American Politics Commons^™

The Cost Of Happiness: The Implications Of Utilitarianism On Economics, Adam Opp

Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy

Bentham and Mill proposed the utilitarian theory, which has moral and economic applications. Bentham and Mill differed slightly in their ideologies, as Mill critiqued Bentham and argued that man is in a separate category from beasts. To assess this, one must study human nature and if man really is different from the beasts. To this end, utilitarianism will be discussed, but also Aristotle’s discussion on virtue, the magnanimous man, and generosity. The next critical area to discuss is what differentiates humans from beasts, and if humans are distinct. Several characteristics that differentiate men from beasts include mental, psychological, moral, and …

Eugenics Not Eradication: How People With Disabilities Have Lost The Right To Life, Ava M. Standish

Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy

Disability-selective abortion stems from a philosophy of eugenics, not a hope of eradication. Disabilities cannot be eradicated because they are not diseases. Eugenics seeks to purify society from those who are considered “inferior” and to encourage the rate of births considered “superior.” Eugenics continues today through selective abortion of children with disabilities. These children deserve the right to life guaranteed by natural rights, human rights, and the laws of the United States. Children with disabilities, particularly Down Syndrome, have lost this right to life in the United States and abroad. In the United States, 67% of children with Down Syndrome …

Partisan Perspectives On Trust & Corruption In America, Victoria Ascencio

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Facing accusations of bribery, abuse of power, and the unethical exchange of political favors for financial gain, Robert Menendez has been urged to resign as a senator. This case has been highlighted through many outlets, yet his case is only one of many instances of political corruption in recent years. This recurring pattern is leaving Americans to have less and less faith in political actors to uphold moral behavior in their position of power.

In this paper, I examine the contrasting perceptions of political influence held by Republicans and Democrats regarding various agents of the political system, including state and …

Fear Of Widespread Voter Fraud, William Chester Basnight

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Millions claim the 2020 presidential election was stolen; there was even an insurrection to try and stop the election from being certified. Despite the lack of evidence, too many people trust politicians who claim elections were rigged or stolen. In this paper, I will study the type of person who fears widespread voter fraud, what media sources are pushing voter fraud headlines, as well as the patterns in social media usage when related to fearing voter fraud. I will do this by using the Chapman survey of American fears, a representative national sample of U.S. adults in 2024. I found …

Nuclear Nightmares: The American Fear Of Iranian Nuclear Attacks And Foreign Policy, Tyler Coker

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

In an age of escalating tensions in the Middle East, the American public has to watch with a wary eye for a conflict in which the United States has to get involved overseas. In this paper, I examine the extent to which religiosity influences Americans’ fear of Iranian nuclear attacks. Using Chapman University’s Survey of American Fears, a nationally representative survey asking Americans about what scares them the most, I find an increase in the fear of Iranian nuclear strikes as a respondent’s religiosity increases. In religious circles, fears can be greatly manipulated by the words of a single authority, …

Women’S Fear Of Violent Crime: Examining Media Consumption And Misconceptions Of Violent Crime, Kate Lindfors

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Within the United States, women are disproportionately victimized by crimes of domestic violence (DV) and intimate partner violence (IPV). However, media narratives do not accurately represent the threats that women face within society, and women are often unaware of and lack protection from the forms of violence that they are most commonly subjected to. Therefore, this paper examines how the media frames violent crime and the victimization of women, as well as how underrepresentation and misconceptions contribute to the levels of fear that women feel toward violent crime. Through using data from the Chapman University Survey on American Fears from …

Why Do Americans Fear Terror Attacks More Than The Death Of A Loved One?, Jack Bunzel-Hardie

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The 21st century has brought with it several instances of domestic and foreign terrorism on the United States. In the post-9/11 world, the general fear of terrorism and the various sources of terror that fall beneath this umbrella term have ballooned to the point of being one of the most prevalent fears in American society during the completion of the 2016 Chapman Survey of American Fears. While it is important to note that significant events such as the rise of ISIS, the Paris and Brussels Attacks, the Pulse Nightclub shooting, and the 2016 Presidential campaign have left individuals among the …

Morality, Outgroups, And Politics, John Jostes

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

Moral differences between Democrats and Republicans contribute to affective polarization, or how negatively each side feels toward one another. Partisans are also generally aware of and sensitive to which social groups comprise the other political party. The present study examines if changes to the United States population, and thus levels of support for the two parties, will influence affective polarization. To do so, participants were randomly assigned to one of two treatment conditions in which they read about demographic changes reported in the 2020 U.S. Census, or a control condition. I find that the treatment conditions did not have a …

A Modern Moral Dilemma: A Utilization Of Culture Wars For Political Gain Within The United States Government, Abigail K. Lowry

Honors Theses

The present study researches the background of culture wars within the United States and showcases how these culture wars are being utilized by political entrepreneurs in order to achieve a goal separate from resolving the expressed policy issue. In an effort to investigate this phenomenon, this paper analyzes the historical timeline of several prominent culture wars within the United States and then uses this background as a lens to examine the political successes and failures of two United States governors who attempted to utilize culture wars in order to advance themselves politically. By examining the rhetoric used by Ron DeSantis …

Impact Of State-Level Family Policies On Female Labor Force Participation And Entrepreneurship, Kathryn Staczek Rudloff

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation aims to investigate the impact of state-level family policies on women's participation in the labor force in the United States, focusing specifically on the rise of self-employment and solopreneurship among women. The research seeks to answer the following question: "How do family policies at the state level impact participation of American women in the labor force?"

The study utilized a convergent parallel mixed-methods design. A composite index of state level family policies was created to conduct cross-sectional exploratory data analysis of female labor force participation. Additionally, a qualitative phenomenological study of solopreneurs provided a deeper understanding of the …

Casar Public Lecture: The Results Are Out! Implications Of The Us 2024 Elections On Egypt & The World: Looking At A Broader Perspective’, The Prince Alwaleed Center For American Studies And Research Casar

Performances, Events, and Presentations

DONALD TRUMP WON THE 2024 US ELECTIONS!

CASAR Public Panel Discussion: The results are out! Implications of the US 2024 Elections on Egypt & the World: Looking at a Broader Perspective."

Speakers: From AUC: Amb. Karim Haggag - Dr. Manar El-Shorbagi , and from the University of Central Florida Mr.David Dumke.

The panel was moderated by CASAR Director Dr.Mark Deets.

The panelists deliberated about the possible implications of this election round from several perspectives, analyzing the impact on Egypt, the region & the world.

Learn more about CASAR and follow us: CASAR website: https://gapp.aucegypt.edu/academics/c...

Facebook: / casar-auc-egypt-461110727349183

Instagram: https://instagram.com/casar2003?igshi.. …

With Fear, Favor, And Flawed Analysis: Decision-Making In The U.S, Immigration Courts, Karen Musalo, Anna O. Law, Annie P. Daher, Katharine Donato, Chelsea Meinders

Publications and Research

Immigration judges (IJs), housed within the Executive Office for Immigration Review within the Department of Justice (DOJ), make decisions in asylum and withholding claims, which are life or death matters. And although their title is “judge,” IJs are DOJ attorneys who lack independence and are par- ticularly susceptible to political pressures. Federal court judges and scholars alike have criticized the quality and fairness of IJ decision-making, and many studies have been carried out to better understand the factors that impact it. The prior studies have relied principally on quantitative data because IJ decisions are not publicly available or searchable in …

Clacls Reportage, Vol. 1, Fall 2024, Pierina Pighi Bel, Phoenix Paz, Ana María Granados Romero

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

This publication unites three compelling articles that offer diverse perspectives and a shared dedication to bridging the gap between academic research and public engagement.

Phoenix Paz presents a vivid ethnographic account of recent migrants in New York City, revealing how state inefficiencies marginalize a sector that contributes daily to the city’s economy.

Pierina Pighi Bel explores the growing appeal of the Republican Party among Latino voters in election cycles, delving into the complexities and inherent contradictions within this trend.

Ana María Granados Romero provides profound insights into migration, gender, and domestic work through her exploration of "La Parada"—a corner in …

State Capacity And Covid-19 Responses: Comparing The Us States, Kiran Auerbach, Joshua Y. Lerner, Hannah M. Ridge

Political Science Faculty Articles and Research

This article addresses the interstate differences in outcomes from the coronavirus disease COVID-19 pandemic by focusing on state capacity. State capacity refers to states’ ability to create and implement policy. We posit that states want to limit death and destruction within their borders. COVID-19 created an instance in which states had a shared, preferred outcome but had very different levels of success. Using a novel measure of state capacity that allows for subnational comparisons – and is independent of ideological political will – we show that states with greater capacity experienced fewer excess deaths during 2020 and more successfully distributed …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 100, No. 1, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

Magazine edition of the College Heights Herald for the period October 9 - November 11, 2024.

• Wilborn, Price. Letter from the Editor – Elections
• Ivory, Larkin, Cameron Shaw, Libby Simpson & Abigail Vickers. How WKU Students Are Approaching the Ballot Box
• Todd Alcott Shares Vision for Bowling Green

• Freidhof, Natalie. A College Student’s Guide to the Swing States
• Reed-Whalen, Bradlee. What Is Amendment 22? – School Funding
• Di Palermo, Dominic. More to Accomplish – Todd Alcott, Bowling Green Mayor
• Todd Alcott for Mayor In His Own Words
• Patti Minter for Mayor In Her Own Words
• Randolph, Eli. A Day in …

Casar Student Discussion Series #6: 'The 2024 Us Election Results Are Out!The 2024 Us Elections Results Will Affect The Middle East Region Positively', The Prince Alwaleed Center For American Studies And Research Casar

Performances, Events, and Presentations

Every semester, CASAR AUC holds miscellaneous student debates discussing the hot controversial topics in the US, Egypt and from around the world in hopes of raising awareness about these topics & broadening the perspectives of our students as they learn to engage in fruitful discussions as they share different opinion on the topic being deliberated. At this CASAR Student Discussion event #6 in light of the current 2024 US Elections, we debated this statement: 'The 2024 US Elections results will affect the Middle East Region positively' A brief into was given followed by short videos to watch before opening the …

Cake And Conclusions: Rhetorical Roots In “Sheetcaking” And Fallacious Community Responses, Marissa Lammon

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

The convergence of politics and comedy within political entertainment has created a new environment, dissemination of information, and formation of public opinion. In response to white nationalist rallies, comedian Tina Fey utilized her political comedy platform to satirically comment on the inaction of several privileged consumers. Community response to the satirical skit reflected the complexity of satire as rhetorical strategy, notably when present online and within popular culture discourse, and the cognitive demands that result in fallacious tendencies. The following examines the fallacies that arise in response to Fey’s satirical message and the implications for political entertainment media.

Don’T Sweat The Technique: Rhetoric, Coded Social Critique, And Conspiracy Theories In Hip-Hop, Josh Chase

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Conspiracy theories are once again a topic of heated debate in both popular and scholarly media. Critics on one side of this debate often take for granted an “underlying assumption that conspiracy theories should be subdued if not eliminated” (Uscinski 444). Other scholars have expressed concern over the ways the “conspiracy theorist” pejorative stifles dissent and regulates political rationality (Rankin; deHaven-Smith). Bratich argues that social anxieties about issues like emerging technology and race “get managed” through the public debate about conspiracy theories as an “object of concern” (160–61). This paper asks, what are the consequences when “conspiracy panic” spreads beyond …

The Many Ways Of Wakanda: Viewpoint Diversity In Black Panther And Its Implications For Civics Education, Justin Frank Martin

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Like many of its superhero film predecessors, Black Panther (2018) achieved widespread popularity both domestically and internationally. Although the film examines the focal character T’Challa’s (Black Panther) attempt to balance his dual responsibilities as king and protector of Wakanda, the viewpoint diversity displayed by its citizens suggests that the film’s central character is Wakandan society. Drawing on events and themes from the film, the essay argues that social domain theory (SDT)—a theory that attempts to explain the development of sociomoral concepts across the lifespan—provides a useful lens to examine Wakandans’ viewpoint diversity as portrayed in the film, specifically with regards …

Pop Culture And Politics: Engaging Students In American Government Through Art, Music, And Film, Laura Merrifield Wilson

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Strategically and thoughtfully employing popular culture in teaching political science can enable students to better understand, analyze, and relate to the material. In a discipline that can be viewed by students as too boring, too distant, and too polarizing, the use of relevant music, TV/film clips, toys, memes, and other popular culture artifacts can engage otherwise unengaged students in a meaningful way. This paper argues that using popular culture in teaching political science can demonstrate relevance, serve as a generational translator, expose the bias of experience, and enable an expression of self. In demonstrating relevance, popular culture makes material fresh …