Political Science Commons^™

The Microsociety® Model: An Assessment Of Civic Engagement Outcomes Amongst Fourth And Fifth Grade Students, Jewel Hurt

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Despite existing as a democratic country, America has wavered in prioritizing civics education in schools. This thesis analyzes the work of MicroSociety® as one program that helps students ‘learn by doing’ in the enactment of a school-wide community simulation. To test the program outcomes, a reliable survey was administered to fourth and fifth grade students at two different MicroSociety schools. The results showed that MicroSociety students reported higher average levels of civic engagement when compared to a national sample. The positive results were also consistent across both MicroSociety samples despite stark differences in the demographic profiles of each school. …

How Does Media Coverage Of Oil Pipelines Affect Governmental Response?, Haley Walter

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

This study’s purpose was to first explore the significance of agenda-setting, framing, and inference, which assert that the media’s daily coverage of event significant impact the way it is understood by the public. Then, I aimed to apply this understanding specifically to media coverage of the oil pipeline process of Dakota Access Pipeline.

To this end, I conducted a content analysis of articles from The Bismarck Tribune, the Associated Press, The New York Timesand The Wall Street Journal between January 1^st, 2015 and January 1^st, 2016, and July 25^th, 2016 and October …

Post-Civil War Peace Durability: The Role Of Domestic Infrastructure And Military, Alexandra Wilson

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Since 1945, approximately half of the world’s states have been engaged in some type of civil conflict. The aim of this research is to understand why some post-civil war states fail to establish peace durability while others thrive. Through quantitative research of civil wars globally and a qualitative analysis of Iraq, this thesis argues for the necessity of post-civil war policy to focus on the renewal of domestic infrastructure in addition to military investment which suppresses grievance-driven violence. A logistical regression model of all civil wars since 1945 shows that variables, such as healthcare, are evidently associated with more durable …

Second Class Citizens - A Comparative Analysis Of Lgbtq Quality Of Life, Paige Stuart Moody

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The following thesis explains the differences between the Quality of Life of LGBTQ individuals within the European Union and the United States of America. Looking at the specific Quality of Life index factors of employment and healthcare, this thesis focuses on four regions: Malta, Germany, California and Texas.

Overall, the European Union was found to have a higher Quality of Life for LGBTQ individuals than the United States of America in the realms of employment and healthcare. This is due to Germany and Malta having inclusive laws and regulations put in place that protect LGBTQ individuals, whereas there is various …

Arab Spring In North Africa: An Analysis Of Foreign Influence And Revolutions In Egypt, Libya, And Tunisia, Trevor Eck

CURCE Annual Undergraduate Conference

This paper examines the role foreign influence had on the outcomes of the 2011 Arab Spring Revolutions in Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia. Foreign influence primarily came from the US, European states such as the UK and France, and Gulf States such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and UAE. Influence includes but is not limited to financial assistance, diplomatic pressure, and in Libya’s extreme case military intervention. Outcome of the revolution is determined by examining the state of each government before and after the 2011 revolutions. This paper studies why each of these three states had different levels of foreign influence throughout …

The Equal Rights Amendment: Why All U.S. States Have Not Ratified, Gina Tan, Mirren Galway

CURCE Annual Undergraduate Conference

Currently, enacted legislation for the equality of men and women in the United States does not exist. Despite many advancements, as of 2018, the equality of men and women is not explicitly stated in the U.S. constitution. There is a long history of discrimination against women in the U.S., and for some time now, there have been pushes toward constitutionalizing equality based on Sex. One such push came in 1923, shortly after women were granted the right to vote and The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was introduced. This amendment mandates that the “Equality of rights under the law shall not …

"Of Acculturative Stress And Integration Distress: The Resettlement Challenges Of Bhutanese Refugees In Metro Atlanta", Shyam Sriram

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

No abstract provided.

Cooperation Or Conflict: Using Alliance Theory To Explain The Current Gulf Cooperation Council Crisis, Pierre Aguirre

Honors Scholar Theses

What caused the current diplomatic crisis between countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council? I analyze this question through the lens of alliance politics. In the past, scholars have used these different theories to explain the formation and sustainability of certain alliances, including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the Gulf Cooperation Council. Specifically, I test Walt's theory of the Balance of Threat against others to see which can best explain the Council's downfall. Using a case study research design, I disaggregate the alliance into three notable periods: formation, sustained cooperation, and discord. My findings reveal that Walt’s theory lacks certain …

Contentious Politics In China: Authoritarian Resilience, Chang-Dae David Hyun

Gettysburg Social Sciences Review

Throughout the history, contentious politics have led to regime downfall or democratization of many countries. Today, China is faced with increasing numbers of contentions politics. However, Contentious politics in China does not result in regime change because the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) manages protests by keeping it fragmented and small in scale. It achieves this primarily through structural and institutional means, but is willing, to resort to violent repression if a protest movement becomes too widespread. This paper is divided into four parts. First part is a backgrounder, giving stats to show that protests are frequent but small in scale. …

Unintended Consequences: U.S. Interference In El Salvador, The Salvadoran Diaspora, And The Role Of Activist Community Organizations In Establishing A Salvadoran-American Community In Los Angeles, Blake Bergstrom

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The U.S. intervention in El Salvador had a number of unintended consequences, some negative and some positive, that still have a great impact on the U.S., El Salvador, and the international community as a whole today. Although the focus of the mass media is on the negative unintended consequences, the positive really outweigh the negative. These so-called unintended consequences began with a massive increase in immigration to escape the violent human rights violations and political persecutions of El Salvador’s Civil War. This migration to the U.S. in the 1980s is referred to as the Salvadoran Diaspora, which led to an …

Decentralization And The Provision Of Public Services: A Case Study Of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, Mishaal Afteb

Honors Scholar Theses

The effective provision of public services is integral to a functioning democracy as it connects the public to the government and grants it legitimacy. Public services are ones that are provided by the federal and local governments and paid for with constituent taxes. Public services provided by the state are education, health, water/sanitation, environmental measures, security, policing, labor and legal guidelines and so on. Whether the structure of the government is centralized or decentralized is an important factor which impacts the provision of services. Decentralized governments are state or local governments which receive monetary and institutional resources from the federal …

Civil Rights In America: Since 1954, Peter Kolozi

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

Reproductive Rights Reformation, Sharanya Choudhury '21, Isabella Foes '21, William Hamblen '21

Student Leadership Exchange (SLX)

Across the US, reproductive health is neglected in mainstream health education and insurance for women of all ages.Though it’s easy to get stuck debating the morality of abortion, the legality has been indisputable since Roe v Wade. Abortion is extremely prevalent in society, as there are roughly 12 abortions for every 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 44. Planned Parenthood caters to 2.4 million patients annually. With this importance of sexual health care in society, proper reproductive education is essential. However, only 13 states in the US require medically accurate information in their school sexual education programs. Major …

Is Liberal Democracy In Decline?, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

The apparent decline of Western liberal democracy affords nations, especially those in ASEAN, the chance to forge a path without siding with a rising China or a stuttering America

Roads Diverge: A Comparative Study Of Eu Accession And Lgbt Human Rights In Former Yugoslav States, Hannah Maycock

Political Science Honors Projects

Kosovo’s first Pride parade on October 10, 2017 was an important landmark for Kosovo’s LGBT community. The event was remarkable both as the first event of its kind and in that it occurred without violence. While the Western Balkans have seen significant progress on LGBT rights, differences in degree of homophobia are clear across the former Yugoslav states. Slovenia and Croatia have become the least homophobic in the region while Serbia and Kosovo are the most. Where other arguments fail to adequately justify this disparity, EU accession explains the emergent differences in LGBT human rights since the breakup of Yugoslavia.

Constructing And Destructing The Peace: Models Of International Engagement In Post-Conflict States, Colin Churchill

Political Science Honors Projects

Variance in the stability of post-conflict states presents an interesting predicament. What causes this variance in states two or three decades removed from civil conflict? In this paper, I argue that the type of engagement that international actors take towards post-conflict states explains differences in stability. I draw out four distinct models of international engagement from three case studies of Lebanon, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Northern Ireland that present the different ways that international actors have constructively and destructively engaged in these states. Furthering this analysis is an examination of the transition or possible transition between models in the cases.

The Political Economy Of American Military Aid And Repression, Lukas Matthews

Political Science Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Predicting Leader Survival: Evidence From Covert Action Case Study Analysis, Joy S. Patton

Dissertations

This research explores the unique relationship between covert action and leader survivability, in particular, how leadership styles and personality traits influence this relationship. The life of a ruler is ephemeral. For those who are lucky, their exit from office is through retirement or old age. For most, their tenure is short, often ending through violent means. The overthrow of rulers by their rivals is a common theme throughout world history, and the strategy remains a popular choice in contemporary warfare. However, despite the frequency of regime change, very little is discussed in international relations about covert regime change and its …

Syrian Crisis Representation In The Media: The Cnn Effect, Framing, And Tone, Savannah S. Day

Venture: The University of Mississippi Undergraduate Research Journal

Over the past seven years of the Syrian Civil War, Syrian refugees have been painted in a negative light by news media outlets around the world. History of media coverage regarding global humanitarian crises shows that with various tools and processes, media can shape public opinion and policy in whichever direction it desires, and oftentimes policymakers and the public are quick, as well as emotional, to react. In this paper, my objectives are to analyze specific examples of this CNN Effect phenomena within news coverage of the Syrian refugee crisis, as well as generally explain the negatively correlating relationship between …

Why We Hear About It, And Why We Don't: Power Dynamics And Sexual Harassment Reporting In Us State Legislative Bodies, Halley Norman

Political Science Honors Projects

The rise to prominence of the #MeToo Movement in October 2017 opened the floodgates to sexual harassment and assault allegations in all fields and levels of employment, across the United States and the world. This movement has crucially revealed is that women often wait months or even years before reporting, if they report at all. Looking at US state legislative bodies, I argue that gendered power dynamics between men and women suppress allegations and promote harassment. Using interviews and data analysis, this paper identifies different factors that may delay or hinder reporting, with a specific focus on gendered power dynamics …

Watering The Desert: Azraq, Public Opinion, And Environmental Post-Materialism, Wesley A. Gerard

Venture: The University of Mississippi Undergraduate Research Journal

This article focuses on physical, socioeconomic, and political changes in the community of Azraq, Jordan. Azraq, a small town in northeastern Jordan, sits atop a large aquifer that has been heavily pumped by the government for several decades in response to an increasing nationwide demand for water. This has led to large-scale transformations in not only the physical landscape surrounding the aquifer, but also in the daily lives, economic statuses, and political opinions of the people living there. My research thus fits the case of Azraq into larger academic discourse on groundwater governance, resource access, and environmentalism. I use a …

Charter School Performance In Rhode Island, Lena Vye

Senior Honors Projects

In the last few decades, there has been considerable debate over whether or not charter schools are beneficial to the American education system. Charter schools are given government funding, but they have independence from the established educational system. Charter school supporters argue that increased autonomy and innovation in teaching, as well as competition between schools, improves the quality of education. Opponents of charter schools argue that charter schools are not more effective than public schools. However, the research is mixed: some studies suggest charter schools perform better, some suggest they perform similarly, and some suggest that they perform worse than …

For-Profit Prisons: How Lobbying Has Affected The Way America Houses Prisoners, Jacob F. Israel

Political Science Theses and Capstones

There seems to be limited research and understanding as to why for-profit prisons exist in the United States. The initial selling points used to sell private prisons to states and counties were that they would reduce recidivism and cost. Recent peer-reviewed studies have found, however, that neither are the case. This could lead one to ask why for-profit prisons are still used in America. That is what I hope to answer in this research paper. After research and analysis of campaign donations by the two largest for-profit prison corporations (collected from the National Institute on Money in State Politics) and …

Bashkimi Europian Dhe Turqia, Donjeta Elshani

Theses and Dissertations

Ky punim ka për qëllim të shtjelloj politikën e Bashkimit Europian karshi Turqisë dhe aftësinë apo paaftësinë e Turqisë për ti përmbushur kriteret e kërkuara. Fillimisht do paraqitet një vështrim i përgjithshëm hitorik ndërmjet BE-së dhe Turqisë, rruga e kësaj të fundit drejt plotësimit të kritereve. Së dyti, do të paraqes “rolin e religjionit dhe ndikimin e tij”. Përkatësisht ndikimin e religjionit në plotësimin e kritereve të parapara për të gjitha vendet që synojnë anëtarësimin në BE. Në veçanti do të shtjellohen kriteret e Kopenhagenit dhe raporti se sa është përpjekur Turqia ti plotësojë apo të përafërohet me to si …

Roli I Be-Së Në Shtet-Ndërtimin E Kosovës, Mergim Rrecaj

Theses and Dissertations

Kosova është një prej shteteve që i takon gjeografikisht Ballkanit Perëndimor, dhe njëkohësisht është shteti i fundit që ka shpallur pavarësinë e saj në kontinentin e Evropës. Rasti i Kosovës konsiderohet të jetë sui generis, për shkak të rrethanave dhe formës se si është krijuar subjektiviteti i saj shtetëror. Duke kuptuar kompleksitetin e çështjes së Kosovës që nga aspekti historik e deri të rrethanat aktuale, çështja shtet-ndërtuese për Kosovën konsiderohet shumë e veçantë për t’u trajtuar. Procesi i shtet-ndërtimit të Kosovës është i ndërlidhur jashtëzakonisht shumë me rolin e Bashkimit Evropian në të, madje mund të konstatohet se nuk ka …

Etika Në Menaxhimin Publik, Rast Studimi - Kompania Regjionale Për Mbeturina “Pastërtia”, Gresa Neziri

Theses and Dissertations

Etika në menaxhimin publik, rasti Kompania Regjionale për mbeturina “Pastërtia” është një përpjekje për të analizuar dhe trajtuar një fushë të re në studimet kosovare. Nga një vëzhgim i shpejtë, vërehet lehtë se aspekte të veçanta të komponentëve përbërës të administratës publike, kanë filluar të ceken në studimet e ndryshme, por ende mungon një trajtim gjithpërfshirës dhe i fokusuar drejtpërdrejt në etikën e menaxhimit të kësaj strukture shumë të rëndësishme shtetërore. Megjithëse janë trajtuar në artikuj të botuar në media apo janë kryer disa prezantime në konferenca shkencore, ato ende nuk përbëjnë një studim të thelluar e të plotë.

Studimi …

Reasons For Public Opinion On Foreign Policy, Maria Kachulis-Moriarty

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

In recent years, especially under President Trump’s administration, United States foreign policy has seen a great deal of changes, as has public opinion on U.S. foreign policy. Foreign policy faces increasing criticism and scrutiny as information about international trade and relationships between countries becomes more accessible to the public. This paper will address public opinion on current U.S. foreign policy with regards to three countries – China, Russia, and Mexico – and how it may differ based on variables such as trust in media, ideology, and belief that immigration increases the U.S. crime rate. These variables are vital to understanding …

Predictors Of Conspiracy Believers, Emily Lam

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Why do many Americans believe in conspiracy theories? One answer could be the lack of trust and transparency between many American citizens and the United States government. Conspiracy theories have been used throughout history as an explanation for events and situations that were carried out by the government without any credible evidence. That said, what factors influence one to believe in them? Using Chapman University Survey of American Fears, this paper assesses the two most believed conspiracy theories in America, John F. Kennedy’s assassination and the 9/11 attacks and whether the factors of partisanship, fear of financial uncertainty, education, age …

Policy Feedback And The Politics Of The Affordable Care Act, Daniel Beland, Philip Rocco, Alex Waddan

Political Science Faculty Research and Publications

There is a large body of literature devoted to how “policies create politics” and how feedback effects from existing policy legacies shape potential reforms in a particular area. Although much of this literature focuses on self‐reinforcing feedback effects that increase support for existing policies over time, Kent Weaver and his colleagues have recently drawn our attention to self‐undermining effects that can gradually weaken support for such policies. The following contribution explores both self‐reinforcing and self‐undermining policy feedback in relationship to the Affordable Care Act, the most important health‐care reform enacted in the United States since the mid‐1960s. More specifically, the …

Who Studies International Law? Explaining Cross-National Variation In Compulsory International Legal Education, Ryan Scoville, Mark S. Berlin

Political Science Faculty Research and Publications

The compulsory study of international law is a universal component of legal education in some states but extremely uncommon or non-existent in others. This article uses global data and statistical methods to test a number of conceivable explanations for this puzzling feature of international society. In contrast to much of the empirical literature on state behaviour in relation to international law, we find that functionalist and socio-political variables carry little explanatory power and that historical variables – specifically, legal tradition and regional geography – instead account for the overwhelming majority of the global pattern. We explore potential explanations for these …