Political Science Commons^™

Millennial Identity Within The U.S. And India: Students' Identities And Role In Democracy, Diana K. Elhard, Bridget N. Barry, Justin M. Markon, Erin M. Kelso

Celebrating Scholarship & Creativity Day (2011-2017)

Research began in January, 2014 in Calcutta, India, in the peak of that country’s parliamentary campaign season. It also coincided with the beginning of the U.S. midterm election season. Our objective was to gauge the similarities and differences between political perceptions and engagement in Indian and U.S. college students. Our sample population included six students from each group; the Indian students were from St. Xavier’s College and U.S. students from CSB/SJU. This qualitative study focused on students’ own perception of how their political participation and role in democracy was affected by their local- and national-level identities.

The Political Personality Of 2016 Presidential Candidate Rand Paul, Katherine A. (Katie) Stelzner, Anh Doan, Natalie J. Gannon, Katie Miller

Celebrating Scholarship & Creativity Day (2011-2017)

We conducted a psychodiagnostic case study of Kentucky senator and declared 2016 Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul. The purpose of the study was to construct a Millon-based personality profile of Dr. Paul.

Marie And Robert Jackson Fellows: Office Of Senator Al Franken, Mary R. Gilbertson

Celebrating Scholarship & Creativity Day (2011-2017)

This poster outlines what federal senators can do; my responsibilities as an intern; and the experience gained through this fellowship.

Inmigración Latina Y El Racismo En Los Estados Unidos, Robert M. Pezán

Celebrating Scholarship & Creativity Day (2011-2017)

A través de toda la historia de los Estados Unidos, hasta antes de que fuera considerado los Estados Unidos, siempre ha habido inmigrantes que han venido a esta nación en búsqueda de una vida mejor. La mayoría de la gente que actualmente vive en los Estados Unidos vive aquí gracias a sus antepasados que inmigraron a este país durante algún periodo de su vida. Aunque no todos los estadounidenses son considerados inmigrantes, sus pasadas generaciones fueron en algún momento inmigrantes y pudieron tener éxito asimilándose a la cultura que existía en el pasado. Aunque no siempre ha sido un resultado …

Breaking News: A Woman Is Running, Bridget F. Cummings

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

As women are still underrepresented in legislative offices, it is important to examine the road it takes for them to get there. Many scholars have explored gender bias in the media when covering female candidates for elected office. Fowler and Lawless (2009) uncover bias in media coverage of candidates between 1990 and 1997 in Looking for Sex in All the Wrong Places: Press Coverage and the Electoral Fortunes of Gubernatorial Candidates. This paper replicates the method used by Fowler and Lawless (2009) to examine gubernatorial candidates between 2008 and 2014. The independent variable in my research is the gender bias …

People Of Faith And Prophetic Voices: The Role Of Faith Voters And Activists In Recent Minnesota Political History, Eric S. Fought

Forum Lectures

In November of 2012, political scientists, other experts familiar with Minnesota politics and the general public were stunned by the comfortable defeat of two constitutional amendments by voters. Amendment one, also known as the marriage amendment, would have changed the state's constitution to ban same-sex marriage in Minnesota. Amendment two, known as the voter ID or voter restriction amendment, would have required voters to show a photo ID in order to cast a vote in Minnesota elections. The Voter ID question enjoyed 80% favorability just a year before the election.

In both of the campaigns against these ballot measures, highly …

As The Ruble Tumbles, Putin Stumbles — And Upheaval Looms In Russia, Nicholas Hayes, Louis D. Johnston

University Chair in Critical Thinking Publications

No abstract provided.

100 Years After An Assassination: Sarajevo Remembers And Forgets An Anniversary, Nicholas Hayes

University Chair in Critical Thinking Publications

No abstract provided.

Voter Identification Laws: The Cost Of Voting And Voter Participation, Isaac Lindstrom

Celebrating Scholarship & Creativity Day (2011-2017)

No abstract provided.

Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission: An Analysis Of Sentence Fairness And Prison Population, Andrew J. Morley

Celebrating Scholarship & Creativity Day (2011-2017)

This article and accompanying poster observe the success of the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission by viewing the consistency of prison sentences and rate of prison population growth after implementation. I hypothesize that the sentecing guidelines allow for fairer sentences and manageable prison capacities. Prior research has shown the success of the determinate sentencing system. The research begins in 1979 with the Commission's conception. The results of research demonstrates that the Guidelines do in fact achieve consistency in sentencing and manageability in prison capacities.

Human Trafficking: The Failure Of States To Eradicate Slavery, Alul Yesak

Celebrating Scholarship & Creativity Day (2011-2017)

No abstract provided.

Post-Soviet Hybrid-Regimes: Elements Of Stability, Mckensie Diver

Celebrating Scholarship & Creativity Day (2011-2017)

The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 gave birth to many new independent states. Many of these states have developed regimes with both democratic and authoritarian elements, but they are not transitional democracies or transitional authoritarian regimes. Many scholars look at how to classify these regimes, but not at how the elements of the regime lead to its stability. Why are post-Soviet regimes stable? Discovering what makes these regimes stable can help us establish behavioral norms and aid us in future political and economic endeavors with the country in question. Although evaluating each element of hybrid-regimes would be ideal …

Media Manipulation Or Economic Decline? Explaining The Rise Of Nationalism Within Bosnia Herzegovina, Rachel Mullin

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

How in less than ten years does a country go from hosting the Olympics to using the opening ceremony stadium to bury bodies? In this paper, I seek to answer the question of why ethnic nationalism was able to gain such strong support in BiH following the collapse of Yugoslavia. I explore three possible explanations. The first focuses on the role of elite manipulation of the media in spreading nationalist narratives. The second, examines the impact of perceived economic woes along ethnic lines that led to scapegoating of other ethnic groups. The third offers a hybrid approach, proposing that perceived …

In Ukraine, Both Sides Go Feral, Nicholas Hayes

University Chair in Critical Thinking Publications

No abstract provided.

Update On Germany: Shifting Priorities And Overcoming Crises, Anna Lisa Ohm, Austin Eighan

Forum Lectures

With globalization, the traditional postwar Atlantic Alliance between the U.S. and Germany is crumbling, the Holocaust narrative, which dominated the public discourse in the postwar period, is being disrupted by a greater willingness on the part of Germans to speak openly about their own victimization in the Third Reich, and, despite huge investments in former East Germany since unification in 1989, Germany remains Europe's most economically powerful and relatively most politically stable nation. Germany's place is demonstrated in part by the re-election of Angela Merkel's party in September 2013 and her third term as chancellor. Despite the somewhat shaken Euro, …

Putin Playing Olympic Games With Centuries-Old Ethnic Conflicts, Nicholas Hayes

University Chair in Critical Thinking Publications

No abstract provided.

Civil-Military Relations In Emerging Democracies: A Case Study Of Turkey, Melissa Deorio

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

Within the study of democratic consolidation, the role of the military has been identified as an increasingly important aspect of a country’s ability to achieve democracy. The military plays a particularly influential role in countries in Latin America and the Middle East where country’s exhibit strong military traditions. This study of applies the theories of democratic consolidation and civil-military relations to Turkey, a country who has been able to make significant progress toward the end of military tutelage. Constitutional separation, punishment and national identity will be analyzed as explanatory variables for a lack of military intervention in Turkey during the …

Examining The Rise Of Right Wing Populist Parties In Western Europe, John (Jack) Malone

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

Over the last twenty-five years, right wing populist parties (RPPs) have become much more popular across Europe, even becoming the most popular parties in a select few countries. These parties run on a platform of being staunchly against immigration and multiculturalism, and are reactionary in general to any kind of social change. In this thesis I try to answer just why right wing populist parties have seen their popularity increase so dramatically over a relatively short amount of time. To do this, I will study shifts in voting behavior and voter attitudes across Europe by examining election results and survey …

International Involvement In The State Consolidation In Bosnia And Herzegovina, Hannah Deblauwe

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

The world in the 20^th century saw the rise of a new phenomenon: international development. Bosnia and Herzegovina after its war was one of the first nations to receive large-scale international aid in the form of development programs, ranging from reconstruction to economic development to state consolidation. Since 1996 many nations, NGOs, and inter-governmental organizations have been involved in the state consolidation of this Balkan nation of 3.6 million people. This paper looks at the relationship of the EU and USAID specifically and how they have impacted this nation. In order to accomplish that this paper will look at …

The Constitutive Nature Of Non-Profit Advertising And Its Effect On Agency: An Analysis Of The Campaigns Of Childfund International And (Red), Camry Martinez

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

Many rhetorical scholars choose to study the persuasive effectiveness of an advertisement instead of the reality that the ad creates. While this is a beneficial endeavor, in the case of non-profit advertisements it allows for the meaning the advertisements create to be passed over. The meaning is assumed to be positive because the effect of the successful persuasion of the ad results in a beneficial outcome, helping others. The literature review examines rhetoric as constitutive, or capable of creating the meaning of the audience, and then explores how through this constitutive nature an advertisement can affect the agency of an …

Republicans In The Wild: Issue Realignment In The Republican Party On Public Land Policy, Stephanie Pinkalla

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

The Republican Party is often seen as the bane of protective environmental policies, and is associated with opening public land in the West to private oil interests, endorsing pipeline construction on federal lands, and permitting road development in wilderness areas. Throughout history, however, the Republican Party has not always worked for such brazen anti-environment causes, and some of America’s most formative protective land policies emerged under Republican leadership. If this is the case, how has the Republican Party realigned on protective public lands policy in the Republican electorate, government, and party organization with time? This investigation reviews the proportion of …

Pr Campaign Gears Up To Get Nobel Peace Prize For Putin, Nicholas Hayes

University Chair in Critical Thinking Publications

No abstract provided.

On Syria, Putin Upstages Obama At G20 Summit, Nicholas Hayes

University Chair in Critical Thinking Publications

No abstract provided.

Why Putin Relishes The Snowden Affair, Nicholas Hayes

University Chair in Critical Thinking Publications

No abstract provided.

Boston Bombings: Understanding Tsarnaev Brothers And Their Intended Audience, Nicholas Hayes

University Chair in Critical Thinking Publications

No abstract provided.

Putin’S Cruel Politics Behind The Ban On Russian Adoptions, Nicholas Hayes

University Chair in Critical Thinking Publications

No abstract provided.

Shaking The Military Pillar Of Regime Support: A Closer Look At The Factors Influencing Military Defections During The Revolutions In Egypt, Libya, And Syria During The Arab Spring Movement, Sarah Kruger

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

Using Egypt, Libya, and Syria as primary case studies, this project qualitatively analyzes the recent uprisings in each of these nations with focus on what factors influenced soldiers to defect. Paying specific attention to the role of the international community, the power of nonviolent tactics, the influence of ethnic and religious divisions, and examining what happens when the opposition forces turn violent, these decisions by military personnel are deconstructed by analyzing their triggers. While the topic of military defections is a fairly new focus in revolutionary studies, this research serves as a talking point and gives insight into where future …

The Rally Around The Flag Effect: A Look At Former President George W. Bush And Current President Barack Obama, Jocelyn E. Norman

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

The purpose of my research is to look at how the “rally-round-the-flat effect” affected both former President George W. Bush and current President Barrack Obama and uncover why Obama only benefited from the “rally-round-the-flag effect” once, even though he has dealt with numerous international crises. This research is valuable because it will illustrate how the rally effect affects different presidents and uncover the outside factors that caused Obama’s approval ratings to remain stagnant during time of international crisis. In addition, it will hopefully disprove the notion that crisis or war automatically increases the popularity of a President.

An Arms Race Or Bureaucratic Dogfight? Assessing The Underlying Causes Of India’S Nuclear Force Development, Drew Stommes

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

States have developed military capabilities throughout the history of the nation-state international system. Examples include the Anglo-German naval arms race at the beginning of the 21^st century and the United States-Soviet Union arms competition during the cold War. One contemporary example of an arms buildup can be seen with the expansion and enhancement of India’s nuclear arsenal. Drawing from two broad bodies of literature that focus on the role of external and internal causes of arms buildups, I argue that India’s nuclear buildup has been caused primarily by the external threat posed by Pakistan, and less so by China. …

Troubling Questions About Obama’S Drone Warfare, Nicholas Hayes

University Chair in Critical Thinking Publications

No abstract provided.