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Social Media And Its Potential Effects On Civic Engagement, Kathleen Elizabeth Walpole
Social Media And Its Potential Effects On Civic Engagement, Kathleen Elizabeth Walpole
Honors Capstone Projects - All
Social media has been predicted as a tool to change the democratic process and turn around the substantial decline in political participation that has occurred among American citizens in the most recent years. Yet, since it is still relatively young and unharnessed, many argue that any effect that social media can have on civic engagement cannot be determined yet. This thesis explores and discusses how the emergence of social media as a campaign tool could effect traditional forms of civic engagement as well as produce new forms.
In the 2008 election, social media was capitalized by the presidential campaign of …
The Political Application Of Humor, Matthew K. Harris
The Political Application Of Humor, Matthew K. Harris
Honors Capstone Projects - All
In the weeks preceding the 2008 US Presidential Election, both major party candidates and their running mates made appearances on several late night comedy programs. Candidates told jokes during campaign speeches. Advertisements from both sides featured humor. In examining the campaigns of candidates since the dawn of radio and television, humor is clearly a weapon politicians believe to be important when running for office. In my Capstone Project, I hoped to answer a very basic question: Why? Psychologically, what factors allow humor to be a valuable tool for politicians in appealing to voters?
For the following thesis, I examined research …