Nationalism, Tribalism, and the Future of Women’s Rights in Iraqi Kurdistan

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Adena Moulton and Dr. Donna Lee Bowen, Political Science Department Introduction Iraqi Kurdistan refers to the mountainous region in northern Iraq, which is home to a majority of Iraq’s Kurdish minority. As a distinct ethnic group, Iraqi Kurds have consistently lobbied for greater autonomy and even independence. After the American invasion in 2003, Iraqi Kurdistan […]

The Effects of Dual Citizenship on Civic Duty Perceptions, National Identity, and the Global Community

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Daniel Cottam and Dr. Christ Karpowitz, Political Science Department In America alone, the number of dual citizens is estimated between one to five million. In this age of globalization, this number is expected to increase as more and more families consist of parents from two different countries. Despite the everincreasing number of dual citizens, and […]

The Effect of East Asian Religions on Feminism and Post-Materialist Values in Modern Japan

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Charlene Humpherys and Greg Wilkinson, Department of Political Science Japan is known worldwide for its rich and complex history and culture as well as its rankings as a global frontrunner in the fields of economics, globalization, education, technology, entrepreneurship, quality of life, and cultural influence.1 Fascinating to many political theorists is how socioeconomic prosperity within […]

Who Takes the Baby? The Effect of Question Ordering on

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Gimenez, Alejandra Who Takes the Baby?: The Effect of Question Ordering on Preferred Family Leave Policies Faculty Mentor: Christopher F. Karpowitz & Jeremy Pope, Political Science The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 mandates that employees be given a minimum of 12 weeks unpaid leave for qualified family and medical needs, including the birth […]

Estimating Polarization in the United States Congress

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Galloway, Hayden Estimating Polarization in the United States Congress Faculty Mentor: Michael Barber, Political Science I investigated if commonly accepted ideology estimates in Congress change when restricted to the modern era. I used these estimates to determine if previous measures of political polarization are accurate. Polarization is determined by the distribution of ideology in Congress. […]

International Attitudes on Scientific Deference in Politics

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Matthew Walden and Celeste Beesley, Department of Political Science Project Purpose This study seeks to extend a 2015 study by Blank and Shaw, which seeks to understand what factors shape American attitude towards scientific deference in policymaking. My study ran the same experiment among an international sample, making a cross-cultural comparison of the correlation between […]

The Party Unties? An Exploration of Divisiveness Among Donors to 2008 and 2012 Presidential Campaigns

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Andrew Jensen and David Magleby, Department of Political Science Introduction Politics is a contentious business. When candidates and parties are not fighting each other to win elections, they fight among themselves for nominations and for their competing visions of platform and policy. This intraparty tension has been a prominent feature of the 2016 election as […]

How Partisan Identification on the Ballot Affects Individuals’ Vote Choices

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Jennica Petersen, Rebecca Shuel, and Michael Barber, Department of Political Science Introduction Researchers agree that partisanship is the main predictor of how any given individual will vote, but previous researchers have been unable to determine to what exact quantifiable extent party labels determine individuals’ voting choices. This is because previous research has been purely observational […]

Participation and Motivation Differences Between Large and Small Donors

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Clarissa Gregory and David Magleby, Department of Political Science There have been many studies on political donors and their motivations. Particularly, the motivations of small donors in comparison to large donors have generated substantial interest. The Federal Election Commission requires donations to be disclosed only if they meet or exceed a $200 threshold. Those who […]

The Rise of the Small Super Donor & the Looming Transformation of Political Influence

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Phelps, Dustin The Rise of the Small Super Donor & the Looming Transformation of Political Influence Faculty Mentor: Jay Goodliffe, Political Science Introduction In light of ongoing controversy over Super PACS, I chose to study how small donors might offset the disproportionate influence that the wealthy have traditionally maintained in the American campaign finance system. […]