Political Science

Senior Theses

Every student who graduates from Carthage with a major in Political Science must complete a Senior Thesis project. Students work on their Senior Thesis in POLS 400: Senior Seminar. Past theses have covered a broad range of topics:

2010-2011

Paul Berauer — Our Son of a Bitch: Jimmy Carter, Nicaragua, and American Foreign Policy

Timothy Blazek — Shakespeare's Political Theory of Henry the IV: "Presume Not That I Am the Thing I Was"

Matt Breuer — Machiavelli's II Principe and the Modernity of lo Stato

Randi Coughlin — United States Citizens Misconceptions of Islamic Traditions

Ellen Klahn — Eliminating Gender Inequalities in Education as a Development Initiative

Alex Kosyla — After Appomattox: The Supreme Court and its Effect on Segregation

Zachary Peters — The Effectiveness of Dedicated Drug Treatment Courts: The Likelihood of Expansion for these Revolutionary Policies

Laura Ripple — Guatemala: Transitioning After Conflict

Maria Sarantakis — A New Meaning to "Be Fruitful and Multiply": How the United States is Replacing Adam & Eve with Adam & Steve

Samantha Shackleford — United States Foreign Assistance Towards Least Developed Countries: The Shift to Liberal Policy

Thomas Stowe — Limits of Plurality Voting: How Alternative Voting Systems can more Accurately Depict Voter Preference

Jeanne Sullivan — Abraham Lincoln's Lyceum Address: An Argument for the Utilization of the People's Passions to Perpetuate the American Democracy


2009-2010

Brittany Dayton — The Patriarchal Dilemma: An In-Depth Look into Constraints on Female Representation in the United States

Thomas Gasparo — Buzzkill: Sustainable Development and its Application to Colony Collapse Disorder

Angela Harden — Female Politicians in the Media: An Analysis of Gender Bias within the 2008 Presidential Election

Carl Hoefler — Habeas Corpus’ Effect at Guantanamo Bay

Eric Jaburek — Hugo Chavez: Empowering the People or Damaging Democracy?

Andrea Jacobsen — The Environmental Issues of Today: Going Green or Green Washing?

Glenn Knuth — Bush Doctrine and the Origins of the Iraq War

Jan Rakes — Are China’s Educational Inequalities Increasing? The Effects of Government Policy on China’s Education System

Stephen Schrieber — The American Regime: A Reexamination of Locke and International Relations

Claire Zautke — Greasing the Wheels: An Analysis of United States Energy Policy and the U.S. Policymaking System


2008-2009    

Kyle J. Alberti — Plato as a Parallel to the Presidency: How Attributes of the Executive Mirror the Philosopher-King in The Republic

Jenna M. Cooper — Within Powers of the President or Without Precedent? The Expansion of Executive Authority, Post-September 11th, 2001

Tyler Creekmore — Destruction of the Great Writ: The Attenuating Role Habeas Corpus Plays in the War on Terror

Claire Gene Esker — The Dynamics of a Stateless Nation: A Comparative Analysis of Tibetan Nationalism

Jennifer Ewins — Elk Grove v. Newdow: The Constitutionality of an Unbroken Exercise of History

Hanna Gichard — The Presidential Popularity Contest: An Assessment of the Dynamic Influences on Presidential Approval Ratings

Russell Hansen — The United States’ Slide toward Alexis de Tocqueville’s Vision of Democratic Despotism

Kirsten M. Hedin — State Intervention in Genocide: Self Interests Dictate Action

Kyle King — Congressional Earmarks and Distributive Policy

Nicole A. Rakers — Paradox in Paradise: Tourism and Dependency in Barbados

Krystal Risen — Cultural Preservation or Isolationism?: Negative effects of France's Immigration Policies

Brian Schmidt — Nietzsche’s Cultural Medicine Contra the Social Contract

Aaron J. Tinjum — Limits, Decision-Making, and Sustainability: An Analysis of U.S. Energy Proposals through Environmental Perspectives

Kyle Underwood — So goes the people, So goes the Party, The Rise and Return of Libertarianism in America


2007-2008    

Amanda L. Barker — Making the Case for Public Arts Funding

Kelly Bauer — Freedom of Information: A Case Study of Political Motivations and Policy Designs in Argentina

Gordon Bothun — Pakistan: Lost in the Democratic Transition?

William Crowley — Neoconservatism and Its Influence on the War in Iraq

Sean Highsmith — Presidential Elections, the News Media, and Democracy

Frank Johnsen — The Evolution of the Law and Order Ideology And its Enforcement among Democrats and Republicans

Kristyne Keppler — Legal Guides of Policy Preferences? Evaluating How Supreme Court Justices Decide Cases

Jordan Payne — Political Attitudes or Deferment to Precedent? Obscenity and the Supreme Court

Sarah Walker — Immigrant Assimilation: A Comparison of the United States and France


2006-2007    

Carrie S. Becker — Money and Politics: An Age-Old Tradition

Melissa Bendever — The United States Government’s Reaction to Fidel Castro

Kyle S. Blair — Devolution of Power in the United Kingdom

Emily Cahoon — Sex Slavery in Southeast Asia: A Crisis Hindered by Inadequate Efforts

Kathryn Hinterlong — Welfare Reform: Promoting Marriage to Reduce Poverty

Samantha Kraimer — Free Press/ Fair Trial: How Fair Is It Actually?

Kurt Kromm — Confidential Sources, the Media, and Democratic Government

Christopher Nikkinen — National Crises and Presidential Influence

Shannon Richmond — The Media and its Effect on Political Socialization

Christopher T. Scolire — Congress, Professional Sports, and Steroids: Injecting the Government Into Private Organizations

Scott Shapiro — The Growing Group of Independent Moderate Voters and Its Implications

Magdalene V. Spanuello — The Effectiveness of Socialist Realism in Creating the Ideal Soviet State


2005-2006    

Chip Bishop — Sustainable Development and Costa Rica: Future Global Leadership from the Third World

Elise Catalanotte — Constitutional Rights to Privacy and the USA PATRIOT Act

Casen Griffiths — Free Markets and Education: Promises and Problems in Milwaukee’s Voucher Program

Greta Johnson — The Struggle to Reduce the Inequalities of Income Distribution in Chile

Betheny Johnson — An Independent Judiciary in a Democracy

Alyson Kuttruff — Reclaiming Humanitarian Assistance: A Civilian Rapid Reaction Mechanism for the European Union

Elizabeth Mitchell — Government Responsibility to Diminish Urban Poverty with a Focus on the Importance of Housing

Chris O'Neill — The USA PATRIOT Act: A Threat to Civil Liberties?

Erin Parker — Political Instability and Social Fragmentation are Found Correlated among States that Use Child Soldiers

Brian Pawlowski — Machiavellian Piety: Religion and Leadership in the Discourses

Kimberly Poff — The Justification for the International Criminal Court

Amber Tiemann — Nuclear Proliferation and United States Policy Towards North Korea

Jason Zapf — The United States and Regime Change: A Case Study of Guatemala


2004-2005    

Lyndsay Boyd — United States Government and Non-Government Funding for HIV and AIDS in Kenya

William Del Marto — A Study of the USA Patriot Act: Empowering Law Enforcement vs. Protecting Civil Liberties

Matthew Dubowski — Roll Call Vote Margins and Party Conformity

Sean Duffy — Does the U.S. have the Responsibility to Intervene?

Angela Froberg — Prayer in Public Schools: Establishment v. Free Exercise

Karen Gottfredsen — Thomas Jefferson and Religious Freedom

Christine Hugon — An Exploration of Richard J. Daley and his Involvement Within the Chicago Political Machine

Aaron Krager — An Overview of Recycling Programs With a Focus on Recycling Possibilities For Carthage College

Rex Nauman — The Roe v. Wade Supreme Court Case and President George W. Bush

Victoria Nguyen — Environmental Regulation: the Battle to Reduce Mercury

Kimberly Phillips — National Missile Defense: A Necessity or Wasted Effort?

Dime' Russell — Women's Rights and the Gender Gap

Jonathon Strauss — Cruising Out of Control? International Regulation and Monitoring of the Cruise Travel Industry in Regard to Environmental Pollution

Luke Zammit — Media as an Agent of Corporate Power


2003-2004    

Rocio Herrera — Censorship and Propaganda in the Soviet Union

Mary Miller — The Social Responsibility of 18-24 Year Olds: A Study of the Relationship of Community Service and Voting

Heather Menke — InnerChange Freedom Initiative Program

Alyson Paulson — Judicial Activism and Public Opinion


2002-2003    

Thomas Bez — The 1992 Presidential Election and the Effects of the Media

Peggy Buehler —Women and Politics Norway, The United States, and Japan

Damian Dambra — Why Are They Called Controlled Substances?

Jonathan FioRito — A Comparative Study: The Triple Transitions of Estonia and Lithuania

Timothy Grailer — Attributes of Chinese Religious Persecution and the Future of the Falun Gong: A Case Study of the White Lotus Teachings and Falun Gong

Andrew James Kressin — Pre-emptive Counter-terrorism: The United States, Just War and the Yemen Incident

Peter Lenos — Of National Security: An Examination of Organization and Political Factors Contributing to our Liability to Prevent Terrorist Attacks

Jeff Rasch — Is Hate Speech Free Speech?

Erica Williams — Democracy in India

Nick Williams — Quality of Life in Milwaukee Suburbs

 

2001-2002     

James I. Bernicky — The Lack of Gun Education Programs: Why have they taken so long to implement?

Eric Carlson — The Right to Bear Arms

Stephen Clubb — The Conflict Between Sovereignty and Integration

Paul Eiting — Democratization in Postconflict States: Impact of Consociational Elements in Kenya

Steven Fink — Welfare Reform Should Be Reformed

Jens Galla — Federal Funding for Higher Education As Policy Reaction in Times of Crisis

Thomas Justice Jr. — Small Arms and Conflict States, A Lethal Combination

Adam McBrady — United States' Nuclear Security: Assessing the Changes that Have Been, and Should Be Made

Jenelle Montague — Children and Television Violence

Joshua Snell — Advocating Euthanasia

Theresa Smiley — Female Circumcision and the Application of Universalism and Cultural Relativism

Heather Taylor — Wisconsin Works: A Success


2000-2001    

David Ahlvers — Just War Theory

Ryan Joseph Banta — Russia's Triple Transition

Jamie Eck — Corporal Punishment: An American Tradition?

James F. Garner — The International Political System: Bipolar Vs. Multi-polar

Brian O'Connell — Capitalism in Cuba: Socialism or Death?

Melissa Poppenger — The Death Penalty: Do Social Characteristics Play a Role?

Al Spiegel — Campaign Evolution


1999-2000    

Chris Gochis — Preventing the Reoccurrence of Intrastate Conflict

Phillip Oliver — Jury Selection: Myths and Methods

Phillip Oliver — The Perception of Mental Illness and How it Affects Mock Juror's Acquittal Rate in Insanity Defense Cases

Michelle Rayburn — Gun Control

Kelly Sexton — The Politics of Public Policy: Effects of Socioeconomic Conditions on Welfare Public Policy


1998-1999    

Richard Charles Kriofsky — The GI Bill: From a Public Policy Perspective

James Prevost — Leadership and Hussein's Maintenance of Power

Amy Van Rooy — Gun Control

Angela Serio — An Indepth Look Into a Civil War Crisis

David J. Turek — Do We Share More Than Hockey and Celine Dion: An Investigation of Binational Environmental Regimes between the United States and Canada


1997-1998    

Cara Bowman — Thomas Hobbes, Immanuel Kant, and Hedley Bull and International Relations Theory: What were their perspectives and how do they fit in today's world?

Coreen Held — The Christian Coalition

Ryan Landry — Gangs in Prison

April Lamb — Gender Gap: Women and Men in Public Office

Diana M. Wells — Why Do People Vote The Way They Do?

Anne Wilson — Biomaterials and the Policy Process: A Comprehensive Study

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Student Voices

"Political science is a great major that offers a lot of freedom to study what interests you," says Brittany Dayton, '10. "In class, the professors will always encourage you to speak your mind and voice your opinions, so be prepared to talk." Read more.