The Influence Of Religion On Immigration Public Opinion, Olga Alvertos

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

This study explores the ways in which the religious beliefs of individuals influence their opinion on immigration and immigration related policy. While seemingly separate topics, the two are interwoven through variables such as party affiliation, education level, and age. Previous studies show a clear correlation between frequent attendance of religious services and positive views on immigration and related policies. This topic has yet to be explored in depth and with reference to frequency of religious attendance. Using ANES data, my goal with this research is to determine if a strong attachment to religion affects public opinion of immigration policy and ...

Public Opinion On Illegal Immigration In The United States: Understanding The Xenophobic Sentiments Towards Illegal Immigrants, Alexandra Martinez

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Over the past 10 years, the topic of illegal immigration has divided Americans with the past three presidencies. This paper investigates the relationship between party ID,media exposure, education and religion with the views a person has on illegal immigration. Using the Chapman Survey of American Fears, I found a moderately strong relationship between an individual's party-identification and how much fear
they show towards the topic of illegal immigration throughout the United States. I found that media exposure and a person’s political identification correlates with their views on illegal immigration. Among the interesting findings, I can conclude that ...

Predictors Of College Student Support Toward Colin Kaepernick’S National Anthem Protests, Brooke Coursen, Nicole Peiffer, Sakira Coleman, Philip Lucius

VA Engage Journal

Racial discrimination and inequality have perpetuated within the U.S. since its inception. In 2016, Colin Kaepernick initiated the national anthem protests to oppose the oppression of people of color in America. This study was developed in 2018 to identify social determinants of health underlying discriminatory beliefs and behaviors. The objective was to investigate the impacts of college students’ race, gender, political ideology, socio-economic status [SES], NFL interest, patriotism, and general protest support on support for the national anthem protests. We administered paper-and-pencil surveys across locations on the James Madison University campus using a convenience sample. There were 408 participants ...

The Iranian Crisis Of The 1970s-1980s And The Formation Of The Transnational Investment Bloc, Mazaher Koruzhde

Class, Race and Corporate Power

The events surrounding the Iranian Revolution in the 1970s and 198s significantly contributed to the formation and consolidation of a U.S-Saudi transnational investment bloc.

Washington State Sausage Making: Attempting To Measure The Efficiency Of The Legislature., Jonathon E. Church

Access*: Interdisciplinary Journal of Student Research and Scholarship

This paper explores the importance of understanding the legislative process, particularly in the way a bill dies, in order to critique and measure government efficiency. The information was gathered through interviews with former and current members of the State Legislature and from first-hand experience while working as an intern during the 2022 legislative session. In conjunction with this, part one of the paper utilizes multiple sources, such as Edward D. Seeberger, author of “Sine Die: A Guide to the Washington State Legislative Process,” the State Constitution, and the State Legislatures guides and manuals, to present a detailed description of the ...

The Impact Of Political Beliefs On Ethical Framework In Adults

Journal of Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research

This study aimed to examine the differences between major political philosophies in the United States and whether these beliefs influence a person’s ethical views. This research was a non-experimental correlation design, using a survey methodology with adult participants. The participants were asked to complete the 39-item The Impact of Political Beliefs on Ethical Frameworks in Adults Survey. A Pearson’s r was conducted to determine the relationship between political beliefs and ethical frameworks. The results showed a slightly positive correlation that was statistically significant [r(166) = .28, p = .000]. Therefore, there was sufficient evidence to support the research hypothesis ...

An Alternate Route: How Ronald Reagan Defied Expectations With His Approach To The Crosswinds Of The Patco Strike, Brock Bellinger

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

One challenge which reveals an executive’s leadership ability involves making the decision to fire an employee. President Ronald Reagan did not enjoy firing employees, due in part to his own father struggling to maintain employment. When the 1981 PATCO strike occurred, several obstacles arose which tested Reagan’s ability to act. The Professional Air Traffic Controller’s Organization (PATCO) had publicly supported Reagan during his 1980 presidential campaign when other unions did not. Additionally, Reagan was sympathetic to unions, even serving as President of the Screen Actor’s Guild. These potential obstacles proved challenging from a political and personal ...

“The United States’ Broken Immigration Policy: The Labor Shortage And A Public Policy Solution”, Timothy P. O'Brien, Melissa Beaudoin

Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy

The United States is a nation divided. The recent surge of illegal immigration into the United States has been the source of contention and debate among the American public. While some want to welcome all immigrants, others insist that immigrants enter the United States legally. With an emphasis placed on the accommodation and the placement of illegal immigrants, less attention has been paid to the United States’ need for immigration. This article asserts that while illegal immigration is a problem that must be addressed, more immigrants are needed. With sinking birth rates and an aging population, the United States needs ...

Solving The Congressional Review Act’S Conundrum, Cary Coglianese

Faculty Scholarship at Penn Carey Law

Congress routinely enacts statutes that require federal agencies to adopt specific regulations. When Congress passed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act in 2010, for example, it mandated that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopt an anti-corruption regulation requiring energy companies to disclose payments they make to foreign governments. Although the Dodd-Frank Act specifically required the SEC to adopt this disclosure requirement, the agency’s eventual regulation was also, like other administrative rules, subject to disapproval by Congress under a process outlined in a separate statute known as the Congressional Review Act (CRA).

After the SEC issued ...

Operation Lone Star: The Spectacle Of Immigration Federalism, Danielle Puretz

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Texas Governor Greg Abbott launched Operation Lone Star in March 2021 to respond to the “crisis” at the United States/Mexico border. While in the US immigration is usually thought of as a federal responsibility, different states have worked to expand their capacity to welcome or exclude immigrants. Operation Lone Star is an example of how one state is working to restrict immigration to the US and build notoriety for its republican governor. Drawing on press releases, executive orders, news articles, opinion pieces, and other sources I highlight the performative politics within this initiative. Operation Lone Star is an example ...

Gospels Of (Anti)Inequality: The Politics Of Biblical Interpretation In The New Poor People’S Campaign And Capitol Ministries, Jonathan Peter Tschudy

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation explores the role of biblical interpretation in the politics of inequality in the United States. Building on scholarship in American Political Development that identifies ideas as integral to institution building, I analyze the interplay between biblical interpretations, organizational structures, and political strategies within two contemporary religio-political groups: the New Poor People’s Campaign (NPPC) and Capitol Ministries (CM). Methodologically, I combine in-depth, interpretative readings of primary source documents with an historical institutional analysis of the secondary literature on the role of religion in American politics. I argue that the two organizations’ elite leaders – Reverends William Barber II and ...

Balancing Populations Of Electoral Districts, Ethan Stern-Ellis

The Commons: Puget Sound Journal of Politics

No abstract provided.

The Dehumanizing Gaze: Race In The Context Of Academic Tourism, Leona Derango

The Commons: Puget Sound Journal of Politics

No abstract provided.

The Commons: Volume 3, Issue 1, Kris Bohnenstiehl, Leona Derango, Ethan Stern-Ellis

The Commons: Puget Sound Journal of Politics

Table of Contents

• Letter From the Editors
  LILA BERNARDIN AND HANNAH WILLIAMS
• Who Sent the Devil Down to Georgia?
  KRIS BOHNENSTIEHL
• The Dehumanizing Gaze: Race in the Context of Academic Tourism
  LEONA DERANGO
• Balancing Populations of Electoral Districts
  ETHAN STERN-ELLIS

Bipartisanship Of Mountain West Members Of Congress, 2013-2022, Eshaan Vakil, Issac Hernandez-Alcaraz, Katie Lim, Kristian Thymianos, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Elections & Governance

This fact sheet reports data on bipartisanship scores from the Bipartisan Index, a data collection produced by The Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University. We present data for members of Congress in the 113th to 117th Congresses (2013—2022) from Mountain West states (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah), and include additional analysis of members of Congress from Nevada.

Communities Moving Past The Daddy Daughter Dance: Adapting Gender-Exclusive Events For The 21st Century, Ezra Temko, Emily Love, Destiny Baxter, Heidi Masching, Adam Loesch

SIUE Faculty Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Executive Summary

Parent-child community events like father-daughter dances are a celebrated tradition in many communities. However, when these events specify the gender of who can participate, they exclude many families. They also tend to reinforce gender stereotypes (e.g., a dance for girls and a sports event for boys), and are legally questionable for public school and associated P.T.A./P.T.O. sponsors that may be violating federal Title IX requirements and for local governments that may be violating the 14^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause.

Contemporary U.S. society is made ...

Searching For A Solution To Political Polarization In The U.S. Through A Feminist Ethics Of Care, Marissa Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

American politics have seen growing polarization in the past few years (Serrano-Contreras et al., 2020; Wojcieszak & Warner, 2020). Polarization is generally defined as “the distance between opposing political views” (Serrano-Contreras et al., 2020, p. 65). With focus on college students, this thesis considers ways to bridge the political divide in the United States and to promote generative engagement with differences across the political spectrum. The specific research questions this study explored were: 1) How do Ethics of Care principles and practices appear in and impact conversations on politically-charged topics among college students? and 2) How does participating in a dialogue on politically-charged topics impact affective polarization among college students identifying with each of the two major U.S. parties?

The project was informed by Social Identity Theory, Intergroup Communication Theory, and the Feminist Ethics of Care to explore effective approaches to communicate and create connection with people with divergent perspectives. Twenty-four students completed a screening survey to help compose four focus groups with a total of 15 participants, all identifying white and between the ages of 18-44. The focus groups simulated an intergroup interaction by involving students identifying as either Democrat or Republican. Data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach with the above listed frameworks providing sensitizing concepts.

Findings suggest that with regards to the first research question, participants had a desire to practice Ethics of Care and named intergroup communication strategies that would help achieve that, such as practicing listening to the other, finding connection on other topics, and imagining the other’s perspective. Such suggestions notwithstanding, participants were either unwilling or did not know how to effectively engage in an intergroup discussion during the 1-hour focus group session. Moreover, cross-party interactions in this study involving white identifying students at a white serving institution were characterized by a white and western norm of fear and avoidance of conflict (Rudick & Golsan, 2018). In response to the second research question, even just connecting with those from the opposing party about the shared goal of reducing political polarization seemed to slightly increase feelings of warmth and closeness toward the opposing party. Participants surfaced an operational definition of affective polarization and provided their own analysis of social factors that may be contributing to it, most specifically, biased media and argumentative culture.

These findings have implications for educational settings to be more intentional about creating opportunities for political intergroup communication. Providing students with the tools of Ethics of Care may have lasting impacts on institutional structures and personal relationships. To achieve these learning spaces, educators will need additional training to understand how to teach and model care in their classrooms. These trainings should also include media literacy for both instructors and curriculum for students in the classroom to help alleviate the effect of inaccurate and antagonistic sources that subvert care and reject openness and understanding of differing views (Au et al., 2021; Iyengar et al., 2019).

Black Lives Matter Vs. Anti-Lockdownand Stop The Steal: How Framing Affects Political Protests, Tarah Pierre-Louis

Honors Program Theses and Projects

For eight years the Black Lives Matter Movement has made consistent efforts to combat racial injustice, however, their message is often undermined by politicians, media elites, and partisan counter protestors who claim the movement is both aggressive and unwarranted. The same critics of the Summer 2020 Black Lives Matter protests drew comparisons to Anti-Lockdown protests in early 2020, and the insurrection on Capitol Hill in January of 2021 – despite inherently different messages behind each respective protest. This project sets out to find how the framing of the Black Lives Matter movement compares to other partisan protests such as the Anti-Lockdown ...

Mitchell's "American Awakening: Identity Politics And Other Afflictions Of Our Time" (Book Review), Jaclyn Lee Parrott

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Media Portrayal Of Private Prisons And Inmates., Ladye Anna L. Adams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Private prisons have existed in the United States since 1986, but research about prison privatization has been limited. To date, there have been two published studies examining how mainstream media sources frame prison privatization to their audiences. This thesis attempts to address this gap in the literature. Using content analysis, I evaluate how mainstream media frames prison privatization and inmates housed in private prisons. The analysis is conducted in two parts. The first tests if private prison reduction or expansion is the focus of the news story if framed using economic benefits, ethical concerns, or prisoner violence. The second tests ...