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Articles 1 - 26 of 26
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Westernization And Muslims In Western Europe, Sean Manahan
Westernization And Muslims In Western Europe, Sean Manahan
Honors Theses
Many scholars argue that as a whole, Muslims in Europe are not successfully integrating into European society. The reasons why are debated and still far from understood. It is clear, however, that many Muslim communities are negatively affected by many socioeconomic factors, leaving them poor and viewed as outcasts. Given these circumstances, scholars have suggested that some individuals join radical Islamist groups to give meaning to their lives and secure a sense of inclusion because they do not feel a part of the country in which they live. However, this fails to explain the numerous cases of highly educated, middle …
Midterm Elections Used To Gauge President's Reelection Chances, Desmond D. Wallace
Midterm Elections Used To Gauge President's Reelection Chances, Desmond D. Wallace
Honors Theses
Conventional analysis of midterm elections is usually in relation to the previous presidential election, or the issues or events leading up towards a presidential election. Rarely is midterm elections considered in terms of whether the president, or his party in some cases, would retain the White House in the next presidential election. The focus of this research is to determine whether midterm elections can serve as a predictive indicator of the outcome in the following presidential election. For decades, scholars have speculated as to why the president's party suffers losses at the midterm election. An examination of these theories can …
Toward Democratic "No-Rule": A Conceptual Response To Contemporary Challenges To Political Freedom, Alexander W. Brockwehl
Toward Democratic "No-Rule": A Conceptual Response To Contemporary Challenges To Political Freedom, Alexander W. Brockwehl
Honors Theses
In this thesis, I argue that different conceptions of freedom yield different manifestations of governance. I demonstrate that in the United States, a private conception of freedom grounded in individual and state sovereignty has been repeated in political discourse with severe consequences for democracy. This conception of freedom derives largely from America’s founding, from a reliance on legal language, and from fundamental assumptions about the role of the people in governance. It institutionalizes social and political hierarchies through promoting and protecting individual autonomy. In contrast to this dominant form of freedom, I sketch an alternative that encourages public engagement, political …
Crisis Of Confidence: Presidential Decision-Making In The Carter Administration, Andrew N. T. Churchill
Crisis Of Confidence: Presidential Decision-Making In The Carter Administration, Andrew N. T. Churchill
Honors Theses
A play based on the life and career of U.S. President, Jimmy Carter.
The Impact Of Public Approval Of Congress On Midterm Congressional Election Outcomes, Jordan L. Goldman
The Impact Of Public Approval Of Congress On Midterm Congressional Election Outcomes, Jordan L. Goldman
Honors Theses
Over the past half-century, the United States Congress has become less revered by the American people. The Constitution names Congress as the first branch of government. The framers instituted Congress in Article One of the Constitution to symbolize the importance of the rule of law of the people. Its members were to be chosen members of the public, rather than royalty or nobility, to give the branch a sense of democratic legitimacy. However, during the past fifty years, public opinion of the first branch of government has waned. The reasons for this diminished respect are complex and numerous. In general …
Governing Religion: A Study Of Religions Function Across Three Distinctly Different Societies, Sky Kochenour
Governing Religion: A Study Of Religions Function Across Three Distinctly Different Societies, Sky Kochenour
Honors Theses
Religion’s place in political order is a controversial subject. How does the function of religion compare to that of political order? Can it support a society in the same way? My research attempts to answer these questions by investigating three distinct time periods and cultures. I first examine the primitive people of the Azande tribe in Africa, an example of a society based mainly on religion. My research then turns to the fifth and sixth century Greeks, a society in flux, attempting to hold on to religion in the throes of a logical revolution. Finally, I turn to America to …
How Soft News Affects Attitudes And Behavior In 18-24 Year Olds, Kathryn E. Leary
How Soft News Affects Attitudes And Behavior In 18-24 Year Olds, Kathryn E. Leary
Honors Theses
In today’s media environment there are two different forms of news programs: hard news—news in the traditional sense of a newscast presenting the facts of an event—and soft news. The phenomenon of soft news is a hybrid of shows that mix politics with entertainment encompassing sensationalism and human-interest components when reporting on select high-profile political issues. An early form of this news type includes daytime talk shows such as Oprah to the now popular comedic faux news programs such as The Daily Show. The age bloc of 18-24 year olds has been considered the primary viewership of some soft news …
International Aid In Afghanistan: Examining The Effectiveness Of Traditional Aid And Development Programs, Samuel A. Merlin
International Aid In Afghanistan: Examining The Effectiveness Of Traditional Aid And Development Programs, Samuel A. Merlin
Honors Theses
The US‐led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 brought to light the comprehensive destruction of the Afghan state. Twenty years of continuous war had ravaged the country, and with the Taliban’s expulsion of western aid agencies, Afghans were further deprived of their basic needs. The international community has rallied around this cause, donating nearly $40 billion in aid since 2001 to help develop Afghanistan. However, this international investment has not yielded optimal results; fundamental mistakes have limited the growth in capacity of the Afghan government and its people. Through analyzing the effectiveness of the major donor programs, a key lesson was …
Secrecy In An Open Society, Nicholas A. Poli
Secrecy In An Open Society, Nicholas A. Poli
Honors Theses
This thesis explores the difficult task of finding a balance of secrecy and openness in America. The common notion is that America is an open society; however, with an intelligence community predicated upon secrecy, an imbalance of power between the Executive and Congress, a media which does not always report objective news, and a complacent American public, openness ultimately becomes more difficult to maintain. To find a balance, I propose a hypothetical spectrum of openness in which there is a straight line with two endpoints- one endpoint representing complete secrecy, the other complete openness. I argue that both ends of …
Eminent Domain In The Wake Of The Kelo Decision, Matthew J. Rogers
Eminent Domain In The Wake Of The Kelo Decision, Matthew J. Rogers
Honors Theses
The controversial Supreme Court decision, Kelo v. The City of New London, allowed a local government to utilize eminent domain to transfer land from one private entity to another in order to enhance economic development. In response, state governments rushed to pass legislation in order to curtail the use of eminent domain. State governments, however, struggled to pass meaningful eminent domain legislation, since many powerful forces, such as major corporations, stood in their way. Opponents of eminent domain claim that the politically weakest in our society, namely the poor and racial minorities, are saddled with the resulting hardship emanating from …
From Ankara To Jerusalem: An Analysis Of The Decline In Turkish-Israeli Relations, Kama Sacajiu
From Ankara To Jerusalem: An Analysis Of The Decline In Turkish-Israeli Relations, Kama Sacajiu
Honors Theses
Turkey and Israel had been strong allies in the Middle East, however in recent years, these relations have turned sour. Turkey was the first predominantly Muslim country to recognize the state of Israel upon its creation in 1948. However, Present day Turkey has gone as far as to pull its ambassador from Tel Aviv. The importance and implication of the decline in relations between Turkey and Israel will be explained in the following chapters. The examination of Turkish foreign policy, and specifically a history of its relations with Israel, gives a basis to explain the changes that occurred with their …
Rediscovering Prigg V. Pennsylvania, Andrew J. Trochanowski
Rediscovering Prigg V. Pennsylvania, Andrew J. Trochanowski
Honors Theses
The concept of federalism serves as the foundation for the American political system. The framers laid a foundation for balancing state and national tensions; and during the antebellum era American political actors wrestled with the proper application of these concepts. This paper traces the evolution of federalist principles beginning at the founding and culminating with the commonly misperceived Supreme Court case Prigg v. Pennsylvania by analyzing transformative historical moments and political regimes. Prigg v. Pennsylvania currently exists within contemporary political and constitutional scholarly literature as a slavery case decided upon moralistic bias and the Court’s commitment to the institution of …
Lyndon Johnson: A Psychological Character Study, Stephanie L. Vacchio
Lyndon Johnson: A Psychological Character Study, Stephanie L. Vacchio
Honors Theses
This thesis centers on Lyndon Johnson and his character traits and how they are translated into his leadership abilities. The ways in which he handled issues as president, his personal relationships with others, and his own personality traits all define who Johnson was as a man. These aspects combined can be viewed as “character”, or the result of the environment someone has been exposed to for a prolonged period of time. In the case of Johnson, it is his childhood that has played the largest role in shaping his character and in turn his personality. My thesis explores the psychological …
Iraqs Post-War Failure: A Result Of Special Interests, Gordon D. Butler
Iraqs Post-War Failure: A Result Of Special Interests, Gordon D. Butler
Honors Theses
This thesis explores the causation for entrance and failure of the American intervention in Iraq. While it is commonly understood that President Bush’s insistence on preventing further atrocities after September 11th was a major motivation for launching the war, there exist many more players hidden from the public eye that contributed to the decision. Collaborating as collected special interests, these individuals often manipulated the public agenda, bent factual evidence to their favor, and sold the war to an ignorant American public. As a result, proper planning for post-war reconstruction and the assurance of stable democratic growth after the fall of …
Is Turkey Turning Away From The West?, Saghar Hamidzade
Is Turkey Turning Away From The West?, Saghar Hamidzade
Honors Theses
The purpose of this thesis is to answer the question of whether Turkey is turning away from its traditional western allies and reorienting itself towards the Middle East. The first chapter examines Turkey’s past, particularly the legacy of the Ottoman era, the Kemalist period, and the Cold War era, in order to its historical foundations. The second chapter analyzes the changes on the Turkish domestic scene from 1950 up to today. The focus of this chapter is on the Kemalists’ repression of democracy and the social and political shift among much of the population in reaction to their suppressive ways. …
After The Studio: The Politcal Influence Of Visual Imagery, Katherine A. Macewan
After The Studio: The Politcal Influence Of Visual Imagery, Katherine A. Macewan
Honors Theses
Seeking to understand the role of art outside the studio, this paper examines the political effects of visual art in public space. With four artists serving as case studies, the paper interprets these artists’ work using the text of a political theorist to understand both how the public absorbs their pieces and what importance this process has. Fist, using political theorist Hannah Arendt to examine the work of the graffiti artist Banksy, the paper explores the relevance of artist’s intention to the public understanding of an image. Moving to socially conscious photographer Aaron Huey paired with author Susan Sontag, the …
Democratization And Social Movements: An Analysis Of Elites And Masses In Democratic Transitions, Caroline M. Tulp
Democratization And Social Movements: An Analysis Of Elites And Masses In Democratic Transitions, Caroline M. Tulp
Honors Theses
Over the past several decades there has been an influx of countries becoming democracies. Post-communist Eastern Europe, developing Africa, and Latin America are only three regions that have been working towards democratic governments, some being more successful than others. There are many theories that attempt to explain why some countries are able to successfully transition to a democracy while others fail. In my senior thesis, I focus on elitism versus the power of the masses. For most of transitology history, elites have been viewed as the prominent actor in democratization. However, the role of the masses has been focused on …
The Suez Crisis: Country Breakdown, Maeghan M. Buckley
The Suez Crisis: Country Breakdown, Maeghan M. Buckley
Honors Theses
The inflexible position of the multiple actors during the Suez Crisis made military aggression all the more precarious within a post‐Hitler world. Britain and France attempted to make multiple connections between Nasser and Hitler in order to engage the United States in their endeavor. Instead Eisenhower searched for a diplomatic solution in order to ensure the Soviet Union would not be allowed to infiltrate the Middle East. No matter the efforts of the countries involved, the final solution was only found within the United Nations. Issues of sovereignty collided with international law erupting in a military attack that was ultimately …
Change: An Analysis Of Vote Choice In The 2008 Presidential Election, Maryssa A. Mataras
Change: An Analysis Of Vote Choice In The 2008 Presidential Election, Maryssa A. Mataras
Honors Theses
This thesis investigates the factors that helped Americans come to a vote choice in the 2008 presidential election. After an in-depth analysis and presentation on the existing literature, I then present key moments in both McCain and Obama’s campaigns looking at the context, campaigns, and candidates. I then break down the turnout and vote choice of each major social group and demographic in the United States, juxtaposing it with the group’s historical voting trends and turnout. In 2008 there was a large nationwide Democratic shift. Chapter four seeks to defend whether it was the context of the election or the …
Use Of Social Media In Presidential Campaigns: Do Social Media Have An Effect On The Political Behavior Of Voters Aged 18-24?, Samantha Hamilton
Use Of Social Media In Presidential Campaigns: Do Social Media Have An Effect On The Political Behavior Of Voters Aged 18-24?, Samantha Hamilton
Honors Theses
Today, the idea of social media is radically different from the media of a decade ago. While a decade ago the Internet was considered new media, our society now turns to Facebook, Twitter, and blogs as sources of information. In the United States during election cycles, the use of social media by presidential candidates has become a way for many voters to find out about candidates. As a result, presidential candidates have had to adapt their campaign strategies to work with these media in a way that will effectively target these audiences. This study examines whether campaigns that are more …
The Supreme Court: A Decade Of Opinion, Matthew A. Bahleda
The Supreme Court: A Decade Of Opinion, Matthew A. Bahleda
Honors Theses
Conventional wisdom would have us believe that the Bush v. Gore (2000) decision marked a large change in public approval of the Supreme Court. To analyze this claim, a series of landmark cases for the years 2000-2010 will be reduced to a data set that will allow for the observation of specific variables and the roles each variable may play in determining the change in public opinion. From there, conclusions are made that substantively explicate the relations between the indicated relevant variables and the change in opinion. Ultimately, the Bush v. Gore decision is found to have not had the …
Middle Eastern Conflict And Syrian Economic Policy, Emily Halk
Middle Eastern Conflict And Syrian Economic Policy, Emily Halk
Honors Theses
No abstract provided.
Searching For The Soul Of American Medicine : What Three High-Quality, Low-Cost Health Care Systems Can Teach U.S. Policymakers, Benjamin A. Paul
Searching For The Soul Of American Medicine : What Three High-Quality, Low-Cost Health Care Systems Can Teach U.S. Policymakers, Benjamin A. Paul
Honors Theses
"The United States health care system is broken." This common refrain has been echoed by policymakers and politicians, Democrats and Republicans, and liberals and conservatives alike. They point to the unacceptably high number of uninsured Americans, out of control costs, and questionable quality as just some of the problems that afflict American health care. Before the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in March, 2010, over 45 million Americans were without health insurance coverage.1 Health care spending currently accounts for 17% of this country‘s gross domestic product. In contrast, most industrialized European countries cover all of their …
Keeping Nuclear Programs From Becoming Nuclear Weapons: A Game Theoretic And Econometric Analysis, Benjamin Guy Ogden
Keeping Nuclear Programs From Becoming Nuclear Weapons: A Game Theoretic And Econometric Analysis, Benjamin Guy Ogden
Honors Theses
There are currently only nine countries which possess nuclear weapons, but twenty-four countries have pursued the requisite technology. The question remains as to why nations ceased their programs, and whether the policies of the international community had anything to do with that decision. This paper uses both a game theoretic and a probit model with limited assumptions to attempt to uncover: a) what are the determinants of a country shuttering their nuclear weapon program, b) when "sticks and carrots" can be credible (subgame perfect), and c) how large of a role they play in the potential nuclear country's decision-making. I …
Economic Development Under Dominant-Party Regimes, Christopher J. Gorud
Economic Development Under Dominant-Party Regimes, Christopher J. Gorud
Honors Theses
Case studies of economic development in Japan, Mexico, India, and Kenya examine the relationship between dominant-party regimes and developmental outcomes. This paper studies the variables of bureaucratic coherence and cohesion, corporatism, labor relations, and national developmentism as contributing factors to developmental success or failure in these states.
The Tea Party And Social Movements, David Palmer
The Tea Party And Social Movements, David Palmer
Honors Theses
The recent rise of the Tea Party movement has added a new dimension to our discussion of domestic politics. The main question is: what effect will the Tea Party have on the political landscape? The best way to answer this question is to place the Tea Party in historical and theoretical context, in order to discuss what type of social movement the Tea Party is and what impact it might have. To this end, I will define and discuss the two major literatures in socialmovement theory: Issue Evolution and Political Process theory. This theoretical framework will provide the basis for …