Political Science Commons^™

Modern Archaeology And The Brass Plates, Noel B. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

Contemporary Palestinian archaeology has produced two major threats to traditional interpretations of the history of ancient Israel. Scientific discomfort with the exodus story as an explanation for the sudden population expansion in southern Palestine at the beginning of the Iron Age (c.1200 BCE) has led to a wide variety of theories about how these Israelites could have been drawn from existing populations in the general area. And a glaring mismatch between the biblical glorification of David and Solomon’s “empire” and disparagement of the northern kingdom combined with the archaeological finding that the cities of the northern kingdom were far larger …

An Everlasting Witness: Ancient Writings On Metal, Noel B. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

After reviewing and updating the best studies of writing on metals in the ancient world, the paper examines scholarly and scriptural texts that explain what writing on metal meant to ancient scribes. Finally, the paper turns to what writing on metal meant to the Nephites.

Lehi And Nephi As Trained Manassite Scribes, Noel B. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

This paper brings contemporary ANE scholarship in several fields together to construct an updated starting point for interpretation of the teachings of the Book of Mormon. It assembles findings from studies of ancient scribal culture, historical linguistics and epigraphy, Hebrew rhetoric, and the history and archaeology of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Levant, together with the traditions of ancient Israel to construct a contextualized perspective for understanding Lehi, Nephi, and their scribal training as they would have been understood by their contemporaries. Lehi and Nephi are shown to be the beneficiaries of the most advanced scribal training available in 7th century …

The Afghanistan Debacle, Mel Gurtov

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article assesses the US debacle in Afghanistan in light of the Vietnam War and US forever wars.

Motivations For And Responses To Ethnic Representation, William John O'Brochta

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Why does ethnic political representation occur and what are its effects on ethnic outgroup views? In this dissertation, I examine political leaders’ motivations for increasing ethnic representation and how citizens and representatives themselves respond. In the first project, I theorize that political leaders increase ethnic cabinet representation when they believe that doing so will improve their electoral fortunes. I collect new data on cabinet minister names, code their ethnicity, and generate a country-year measure of ethnic cabinet diversity. Country leaders indeed increase ethnic cabinet diversity when citizens are most likely to lend them electoral support. The second project investigates how …

Do Americans Perceive Diverse Judges As Inherently Biased, Yoshikuni Ono, Michael A. Zilis

Political Science Faculty Publications

Although women and minorities hold an increasing share of judgships in the United States, they remain underrepresented. We explore Americans’ perceptions of the bias of women and minority judges – one of the possible challenges to creating a diverse bench. We argue that prejudice against these groups manifests in a subtle way, in the belief that diverse judges cannot fairly adjudicate controversies that involve their ingroup. To test our theory, we use a list experiment specifically developed to minimize social desirability effects. We find that many respondents rate female and Hispanic judges to be biased decision makers. Our results highlight …

Electronic Voting Implementation Through Bitcoin Blockchain Technology, Cassie Schultz

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

Even with all the advances we have seen in secure digital technology, the most secure way to currently cast a vote on election day consist of a hand-marked paper ballot. When extenuating circumstances arise, offering a voting environment that is accessible and safe for everyone, but also secure can be a difficult task under the current voting system. This paper discusses one proposed electronic voting system which uses blockchain technology. Based on a review of literature on blockchain technology and specific implementations of voting systems, a summary of relevant background information as well as implementation protocol are provided. Even though …

The Path To Eliminating Oppression: Why Anarchist Thinkers And Intersectional Practitioners Should Work Together, Samantha Montgomery

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

In this paper, I examine the similarities between the tenets of anarcha-feminism and the practices of those with intersectional viewpoints. During my research, I interviewed 3 women of color who are leaders in the elimination of oppression in Denver, CO, and learned that having an increased experience with interlocking oppression, as those with multi-marginalized identities do, results in having the expertise to recognize where oppression exists, and, in most cases, developing the empathy to fight against it. This paper thus concludes that if the United States of America was to systemically implement an intersectional perspective, it would then take measurable …

Make The Informed Decision: Biden Or Trump For 2020, Kaitlyn Vlasto

PANDION: The Osprey Journal of Research and Ideas

It’s election time again. The signs are out and the political ads are in full swing. The time has come for the United States and its citizens to participate in a democratic election, electing a politician and political party that they want at the forefront of our government. It is our responsibility to choose the party that we as a country believe will hold the ideals that will best combat the issues that plague our society.

The 2020 Election, Gabriel Smith

PANDION: The Osprey Journal of Research and Ideas

Once every four years, on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November, Americans exercise their democratic right to vote via presidential elections. We are once again approaching this point in what will be the 59th presidential election, this time between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden. This election does not seem merely to be one of many because the victor will be forced to address rising extremism, a global pandemic, and economic uncertainty. For many Americans, it truly seems as if our identity, livelihood, and survival may rest on the shoulders of the victor. For this reason, it …

Informed Voting: Understanding The 2020 Presidential Nominees, Carter Mudgett

PANDION: The Osprey Journal of Research and Ideas

The 2020 November election has been publicized as one of the most influential and crucial elections for years to come. Because of this, it is of the utmost importance that voters are well versed in the policies each candidate supports and has vowed to uphold and in the policies which hold the most importance to them.

Action Research: A Culturally Specific Case Study On Organizational Capacity-Building To Battle Addiction In The Oneida Native-American Community, Anita F. Barber, Mark Gordon

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

The Healing Society (coded to mask) is a new and developing organization operated by a volunteer board created by Oneida Nation community members. Leaders were seeking strategic direction to build organizational capacity and sustainability for this new organization. They sought to make positive social change after a well-known community member died from an overdose. The purpose of this post-positivist, constructionist qualitative case study was to gather empirical data from the perspectives of internal and external stakeholders through a SWOT analysis. Their answers addressed: (a) the organizational strengths and weaknesses of The Healing Society to ensure short-term strength and long-term growth, …

Liberalism, Settlement, Sacrifice: Towards A Genealogy Of Sacrificial Politics, Marshall Scheider, Adam Culver

McNair Symposium

In recent years, political theorists have begun to explore the sacrificial dimensions of liberalism and neoliberalism in the global North. Little of this work, however, grapples with the ways settler colonialism informs contemporary political sacrifice or conceptions of the sacrificial. This paper traces a genealogy of contemporary political sacrifice through the archive of early British colonialism in North America. When theorists ignore this archive, they do more than render colonization mute: they also fail to apprehend what I term political sacrifice’s differential function—the mechanism by which sacrifice’s burdens fall on subordinated groups while its benefits accrue to the socially, politically, …

Why Buffer Zones Could Combat The Ongoing War In Afghanistan, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

Amidst escalating conflict in Afghanistan, there's a growing call for buffer zones or Zones of Peace (ZoPs). These would be safe areas around key cities to protect civilians and promote stability amid ongoing violence. The idea is to create safe havens, truce corridors, and temporary lifelines managed by neutral parties like the United Nations.

Buffer zones draw on past successes and aim to provide refuge, aid, and a chance for peace amidst the turmoil. They could help mitigate humanitarian crises and support local communities, showing potential for easing tensions and fostering stability in Afghanistan.

Cialdini's Principle Of Liking And The 2016 Presidential Election, Dylan M. Ureno

Montview Journal of Research & Scholarship

What was the impact of celebrity endorsements on the 2016 presidential election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton? To answer this question, celebrities and their endorsements were evaluated from a persuasion standpoint. Celebrity endorsements have often been used in the marketing world and the political world. This persuasive strategy has been effective and utilizes several persuasive concepts to influence consumers. Through a review of the literature, it has been demonstrated that this tactic utilizes concepts such as meaning transfer, heuristics, and reference cues to persuade the consumer. In this same manner, celebrity endorsement tactics were applied to many political campaigns …

Turkish Image In American Official Documents In The Onset Of The Cold War, 1945-1952, Zeynep Koc

International Programs

American foreign policy during the Cold War years were formulated in accordance with geopolitical considerations, which constitute a general overview for American geopolitical imagination. The imagination in question was shaped by so-called Soviet threat that aimed at increasing Soviet spheres of influence in all over the world. In such a framework, Turkey had constituted one of the pillars of geopolitical strategy of the US. On this basis, Turkey’s image in American foreign policy papers is the main analytical interest of this paper. It analyzes articulation of Turkish image within official American foreign policy intelligence documents by conducting a post structuralist …

Women Want An Answer! Field Experiments On Elected Officials And Gender Bias, Gabriele Magni, Zoila Ponce De Leon

Political Science and International Relations Faculty Works

Are elected officials more responsive to men than women inquiring about access to government services? Women face discrimination in many realms of politics, but evidence is limited on whether such discrimination extends to interactions between women and elected officials. In recent years, several field experiments have examined public officials' responsiveness. The majority focused on racial bias in the USA, while the few experiments outside the USA were usually single-country studies. We explore gender bias with the first large-scale audit experiment in five countries in Europe (France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Netherlands) and six in Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, …

Commemorating The Hiroshima-Nagasaki Bombings And A Call For Nuclear Disarmament, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

This year marks 76 years since atomic bombs devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki, highlighting the tragic impact on civilians. Debates continue on their role in Japan's surrender. The International Court of Justice urges global nuclear disarmament. Canadian groups like CNANW and CPRA push for disarmament amid ongoing modernization of nuclear arsenals. They call on Canada to prioritize disarmament, join treaties like the TPNW, and lead within NATO for a nuclear-free world. They stress the need for a strong security framework to prevent nuclear threats, inspired by survivors like Setsuko Thurlow.

Yosuf, Yosuf, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Yosef and his family of four are from the Herat Province in Afghanistan. The eldest child used to sell potatoes with Ibrahim, the middle child, who was killed by a landmine planted by counter-revolutionaries. As a result, the eldest child, Ismail, developed severe nerve and mental issues, and the wife, who is now pregnant, frequently has seizures. They sold their home to treat Ismail, but doctors say nothing can be done. Ismail’s condition continues to worsen, but he refuses to leave to see a doctor because he is afraid of the police for an unknown reason. Yosef says he is …

Review Of Building Peace In America, Chris Hausmann, Ron Pagnucco

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Review Of Champions For Peace: Women Winners Of The Nobel Peace Prize, Patricia M. Mische

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Review Of Women As War Criminals: Gender, Agency, And Justice, Christi Siver

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Review Of Mediation And Governance In Fragile Contexts: Small Steps To Peace, Elias Opongo

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Peacebuilding, Liberian Women, And The Invisible Hand Of Conflict In The Postwar Era, Selina Gallo-Cruz, Renée Remsberg

The Journal of Social Encounters

Liberian women gained international acclaim for their courage and persistence in bringing warring factions into a peace agreement in 2003, after a 14-year-long civil war that devastated the country, with over 250,000 killed, millions displaced, and a population left traumatized and in political and economic ruin. This study explores the challenges that women have faced in the years following the civil war with a focus on whether the international community has supported women’s advancements in Liberia. We find that while some efforts to support gender mainstreaming have been helpful, there remain serious political, economic, and social inequalities that threaten both …

“Wepeace” And Women Peacekeeping In The Philippines, Arlyssa Bianca Pabotoy

The Journal of Social Encounters

The “Women’s Agency in Keeping the Peace, Promoting Security” or “WePeace” is an initiative to capacitate selected community women in the Philippines on gender-responsive peacemaking and peacekeeping. This essay describes how the project has helped form women peacekeeping teams and enabled women’s increased participation in existing peacekeeping mechanisms. The community women are from four different areas in the country facing different conflict lines: tribal wars, clan wars or “rido”, internal displacement, and development aggression.

Women Count For Peace And Security: A Story Of Collaboration In The Philippines, Jasmin Nario-Galace

The Journal of Social Encounters

On 31 October 2000, United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325, the first Women, Peace, and Security resolution, was adopted by the United Nations Security Council. The resolution mandated UN member states to increase women’s participation in decision-making in matters that relate to peace and security, particularly in conflict prevention, conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and post-conflict reconstruction. Years after its adoption, however, implementation was slow and scattered and hardly changed the invisibility and marginalization of women in decision-making on matters of peace and security, where women have a unique perspective on keeping and making peace and have a historical tradition of …

Uncivil Disobedience And Democracy: An American Perspective, Walter J. Kendall

The Journal of Social Encounters

From the time of the Athenian democracy there has been the debated question of whether protest and dissent, especially uncivil disobedience to the law was supportive or destructive of a people’s democracy. The debate continues unabated today.

In a recent collection of essays titled Protest and Dissent, Professor Susan Stokes offered an answer to the question Are Protests Good or Bad for Democracy? (Schwartzberg, 2020, p. 269). After considering both possibilities, she concludes, as had James Madison in Federalist 10, that protests “are a natural by-product of freedoms of expression and association which, if curtailed, would threaten democracy itself.”(Schwartzberg, 2020, …

Introduction To Volume 5, Issue 2, Joseph Okumu, Ron Pagnucco

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Institute For Public Policy National Poll - July 2021, Institute For Public Policy

Public Policy Poll Results

The Sacred Heart University Institute for Public Policy leveraged a quantitative research approach to address the following areas of investigation:

• Thoughts on overall quality of life
• President Joe Biden’s job approval ratings
• Sentiments regarding COVID-19 and distribution of the vaccine
• Thoughts on the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
• Concerns around national security
• Level of trust in the media, government organizations, and corporations
• Sentiment regarding renewable energy initiatives
• Demographic profiles of respondents

The Brass Plates In Context: A Book Of Mormon Backstory, Noel B. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

This paper brings contemporary ANE scholarship in several fields together with the ancient scriptures restored through Joseph Smith to construct an updated starting point for interpretation of the teachings of the Book of Mormon. It assembles findings from studies of ancient scribal culture, historical linguistics and epigraphy, and the history and archaeology of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Levant, together with the traditions of ancient Israel and the ancient scriptures restored to Joseph Smith, to construct a contextualized perspective for understanding Lehi, Nephi, and the Brass Plates as they would have been understood by their contemporaries—as prominent bearers of the Josephite …