Digital Commons Network^™

Could It Be Cold War? How Sino-American Tensions Are Unfolding In The South Pacific., Peter R. Caldwell

Senior Theses

This thesis assesses the impacts of geopolitical competition between the United States and China, focusing on the South Pacific as a primary theatre for this great power contest, and investigating the uses of foreign aid by regional powers to effect both the geopolitical alignment and domestic policies of the developing states of the South Pacific. This paper finds that foreign aid to these South Pacific States is geopolitically motivated, and induces greater attention from competing regional powers, furthering the ongoing competition. This paper first provides an overview of the evolving political situation in Kiribati, a Pacific Island Country which has …

Review Of Portraits Of Peacemakers: Americans Who Tell The Truth, Rosemarie Pace

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

The Delegation Discovering ‘Palestinianity’, Dianne Kirby

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

“Gotcha!” How The British Government Re-Invented Propaganda In 1982, Wesley Stephens

Political Science Student Scholarship

By what means were the British public motivated to fight the Falklands War in 1982, and how did those means work? Using methods of neo-Gramscian analysis to build on contemporary theories of virtual war, this paper illuminates the means by which popular culture can be manipulated to support the goals of the ruling class, in this case the war against the Argentinian junta. The media’s role in the conflict, particularly that of the Sun tabloid, was able to shape a hegemonic popular culture to be more accepting of military action and eventually led to combat being viewed as entertainment. Commonly …

Deuce Redemption: Grindhouse Cinema, Moral Panic, And Urban Renewal, Robert Brenner

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

If you consult standard histories of the “redevelopment” of 42^nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenue, AKA “the Deuce,” you will read that it was filled with nothing but criminals and pornographers, that decent people avoided it at all costs, and the only way the block could be “saved” was by seizing it via eminent domain, evicting all the current tenants, and replacing them with Disney and its fellow entertainment corporations.

The purpose of this thesis is to offer a more nuanced alternative to these standard histories. I will argue that the Deuce was a lower-class, multiracial, queer entertainment …

Religion And Politics In Bali: Balancing Tradition And Power, I Gusti Ayu Agung Dewi Sucitawathi Pinatih

Jurnal Wacana Politik

Ritual ceremonies are the core and main thing in the life of Balinese Hindu society. Ceremonies have become part of everyday life that cannot be separated from Balinese life, and ceremonial rituals become the main needs that must be fulfilled as Balinese Hindus. Ritual ceremonies greatly influence the power system that exists in Bali. The growing political trend is that religion has become a key instrument in gaining political support. The purpose of this research is to look at the relationship between religion and the state in the context of local politics in Bali. This research is a qualitative research …

Reflections On The Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, Alina Gamboa Combs

Journal of Critical Global Issues

The 1998 Belfast Agreement, also known as the Good Friday Agreement (B/GFA), is considered a milestone for brokering peace and moving forward past the period known as the “Troubles” that plagued Northern Ireland for three decades (1961-1994). An overwhelming majority: 71 percent of the electorate in Northern Ireland (81 percent voter turnout) voted yes to the question, “Do you support the Agreement reached in the Multi-Party Talks?” giving the B/GFA and the subsequent legally binding British-Irish Agreement (BIA) strong public support. Since its signing, the B/GFA has been implemented in part. A key component, forming a Northern Ireland Assembly and …

Québec On The World Stage: Examining A Provincial Approach To Cultural Diplomacy, Sarah E. K. Smith, Alexandre Couture Gagnon

Political Science Faculty Publications

Cultural diplomacy is typically viewed as a state activity; however, substate actors shape the practice in significant ways. This article employs a neo-institutional policy analysis to explore how the provincial government of Québec advanced its cultural diplomacy, while engaging with the Canadian federal government, as well as international actors. Acknowledging overlapping claims on the cultural sector in Canada, we provide a chronological assessment of key cultural policy statements from Québec dating from the mid-twentieth century to present, placing these in context with federal developments. This assessment allows us to explore moments of friction when Québec’s efforts at global engagement challenged …

Analyzing Tiktok’S Influence On Youth Political Activism And Social Participation In Malaysia, Nor Azyani Tsania Mohd Nor, Syahirah Samantha Foo Su Sien Mohd Fird, Nur Marissa Nabilah Mohd Ridhwan, Mohamad Hafifi Jamri

Jurnal Wacana Politik

Despite TikTok’s popularity among young users, concerns persist regarding their lack of political awareness and gullibility. This research aims to address this gap by examining TikTok usage patterns among Malaysian youth and analyzing user interactions with political and social content. The research participants consisted of youths aged 18 to 29 years old in Malaysia. Employing a quantitative research design, the study used surveys to gather data and descriptive statistical analysis. The collected data was analyzed using the SPSS software. The study’s findings indicate TikTok’s potential for political usage and respondents show a moderately high agreement on TikTok as a platform …

Invisible No More: Looking And Listening Locally To Build Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Resilience, Anjali Thakore

CMC Senior Theses

The ubiquity of sexual violence, with its devastating physical and psychological consequences, has rendered conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) one of the most effective and enduring “invisible crimes” of war. Despite receiving growing attention across academic, political, and activist circles, wartime sexual violence remains pervasive in contemporary conflict zones. Against the backdrop of these frequent and recurring violations, this thesis explores the dissonance between high-level rhetorical commitments to preventing and punishing CRSV and on-the-ground realities. What soon emerges is a troubling pattern in which gendered violence—and women’s lived experiences more generally—while increasingly visible in theory, remains marginalised in practice. By investigating …

Realignment In The South China Sea: Filipino-Australian Relations In The Face Of Chinese Expansionism And American Isolationism, Abigail L. Smart

Honors Theses and Capstones

To explore middle-power strategies, this policy paper examines the emerging bilateral defense partnership between Australia and the Philippines, scheduled for signing in 2026. Both Australia and the Philippines, as mutual defense partners to the United States, are faced with insecurity given the second Trump administration's comments towards a strict “America first” policy. Faced with constant threat from Chinese expansionism in the South China Sea, the Philippines, in particular, is vulnerable if America withdraws its military support. Conversations about the importance of middle-power-to-middle-power relationships often disregard the Philippines' role in the South China Sea conflict. China continues to claim rock formations, …

Unstable Rivalry: Structure, Domestic Politics, And Taiwan In U.S.-China Relations, Brendan Edward Flynn

Wayne State University Dissertations

International relations (IR) scholarship frequently utilizes structural and domestic political levels of analysis to explain interstate war and conflict. While U.S.-China relations have deteriorated significantly, there is considerable disagreement about what caused this change. In this dissertation I utilize Militarized Interstate Disputes (MIDs) to operationalize instability between the U.S. and China and test competing theories. Increasing levels of MIDs since 2009 broadly confirm structural theories that hold power parity is a primary driver of conflict between great powers. Case studies of the Third Taiwan Strait Crisis (1995 – 1996) and Fourth Taiwan Strait Crisis (2022), however, illustrate that domestic political …

Academic Freedom Under Attack: How Faculty And Students Can Protect Their Rights Situated In The Scholarly And Public Spheres, Emma Hansen

Honors Senior Capstones and Theses

This thesis project challenged me to apply my learning to the larger community and accomplish something that would make a lasting impact at Roger Williams University. When I was attempting to come up with my topic, I tussled with how my project could accomplish my main goal, to help people. With the current threats to academic freedom and institutional autonomy from the Trump Administration, I recognized that the faculty were expressing concern about the permanence of their jobs. The general feeling on campus and in the news was fear. So, I thought to myself, “How do I put these fears …

Workable Seams, Jackson Mills Smith

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In Jackson Mills Smith’s Workable Seams, readers encounter the stories, landscapes, and lives of rural Knox County, Indiana, from the oscillating vantage of a Hoosier boy raised with a Cajun sensibility. After relocating from Louisiana to the river bottoms of the crossroad state at a young age, the speaker gradually uncovers a local history only previously understood in fragmentary shards and fading glimpses.

Alternating between semi-lyrical embodied experiences and memories, documentary pieces in conversation with the state’s historical archive, and the retelling of exaggerated local yarns, poetry is a means of inquiry in Workable Seams. Topics range from …

The Importance Of The Pontificate Of The Pope John Paul Ii In International Relations, M. Manuel Azevedo

Global: Jurnal Politik Internasional

This work analyses Pope John Paul II’s contributions and attitudes as an international relations Actor. In this context, the research question that guides this work is as follows in terms of global governance, how did the conduct carried out by Pope John Paul II strengthen him as a Model Power? John Paul II inaugurated a new phase of the Vatican’s foreign policy. His diplomacy in mediation and conflict resolution stands out as a fundamental pillar of his pontificate, contributing to the fall of the communist regime in Poland and many other conflicts such as the mediation of the Holy See …

Volume 7 (2024) Artificial Intelligence And Responsibility, Arwa Alnajashi, Danielle Derise, Philip L. Frana, David Mcgraw, Amanda Sawyer, Tatjana Titareva, Raafat Zaini, Allie Zombron

International Journal on Responsibility

The seventh volume of the International Journal on Responsibility (IJR) arrives at a crucial moment in the evolution of artificial intelligence and its integration into our academic and social fabric. As we witness the rapid advancement and deployment of AI systems across various domains, this special issue examines the multifaceted dimensions of responsibility surrounding AI technology, with a particular focus on its role in higher education and broader societal implications.

The articles in this volume contribute to our understanding of responsibility through diverse lenses, from classroom implementation to ethical design considerations. Together, they fulfill IJR’s central mission of exploring “Who …

Cake And Conclusions: Rhetorical Roots In “Sheetcaking” And Fallacious Community Responses, Marissa Lammon

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

The convergence of politics and comedy within political entertainment has created a new environment, dissemination of information, and formation of public opinion. In response to white nationalist rallies, comedian Tina Fey utilized her political comedy platform to satirically comment on the inaction of several privileged consumers. Community response to the satirical skit reflected the complexity of satire as rhetorical strategy, notably when present online and within popular culture discourse, and the cognitive demands that result in fallacious tendencies. The following examines the fallacies that arise in response to Fey’s satirical message and the implications for political entertainment media.

Pop Culture And Politics: Engaging Students In American Government Through Art, Music, And Film, Laura Merrifield Wilson

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Strategically and thoughtfully employing popular culture in teaching political science can enable students to better understand, analyze, and relate to the material. In a discipline that can be viewed by students as too boring, too distant, and too polarizing, the use of relevant music, TV/film clips, toys, memes, and other popular culture artifacts can engage otherwise unengaged students in a meaningful way. This paper argues that using popular culture in teaching political science can demonstrate relevance, serve as a generational translator, expose the bias of experience, and enable an expression of self. In demonstrating relevance, popular culture makes material fresh …

Un/Learning To Disagree. A Response To "Pragmatist Thinking For A Populist Moment: Contingency And Racial Re-Valuing In Education Governance", Edda Sant, Marta Da Costa

Democracy & Education

How should education governance respond to increasing polarized perspectives? Drawing on contemporary African American pragmatism, Knight-Abowitz and Sellers’s article "Pragmatist Thinking for a Populist Moment: Contingency and Racial Re-valuing in Education Governance" interrogated the critical case of Black Lives Matters and anti-critical race theory protests in the USA education governance and concluded that inquiry and deliberation are needed to embrace more pluralistic forms of democracy. In our response, in which we engage with decolonial, agonistic, and speculative theories, we share Knight-Abowitz and Sellers’s analytical framings. Yet we wonder to what extent inquiry and deliberation can push off racial habits and …

The Paradoxical Policies, Politics Of Tastes, And Classic Indonesian Exploitation Cinema Of The New Order Regime, Ekky Imanjaya

Jurnal Wacana Politik

Although the New Order Regime (1966-1998) was widely known for its strict censorship and government control, there was a simultaneous rise in producing exploitation films with graphic and provocative images. This kind of cinema was exported internationally in the 1980s and re-released in the 2000s by transnational DVD distributors. This article analyzed the transformation of exploitation films, which were disregarded and undervalued by the Government, cultural elites, and cinema critics. It explored how these films became a battleground for the politics of taste and resulted in a series of contradictions within the political policies of the New Order. The study …

Seventeen Crises In Western Civilization That Have Arisen Since The Dark Ages: A Cognition Science-Oriented Approach, Andrew Targowski

Comparative Civilizations Review

The purpose of this article is to synthesize those crises in the unfolding of Western civilization that are controlled by human knowledge and wisdom. The methodology is transdisciplinary, utilizing a cognitive science-oriented, big-picture view of civilization and main conflicts. The crises are investigated across three time periods; the Dark Ages (from the fifth to the fourteenth century), Modern Times (from the fifteenth to the twentieth century), and the present century. The findings reveal that today Western civilization faces seventeen significant crises. Knowledge is not sufficient to solve these crises; we need to employ knowledge-based wisdom. This approach presents a new …

Marshaling A Triumph: The Park Chung Hee Era, Developmental State Theory, And The Meaning Of Success In South Korea, Kevin Hockmuth

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

South Korea has long been looked to as a model of developmental success. Undoubtedly, South Korean society has experienced a remarkable expansion of wealth, social well-being, and technological capacity over the last half-century. The central turning point in this momentous transformation coincided with the authoritarian rule of Park Chung Hee (1961-1979). As such, scholars of political economy and development have paid close attention to the various facets of his regime to glean the primary causes underpinning South Korea’s developmental feats. The most significant of these efforts have emerged from works emphasizing the role of the South Korean developmental state. This …

Revitalizing America's Low-Yield Deterrent, Alex Kleitz

Space and Defense

An array of low-yield weapons will play a vital role in integrated deterrence. *The following essay, submitted in June 2022, earned the Junior Division USSTRATCOM General Larry D. Welch Deterrence Writing Award.

Achieving U.S. Preeminence In The Space Domain, Mohammad Durrani

National Security Affairs and International Relations Theses

As an expansion of the geopolitical theatre, the space domain has become fully integrated into the modern world, providing essential services such as communications, navigation, intelligence, and security for both civil and military purposes. With this integration, the fragility of the space domain becomes visibly apparent. Advancements made by U.S. adversaries, specifically China and Russia, in both satellite and counterspace weapons technologies, present a unique challenge that threatens to undermine U.S. dominance in the space domain. These threats may place the United States under severe constraints if conflict were to arise, potentially compromising critical nodes that are central to its …

The Foundations Of Civilian Supremacy: Civil-Military Relations During The American Civil War, Riley Callahan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The American Civil War was the defining event that shaped civil-military relations in the United States. This master's thesis explores the multifaceted dynamics between civilian and military leadership during this crucial period in American history. It examines the relationship between civilian political authority and the military establishment, while incorporating the related roles of Congress, public opinion and international influences. The research explores the decision-making processes, the balance of power, and the impact of leadership styles and personalities on civil-military interactions during times of armed conflict.

This thesis explores in particular the significance of President Lincoln's leadership, his ability to manage …

Communicating Politics Without Talking Politics: The Role Of The European Union In The Game Of Egyptian Culture., Mona Massoud

Theses and Dissertations

The European Union has provided various democracy aid programs to Egypt since 2013, yet the country’s democracy index has gone down since then[1]. Despite the stagnation in the trajectory of democratization, the EU expanded its democracy promotion aid programs in 2016 to encompass the independent cultural scene in Egypt. This thesis critically examines the reasons for the stagnation of democratization processes in Egypt, a MENA country that continues to be a recipient of the EU’s democracy promotion programs. It argues that there is a discrepancy between the EU’s stated democracy promotion rhetoric and its actions, a factor that …

Musical Theater And Environmental Politics: Analysis Of Environmental Discourses In “Dpr – Musikal” (2021), Kirana Mahdiah Sulaeman, Mustabsyirotul Ummah Mustofa

Jurnal Wacana Politik

“DPR - Musikal” is a highly acclaimed and ambitious musical theater video created by SkinnyIndonesian24 (Jovial da Lopez & Andovi da Lopez) that features a compelling environmental message. This piece depicts the contested meaning of nature and how it is influenced by different interests in the DPR. This research will examine the environmental politics discourses present in “DPR - Musikal” as an artistic creation that establishes a connection between environmental concerns and the notion of power. The research employed a qualitative approach and utilized Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) by Norman Fairclough. Data was gathered through video transcripts, direct interviews with …

Du Undergraduate Showcase Abstracts: Research, Scholarship, And Creative Works, August Alexander, Kevin Summers, E. Paige Lloyd, Alyssa Aragon, Lauren Wols, Erica Larson, Colton Arciniaga, Lily Baeza, Ellie Barnett-Cashman, Sidney Barbier, Maverick Bartholomew, Ryan Bell, Trevor Briggs, Amanda Brown, Cory Marchi, Maddy Pontius, Jennifer Gallagher, Claire Kwok, Channing Bullock, Alex Mccollister, Kim Gorgens, Daniela Chavez, Yamilet Espinoza Nuñez, Giovanni Valladares Giron, William Christensen, Olivia Kachulis, Daniel Cierasynski, Brandon Cohen, Spenser Dobbs, Lindsay Goolsby, Noah Craver, Nyah Cubbison, Liam Doherty, Nicole Doris, Yan Qin, Alexander Nguyen, Lily Harmon, Shubh Todi, Naichen Zhao, Noah Fagello, Stacia Fritz, Paola Gascot-Chinea, Alex Volkova, Janelyn Geronimo, Elsie Harrington, Shane Simmons, Clarice Hise, Laura Moreno Palmer, Henry Xu, Yesu Leela Pasupula, Emily Fisher, Zachary Hogan, Colin Kleckner, Alyssa Knaus, Erin Kubat, Sam Werkema, Katie Lamberton, Lilliya Larson, Allie Leary, Vanessa Leon-Gamez, James H. Gallagher, E. Dale Broder, Robin M. Tinghitella, Emma Loeber, Alina Mali, Ixchel Marquez, Lauren Mcgrath, Ella Matthews, Grace Naegelen, Audrey Ng, Megan Lucyshyn, Rachel Brough, Alexandra Norman, Joe Ontiveros Rodriguez, Ben Dossett, Ori Miller, Janamejay Sharma, Christopher Reardon, Vincent Pandey, Regan Parish, Ren Pratt, Alisha Pravasi, Sanchari Das, Cari Reichel, Emma Robson, Victoria Rockwell, Jayce Rumsey, Steven Said, Norah Schroder, Alaina Smith, Shannon Murphy, Shujan A. Sharafeldeen, Stanley M. Kanai, James T. Nichols, David E. Clouthier, Macalia R. Augustus, Daniel Silva Rios, Scott Simpson, Anna Sparling, Chase Spurbeck, Kimberly Chiew, Christine Stadnik-Poteroba, Jacqueline Stephenson, Evelyn Stovin, Mia Supan, Lauren Tapper, Will Thrush, Anna Vogt, Michaela Walheim, Jon Weber, Hunter Whitehouse, Kansas Wood, Hayley Sayre, Lydia Mccann, Maread Mclaughlin, Kelly Krumrie, Olivia Wuttke

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

Abstracts from the DU Undergraduate Research Showcase.

Going Nuclear: Conflict Transformation In Asia, Hariharan Murugesan

Student Theses and Dissertations

On July 16th, 1945, codenamed “Trinity,” the world’s first nuclear bomb was detonated, releasing 18.6 kilotons of energy, morphing the sand in the Alamo Desert into green sheet glass.

International relations and its study were fundamentally changed with the creation of nuclear weapons. Mutually Assured Destruction, aptly shortened to MAD became a prevailing theory that tried to explain why countries would acquire nuclear weapons but would never use them; overtime, through various frameworks and treaties, the world tried to control the spread of nuclear weapons, and since 2006, only nine countries have succeeded in creating nuclear weapons, and yet interestingly …

Service-Learning And Cross-Cultural Impact: Preparing Underrepresented Students For An International Service-Learning Trip, Kalene Dean

University Honors College

No abstract provided.