Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Are You For Bush Or For Kerry? A Discourse Analytical Study Of The Russian Mass Media Response To The 2004 United States Presidential Elections., Matthew Thomas Calvin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research project seeks to combine a Russian Language component with a look at Russian foreign politics by performing a discourse analytical study of the Russian mass media reaction to the November 2004 United States Presidential elections. Discourse analysis is a method by which a language or speech sample is analyzed to discover the greater social and societal meanings and implications hidden within those words. The attempt was made to gain a greater understanding of Russian society and culture through an analysis of answers given to the question “Are you for Bush or for Kerry?”, posed to various members of …

Finding The Door In The Mirage: The Politics Of Cultural Change In Mongolia, Evan Buxbaum

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In 1996, as the Mongolian delegation entered the Olympic arena in Atlanta, a Russian announcer let his tongue slip and heralded the country as a true independent nation, because nobody depends on them. The comment triggered a scandal which was suppressed under a deluge of meaningless public apologies, yet merely eight years later, the Russian announcer’s insult seems to barely even apply anymore. With Mongolia’s entrance into the international community of interdependents, free from dictatorial control for the first time during the age of globalization, it has plunged into an era of change. The outcome of this transitional period will …

Village Elections: Emergence Of A Democratic Political Culture Or Reinforcement Of A Repressive Regime?, Laura Conniff

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

China’s ethnic and geographic diversity makes the task of examining the implementation of national policy nearly impossible. As more than 70% of the population lives outside urban areas, narrowing the field to rural governance does not whittle down the subject matter to any great degree. However, the vastness of the topic is precisely why it is so vital to developing a coherent understanding of the country – knowing how a majority of the Chinese population interacts with local government sheds a great deal of light on the status of political reform in China today.

Many of the problems plaguing Chinese …

The Return Of The Sick Man Of Europe: A Study Of The Political, Economical And Cultural Grounds For/Against The Entrance Of Turkey To The European Union As Viewed By Turkish Immigrants And Germans Living In Berlin, Ursula A. Arno

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

On 17 December 2004, the European Council will decide whether to enter into membership negotiation with Turkey. In the following sections the political, economical and cultural reasons for and against Turkey’s accession will be examined. The views of both Germans and Turks living in Berlin will be discussed. Following this synopsis, it will be argued that the underlying grounds for not welcoming Turkey into the EU are cultural. Consequently, the study of the Turkey-EU debate will be indicative of the issues that the EU as a supranational organization has.

In Search Of The Truth: Modern Church-State Relations In Yunnan Province, Kathryn Rosenbaum

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The relationship between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Protestant church is a complicated relationship that varies greatly with time period and location. This paper explores the interactions from various viewpoints, the history of the relationship, the legislation pertaining to the relationship, and a brief study of the interactions in two very different locations in Yunnan Province—Kunming and the Nujiang valley.