Political Science Commons^™

Does Students United Really Help State Funding For Higher Education: Analyzing The Strength Of State Student Associations Effect On State Higher Education Funding In The U.S. (2013-2018), Mike Mcneely

Political Science Theses and Capstones

There are many different types of state student associations (SSAs). They simply work as a form of student systems. These organizations seek to represent their respective public college or university while also being a voice for state students. SSAs also lobby on big issues such as higher education funding at the state level. I evaluate the overall success of SSA types and higher education funding in the United States between 2013 and 2018. In order to test competing higher education funding theories and my thesis I used Phillip H. Pollock III’s states data (Pollock III, 2016) and Grapevine data from …

Battle For The Minds: Use Of Propaganda Films In Stalinist Russia And Nazi Germany, David Rosenblum

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Since the end of the Second World War, scholars and experts have examined the use of cinema in spreading totalitarian propaganda. Nazi Germany, in particular, has caught the most attention. However, most of these studies focus exclusively on one nation, and relatively few studies have tried to directly compare the cinematic propaganda of different countries. This study aims to directly compare cinematic propaganda of Stalinist-era Russia and Nazi Germany and find out who utilized the medium of film more effectively. To accomplish this, this study will examine and directly compare several critical components, such as industry structure and artistic merits, …

Donald Trump Did A “Very Good” Job: A Rhetorical Analysis Of Candidate Trump’S Campaign Speeches, Caroline Mohan

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Since mid-2015, Donald Trump has shaken the political arena with an unprecedented yet effective public rhetorical repertoire. Regardless of alleged scandals, frequent social media usage, and extemporaneous and fiery rally speeches, the president’s approval ratings remain steady and he continues to move forward in his international and local political endeavors. Though these factors often posed large obstacles for past presidents, Trump has overcome them by use of audience identification, transparency, honorific pandering, and shrewd control of a vulnerable political sphere. In this study, rhetorician Kenneth Burke’s fantasy-theme and cluster criticisms are used to analyze Trump’s overall rhetorical themes, in social …

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.