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. 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. 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. Read more
The onslaught of COVID-19 in March 2020 claimed the lives of millions and caused a global economic downturn marked by vast unemployment. Previous research has focused on how fiscal policy is utilized by advanced developed nations and their objectives with respect to fiscal policy. This paper aims to examine how a given nation’s labor market spending policies are impacted by its political-economic structure. Read more
This thesis examines the way in which various groups have used religion as a justification for violent action towards political ends. From the Irgun, which carried out terrorist acts in Palestine, to the Palestinian Islamist organization Hamas, which has waged war on Israel, to the Buddhist leadership of Myanmar, which has waged a genocidal campaign against Rohingya Muslims living in the country, these groups have employed a narrow interpretation of their religious texts as a means to justify the actions they take. Read more
This paper analyzes ethnic identity and potential reasons for conflict through a constructivist lens. Using the case study of Kashmir, I explore the past and present events in the state and the salience of ethnicity, specifically Kashmiri Muslims and Indian Hindus. Read more
This work examines the gap that exists in access to health care in the Greater Philadelphia Region for children of Latinx immigrant families in comparison to other children in the nation. It provides a critical analysis of the gap in access to coverage, noting that this exists despite wide support for a human right to health. This study draws on existing scholarly research as well as interviews with staff at two health clinics and one community outreach center that are located in Greater Philadelphia. 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.