American Politics Commons^™

How To Know If You're An Extremist, Katherine M. White

SURGE

I’m a serious West Wing fan. I love it because it not only gives me a little insight into what is obviously a totally accurate depiction of what life is like working in the White House (right?) but it also makes me think. Take this scene from season 3 as an example:

Josh Lyman, the Deputy White House Chief, is stuck in the White House cafeteria with a group of high school students while the White House is under emergency lockdown. Since the students have been promised the opportunity to speak to influential people in D.C. during their visit, Lyman …

Explaining Political Activeness And Attitudes Toward Unionization Among Nurses In The United States., Crystal L. Lesmeister

Political Science Theses and Capstones

There is no question; nurses play a key role in healthcare. Nurses provide direct care, coordinate health promotion activities, educate, and provide support and advocacy to patients. Today, there are over two million registered nurses in the United States. My research aims to determine the variables that influence some nurses to be more politically active and more engaged in unionization than their counterparts. I analyze The National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses 2004 looking at a variety of potential explanations for union participation. Findings show a strong regional variation in the percentage of unionization, however, some of the conventional explanations …

Underwood, Henry Lewis, 1848-1925 - Collector (Sc 936), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scans (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 936. Letters kept by Henry Lewis Underwood, 1848-1925, a Bowling Green, Kentucky native, which include an 1800 letter of Henry Clay written to Robert Craddock; an 1875 letter of Jefferson Davis addressed to Underwood; an 1894 letter of Theodore Roosevelt addressed to C.R. Breckinridge; letters, 1885 (15), pertaining to a National Soldiers Reunion and Encampment; and miscellaneous items.

Natcher, William Huston, 1909-1994 (Sc 938), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 938. Letters, 1986, 1987 (2), written by William Huston Natcher, Washington D.C., to Dr. and Mrs. William R. McCormack, Bowling Green, Kentucky; photocopy of letter from Ann Landers to Natcher, 1988; photocopies of letters Natcher wrote to his grandsons 1985-1987; and newspaper clippings, 1987-1988.

The Effectiveness Of Targeted Political Advertisements, Vincent P. Malainy

Senior Honors Theses and Projects - Political Science

Political campaigns are increasingly turning to Internet advertisements to reach potential voters. These advertisements are designed to target a person's specific policy preferences. A series of three surveys were administered to students at EMU. The purpose was to determine the effects of targeted Internet-style advertisements on a person's perception of a candidate, their motivation to vote, and their knowledge of the candidate's platform. The results show that targeted advertisements tend to be more effective than non-targeted advertisements in improving a voter's perception of a candidate and increasing their motivation to vote. The results also shed light on the inferences that …

Anachronistic Policies In The United States: What All Policymakers Need To Know About Marijuana, Alex Riggs '13

Honor Scholar Theses

The following paper contains vital information for policymakers in the United States who wish to take first steps to challenge antiquated laws surrounding marijuana. It includes essential information concerning the history of the drug, the drug’s biology, the potential medical and nonmedical uses of the drug, genuine health concerns associated with its use, marijuana myths, and the many costs to society as a result of its prohibition. Ultimately, this paper argues why a United States without a federal ban on marijuana would improve economic conditions and personal liberty for its citizens, governs itself more transparently, and abides more closely to …

Women's Monumental Fund (Sc 2694), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2694. Certificate of The Women’s Monumental Fund Fund (no recipient named) acknowledging a contribution for the erection of a monument in Frankfort, Kentucky honoring Governor William J. Goebel. The monument was dedicated in 1910.

America's Electoral Dilemma: A Case Study Of Political Participation At St. John Fisher College, Jacob Morley

The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research

In lieu of an abstract, below is the first paragraph of the paper.

Freedom and opportunity, the greatest virtues of American idealism, are now cornerstones of democratic and capitalist philosophies throughout the world. These ideals have impacted the collective social psyches of generations of Americans, providing them with hope for the future and goals for which to strive. Throughout its young history, Americans have seen their nation as a beacon of these virtues and have sought to spread American-style democracy throughout the globe.

American Government In Action, Cynthia Suarez, Lea Elizabeth Allen, Mary Ford

Arthur Vining Davis High Impact Fellows Projects

This AVD project will focus on the development of student-centered learning activities and instructional strategies for a secondary government and economics teacher, Mary Ford, at Southside High School in Greenville, SC. The materials were created to provide more opportunity for students to be involved in their own learning process, analyze primary sources, and participate in self-guided learning in an effort for Government and Economics to be understood by students with varying interests and learning styles. This project was completed in three separate sections which each provide diverse lessons and address varying standards. The first section contains multi-purpose supplementary materials for …

King, Stephen Lynn, B. 1954 (Sc 920), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 920. Photocopy of letter Stephen King, Bowling Green, Kentucky, wrote as a high school student to former President Truman, Truman’s 11 January 1972 reply and letter 24 July 1981 related to the authentication of Truman’s signature. Also, 20 July 1981 letter from the office of former President Carter, Atlanta, Georgia, in answer to a previous letter from King, and an autographed card from Omar N. Bradley.

Hallam, Theodore F., 1844-1905 (Sc 955), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 955. Letter, 21 August 1899, written by Theodore F. Hallam, Covington, Kentucky, asserting a true record of the facts concerning the gun battle between William Goebel and John Leathers Sanford, which resulted in Sanford’s death in Covington, 1895.

Qualitative Meta-Analysis On Three Aspects Of The Federal Budget: The Process, Politics And Policies, Morgan B. (Hittinger) Weiss

Selected Honors Theses

Over the last few years, policymakers and the media have paid special attention to the federal budget, deficits and the national debt as the recent recession plunged the nation into the red. In response, some called for fiscal tightening while others simultaneously advocated for further stimulus spending to accelerate the recovery. Beyond the debate on how to respond to the short-term deficits caused by the recession and a sluggish recovery are discussions of looming budgetary struggles. The medium to long-term budget concerns are driven primarily by the United States’ rapidly aging society and rising health care costs. These two factors …

The Ministry Of Economic Warfare: Anglo-American Relations 1939-1941, Jonathan Davis

Masters Theses

An exploration of Anglo-American relations beginning in the interwar period to American involvement in World War II. This thesis explores the actions of the Ministry of Economic Warfare and how it affected Anglo-American relations before American commitment to the allied cause. It highlights the existing economic contention that existed between Great Britain and America before the conflict and acknowledges that the Britain and American alliance that is enjoyed today was not inevitable or necessarily desired by either nation. It demonstrates through the actions of the British Ministry of Economic Warfare the paradigm shift in Great Britain concerning the preservation of …

Women Ruling The Bench: Steps To Achieving Gender Parity On State Courts, Cheyenne L. Horien

Political Science Theses and Capstones

Across the United States, each state practices one of several methods of selecting judges to their courts. Many of these processes have not changed for decades and some argue this results in minorities, both gender and racial, receiving fewer spots on the bench. I focus explicitly on the gender aspect of judicial selection: Why are there fewer women judges in some states than in others? Previous literature on this topic is mixed. I analyzed data gathered from the American Judicature Society and other sources. Among the five methods (appointment, combination, merit selection, non-partisan election, partisan election), because of the many …

The Political Landscape Of Hydraulic Fracturing: Methods Of Community Response In Central Arkansas, Alyssa M. Solis

Pitzer Senior Theses

This thesis looks at the current fracking debate on a national scale, before focusing specifically on how this debate is playing out in the landscape of Central Arkansas. Focusing on the lack of national regulation, the unique array of state regulations that have popped up are assessed in their effectiveness on the ground through speaking with residents of the area. The demographics of these residents are analyzed within an assessment of environmental injustice vulnerability. This ethnographic approach also compares the de jure v. de facto outcomes of these regulations through the narratives of residents working with organizations across the political …

An Analysis Of The Effectiveness Of The Director Of National Intelligence (Dni) In Uniting The Intelligence Community, Bethany G. Pico

Senior Honors Theses

September 11, 2001 marks the date of the largest attack on American soil since the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II. This event not only changed the lives of individuals who suffered intense loss but changed the course of American history in several ways. This paper focuses specifically on the changes in the intelligence community since the attacks. The attacks that 9/11 presented flaws in the system created demonstrating weakness as a direct result of the immense destruction that occurred. The thesis of this paper is to analyze, assess, and draw conclusions on the effectiveness of the …

Revolutionary Betrayal: The Fall Of King George Iii In The Experience Of Politicians, Planters, And Preachers, Benjamin J. Barlowe

Masters Theses

When describing the imperial crisis of 1763-1776 between the British government and the American colonists, historians often refer to Great Britain as a united entity unto itself, a single character in the imperial conflict. While this offers rhetorical benefits, it oversimplifies the complex constitutional relationship between the American periphery and the British center. Instead, the path to independence is a story of how Americans rejected the authority of each part of the central British government in turn. Americans drew a clear distinction between protesting the authority of the British Parliament and that of King George III himself. Rather than recalling …

Emotion And Public Attention To Political Issues, Michael W. Gruszczynski

Department of Political Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Which mechanisms underlie the orientation of public attention to political issues? Though research on media agenda-setting has been one of the most successful enterprises in political communication and behavior, little is known of the actual processes that drive this phenomenon. I hypothesize that inherent in all environmental stimuli is emotional information, and that it is this information that drives the linkages between media and public agendas. Using a combination of large-scale automated content analyses of several political issues in the New York Times and public search attention data, I demonstrate that negatively-valenced and arousing coverage work concurrently with the volume …

Charities In Politics: A Reappraisal, Brian Galle

William & Mary Law Review

Federal law significantly limits the political activities of charities, but no one really knows why. In the wake of Citizens United, the absence of any strong normative grounding for the limits may leave the rules vulnerable to constitutional challenge. This Article steps into that breach, offering a set of policy reasons to separate politics from charity. I also sketch ways in which my more precise exposition of the rationale for the limits helps guide interpretation of the complex legal rules implementing them.

Any defense of the political limits begins with significant challenges because of a long tradition of scholarly criticism …

A Comparison Of Basic At-Large And At-Large By-Seat Elections Systems In The State Of California, Rod Diridon Jr.

Master's Projects

No abstract provided.