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Articles 1 - 24 of 24
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
What Is The Deal With Federal Student Loans?, Marissa Lopez-Ona
What Is The Deal With Federal Student Loans?, Marissa Lopez-Ona
Senior Theses and Projects
Student loan debt is in the trillions. So why aren't Americans more mad about that? This thesis explores the how the submerged nature of student loan policy shapes the politics around it. Suzanne Mettler suggest that federal student loan policy is part of the submerged state where Americans do not "see" the role of government within the student loan program. However, I argue that this is not that reason. I argue and show through an original survey that the role of federal student loan servicers is actually what is hidden about federal student loan policy. And that revealing the role …
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 …
Abortion In America After Roe: An Examination Of The Impact Of Dobbs V. Jackson Women’S Health Organization On Women’S Reproductive Health Access, Natalie Maria Caffrey
Abortion In America After Roe: An Examination Of The Impact Of Dobbs V. Jackson Women’S Health Organization On Women’S Reproductive Health Access, Natalie Maria Caffrey
Senior Theses and Projects
This thesis will examine the limitations in access to abortion and other necessary reproductive healthcare in states that are hostile to abortion rights, as well as discuss the ongoing litigation within those states between pro-choice and pro-life advocates. After analyzing the legal landscape and the different abortion laws within these states, this thesis will focus on the practical consequences of Dobbs on women’s lives, with particular attention to its impact on women of color and poor women in states with the most restrictive laws. The effect of these restrictive laws on poor women will be felt disproportionately due to their …
The Paradox Of Death Penalty Delay: A Judicial, Empirical, And Ethical Study, Zoë Gill
The Paradox Of Death Penalty Delay: A Judicial, Empirical, And Ethical Study, Zoë Gill
Senior Theses and Projects
The American death penalty has been at the center of political debates for decades. More specifically, the complexity of death penalty delay has gained significant attention from the public as well as the Supreme Court justices. Death penalty delay represents the time that transpires between when a capital crime is committed and when the execution is carried out. Today, more than half of all prisoners currently sentenced to death have been on death row for more than 18 years. This staggering statistic has ignited debate and divided the conservative justices from the liberal justices even more. This thesis will first …
Variation In Covid-19 Outcomes In The United States: A Policy Perspective, Lauren Mcrae
Variation In Covid-19 Outcomes In The United States: A Policy Perspective, Lauren Mcrae
Senior Theses and Projects
No abstract provided.
“I Am The Democratic Party”: The Role Of Washington Experience In Democratic Presidents’ Success, Coleman P. Mcjessy
“I Am The Democratic Party”: The Role Of Washington Experience In Democratic Presidents’ Success, Coleman P. Mcjessy
Senior Theses and Projects
Upon his election to the presidency, Joseph R. Biden Jr. was the first Democratic President elected in a half century with extensive “Washington experience,” that is experience as a Senator, Congressman, or Cabinet Member. In doing so, he brought a different perspective to the White House, one that was familiar with the electoral, legislative, and organizational institutions that the leader of the Democratic party must manage. In addition, this experience has led Biden to be more trusting of the formal Democratic Party infrastructure and therefore more able to use it to support his goals. In comparison to former Presidents Clinton …
Muslim Immigration To Connecticut: An Analysis Of Muslim Communities' Role In Immigrant Incorporation, Hannah M. Lynch
Muslim Immigration To Connecticut: An Analysis Of Muslim Communities' Role In Immigrant Incorporation, Hannah M. Lynch
Senior Theses and Projects
This research investigates the relationship between Muslim religious identity and immigrant incorporation outcomes in the United States. There is much existing literature discussing the outcomes of different immigrant groups to the United States, but Muslim immigrants have been largely left out of the discussion. Through interviewing Muslim immigrant residents of Connecticut, I discovered a two-fold relationship between Muslim identity and immigrant outcomes. On one hand, Muslim immigrants were able to incorporate more successfully through their Muslim religious community, such as their mosque. On the other hand, Muslim immigrants faced more difficult incorporating because of negative attitudes towards Muslim immigrants from …
Backsliding: Donald Trump, Conspiracy Theory, & Democratic Decline, Hannah Kessel
Backsliding: Donald Trump, Conspiracy Theory, & Democratic Decline, Hannah Kessel
Senior Theses and Projects
The relationship between conspiracy and democratic decline is well established in political theory. The tradition of American conspiracy imposes fear, mistrust, and unreality on citizens, which threatens the legitimacy of democratic institutions. Democratic electoral processes rely on a shared sense of objectivity and truth. Without this, electoral legitimacy crumbles. Twitter’s emergence as a new medium for political discourse alongside the Donald Trump presidential administration have jointly posed unique challenges to American democracy within this theoretical framework. The impacts of social media on the electoral process are unmeasured, and the implications of a conspiracy-minded president are unprecedented. I observe this relationship …
Defining Trumpism: Where Did The Movement Come From And What Is Its State Today?, Aidan M. Arnold
Defining Trumpism: Where Did The Movement Come From And What Is Its State Today?, Aidan M. Arnold
Senior Theses and Projects
Donald Trump came roaring onto the political stage when he announced his presidential candidacy in 2015. In the years that followed, he amassed a loyal following of motivated voters. During the Trump era, his followers have developed a reputation for loud bigotry, shameless xenophobia, and unmasked white supremacy. The movement has to come to strongly resemble the nativist populism that, until Trump, was generally confined to Europe. In order to better understand the motivation of Trump voters and their intense dedication to the 45th president, I surveyed 82 voters from the Midwest about their feelings towards politicians, policies, and …
Understanding The Complexities And Origins Of Gun Violence In Chicago, Christopher Bilicic
Understanding The Complexities And Origins Of Gun Violence In Chicago, Christopher Bilicic
Senior Theses and Projects
This thesis attempts to re-think the way lawmakers, policy makers, and everyday Chicagoans look at and talk about gun violence in Chicago. I attempt to do this by taking a historical approach where Chicago's history of housing and police discrimination against its black communities is outlined. In doing this, I seek to show that many of the factors that are driving violence in the city's black neighborhoods - such as legal cynicism and concentrated inequalities - were created by this discriminatory past. Urban gun violence in Chicago is heavily concentrated in and driven by its black neighborhoods. After taking a …
Spectacular Imaginations Of The Sinking Island, Emma Schneck
Spectacular Imaginations Of The Sinking Island, Emma Schneck
Senior Theses and Projects
As entire island nations slip beneath rising seas, how can we reimagine a political future where the effects of climate change are already in full force? In recent years, it has become increasingly apparent that there is a fundamental lack of legal protections for those fleeing environmental degradation and the effects of global sea level rise. This lack of protection is felt particularly strongly in the Pacific region, where many communities are faced with existential threats to their way of life and self-determination. However, despite this historic lack of support from the international community, the Pacific Islands states have continuously …
Media And Public Opinion Effects On American Foreign Policy Under Bush, Obama, And Trump, Luke Mayer
Media And Public Opinion Effects On American Foreign Policy Under Bush, Obama, And Trump, Luke Mayer
Senior Theses and Projects
No abstract provided.
Desegregating Schooling In Hartford, Connecticut: The 1996 Sheff V. O’Neill Court Case And Two Decades Of Integration Policy, Adam Bloom
Senior Theses and Projects
No abstract provided.
Criminal Justice Reform In The 21st Century: An Exploration Of The Legislation Behind Connecticut's Second Chance Society, Molly Nichols
Criminal Justice Reform In The 21st Century: An Exploration Of The Legislation Behind Connecticut's Second Chance Society, Molly Nichols
Senior Theses and Projects
No abstract provided.
A Study Of The 2016 Presidential Election: Examining The Influence Of The Cable News Media On Candidate Choice, Amanda Muccio
A Study Of The 2016 Presidential Election: Examining The Influence Of The Cable News Media On Candidate Choice, Amanda Muccio
Senior Theses and Projects
No abstract provided.
America's War On Drugs: Applying A Supply And Demand Framework For The Opioid Epidemic Through The Lens Of Federalism, Cari Librett
America's War On Drugs: Applying A Supply And Demand Framework For The Opioid Epidemic Through The Lens Of Federalism, Cari Librett
Senior Theses and Projects
For the past fifty years, American drug policy has been manipulated and enforced in a way that made it possible for drug epidemics to occur and has exaggerated their negative consequences on society. The War on Drugs policy initiatives first implemented in the 1970s created a drug law enforcement structure that has criminalized addiction and made it difficult for addicts to receive treatment. The United States is currently facing it's worst drug epidemic in history due to these policies. However, unlike previous epidemics, the opioid crisis is particularly unique not only because of the unparalleled nature of the issue, but …
Destruction Of Democracy: Examining Voting In The Wake Of Shelby County, Henry R. Butler
Destruction Of Democracy: Examining Voting In The Wake Of Shelby County, Henry R. Butler
Senior Theses and Projects
No abstract provided.
Dismantling The Climate Denial Machine: Theory And Methods, David A. Mickolas
Dismantling The Climate Denial Machine: Theory And Methods, David A. Mickolas
Senior Theses and Projects
Many Americans do not believe in the existence of climate change, and even those who believe climate change exists often seriously underestimate its potential harms as predicted by the world's best scientific organizations. Most political scholars agree that much higher consensus among American citizens is necessary to create necessary policy reform to mitigate climate change, both in the US and at large. However, there are also organizations who actively wish to deter and decrease belief in climate change among US citizens, not for the sake of scientific skepticism, but for personal benefit from preventing policy reform. This text examines what …
Illusory Democracy: A Platonic Examination Of Perception, Opinion, And Neoliberalism, Gregory A. Palmer
Illusory Democracy: A Platonic Examination Of Perception, Opinion, And Neoliberalism, Gregory A. Palmer
Senior Theses and Projects
This thesis sets out to define and investigate the problem of "Illusory Democracy" as well as, how it relates to the modern American political system. This thesis uses Plato, through a Straussian lens, to interpret and analyze the nature, causes, and possible solutions to this modern problem facing the American democratic system.
Effects Of Public Funding On State Legislative Elections, Eva L. Lauer
Effects Of Public Funding On State Legislative Elections, Eva L. Lauer
Senior Theses and Projects
This thesis analyzes the effects of public funding on state legislative elections in Maine, Arizona, Connecticut, and Minnesota for the 2008 and 2010 election cycles. in order to answer the research questions: “ Among the states that provide full public funding for their legislative candidates, which state is most successfully able to provide public funding programs that incentivize their state legislative candidates to accept the limitations of their public financing laws?” and “Which state has the most competitive elections among major party legislative candidates who accept public funding for their campaigns?”
Joint Resolution: A Study Of Joint Committees And Legislative Effectiveness In The New England State Legislatures, William T. Hermann
Joint Resolution: A Study Of Joint Committees And Legislative Effectiveness In The New England State Legislatures, William T. Hermann
Senior Theses and Projects
No abstract provided.
Federalism And The Modern Presidency From Eisenhower To Obama: If All Men Were Angels, Daisy Chastain Letendre
Federalism And The Modern Presidency From Eisenhower To Obama: If All Men Were Angels, Daisy Chastain Letendre
Senior Theses and Projects
American government is an experiment. It is theory in application based on a design principle which specifies the terms and conditions of the experiment’s proper extent and structure. Federalism in American government is the original design principle specifying representation, divisions of power, checks and balances, and the capacity for self-government as the terms and conditions of the experiment of the American Republic. Federalism in this sense is the “republican remedy for the “diseases most intrinsic to a republican government.” (Publius 1787-1788 [2003], 46) The experiment has continued for over 200 years although the terms and conditions have …
Occupy Wall Street: A Movement In The Making, Hannah G. Kaneck
Occupy Wall Street: A Movement In The Making, Hannah G. Kaneck
Senior Theses and Projects
It has changed the landscape of America in just the last eight months. Cries of “We are the 99%” fill the air. People are angry. Many will argue for years to come what the occupation has actually done for American society, politics and culture. It is clear though that things are changing. A precipice has been reached and it does not seem that those truly devoted to changing the system will back away quietly. Over the last 28 weeks I have read countless articles and interviews of occupiers from all over the world who have converged on Zuccotti Park in …
Health Care On A Budget: The Rise Of Economic Dominance In Health Care Reform, Lauren Rice
Health Care On A Budget: The Rise Of Economic Dominance In Health Care Reform, Lauren Rice
Senior Theses and Projects
No abstract provided.