spouses to contribute to the diplomatic process. A content analysis was conducted of three memoirs written by diplomatic spouses, and this data was supplemented with semi-structured interviews of spouses of former or current bureaucratic elites from India and Pakistan. The analysis shows that …
Playing By The Rules: The Use Of Special Rules In The Contemporary United States House Of Representatives, Zachary Kirk
Playing By The Rules: The Use Of Special Rules In The Contemporary United States House Of Representatives, Zachary Kirk
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Though it is one of the most powerful committees in Congress, the Rules Committee gets far too little attention. In this paper, I ask how the Rules Committee and amending process have been used in the contemporary United States House of Representatives by the party leadership to move legislation. I begin with an explanation of the function and history of the Rules Committee, including its evolution into an arm of the House leadership in the present day. This is followed by a discussion of the legislative theories that could explain leader behavior and how they may be using the Rules …
The Denial Machine And Its Effects On Climate Policy, Peter Faragasso
The Denial Machine And Its Effects On Climate Policy, Peter Faragasso
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Climate policy at the federal level has failed since 1988, when James Hansen first testified to Congress about climate change. I take an interest group approach and ask why climate policy has so persistently failed. I identify a “denial machine”, organizations and individuals who have fought policy and the science behind climate change and have sought to derail efforts to pass comprehensive climate change legislation. I look at the denial machine’s effect at the grassroots level in affecting public opinion in section one, highlighting how successful this loose coalition was at undermining belief in climate science from 2008-2010, during the …
Defining Sexism: The Impact Of Elite Cues On Conceptualizations And Labeling Of Gender-Based Prejudice, Leslie Davis
Defining Sexism: The Impact Of Elite Cues On Conceptualizations And Labeling Of Gender-Based Prejudice, Leslie Davis
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Hostile sexist attitudes, labeling of sexual harassment, and support for the #MeToo movement vary significantly by partisanship and political ideology (Cassese, Barnes, and Holman 2018; Warren, Schneider, and Gothreau working paper; Conroy 2019). But why do we see such discrepancies in how Republicans and Democrats recognize and perceive sexism? Past literature has shown the impact of partisan elites in shaping mass attitudes within the electorate (Druckman, Peterson, and Slothuus 2013; Zaller 1992). Could elites, both partisan and nonpartisan, impact how individuals label and conceptualize everyday sexism? By fielding an original survey experiment to a nationally representative sample that includes a …
Constructing Communities: The Effect Of Housing Policy On County Populations And Election Outcomes, Ashley Hernandez Estrada
Constructing Communities: The Effect Of Housing Policy On County Populations And Election Outcomes, Ashley Hernandez Estrada
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Virginia is currently confronting a housing affordability crisis. Many municipalities across the state are becoming progressively inaccessible to low-income Virginians. As this crisis continues to escalate, Virginia localities and their communities are beginning to weigh their options to address this problem. Relaxing zoning density policies to allow denser, multi-unit housing construction is one proposed solution to increase municipalities’ housing stock and lower overall housing costs. This paper addresses the following questions. How would the adoption of this strategy affect the population composition of Virginia communities? Could these effects have ramifications for Virginia’s political voting outcomes? Through fixed effects regression analysis, …
“All Is Quiet In Arlington”: The Desegregation Of Arlington County Public Schools And How We Remember It, Ella Benbow
“All Is Quiet In Arlington”: The Desegregation Of Arlington County Public Schools And How We Remember It, Ella Benbow
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Brown v. Board of Education overturned the long-enforced “separate but equal” doctrine forcing school systems to decide exactly how much they would comply with the holding that segregated public schools were no longer constitutional. Several states, Virginia among them, relied on pupil placement boards to deny the transfer of many Black students to primarily white schools. Some localities’ violent resistance to any desegregation is still reflected in the prevalent de facto school segregation 66 years after Brown. My thesis examines the reaction of Arlington County, a small, liberal area just outside Washington, D.C. that boasts about being the first integrated …
Possessing The Holy Land: The Palestine Exploration Fund And The American Palestine Exploration Society, Ashley M. Irizarry
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
The Reynolds Affair, Party Politics And Sexuality In The Early Republic, Alexandra Marie Gross
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
No abstract provided.
Obscured Conflations, (Un)Bending Frames: Considering The Concept Of "Truth" In The Politics And Rhetoric Of The Religious Right, Anna Catharine Rosenkranz
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
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.
Merrymaking At The Madisons': Feasting, Alcohol, And Political Strategy, Christine Hope Heacock
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
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
The 2008 Election: Prior Belief Strength, Cognitive Dissonance, And Voter Reactions, Elicia Chelsey Lair
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
No abstract provided.