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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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

Sociology

Coastal Carolina University

Bridges: A Journal of Student Research

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Partisan Attachment And Conspiracist Predispositions, Robert Stephen Earnest Jan 2017

Partisan Attachment And Conspiracist Predispositions, Robert Stephen Earnest

Bridges: A Journal of Student Research

Conspiracy theories have increasing relevance in American politics. In the age of the internet, where rumors and their associated conspiracy theories are transmitted and received at much higher frequencies than was previously capable, people can be led to believe in ideas that erode their trust in government and its decision makers. This undermines America's capacity for self-governance. In this proposal, I articulate a model that fully explains conspiracist thinking in the context of American politics. I suggest that two domains—partisan attachment and underlying conspiracist predispositions—determine whether an individual will accept or reject a conspiracy theory. To measure the effects of …


A Double-Sided Mirror: "Otherizing" And Normalizing The Silenced Voices Of Appalachian Women, Ashley Canter Jan 2016

A Double-Sided Mirror: "Otherizing" And Normalizing The Silenced Voices Of Appalachian Women, Ashley Canter

Bridges: A Journal of Student Research

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the Appalachian region was not only exploited for capitalistic gains, but also put on display by outsider voices for being home to a supposed "backwards" and "barbaric" culture. Appalachians experienced exploitation working in mines and other industries that only benefitted those receiving the resources of the mountains. A once self-sustaining, individualized culture was now forced to be dependent and suffer through the "otherization" of its own people. Voices hidden in the murky skies and distant mountains of Appalachia were not only silenced, but more hauntingly, they were spoken for, manipulated, and marginalized. …


Communication And Citizen Participation In Southern Local Politics: A Disconnect Between Municipalities And Constituents, Rachael B. Houston Jan 2016

Communication And Citizen Participation In Southern Local Politics: A Disconnect Between Municipalities And Constituents, Rachael B. Houston

Bridges: A Journal of Student Research

Despite the fact that 96 percent of all political contests in the United States are for local offices, citizens are far more likely to participate in national elections and forgo exercising their voice in local politics. And, although academic literature has focused extensively on citizen participation at the national level, local-level democracy has often been neglected. This neglect may be caused by a lack of interaction between constituencies and city mayors and managers. Without effective communication between both groups, citizens will be unaware of opportunities to affect social and fiscal policies in their communities. Scholars know little about the perceptions …