Politics & International Relations majors often engage in original research, with faculty members serving as mentors for student-initiated research projects. Opportunities for original research include independent study during a semester, participation in the Summer Fellows Program, and honors research. Honors thesis topics recently completed by Politics and International Relations majors have included:
Why is it that different governments in the OECD support sustainable energy at different rates? In the effort to explain this difference, Feed-in-Tariffs (FITs) will be closely examined to see if it can explain the significant portion of the variation among countries. This project serves as a continuation of previous scholars’ works, to better understand the variation between countries in adopting renewable energy, even though all members of the OECD have pledged that by 2030 half of their energy will come from sustainable energy. Whereas previous research considered data ending in 2012 and looked at countries outside of the OECD, this project examines changes in FITs and renewable energy among only OECD countries from 2000 to 2020, examining recent changes toward more sustainable energy policies. Honors thesis by Joshua Grahame, read more.
Since women make competitive candidates, what explains the fact that fewer women run for political office? This paper analyzes women’s emergence as candidates and finds that expectations of gender discrimination, women’s tendency to underestimate their own abilities, a lack of encouragement and role models, and greater party support and funding for male candidates have discouraged many women from running for political office. Interviews with women who have actually run for office reveal that they were motivated by a powerful sense of personal responsibility, whether as a reflection of deep values that they feel responsible to uphold, due to relationally embedded responsibilities toward their families and communities, or out of a sense of anger and urgency triggered by specific events. Honors thesis by Abigail Peabody, read more.
Research has found that women in politics are important for representation and women’s rights, but can women’s increasing involvement in politics also stabilize fragile democracies? This research analyzes the relationship between women in politics and democratic consolidation, asking whether and how women help consolidate democracies and prevent the erosion of democratic institutions. I show initial quantitative evidence suggesting that under some conditions, women in politics reduce the probability of democratic erosion. In the main part of the project, using a case study of the Dominican Republic, I take a closer look at the work women have done for a newly established democracy. First, I will discuss the impact the Mirabal Sisters had at toppling the autocratic ruler Rafael Leonidas Trujillo. Secondly, I discuss the role of female activists in making democracy effective in the Dominican Republic. Lastly, I report results from three in-depth interviews with women with ties to the Dominican Republic and their perception of women’s role in securing and maintaining democracy. The project lends additional relevance to the study of women in politics. Honors thesis by Emelyn Rodriguez, read more.
Other theses in the past included:
“The Democratization Process in Chile and Its Global Implications”
“Radical vs. Rational: Examining Western Media Portrayal of Islamist Terror”
“Immigration in the Thought of America’s Founders and Its Implications Today”
“A Critical Analysis of France’s Role in the Arab Spring”
“Spheres of Development: Factors Behind the Successful Development of the Asian Tigers and the Unsuccessful Development of Africa”
“An Investigation of the Evolution of Political Feminism in Argentina, 1930s - Present”
“Rape in Islam: How Misinterpretations of the Qur’an, Sunnahs, and Ahadith Enabled a Perpetuation of Rape Culture”
Students regularly present their work at research conferences. Majors also edit and publish their own research in the department’s Journal of Politics and International Relations.