Political Science Commons^™

Exploring An Impossibility Theorem For Gerrymandering, Mahdi Saeedi, Ryan Zerr

Arts & Sciences Undergraduate Showcase

The United States electoral system is facing an unprecedented amount of pressure as distrust amount the voting population rises. An area of interest for us in this work is the redistricting mechanism. Rules inspired by ideas in mathematics are being used to combat partisan gerrymandering. In this work, we explore the relationship between three rules regarding Equal population districts, Compactness, and efficiency gap. Combining these rules leads to an idea of an impossibility theorem for partisan gerrymandering, which states that drawing maps that can satisfy all three rules and allow for a minority party to win becomes impossible.

In The Middle Of Appalachia: Balancing Teacher Talk With Student Discourse, Ronald V. Morris, Denise Shockley, Sonya Davis

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Appalachian students co-constructed knowledge with their teacher while examining a non-fiction book about Thanksgiving. Fifth grade students used an informational trade book to promote student discourse while using text-based evidence. Students learned about Native Americans and Pilgrims as they engaged in student discourse balanced with teacher talk. Students used an inquiry arc that involved questioning texts and examining sources, and inquiry helped students to investigate narrative text as a source of data. Students used inquiry to enhance their metacognition about historical events. Students exercised agency as they recounted family history and their heritage as part of their memory. Remembering was …

History Or Heritage? An Analysis Of Ghana’S Primary School History Curriculum, Charles Adabo Oppong

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Abstract

At a time that history has gained its place in Ghana’s basic school curriculum, considerable differences of opinion arise, not about the subject’s significance in the school curriculum but concerning the legitimacy of the subject title - that is, whether or not the subject should be referenced ‘History of Ghana’ or ‘Heritage of Ghana’. The different opinions reflect Lowenthal’s (1998) observation that history and heritage are separate disciplines. However, the two subjects are often used interchangeably (Mermion, 2012) and “are habitually confused with each other” (Lowenthal 1998, p. x). While expert academics may be at ease with the distinctions …

Borders And Migration (Pols 31) Syllabus, Osman Balkan

Aydelotte Curricular Grants

This course offers an introduction to the causes and consequences of international migration and examines how various countries have responded to it. We begin by considering the myriad reasons why people move from one place to another and analyze the different strategies through which political authorities have tried to simultaneously facilitate and obstruct migratory flows. The tension between mobility and containment is a central feature of migration politics.
Our first set of readings offer a broad, historical overview of the relationship between states and migrants within the dynamics of global capitalism. Students will learn about patterns of regular and irregular …

Spillover Effects Of Quota Or Parity Laws: The Case Of Ecuador Women Mayors, Marcos Fabricio Perez, Santiago Basabe-Serrano

Political Science Faculty Publications

Do quota or parity laws designed to improve the representation of women in plurinominal elections have a spillover effect to uninominal elections? We empirically test this theory by analyzing the effects of quota and parity legislations implemented in Ecuador for plurinominal elections on the proportion of women elected as mayors. Through an unpublished database, our results show that after the implementation of such legislation, the probability of a woman being elected as mayor almost doubles (ceteris paribus). We also find evidence that a possible causal chain for the documented spillover effects is the increasing importance of female role models, motivated …

The Use Of Diplomatic Tension As Political Leverage In Morocco-Eu Relations, Madelyn Mckenna

CISLA Senior Integrative Projects

No abstract provided.

China’S “Wolf Warrior” Diplomacy: A New Kind Of American Exceptionalism?, Benjamin Vazquez

CISLA Senior Integrative Projects

China’s recent strident and aggressive foreign relations have earned Chinese diplomats the title of “wolf warriors.” These attitudes have been partially excused due to China’s successful response to many recent global crises as compared to Western states. Along with the US struggling to maintain its spheres of influence in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, China now poses a real threat to American primacy. How will China balance its newfound confidence with enduring insecurities? Is this “wolf warrior” diplomacy a valid criticism, or just an ignorant foreign perspective on how China should behave?

The Memory Of The Second World War In French Foreign Policy Discourses, Holly James

CISLA Senior Integrative Projects

The discourse of politicians provides us with an important insight into a country’s notion of self and the way in which collective memory is constructed. Through a comparative analysis of speeches performed by Charles de Gaulle and Emmanuel Macron, I will explore the construction of collective memory in France and how this relates to French foreign policy-making.This study will argue that the memory of the Second World War has played a significant role in French foreign policy discourses and show that leaders continue to draw upon the past to justify their policy decisions today, particularly during discourses concerning European integration.

The War On Drugs And Its Legal Effects On Black Americans, Alexia L. Howard-Mullins

2022 Symposium

The differences in treatment between Black and white Americans in the past fifty years has been a topic of thought in the minds of political and sociological scholars since the inception of the War on Drugs in 1971. These differences in treatment may lead to discrimination legally, resulting in longer prison sentences and a higher proportion of Black Americans in prison. This study analyzes the results of the War on Drugs that led to disproportionate imprisonment of Black Americans, including mandatory sentencing laws, drug classifications, and discrimination within law enforcement and the legal system. This study will use primary sources …

The Effects Of The Internet On Political Participation And Polarization, Tyler A. Roderick

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In the age of technology and with rapid expansion of social media outside of simply the social realm (entertainment), as it delves into the political realm, it is important to assess the implications that new technologies will have on our democracy. The purpose of this study is to attempt to predict the ramifications of the internet on American politics and the impact it is having on political norms and responsibilities. The norms that are expressly being examined are voter turnout and partisanship. We have seen in recent elections how individual candidates have utilized the internet to further their own campaigns …

Explaining Nikki Fried's 2018 Victory For Florida Agricultural Commissioner, Caitlin Concannon

Honors Undergraduate Theses

What explains Nikki Fried's victory in 2018 for Florida Commissioner of Agriculture? What explains the difference between votes received by Commissioner Fried and fellow Democrat candidates on the ballot in four other Fl. statewide races in 2018 at the county level? Florida's unique plural executive branch and diverse demographics have led to competitive elections resulting in narrow vote margins with the victory more often tipping in favor of Republican candidates across state politics in the last two decades. The 2018 Florida midterm election provides an opportunity to analyze the margin-of-victory for a Democrat candidate in comparison to the vote margins …

Between Text And Sermon: Ephesians 6:10-20, Ekaputra Tupamahu

Faculty Publications - Portland Seminary

Gun violence is a serious problem in the United States. Mass shootings are now almost daily occurrences, and no one, not even Christians, seems to know how to stop them. Last year, the Pew Research Center found that although almost half (48%) of Americans consider gun violence as “a very big problem in the country today,” and about “40% of Americans live in a household with a gun.”1 People are divided on this issue along geographical and rural/urban lines, political ideologies, religious convictions, gender, and so on.

The European Revolutions Of 1848 And Their Connection To The United States, Roman Peña

History - Master of Arts in Teaching

I. Synthesis Essay………………………………..2

II. Synthesis Essay Bibliography…………………22

III. Primary Documents and Headnotes………....23

IV. Textbook Critique……………………………....34

V. New Textbook Entry…………………………...38

The Interactive Impact Of Social Identities On Voter Turnout In The 2012 Presidential Election, Karla M. Mendez

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The first Black American president ran for re-election in the 2012 election, which saw record-breaking voter turnout. After this election, scholars sought to examine what social identities impacted voter turnout and, found that non-Hispanic Black voters played a critical role in shaping President Obama’s success. Although the effects of social identities on voter turnout are the focus of an extensive body of existing research, many scholars study the separate effects of characteristics, such as race/ethnicity, gender or party identification. Utilizing public opinion data from the 2016 General Survey Study (GSS), this paper seeks to examine the intersectional effects of race, …

Stop Asian Hate Zine, Alexandria Glover

Student Zines

This zine is a way to advocate for the Asian community. The graphic nature is purposeful as the hate crimes committed against Asians are atrocious themselves and should not be censored. This zine is supposed to make people feel uncomfortable because it needs to be seen and remembered. A bit of discomfort is nothing compared to the anxiety and fear Asians have in the U.S., especially since the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2. If enough people are horrified enough to advocate for change, then this zine has fulfilled its purpose.

Schooling On The East-West Divide: Educational Weaponization During The Final Phase Of The Cold War, Sophia Sahm

Political Science Honors Projects

During the Cold War, the United States and Soviet Russia focused on spreading their distinctive ideologies across the globe, and in doing so, came in direct competition with one another. In this study, I employ content analysis of two major U.S. and Soviet education reports and reforms from 1983 to 1991, namely A Nation at Risk and Fundamental Directions of General and Vocational School Reform, to explore and illustrate how the two states wielded their youth as weapons in a battle for ideological supremacy. My findings add nuance to the conversation surrounding education as a method of state control.

Covid-19: Views On Seriousness, Handling/Response, And Behaviors Of Undergraduate Students At The University Of Central Florida, Shemuwel H.I Russ

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Objective – Views surrounding COVID-19 are divided. The objective of this thesis is to investigate if views surrounding COVID-19 can be inferred based on college-level demographics. I explore the views of undergraduate students at the University of Central Florida.

Methods – A link to the questionnaire created through Qualtrics was sent out to university leaders asking them to distribute it accordingly among their respective undergraduate populations. Students (N=149) responded to questions about issues related to COVID-19, college-level demographics, and political attitudes. The data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential analysis.

Results – Students still viewed COVID-19 as a serious …

Legal Strategies Used By Black Men During The Antebellum Period, A. D. Banse

Digital Legal Research Lab

AD Banse, "Legal Strategies Used by Black Men During the Antebellum Period" [Research Poster]

Digital Legal Research Lab REU Site, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2022

The Missouri Statute of 1807 existed as the primary act that somewhat ensured the freedom of those enslaved and pursuing their freedom. The act refuted laws such as the Futgitive Slave Clause of 1793 and 1850, and the Missouri Compromise, which were evidence that slaveholders held decisive political influence and could cast the Constitution in proslave terms (Baker 2012). These clauses essentially gave enslavers the right to seize enslaved people who escaped to free states deepening …

Habeas Corpus: Breaking Reservation Boundaries, Samantha Byrd

Digital Legal Research Lab

Dr. Katrina Jagodinsky’s Petitioning for Freedom examines marginalized peoples’ use of habeas corpus in the American West from 1812 to 1924. This project has uncovered Indigenous manipulation of the American legal system to counter the challenges of colonialism. Indigenous peoples used habeas to protest, and sometimes successfully mitigate boarding school experiences, forced removal, and confinement on reservations. This study aims to show how Indigenous peoples and other minorities had a complex understanding of the law and used it to their advantage.

Advisor: Katrina Jagodinsky

Migratory Stories: Building Ethical Immigration Policy, Lucca D. Abele

Honors Papers

Yorki J. Encalada Egúsquiza, an academic who studies border issues, discusses the reality that Child Migrants (CM) face, “They are minors traveling alone, then they have to appear in immigration courts, regardless of age. We're talking about children, in some cases, toddlers, without lawyers, who have to face a court that wants to deport them.” United States immigration policy fails to aid CMs who arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border; in a practice of exclusionary policy, it further traumatizes children who have journeyed to the U.S. alone. Using interviews I have conducted, memoirs, political theory, and scholarly literature, my research scrutinizes …