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Comparing The Us Response To The Soviet Invasion Of Afghanistan And The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine: Learning From The Past And Planning For The Future, Zachary Hogan 2024 University of Denver

Comparing The Us Response To The Soviet Invasion Of Afghanistan And The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine: Learning From The Past And Planning For The Future, Zachary Hogan

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

As the Russo-Ukrainian war continues to rage, the decisions of the present are of paramount importance. In order to make the most positive and well-supported decisions in this ongoing conflict, it would be wise to look to past instances of similar situations. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan is such an instance. The parallels between the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the past Soviet invasion of Afghanistan are extensive and, more importantly, informative for U.S. foreign policy. It is with this lens that this paper will pursue a historical foreign policy analysis of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, its circumstances and …


Discourse And Controversy In The Israel-Palestine Conflict - A Review Of The Literature, Irteza Atique 2024 University of Windsor

Discourse And Controversy In The Israel-Palestine Conflict - A Review Of The Literature, Irteza Atique

Major Papers

The Israel-Palestine conflict has been ongoing for more than 75 years and has many historical, geographical, religious, and ethnic components. Despite several attempts at resolution, the war persists, resulting in continued violence, human misery, and regional instability. This study dives into the highly contentious dispute over labelling Israel as an apartheid state, a subject that has prompted heated debate in academic literature, college campuses, the media, and diplomacy. Using a wide range of scholarly literature and trustworthy news sources, we investigate the origins of the war, important historical events, and the numerous factors that have shaped the current conflict. Beginning …


Exploring Possibility Under Constraint: A Human Rights Approach To Higher Education In Connecticut’S Prisons And Jails, Emma Hersom 2024 Trinity College

Exploring Possibility Under Constraint: A Human Rights Approach To Higher Education In Connecticut’S Prisons And Jails, Emma Hersom

Senior Theses and Projects

This thesis investigates the landscape of higher education in prison (HEP) programs in Connecticut, aiming to evaluate their efficacy in ensuring a genuine right to education for incarcerated individuals. Through a comprehensive exploration grounded in human rights principles and informed by abolitionist perspectives, the research scrutinizes the availability, accessibility, acceptability, and adaptability of these programs. Drawing on insights from incarcerated students, program leaders, and existing scholarship, it delves into the intersection of education and incarceration, challenging prevailing neoliberal narratives. Furthermore, the thesis proposes actionable strategies for everyday abolition, emphasizing the need to dismantle carceral cultures and foster transformative approaches to …


Presidential Influence On The Bureaucracy: The Curious Case Of Lina Khan, Nickolas Remish 2024 University of Mary Washington

Presidential Influence On The Bureaucracy: The Curious Case Of Lina Khan, Nickolas Remish

Student Research Submissions

How effective can a president be in promoting his or her policies through the bureaucracy? Most theories postulate the president has influence – via appointees, budgeting, and executive orders. This paper unpacks the president’s influence on the bureaucracy by analyzing President Biden’s effect on antitrust, particularly with regards to addressing labor concerns. Biden appears to depart from previous presidential administrations due to his heightened emphasis on labor’s need for protection and antitrust law as the optimal vehicle for helping workers. The data, pulled from federal and state court antitrust cases since 2000, relies on textual analysis with regards to the …


Factors In Decision Making Of Political Candidates, Levi Ramirez Garcia 2024 Chapman University

Factors In Decision Making Of Political Candidates, Levi Ramirez Garcia

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

What factors impact the decision to run as non-partisan over one of the major US parties? It is essential to analyze this phenomenon to determine the real motivations of candidates and the party they represent because they impact society as a whole. The candidates' ideologies and how the candidates feel representing the parties' ideologies are the main reasons for choosing non-partisan over one of the major US parties. This occurs because humans tend to work where they feel comfortable and in places with the same values and ideologies as them. It is the same in the case of candidates; they …


The Contemporary Causes Of Americans' Fear Of Illegal Immigration, Amilie Cai 2024 Chapman University

The Contemporary Causes Of Americans' Fear Of Illegal Immigration, Amilie Cai

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Annually, the U.S. aspires to extend its liberality by opening its border to more than ten thousand refugees. In this paper, I examine how political party identification, census region, and internet usage influence U.S. adults' fear of illegal immigration. Relying on the 2023 Chapman Survey of American Fears, a representative national sample of U.S. adults, I find that political party has remained a consistent predictor for an American’s fear of illegal immigration, with people who align themselves with the Republican Party in 2022 being more afraid of illegal immigration compared to other political parties, such as the Democrat Party. In …


Navigating Islamophobia: Exploring Attitudes Towards Muslim Immigration And Policing, Devansh Mehta 2024 Chapman University

Navigating Islamophobia: Exploring Attitudes Towards Muslim Immigration And Policing, Devansh Mehta

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Since the September 11th terrorist attacks, Islamophobic dispositions in the United States have surged within its political and societal arenas. In this paper, I will examine two specific dimensions of Islamophobia such as ceasing immigration from Muslim countries and increased police presence in Muslim neighborhoods and how those behaviors may be influenced by political affiliation and different ways news is consumed using social media and cable news. Relying on the Chapman Survey of American Fears, a representative national sample of U.S. adults completed a forty-question survey in which I tested the above independent variables to see their individual effects on …


Presidential Nomination Forecasting 2024: Classic Components In An Atypical Race, Sophia Coco 2024 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Presidential Nomination Forecasting 2024: Classic Components In An Atypical Race, Sophia Coco

Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

The topic of American presidential elections has remained central to political discussions since the founding fathers drafted the Constitution. Article Two, Section One of the Constitution lays out the guidelines for presidential elections, yet Article Two neglects to mention the process of how to nominate candidates for the presidential race. Lacking Constitutional guidance, early presidential nomination conventions of the parties in the 19th century and early 20th century did not reflect ideals of democracy. The delegates that voted at the conventions were selected by party insiders and their votes reflected the sentiments of the party bosses, disregarding the …


The Politics Of Gender Affirming Healthcare: A New Battleground For Morality Policy?, Reaves Robinson 2024 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

The Politics Of Gender Affirming Healthcare: A New Battleground For Morality Policy?, Reaves Robinson

Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Morality policy as a discipline saw its peak during the transformative years at the turn of the 21st century; however, there has been very little scholarship to follow new social policy issues that have arisen in the past two decades. Anti-transgender policy, specifically, can be considered under the morality policy scope following years of LGBTQ+ scholarship that fell under the morality policy umbrella. In 2023 alone, more than 200 pieces of anti-transgender legislation were introduced in state legislatures across the nation. A trend among the increasingly popular policy realm can be seen from gender affirming healthcare bans, where almost …


Reaping What You Subsidize: A Comprehensive Review Of Outcomes From Crop Subsidies In The United States, Sawyer J. Knox 2024 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Reaping What You Subsidize: A Comprehensive Review Of Outcomes From Crop Subsidies In The United States, Sawyer J. Knox

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

The motivation for researching this topic comes from an interest in public policy and public health. In this paper, we will examine the impact of farm subsidies on the health of citizens, look at who benefits financially and economically from these subsidies, and examine the environmental impact of these programs. The paper will be structured as follows: Section II, the wealth distribution results from farm subsidies; Section III, the disproportionate impacts on health from farm subsidies; Section IV, the impact on global economies from farm subsidies; Section V, the environmental impact from farm subsidies; and Section VI, conclusions and policy …


News Deserts And Voter Turnout: How Local News Shortages Decrease Voter Participation, Lauren Penington 2024 University of Nebraska-Lincoln

News Deserts And Voter Turnout: How Local News Shortages Decrease Voter Participation, Lauren Penington

Honors Theses

How does local news impact a county’s registered voter population, associated voting patterns, and political participation? Electoral turnout is one of the most studied topics in political science, and substantial research exists into demographic factors — including race, age, and socioeconomic status — that influence an individual’s likelihood to vote. Recent studies have begun to examine the impact of societal factors — such as the internet, social media, and news — on an individual’s ability to and likelihood of fulfilling their civic obligation. This paper explores the relationship between expanding news deserts and decreasing voter turnout, proposing that as a …


Reaping What We Sow: The Implications And Outcomes Of Mississippi House Bill 1125, The “Regulate Experimental Adolescent Procedures (Reap)” Act, Kerigan Brewer 2024 The University of Southern Mississippi

Reaping What We Sow: The Implications And Outcomes Of Mississippi House Bill 1125, The “Regulate Experimental Adolescent Procedures (Reap)” Act, Kerigan Brewer

Honors Theses

Mississippi House Bill 1125 (MS HB1125), also known as the “Regulate Experimental Adolescent Procedures (REAP) Act,” was signed into law by Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves in early 2023 (REAP Act, 2023). It is one of multiple policies passed into law that limit the rights of transgender people. This thesis aims to clarify the history of the trans community, dispel myths around gender-affirming health care and the trans identity, and discuss the current state of anti-trans laws and transgender rights. Using a policy analysis framework by DiNitto (2011), MS HB1125 is analyzed on points like its social and economic costs, the …


Autumn In New York: Gotham And The Decline Of The New Deal Order (1967-1975), Lisle Jamieson 2024 Skidmore College

Autumn In New York: Gotham And The Decline Of The New Deal Order (1967-1975), Lisle Jamieson

Political Science Senior Theses

In 1975, the city of New York looked out on the precipice of fiscal collapse. Years of borrowing, a fleeting tax base, deindustrialization, and the thinning of federal investment streams left the city short-changed and vulnerable, reliant on banks with waning interest in funding New York’s robust network of social services. [1] The conversations, contestations, and political resolutions that followed would reshape and remake the politics of a city that had, for four decades, represented a beacon of “social democracy.” [2] New York ultimately surrendered its commitment to urban liberalism and embraced a neoliberal politics of austerity, mirroring shifts taking …


An Experimental Test On The Effects Of Digital Framing Disputes On Social Movement Organization’S Mobilization And Organizational Image, Alison Trahan 2024 William & Mary

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 …


Social Isolation-Political Domination, Charles "Trey" Nichols 2024 Ouachita Baptist University

Social Isolation-Political Domination, Charles "Trey" Nichols

Honors Theses

A study on the political drift of college students before and after Covid-19.


Charge The Cockpit Or Die: An Anatomy Of Fear-Driven Political Rhetoric In American Conservatism, Daniel Hostetter 2024 Liberty University

Charge The Cockpit Or Die: An Anatomy Of Fear-Driven Political Rhetoric In American Conservatism, Daniel Hostetter

Senior Honors Theses

Subthreshold negative emotions have superseded conscious reason as the initial and strongest motivators of political behavior. Political neuroscience uses the concepts of negativity bias and terror management theory to explore why fear-driven rhetoric plays such an outsized role in determining human political actions. These mechanisms of human anthropology are explored by competing explanations from biblical and evolutionary scholars who attempt to understand their contribution to human vulnerabilities to fear. When these mechanisms are observed in fear-driven political rhetoric, three common characteristics emerge: exaggerated threat, tribal combat, and religious apocalypse, which provide a new framework for explaining how modern populist leaders …


Is No News Good News?: Exploring The Impact Of Social Media Use On Misinformation Beliefs, Corbin Poyer 2024 University of Mary Washington

Is No News Good News?: Exploring The Impact Of Social Media Use On Misinformation Beliefs, Corbin Poyer

Student Research Submissions

Does diminishing access to print news have an impact on people’s propensity to believe misinformation? What if this misinformation emanates from an online source as opposed to a print source? The focus of recent research on misinformation has been narrow: (1) recognizing its existence and acknowledging its potential impact, and (2) generating and categorizing potential analytical types of misinformation. However, the ramifications of vanishing print media have so far been overlooked. This paper asserts a connection between news sources and misinformation beliefs, further positing that the decline in the quality and availability of quality print journalism predicates an individual’s belief …


A Trump-Shaped Shadow: Demonstrating Competing Republican Identities To Gain Party Support, Amede Karina-Plun 2024 University of Mary Washington

A Trump-Shaped Shadow: Demonstrating Competing Republican Identities To Gain Party Support, Amede Karina-Plun

Student Research Submissions

How do Republican candidates demonstrate their conservative identity to appeal to Republican primary voters? Recent scholarship finds that ascendant groups within the Republican Party have changed the party’s platform, moved to the extreme right, and redefined the American conservative identity. This paper hypothesizes that former President Donald Trump is advantaged in the 2024 Republican primary as the party’s standard bearer. Additionally, I hypothesize that former Governor Nikki Haley and Governor Ron DeSantis try to gain support from Republican voters by redefining what it means to be a Republican, and they use their appeal to Republican voters as alternatives to Trump …


Electing Generational Immigrants: Campaign Messaging Strategies Of Asian American Candidates In Virginia, Jane Michael 2024 University of Mary Washington

Electing Generational Immigrants: Campaign Messaging Strategies Of Asian American Candidates In Virginia, Jane Michael

Student Research Submissions

Asian Americans are one of the fastest growing minority groups in the U.S. due to immigration – so why don’t we hear more of their stories in electoral politics? Ninety percent of Asian Americans are immigrants or children of immigrants, which is an identity that can and often does influence political participation and motivation for both voters and candidates. Recent theories look directly at linked fate, which posits that individuals who share a group identity, usually a racial or ethnic minority identity, also share a sense that anything that affects another member of the group, impacts them all. This research …


The True Cost Of Education, William J. Norris III 2024 Liberty University

The True Cost Of Education, William J. Norris Iii

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

Education, rightfully, has been seen as the best way to train the next generation of citizens. The Founding Fathers held that it was essential for the nation’s growth to teach children citizenship and virtue. With the recent expansion of school choice options across the country, this is a good time to refocus on that goal, and examine the true cost of public education in America. This study will examine data, particularly information published by the Department of Education and the U.S. Census Bureau, to form a picture of the true cost of public education. Even though a large percentage of …


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