Journal of Undergraduate Research

Mandi Eatough and Dr. Jessica Preece, Political Science Background Legislation in the United States is often referred to by colloquial names rather than by the full bill title. Existing research suggests that the nomenclature used for legislation in the United States is often intentionally meant to influence the perception of the legislation by the public1. […]

Nichole Christensen, Jessica Preece, Political Science We analyze how being a federal financial aid recipient contributes to a person’s likelihood of graduation. We theorize that women who receive financial aid will be more likely to graduate than men who receive financial aid. This hypothesis can be viewed as a test of whether or not the economic […]

Ashlyn Bodily, Darren Hawkins, Political Science Introduction Environmental issues are especially controversial in the current political landscape The purpose of this project was to better understand the effect of framing environmental issues in terms of the following values: (1) harm: disliking pain in others, (2) fairness: justice according to shared rules, (3) loyalty: standing with and […]

Stephen Black and Kirk Hawkins, Political Science In recent years, politics around the world have seen a drastic change in its elections. Not too long ago, Mexican leftist populist candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador swept the elections in July 2018. It did not come as a surprise as several other countries, especially in Europe, have […]

Allison Adams, Kirk Hawkins, Political Science In November 2016, the United States elected a strongly populist candidate, Donald Trump, as President. This seems to be a part of a larger wave, one that includes the Brexit vote and parties that have come to power in Hungary, Poland, Greece, and Italy. Populism can have positive and […]

Jenah House and Dr. Darren Hawkins, Political Science Department Do the presence and legalization of polygamous relationships affect domestic violence in developing countries? While there is some evidence that polygamous relationships influence domestic violence rates, present research on the subject is sparse. Even less discussed in the field is how the legalization of polygamy affects […]

Rehtaeh Beers and Dr. Jay Goodliffe, Political Science Department All-mail elections are rare within the United States of America. Currently, only Oregon, Washington, and Colorado use mail-in ballots. Alaska will join that list during the 2018 midterm election as they adopt an all-mail ballot mode of voting1. All-mail election ballots require no more effort than […]

James Hodgson and Dr. Daniel Nielson, Political Science Department Rigorous evaluation has become the gold standard in international development. However, evaluations are limited to NGO’s that are willing to potentially be proven wrong and advised to adjust their strategy. Do characteristics of a proposed evaluation make it more or less appealing to an organization? This […]

Sarah Curry and Dr. Christopher Karpowitz, Political Science Department Political psychologists Jonathan Haidt, Jesse Graham, and Brian Nosek argue in their influential study that morality is not a “one-dimensional spectrum” with individuals being moral or amoral.1 Rather, moral foundations theory allows people to be explained across five dimensions: harm/care, fairness/reciprocity, ingroup/loyalty, authority/respect, and purity/sanctity. Individuals […]

Soren Schmidt and Dr. Michael Barber, Political Science Department Introduction Do voters prioritize party loyalty or personal ideology when casting a ballot? In the contemporary political climate, it is nearly impossible to tell because the two go hand in hand: almost all Democratic candidates are liberal, and almost all Republican candidates are conservative. Consequently, it […]