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The Politics Of Fear: Exploring Diversity And Representation In The Modern Horror Genre, Abbie Oh Arroyo

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis explores the horror films and how they have been politicized in the context of modern day poiltics (2017-2021). Works suchs as Jordan Peele's Get Out, Jayro Bustamante's La Llorona, and Nia DaCosta's Candyman are used as case studies that analyze how these films may have been shaped by the political happenings of their time as well as how these films are used as a medium of advocacy and for social commentary.

“Democracy,” Usa, Marc Edelman

Publications and Research

What does it mean to be an effective citizen in a democracy? Answering this question requires unpacking “democracy” and an analysis of institutions that systematically disempower and alienate citizens. This paper briefly examines the contributions of psychoanalysis to understanding democracy and authoritarianism. It scrutinizes U.S. governance institutions and points to democratic deficits and backsliding present even before Trump 1.0 and 2.0. These range from the Electoral College, the Senate, and the Supreme Court to the Federal Communications Commission. All contributed to institutionalizing minority rule and elite capture. Governance institutions failed to deliver what the American people tell opinion pollsters they …

Causes Of Voter Wait Times During The 2022 U.S. Midterm Elections, Christopher Kiss

Politics Honors Papers

Voter wait times have been an enduring issue in American Elections, with significant variation across individuals, voting precincts, and states. Past research has found that waiting in lines at the polls negatively impacts future voter turnout and public confidence in voting institutions. Additionally, a racial gap in voter wait times and resource allocation has been found in numerous studies that implies serious issues with the equality of our elections. The exact causes of the racial gap and voter wait times in general are still somewhat unclear, but prior work has considered as causes the allocation of voting resources, the procedural …

Human Trafficking In Ohio: A Human Rights Violation, Sunny M. Lloyd

Honors Projects

Human trafficking is an overlooked and underestimated issue in the state of Ohio. The Ohio Attorney General’s Office estimates that over 1,000 children are sex trafficked in Ohio every year. Given the severity and prevalence of this issue, the following research project explores the issue of human trafficking in Ohio and discusses five major human rights violations resulting from human trafficking. This project includes details from an interview with a human trafficking survivor who was trafficked for labor and sex over the course of fifteen years in northeast Ohio. To conclude, the project suggests recommendations for the State of Ohio …

An Examination Of Post-Pandemic Enrollment Declines In California’S Public Education System, Ryan J. Cummins

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The persistent decline in enrollment in California public schools presents complex and far-reaching challenges, impacting budgets, staffing, and student outcomes. These challenges have been further compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted K-12 education nationwide. As students were sent home and families navigated prolonged school closures, the federal government responded with unprecedented funding to public schools, aimed at reengaging students safely, addressing academic losses, and mitigating socio-emotional impacts. While this temporary relief funding provided much-needed resources, it also allowed states and school districts broad discretion in spending, with little consistency or oversight. Investments in infrastructure, staffing, and programs varied significantly …

The Silent Cycle Of Violence: The Consequences Of Forced Return Migration And Strategies For Sustainable Reintegration, Guadalupe Loza-Mendez

CMC Senior Theses

The consequences of weaponizing deportations reshape human security in countries receiving high levels of forcibly returned migrants. Through a comparative case study, this thesis examines how different forms of organized crime — cartels in México and gangs in El Salvador — interact with and capitalize on returnee populations. While the origins and manifestations of organized crime differ between México and El Salvador, both demonstrate clear linkages between forced return migration from destination countries and declining human security in countries of origin through three key mechanisms: imported criminal structures, targeted recruitment of vulnerable returnees, and trickle-down effects on local communities.

Many …

Pols 3014w Research Strategies In Public Policy, Sevdenur Koru

Open Educational Resources

Anthropological, psychological, political, social, and economic arguments and knowledge frequently depend on the use of numerical data. An anthropologist might examine how population differences in genes explain population differences in health outcomes; a psychologist might hypothesize that I.Q. is attributable to environmental or genetic factors; a politician might claim that handgun control legislation will reduce crime; a sociologist might assert that social mobility is more limited in the United States than in other countries, and an economist might declare that globalization lowers the incomes of U.S. workers. How can we evaluate these issues and arguments? Using examples from anthropology, psychology, …

Title Page

Res Publica - Journal of Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Pharmacy Benefit Managers And The Fight For Affordable Prescription Drugs: A Case For Accountability Through Regulation, Cayden Webster

Res Publica - Journal of Undergraduate Research

As prescription drug prices in the United States continue to climb, the debate surrounding cost control methods has taken center stage among politicians, providers, insurance companies, and consumers alike. At the heart of this issue lies the Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM). These third party companies were initially intended to drive drug prices down by negotiating for benefits on behalf of clients; but their hidden business strategies and oligopolistic market share has resulted in many Americans today struggling with unfair drug costs and fewer choices of treatment. In this paper, I seek to demonstrate that by expanding PBM market competition and …

Why Are Children's Health Outcomes Different In Counties Across The United States?, Caylen Pavlicek

Res Publica - Journal of Undergraduate Research

This paper explores the relationship between family income and health outcomes for children across counties in the United States, focusing on low birth weight as a key indicator. Income disparities among counties often correlate with varying health outcomes for children, particularly those born into lower-income families who lack the resources for adequate healthcare. Utilizing data from 3,113 counties, I examine the impact of income, education, rural versus urban location, healthcare access, and other social determinants on children's health, with a specific focus on birth weight. The findings reveal a strong negative correlation between median household income and low birth weight, …

Palm Oil Expansion: Carrying On The Legacy Of Colonial Exploitation In Indonesia, Melinda Burgin

Res Publica - Journal of Undergraduate Research

Today, plantation agriculture in Indonesia is dominated by palm oil expansion. While the palm oil industry has frequently been touted as an economic boon for Indonesia, the environmental and social consequences have been dire, particularly for Indigenous peoples. Oil palm cultivation has been a part of Indonesian agriculture since its introduction by Dutch traders in the mid 19th century, but palm oil production in Indonesia really exploded in the 1990s, as seen in Figure 1. Since then, palm oil production has been a leading cause of deforestation (Austin, 2019) and caused devastation to indigenous communities as they lose swathes of …

How Much Does America Hate Black Women?, Franchesca Smith

Res Publica - Journal of Undergraduate Research

This paper explores the relationship between sociocultural factors and intersectionality by way of economic inequalities. Intersectionality is a phenomenon that receives little to no examination especially in regards to Black women. The following research uses the theories of intersectionality, human capital, and institutional to examine which has the most significant effect on the wages of Black women compared to other demographics. Findings suggest that the intersectionality of Black women does have a substantial wage gap, but the correlation is positive, which is not true for the variables Black and women when separated. Additionally, the research suggests that the human capital …

The American Party Polarization Dilemma: Why Political Attitudes Matter, Chase Beitz

Res Publica - Journal of Undergraduate Research

The question pursued in my research paper is this: Does the proliferation of extreme political attitudes fuel party polarization along party lines in the United States? I hypothesize that the greater the number and extreme tone of political statements made by powerful figures within a party, the greater the level of polarization between and within the parties. A thorough analysis was completed on 4 different eras of Republican control in Congress: the John Boehner era (2011-2015), the Paul Ryan era (2015-2019), the Kevin McCarthy era (2023), and the Mike Johnson era (2023-Present). By examining the influence exerted by the Republican …

How To Catch A Con: The Rhetorical Strategies Of Fraudulent Political Leaders, Lukas Huntington

CMC Senior Theses

The United States faces persistent challenges in controlling political fraud. Government agencies exhibit the second-highest fraud rate of any industry, and corruption levels have only worsened over the last decade, contributing to declining public trust in national leadership. Current fraud detection efforts generally catch late-stage, large-scale fraud, highlighting the need for earlier-detection mechanisms. One way this could be accomplished involves identifying rhetorical patterns that are commonly used by political frauds in order to flag high-risk individuals. Leaning on the Theory of Planned Behavior, it was hypothesized that political frauds would exhibit more rhetorical appeals to fear, blame, pathos, and self-promotion …

When Coalitions Do Not Form: The Disability Movement And The Sustainability Movement In Congressional Hearings, Samantha Lavenhagen

American Studies Honors Papers

This thesis examines why and how the disability issue network has traditionally been excluded from the legislative process. The integration of the disability issue network into congressional hearings demonstrates larger themes of power and respect in politics and society. Whether through quotes, statements for the record, or testifying as a witness, issue networks influence lawmakers and lawmaking, building and maintaining relationships with Congress Members and other issue networks. This integration of the disability issue network into congressional hearings reveals larger themes of power and respect in politics and society. More specifically, this thesis investigates the absence of disability organizations from …

Esg Federalism: How State Regulations Shape Esg Performance, Kameron Eck

All Master's Theses

This thesis examines how state-level environmental, social, and governance (ESG) regulations influence corporate ESG performance in the United States. Using a panel dataset that combines state ESG legislation, firm-level ESG scores from S&P Global, and financial data from Compustat (2019–2024), I employ fixed-effects regression models to analyze the relationship between state ESG regulations and corporate ESG performance. The analysis incorporates firm and year fixed effects to account for unobservable heterogeneity across companies and time, while controlling for firm-specific characteristics. Additionally, the study investigates whether board gender diversity moderates this relationship. The findings contribute to the understanding of ESG policy effectiveness …

Assessing High-Speed Rail (Hsr) Policy And Politics In Washington State: Avoiding The Mistakes Of The Past, Landen K. Hashimura

All Master's Theses

While international standard high-speed rail (HSR) has yet to be successfully completed in the US, there is a national interest in the topic, as evidenced by recent federal initiatives to research HSR across various corridors. The Cascadia Corridor has been identified as a region with high potential for HSR, leading to an ongoing study in the State of Washington. Given the tumultuous history of American HSR development, the Cascadia HSR initiative needs to avoid the mistakes of the past. Two major contributing factors to this failure to build HSR are uneven political support for HSR and poor policy frameworks. Despite …

A Woman’S World Through The Lens Of Socialized Politics: How Accurate Knowledge Politically And Socially Empowers A Woman’S Autonomy, Claire G. Herzog

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Women have dealt with being perceived as inferior to men, defective, and in need of control. My research draws a connection between the ways societal beliefs, judicial action and political action interact with each other to reinforce and reproduce these limiting beliefs about women. The interaction between these institutions result in underlying policies that target women's rights, silencing their voices and sense of independence, all while aiming to control the female body completely. Despite the perception that modern society has moved away from the sexist beliefs that had been created and ingrained into society centuries ago, we are left with …

Promises Of Prosperity: The Impact Of Constitutionalizing Economic And Social Human Rights, Arabella A. Lilleslåtten

Honors Program Theses

Does the attempt to have legal enforcement of economic and social rights in national constitutions positively influence other development outcomes? I hypothesize that economic and social outcomes are better in countries that enshrine these rights in their constitutions, and use a mixed methods approach of quantitative and qualitative analyses to test this. This study includes a regression analysis of 52 countries correlating a summary index of the strength of constitutional rights to education, health, housing and workers' rights in 68 countries with the 2019 Social and Economic Rights Fulfillment (SERF) Index, finding no significant correlation between the variables. A second …

Will Malaysia Become An Active Middle Power?, Bruce Gilley

Politics and Global Affairs Faculty Publications and Presentations

Malaysia’s economic growth and democratisation since 2003 have vaulted it into the ranks of the middle powers in the international system. However, Malaysia remains hesitant about its middle power status. It has assumed a counterhegemonic or pro-multipolarity role; it has supported some new international rules and institutions; it leads regional governance institutions; and it advocates for small countries on development issues. However, these middle power behaviours are countered by a continuation of traditional Malaysia diplomacy which is inactive in shaping the emergence of superpower China as well as being disruptive and personalistic, most recently because of its embrace of radicalisms. …

Book Review Of, Form Follows Fever: Malaria And The Construction Of Hong Kong, 1841-1849, Shawn Smallman

Politics and Global Affairs Faculty Publications and Presentations

Book Review of: Form Follows Fever: Malaria and the Construction of Hong Kong, 1841-1849. By Christopher Cowell. (Shaw Tin, NT., Hong Kong, Chinese University of Hong Kong Press, 2024. 320 pp.)

Capital Structure And Business Failure: The Collapse Of Canada’S Dome Petroleum, Bruce Gilley

Politics and Global Affairs Faculty Publications and Presentations

In popular lore, the failure of Canada’s once-biggest company, Dome Petroleum, was caused by the interventionist policies of the federal government or its misadventures drilling for oil in the Arctic. But these factors acted in varied ways on the company. Rather, corporate finance theories offer more insight into the dynamics that led to Dome’s takeover by the American oil major Amoco in 1988. Dome was unique in its unwillingness to issue new share capital during its growth phase and instead relied on easy debt financing. This in turn was a result of both insider preferences as well as capital market …

Remixing Oer Assignment: "Advantges And Disadvantages Of State-Level Policies", Katie Zuber

Open Educational Resources

This assignment, created by Katie Zuber, uses OER readings to help students understand how federalism impacts their everyday lives. Using the United States’ response to the Coronavirus as a case study, students will see firsthand that where decisions get made (i.e., the state or federal level) often dictates who gets what, when, and how. This assignment was made as part of a workshop on remixing OERs at John Jay College in 2025.

The Impact Of Political Party Control On Health Outcomes In U.S. States, Trevor G. Samaha

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation examines the impact of political party control on health outcomes in U.S. states, focusing on three key indicators: infant mortality, Type II Diabetes deaths, and COVID-19 deaths. Using quantitative methods and data primarily from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this study investigates whether the party affiliation of governors and state legislatures significantly influences these health outcomes. While existing literature suggests that Democratic-led states may achieve better health outcomes due to greater public investment in healthcare, the findings of this dissertation challenge these assumptions. Across all three cases, the analysis reveals predominantly null results, suggesting that …

When The Empires Strike Again: The Effects Of An Imperial Past On The Post-Cold War International Order, Begum Wolfe

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Although on the surface empires appear to be ancient and irrelevant political constructs from a distant past, I argue in this dissertation that even after the empire officially dissolves, the core of the bygone empire continues its political existence in the mindsets of the empire-bearing people. This is mainly explained through certain imperial memories, glories and traumas, that have permeated into these states’ identities. In these so-called post-imperial states, then, such a unique experience of having functioned as an empire translates into foreign policy behavior that is patterned, predictable, but also puzzling especially regarding certain issues with an imperial baggage. …

Authoritarian Control Over Election Administration, Nazar Boyko

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Street-level election bureaucracy (SLEB) remains one of the least studied aspects of authoritarian elections. Our current understanding of micro-level election administration in autocracies is fragmented and unsystematic. In this dissertation, I develop and test a theory of authoritarian SLEB that comprehensively addresses key elements of election administration: the incentivization and mobilization of election commissioners, the establishment of control over election commissions, the monitoring of their performance, and the post-election reshaping of their personnel composition. Drawing on rational choice theory, I propose a framework in which autocrats are seen as outcome-maximizers who strategically design SLEB to achieve their electoral goals. The …

Application Of Machine Learning And Natural Language Processing To Understand The Partisan Mobilization Of Ethnic Minorities, Ani Tepnadze

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation explores how competing interests across secondary dimensions of identity shape marginalized groups' capacity to institutionalize their grievances, particularly ethnic minorities. More specifically, I explore two mechanisms, intragroup cohesiveness and distinctiveness, as a driving force of grievance mobilization. This research is interdisciplinary, drawing on theories from political sociology, political communications, and computational social science. I examine the question of ethnic group particization in two stages. In the first stage, I developed an original machine learning pipeline to process large text corpora and identify the indicators of the strength of collective ethnic grievances in online group discussions. In the second …

Soccer Sheikhs: Qatar, Football, And The Quest For Self-Confidence And Global Prominence, Ali Ahsan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation examines Qatar’s strategic use of football as a mechanism for securing ontological security within the international system. Moving beyond standard International Relations explanations of state behavior, the study draws on ontological security theory which emphasizes the need of states to sustain a coherent sense of self through routines, narratives, and recognition. By framing football as such a practice, the dissertation advances the study of sport as a growing area of interest in the political sciences. Through a qualitative methodology employing Reflexive Thematic Analysis of expert interviews, the research analyzes Qatar’s football policies, including hosting the 2022 FIFA World …

Internal Or External: An Exploration Of The United States Police Chief Hiring Process, Kayleigh Walker

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This paper explores the hiring processes of police chiefs across the United States, focusing on internal versus external hiring practices. The goal of this research was to identify common trends, legislative barriers, and the impact of leadership on the hiring process through historical context, legal analysis, and case studies. The findings suggest that internal hires dominate chief appointments, though external hires are often sought during crises. The paper concludes with recommendations for future research and highlights the need to more fully understand this phenomenon. Understanding the processes and limitations surrounding the appointment of new leadership is critical to reform and …

Increasing Women In Political Careers, Kendall Craig

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Women are underrepresented in political careers and through a series of questions, female, college-aged participants were asked to rank their answers to various questions in regard to inequalities women face on a scale of one to ten. The participants ran through two interventions where they learned about political careers as well as the struggles of women in political careers, the importance and impact. After the interventions, the exact same questions with the same scales were offered to participants to observe whether education on the topic could increase desire to seek careers in politics. The findings show that a small majority …