Political Science Commons^™

Going To Extremes: The National Parent Teacher Association And Political Extremism In The 1960s, Sarah E. Heath

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

In the 1960s, the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) reported efforts at “infiltration” by conservative extremist groups, including the John Birch Society (JBS). Extremists sought to take over PTA meetings to obtain a mainstream platform for minority opinions. The PTA parried extremists’ efforts with a deluge of activities and publications dedicated to democratic fair play and research-based approaches to education. In spite of a coherent plan for dealing with such techniques in the 1960s, the methods used by the Birch Society and other conservative extremist groups appear to have resumed in contemporary educational discussions. Once again, opinions that appeal to …

Race And Racism In The Historical Imagination: Slavery And Civil Rights In Popular Culture, Denise Lynn, Sakina Hughes, Aimee Adam

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

Because Hollywood films often lack black representation, films on slavery and civil rights often fail to recognize the roles that black Americans have played in their own emancipation from slavery and in the civil rights movement. Our contention is that historically inaccurate films perpetuate inaccurate understandings of Black history and thus inform contemporary race relations. We selected a more and a less accurate film about slavery and about the civil rights movement, discussing these four films in terms of their historical context.

We also conducted an experiment. After watching one of the four movies, or after viewing no movie, participants …

Effects Of Cisnormative Beauty Standards On Transgender Women’S Perceptions And Expressions Of Beauty, Delmira Monteiro, Mixalis Poulakis

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

The authors conducted a qualitative study exploring the effects of cisnormative beauty standards on transgender women’s perceptions and expressions of beauty. Twelve self-identified Caucasian transgender women completed a semistructured interview that provided descriptive data related to the women’s perceptions of societal beauty standards. Analysis of the data revealed the following primary themes: Participants viewed the beauty of transgender and cisgender women as diverse or as encompassing a broad range of variability; societal beauty standards were influential on participants’ expressions of beauty; and participants’ viewed out-group transphobia as a factor contributing to discriminatory and prejudicial perceptions of transwomen’s beauty.

Antidiscrimination Ordinances In Northwest Indiana: An Event-History Analysis Of Municipal Policies Since 1992, James Paul Old, Kimberly Palmer Fields

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

In recent years, municipalities throughout Indiana have passed antidiscrimination ordinances that protect the rights of individuals who belong to racial, ethnic, or sexual minorities. Political scientists have proposed competing theories of policy-adoption processes that suggest a number of internal factors (such as socioeconomic characteristics, governmental capacity, or issue salience) or external factors (such as mandates/incentives from higher-level governments or influence from neighboring communities) as predictors of policy adoption; however, most existing studies focus on state-level processes, and those that focus on municipalities consider only large cities in different states. To more clearly distinguish between state-level effects and local effects, this …

Table Of Contents, Mssj Staff

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Perspective In Identifying And Responding To Potential Sexual Misconduct: A Study Of University Students, Nichole Maki Weller, Kathy Parkison, Steven R. Cox, Michael Plummer

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

Recent events have demonstrated a divergent understanding of sexual harassment and other forms of sexual misconduct. Although sociocultural standards regarding sexual misconduct have changed over time, including improved social and workplace standards and protections, it is clear that not everyone views these events through the same lens. The lens is even less clear when potential misconduct is viewed from the distinct perspectives of a “victim” and a “perpetrator.” We surveyed 424 undergraduate and graduate students at Indiana University Kokomo to identify the impact of perspective and various sociodemographic characteristics that may influence perceptions of what is, and is not, sexual …

Measures Of Challenging And Excitatory Parenting Behavior As Predictors Of Later Child Self-Regulation, Zachary Havlin

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

Challenging and excitatory parenting behaviors play an important role in children’s development, particularly in regard to the development of selfregulation; however, no well-established measures of parent-child interactions exist that record such behaviors. In the current study, I compare two recently developed coding systems that intend to address this issue: the Risky Interaction Support and Challenging (RISC) and Marbach coding systems. A subset of videos from the New Parents Project (NPP) data set at 12 and 18 months was coded using both scales, then a factor analysis was conducted for each scale. Regressions were conducted to look at the predictive power …

Racial Segregation In Indianapolis, 1990–2010: A Spatial Perspective, Vijay Lulla, Owen Dwyer

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

The index of dissimilarity is the most widely used method for measuring racial segregation. When applied to Indianapolis, this index has returned results showing the city to be among the most segregated in the country. The resulting measure, however, suffers from two shortcomings. First, the index of dissimilarity is sensitive to the census-defined geographic unit chosen for the analysis; thus, this index returns different (though proportionate) results depending on whether the population data are aggregated to larger or smaller enumeration units. Second, the index of dissimilarity cannot account for the influence of spatial proximity; adjacent census blocks interact regardless of …

Citizen Initiative To Improve Local Government Ethics: Northwest Indiana Experience, Calvin Bellamy

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

After more than 50 years of widespread public corruption in Northwest Indiana, a small group of citizens and public officials met over a period of several months and developed a largely voluntary response. The result was the Shared Ethics Advisory Commission, which trains public employees on ethical decision making, provides specialized training for department heads and board and commission members, and hosts an annual ethics summit for the general public. Periodic employee ethics surveys indicate a positive effect of the training. In addition, the commission has developed a Candidate Ethics Action Pledge administered in each local election cycle, and a …

Analysis Of Colombian Trade Agreements From 2007 To 2013, Ryan Lee

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

I analyze the firm-level effects on Colombia entering into Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs) between 2007 and 2013. The combination of detailed firm-level data and PTAs make this article unique. In particular, I look at two separate potential trade-promotion effects of the agreements. The first result deals with how exporting firms in Colombia respond to the tariff cuts in the agreements. The tariff cuts from the agreements increase the size of exports by Colombian firms (the intensive margin); however, tariff cuts do not increase the number of exporting Colombian firms (the extensive margin). The second result deals with how the signed …

Genealogical Trends In Solving Cold Cases: An Investigation Into The Merits And Concerns With New Cold-Case Lead Development, Katie Smolucha, Tyler Counsil

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

In the criminal justice system, not all offenders are brought to justice; unfortunately, cold cases exist and provide long-term challenges to investigators. From historic breakthroughs in forensic DNA analysis to today’s new trends, advancements in technology continue to give investigators hope of resolving unsolved mysteries with no clear-cut suspect. This article examines the progression of DNA analysis over the past three decades and explores the recent trends in the use of genealogy websites to solve cold cases. DNA technology’s innovative uses, from its early years to modern, are explored herein. By exploring traditional DNA analysis to advances that explore the …

“We Are A Very Happy Family”: 19th-Century Familial Power Dynamics, Stella A. Ress

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

This article examines the roles of family members in the mid-19th century in America, using the Willard family as a case study. Ultimately, this thick description of the Willard family demonstrates that power within the family structure was neither intrinsic nor static; moreover, one person did not control the family and its decisions at all times. Instead, each family member, depending upon circumstances, situations, and his or her own nature, negotiated and laid claim to power through various sources of authority. Josiah Willard’s authority stemmed from his role as father and husband; society crowned him king of the household, and …

“But I Only Wanted Them To Conform”: A Detailed Look Into The Initial Cohort Of Girls At The Indiana Reformatory Institution For Women And Girls Between 1873 And 1884, Molly Whitted, Michelle Williams

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

For the past four years, as part of a group of currently and formerly incarcerated scholars, we have researched the “inmates” and staff at the Indiana Women’s Prison during the institution’s first decade. Then known as the Indiana Reformatory Institution for Women and Girls, the facility was located near downtown Indianapolis on Randolph and Michigan Street. We focused on a key constituent of the Indiana Reformatory for Women and Girls: the girls themselves, heretofore voiceless and uninvestigated.

Our primary sources include the annual reports of the reformatory and the original registries for the girls during the survey period of 1873–1884. …

Electoral Dysfunction: Assessing State Electoral Laws And Turnout In Presidential Elections, Ellie S. Krossa

Honors Theses

Due to the United States’ shockingly low turnout in comparison to other Western democracies, many states around the country have enacted laws to increase the number of people who participate in presidential elections. Scholars have found mixed results when testing the effects of specific electoral reforms in individual states, but few have looked at comprehensive models to test the overall effects of these reforms on turnout. This thesis examines the ways in which electoral reforms across all fifty states have led to increases or decreases of turnout in presidential elections. It utilizes a comprehensive longitudinal model accounting for electoral reform …

การปรับแนวทางความช่วยเหลือเพื่อการพัฒนาอย่างเป็นทางการของญี่ปุ่นต่อภูมิภาคเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้สมัยรัฐบาลชินโซ อาเบะ, อุมาพร เกตุสุวรรณ์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

สารนิพนธ์นี้มีวัตถุประสงค์ในการศึกษาความสัมพันธ์ของการปรับแนวทางการให้ความช่วยเหลืออย่างเป็นทางการ (ODA) ของญี่ปุ่นเมื่อปี ค.ศ.2015 กับการดำเนินยุทธศาสตร์ของญี่ปุ่นในยุครัฐบาลชินโซ อาเบะต่อภูมิภาคเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้ด้วยกรอบแนวคิดการถ่วงอำนาจแบบใช้ไม้อ่อน (soft balancing) เนื่องจากญี่ปุ่นใช้ ODA เป็นเครื่องมือดำเนินยุทธศาสตร์ต่างประเทศมาตั้งแต่หลังสงครามโลกครั้งที่ 2 โดยเฉพาะอย่างยิ่งภูมิภาคเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้ที่เป็นพื้นที่เป้าหมายหลักของ ODA ญี่ปุ่นและมีความสำคัญเชิงยุทธศาสตร์ความมั่นคงและเศรษฐกิจต่อญี่ปุ่น โดยการปรับแนวทาง ODA ของญี่ปุ่นต่อภูมิภาคดังกล่าวเกี่ยวข้องกับการปรับเป้าหมายและแนวทางการดำเนินยุทธศาสตร์ของญี่ปุ่นต่อภูมิภาคในแต่ละช่วงเวลา ซึ่งผลการศึกษาพบว่า รัฐบาลอาเบะใช้ ODA เป็นเครื่องมือสกัดกั้นการขยายอิทธิพลของจีนในภูมิภาคเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้ โดยมุ่งเสริมสร้างความเป็นแกนกลางของอาเซียน (ASEAN Centrality) และศักยภาพด้านการพัฒนาของประเทศในภูมิภาคด้วยการให้ ODA เพื่อให้อาเซียนและประเทศสมาชิกลดการพึ่งพาจีนและรักษาระเบียบของภูมิภาคที่เอื้อต่อผลประโยชน์ของญี่ปุ่น เนื่องจากการผงาดขึ้นมาของจีน โดยเฉพาะการขยายอิทธิพลทางทะเลและยุทธศาสตร์ Belt and Road เป็นประเด็นท้าทายต่อการดำเนินยุทธศาสตร์และอิทธิพลของญี่ปุ่นในภูมิภาค

การปกป้องสิทธิมนุษยชนของหญิงบำเรอ: การศึกษาเปรียบเทียบระหว่างบทบาทกลุ่มสมาคมชาวเกาหลี กับ รัฐบาลเกาหลีใต้, ภัทรพร ลีห์อร่ามวัฒน์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

สารนิพนธ์ฉบับนี้ มุ่งศึกษาถึงการเปรียบเทียบความแตกต่างของจุดประสงค์การเรียกร้องระหว่างกลุ่มสมาคมชาวเกาหลีเพื่อผู้หญิงที่ถูกใช้บำเรอทหารญี่ปุ่น กับ รัฐบาลเกาหลีใต้ ต่อกรณีหญิงบำเรอทหารญี่ปุ่น ในช่วงสงครามโลกครั้งที่ 2 ภายใต้การเรียกร้องเพื่อสิทธิสตรี โดยศึกษาวัตถุประสงค์ในการเรียกร้องของกลุ่มสมาคมชาวเกาหลี ซึ่งศึกษาจากพลวัตการรวมตัวของกลุ่มเรียกร้องและข้อเรียกร้องที่ทางกลุ่มต้องต่อรองกับรัฐบาลญี่ปุ่นหรือแม้แต่กับรัฐบาลเกาหลีใต้เอง เพื่อวิเคราะห์วัตถุประสงค์ของกลุ่มในการเรียกร้องในประเด็นหญิงบำเรอ โดยทำการศึกษาเปรียบเทียบกับวัตถุประสงค์ในการเรียกร้องในประเด็นหญิงบำเรอของรัฐบาลเกาหลีใต้ ซึ่งถูกใช้เป็นเครื่องมือเพื่อผลประโยชน์แห่งรัฐ โดยพบว่ารัฐได้ใช้การเรียกร้องทางสตรีนิยมมาเพื่อสร้างความน่าเชื่อถือรวมถึงเป็นการเรียกคะแนนนิยมแก่พรรคการเมือง และยังมีการยกประเด็นหญิงบำเรอมาเพื่อยุติความขัดแย้งระหว่างกับญี่ปุ่นด้วย

นโยบายต่างประเทศไทย : การสมัครเข้าเป็นสมาชิกองค์การสหประชาชาติ (1945-1946), ธนชัย นิสยันต์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

สารนิพนธ์ฉบับนี้ศึกษาการสมัครเข้าเป็นสมาชิกองค์การสหประชาชาติของประเทศไทยในปี 1946 ความเป็นสมาชิกภาพขององค์การสหประชาชาติช่วยในการดำรงสถานะความเป็นรัฐเอกราชของประเทศไทยในช่วงสงครามโลก ดังจะเห็นได้ว่า ประเทศไทยไม่เป็นรัฐ ผู้แพ้สงครามโลกครั้งที่ 2 เช่น ในกรณีของประเทศเยอรมนีและประเทศญี่ปุ่น ผลจากการแพ้สงครามทำให้ทั้งสองประเทศดังกล่าวถูกยึดครองโดยฝ่ายสัมพันธมิตร แต่ประเทศไทยไม่ถูกกระทำเช่นนั้น นอกจากนี้ความเป็นสมาชิกภาพขององค์การสหประชาชาติยังช่วยเปลี่ยนแปลง ภาพลักษณ์ของประเทศไทยจากความเป็นพันธมิตรที่ใกล้ชิดกับประเทศญี่ปุ่นในช่วงสงครามอีกด้วย

The Influence Of Jacksonian Tradition Toward Trump's Trade War Against China., Putdhikorn Kasemphaibulsuk

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This Individual Study examines how the Jacksonian tradition influences Trump’s trade war against China between 2018 to 2020. The Jacksonian tradition emphasizes the importance of the government and its role as a protector of people, culture, and identity of the United States. This research argues that the US foreign policy and the US domestic affairs are intertwined and influenced by the Jacksonian tradition. The domestic source that is responsible for the upsurge of Jacksonian tradition and the Trade War can be linked to the resentment of the political elitists and their upper-class bubbles who Jacksonian supporters are suspicious of. Jacksonian …

Vote Choice Of Minority Groups: Emphasizing Their Issue Preferences, Md Kamrul Islam

Masters Theses

In explaining vote choice of minority groups, scholars of American politics often characterize them as natural democrats. They argue that they have become natural Democrats because of their minority identity and the constraints they faced throughout the history of the United States. However, this thesis questions the characterization and highlights the issue preferences of minority groups; it analyzes whether their issue preferences have an impact on shaping their vote choice. By analyzing the Cooperative Congressional Election Study (CCES) 2016 survey, this thesis has explored that minority groups vote for candidates who pay greater emphasis on the issues they care about. …

The Partisan Politics Of New Social Risks In Advanced Postindustrial Democracies: Social Protection For Labor Market Outsiders, Duane Swank

Political Science Faculty Research and Publications

Advanced postindustrialization generates numerous challenges for the European social model. Central among these challenges is declining income, unstable employment, and inadequate training of semi- and unskilled workers. In this chapter, I assess the partisan basis of support for social policies that address the needs of these marginalized workers. I specifically consider the impacts of postindustrial cleavages among core constituencies of social democratic parties on the capacity of these parties to pursue inclusive social policies. I argue – and find support for in empirical analyses – that encompassing labor organization is the most important factor in strengthening the ability of left …

Civic Life In The Divided Metropolis: Social Capital, Collective Action, And Residential Income Segregation, Amber Wichowsky

Political Science Faculty Research and Publications

Social capital is presumed to help individuals who lack financial or human capital achieve collective action through their social ties and networks of relationships. But does it help individuals overcome their socioeconomic disadvantages relative to their wealthier neighbors, or does the accumulation of social capital merely reproduce socioeconomic disparities, particularly in economically segregated places? Leveraging data from the Current Population Survey, I test whether residential income segregation is associated with larger income differences in social capital investments and collective action. I find that in more economically segregated places, wealthier residents are more likely to be members of neighborhood organizations and …

Financial Management Strategies Used To Market Investment Services To Retiring Military Personnel, Douglas Dwayne Scott

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Marketing strategies relies on marketing campaigns that target a variety of clients based on demographics to increase profitability through financial planning services. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the marketing strategies financial managers of financial management branch offices used to market their investment services to retiring military personnel. The targeted population comprised 5 financial managers of financial management branch offices in the northeastern region of the United States and surrounding geographical areas who used successful strategies to market investment services to retiring military personnel. Blue ocean theory, which refers to untouched markets, provided the conceptual …

Bordering Work In Contemporary Political Discourse: The Case Of The Us/Mexico Border Wall Proposal, Angela Garcia

Natural & Applied Sciences Faculty Publications

In this article, I use a critical discourse analytic approach to investigate how President Trump’s campaign goal to build a wall along the US/Mexico border has been discussed in United States political discourse. The data analyzed are 30 videotaped speeches and other public events which occurred between October 2016 and March 2018. These data are publicly available from the cable news channel C-SPAN’s online video archive. The analysis focuses on the communicative techniques and strategies used to persuade others and justify one’s position in the interactions and events studied. In this article, I show how the border wall proposal is …

Building An Environmental State: A Comparative Analysis Of Environmental State Formation In Germany And China, Russell Adam

Government and International Relations Honors Papers

What are environmental states, how do they form and where can they can be found? As ecosystems around the world collapse under the pressure of human activity, the role of the state is growing to include environmental protection as a key function. The concept of the environmental state has typically been applied to likely candidates in the developed world where wealth and relatively free public spheres have allowed for active environmental movements. It is increasingly clear however, that environmental degradation is disproportionately impacting states in the Global South. Because of this, it is necessary to consider whether or not environmental …

Understanding The Relationship Between Slavery, Self-Esteem, And Income: An Analysis Of The Master-Slave Dynamic And The Socioeconomic Status Of African American Men And Women, Nyree Modisette

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

This research project analyzes why a person's status and opportunity for achievement is shrouded in a racialized context. The analysis focuses on the effect of the master-slave dynamic, which was unique as an institution of slavery in the United States because it was conceived along racial lines. Considering that for over 400 years this master-slave dynamic was a primary determinant of the relationships between black and white people, it is not unimaginable to consider that some aspects of that dynamic are still in play today. They have firmly entrenched an unequal economic system that falls along racial lines. For the …

Ua12/2/25 United Student Activists, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about United Student Activists.

Ua12/2/29 Iranian Student Association, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about the Iranian Student Association.

Ua12/2/27 Cherryton, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about the inhabitants of Cherryton.

Ua12/2/30 Saudi Students Club, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about the Saudi Student Club.

Confronting The Ngo: Struggling For Agency And Approximating Freedom Through The Works Of Michel Foucault And Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Samantha Coss

Pitzer Senior Theses

This project aims to consider the proliferation of the NGO in the 21st century and the implications that this model has for justice, freedom and social change. The nonprofit, or nongovernmental organization, will be examined using theorists and thinkers Michel Foucault and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, in hopes of understanding the ways in which the NGO limits freedom and perpetuates violence. There will be an exploration of struggling for agency beyond the nonprofit, including an introduction to examples of other change-making models from the United States and Latin America. The goal of this project is to critically examine the current frameworks …