The Political Science Independent Research Showcase Archive features an online gallery of the research, scholarship and creative activity of TCNJ Political Science students. The Showcase highlights significant work that results from deep engagement in the scholarly or creative process. Students present work that they have already prepared or presented for another purpose such as Independent Research, a Capstone course, a conference presentation, or some other outstanding scholarly/creative experience. In many cases, this will be work done in collaboration with a faculty mentor, but the student is the primary author and presenter of the work at the Showcase.
December 2023 Showcase
Congratulations to the Political Science and International Studies students who presented their projects & research, showcasing a semester of hard work.
2023 Political Science Independent Research Showcase Schedule
| Title | Presenter | Faculty Sponsor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SESSION ONE | |||
| 11:00 am - 12:00 pm SSB 228 |
Participation, Public Opinion, and Policy | ||
| An Analysis on the Sequence of Civics Education In K-12 | Zaniah Anderson | Dr. Dan Bowen | |
| Addressing the opioid crisis: how previous drug legislation impacts public opinion | Amanda Bilek | Dr. Dan Bowen | |
| Candidate Stances on Election Denialism: A Study of the 2022 Midterm House Elections | Frank Davis | Dr. Dan Bowen | |
| POSTER SESSION | |||
| 11:30 am - 12:30 pm second floor hallway across from classrooms |
|||
| The Combining Effects of Political and Religious Elites on Christians | Tyler Bossone | Dr. Dan Bowen | |
| The Long-Term Contributions of Public Education Towards Building an Informed Electorate | JP Egan | Dr. Dan Bowen | |
| Distrust and Abortion: The Effect of Abortion on Perceived Supreme Court Legitimacy | Arjana Goroveci | Dr. Dan Bowen | |
| Flooded with Fears: Understanding Natural Disasters' Impact on Public Opinion Towards Environmental Policy | Jenny Marcinkowski | Dr. Dan Bowen | |
| SESSION TWO | |||
| 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm SSB 226 |
US Foreign Policy in the Asia-Pacific | ||
| Public Opinion: A Role in U.S.-China Relations? | Andrew Bellows | Dr. Hyun-Binn Cho | |
| U.S. Alliances in an Uncertain Asia-Pacific | Shania Rivas | Dr. Hyun-Binn Cho | |
| American Prestige: The Fear of Losing Number One | Adam Rodriguez-Hernandez | Dr. Hyun-Binn Cho | |
| Chinese Leadership, Nationalism, and Taiwan | Nikhil Jonsson | Dr. Hyun-Binn Cho | |
| U.S. Pre-emption Feasibility in East Asia | Ton’Yea Mason | Dr. Hyun-Binn Cho | |
| 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm SSB 228 |
Vote Choice in Contemporary American Elections | ||
| Towing the Party Line: The Influence of Party Loyalty on Voter Choice in Primary Elections | Madeline Breeze | Dr. Dan Bowen | |
| Candidate Stances on Election Denialism: A Study of the 2022 Midterm House Elections | Frank Davis | Dr. Dan Bowen | |
| The Impact of Presidential Aid Response to Disasters on Voting Behavior | Ana Sofia Kyros | Dr. Dan Bowen | |
| Distrust and Populism in the 2016 Primaries | Alexander Xenakis | Dr. Dan Bowen | |
| SESSION THREE | |||
| 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm SSB 228 |
International Migration and the Politics of Displacement | ||
| The Impact of Male Out-Migration in the Sahel on Women in their Communities: A Scholarly Review | Phoebe Abeles | Dr. Miriam Lowi | |
| An Analysis of Temporary Protected Status: A Comparison of El Salvador and Colombia | Julieta Altman | Dr. Miriam Lowi | |
| Refugees as a Tool: The Global Refugee Crisis and Exploring Integration Dynamics in Germany and Turkey | Yuliia Sul | Dr. Miriam Lowi | |
| Abandoning the Lost Youth: The Failed Reception of Migrant Youth in Italy and Greece | Maura Foley | Dr. Miriam Lowi | |
| 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm SSB 226 |
Security and the Asia-Pacific | ||
| Perpetual Competitive Relationships: Examining the Importance of Small-Scale Conflicts | Julia Larko | Dr. Hyun-Binn Cho | |
| What can a Superpower do to Hinder the Rise of a Rising Power? | Joey DeLauretis | Dr. Hyun-Binn Cho | |
| Will Your Country be Attacked Tomorrow? | Emma Kuper | Dr. Hyun-Binn Cho | |
| Factors to Integrating Cyber Command | Ryan Stromberg | Dr. Hyun-Binn Cho | |
| Japan is Destined to Remain a "Middle Power Country" | Jonaishia Freeman | Dr. Hyun-Binn Cho | |
| SESSION FOUR | |||
| 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm SSB 226 |
China’s Foreign Policy | ||
| Imperialist Tools: Understanding China’s Perspective on International Institutions and their Role in Fostering Aggression | Rohan Jonsson | Dr. Hyun-Binn Cho | |
| Is U.S. Hegemony Perpetuated by Nuclear Weapons? An Analysis of the U.S. Hegemonic Position in the Asia-Pacific | Madison Poulas | Dr. Hyun-Binn Cho | |
| Behind the Great Firewall: The Prominent Linkages of Authoritarian Regimes’ Assertiveness and Censorship Practices | Blake Gommoll | Dr. Hyun-Binn Cho | |
| China and the Soviet Union’s Divergent Paths | Alexa Willbergh | Dr. Hyun-Binn Cho | |
| China is Running Out of Time | Jake Spiller | Dr. Hyun-Binn Cho |
December 2022 Showcase
The Department of Political Science hosted the 2022 Political Science Independent Research Showcase (PIRS) on December 7 2022. Congratulations to all the talented students. some of whom are shown here, who participated and presented their projects & research, showcasing a semester of hard work.
2022 Political Science Independent Research Showcase Schedule
| Title | Presenter | Faculty Sponsor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SESSION ONE | |||
| 12:00pm - 1:00pm SSB 227 |
Global Perspectives on Political Regimes and Social Movements | ||
| How Regime Type affects State Perceptions | Christopher Rosati | Dr. Hyun-Binn Cho | |
| Term Limits and Autocratic States | Tre Scott | Dr. Hyun-Binn Cho | |
| Contested Languages: Intersection of Linguistic Social Movements and Secession in Catalonia and The Basque Country | Nancy Bowne | Dr. Nicholas Toloudis | |
| Colonized Culture: A Study of Anti-Colonial Movements | Courtney Strauch | Dr. Nicholas Toloudis | |
| SESSION TWO | |||
| 1:15pm - 2:15pm SSB 227 |
Consequences of U.S. Federalism | ||
| Republican Reactions to the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid Extensions | Alexander Xenakis | Dr. Adam McMahon | |
| The Children That Were Left Behind: Understanding Federalism’s Role in the Passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act | Jenny Marcinkowski | Dr. Adam McMahon | |
| How Federalism Hurt the Judiciary: Barriers in Desegregation | Zaniah Anderson | Dr. Adam McMahon | |
| 1:15pm - 2:15pm SSB 228 |
War and National Security | ||
| Ideology & War | Aamoré Richards | Dr. Hyun-Binn Cho | |
| How have the challenges of intelligence acquisition improved since 9/11? | Tyler Boyd | Dr. Hyun-Binn Cho | |
| Escalation: What's the Cause? | Tyler Swartz | Dr. Hyun-Binn Cho | |
| Bureaucratic Politics and Sprinting Strategies: United States and Nuclear Proliferation | Kelly Capraun | Dr. Hyun-Binn Cho | |
| SESSION THREE | |||
| 2:30 - 3:30pm SSB 227 |
Identity, Culture, and Politics in the U.S. | ||
| African American and US History According to K-12 Textbooks | Jenna Azeez | Dr. Max Burkey | |
| Respectability as Cultural Racism: Hip-Hop and White Reaction in the 1990s | Anushka Vishahan | Dr. Max Burkey | |
| Policy Recommendations for Island Beach as a Coastal Gateway Community | David Roberts | Dr. Dan Bowen | |
| Performance Artists in the Queer Rights Movements of US and UK | Henry Nolan | Dr. Nicholas Toloudis | |
| 2:30 - 3:30pm SSB 228 or SSB second floor hallway |
Poster Session | ||
| Measuring Legislative Session Length | Dylan Chidick, Frank Davis and Tre Scott | Dr. Dan Bowen | |
| Disruption or Facilitation: The Effects of Administrative Decentralization on Social Movement Repertoires | Christopher Sotiro | Dr. Nicholas Toloudis | |
| Chemical Industrial Air Pollution in Philadelphia | Lex Steigelman | Dr. Brian Potter | |
| Legislative Professionalism and Descriptive Representation | Yuliia Sul, Yarden Mach, Aamore Richards | Dr. Dan Bowen | |
| Why Do Americans Dislike Professional Legislators? | Amanda Bilek and Justin Drayton | Dr. Dan Bowen |
May 6, 2020 Showcase
POL 498: Social Movements & the Politics of Protest with Dr. Chartock
Emily Caporoso
Brexit: A Case Study between the UK and France
Daytwan Coates-Hall
How did the Brexit vote come to be and why hasn’t a similar vote occurred in other EU member states?
Patricia Kou
Political Opportunity and Grievances: Differing Outcomes of Apartheid’s Sharpeville Massacre and Soweto Youth Uprising
Catriona Leary
Sanctuary Cities: Why Do They Exist? Exploring the Root Cause of the Declaration of Sanctuary Cities
Sean R. Wehner
Vaccination and Failed Legislation: Non-Medical Vaccination Exemptions in New Jersey & California
POL 390-01: Political Parties & Party Systems with Dr. Toloudis
Isabel Anthony
The United States and Hungary: How Populist Leaders are Elected
Alanna Namit
Populism in Competitive Authoritarian Regimes
Alexandra Shapiro
Election Turnout in Switzerland
Jada Grisson
How Racial Regimes Complicate Strategies of Political Management within Mono-Party Systems
POL 390-02: American State Politics with Dr. Bowen
Alexandra Fountaine
Understanding Welfare Policy and Incarceration: An Intersectional Approach
Casey Lishko
Disasters and Climate: Do Natural Hazards Inform Enduring Beliefs About Global Warming?
Jayson Morelli
The Effects of Mayoral Salaries on the Performance of Municipalities
Sean Simmers
Descriptive Representation and State Legislative Professionalism
Kiana Stockwell
Causes & Consequences of Polling Place Closures post-Shelby v. Holder
Michael Trerotola
LGBT Representation: Descriptive Representation in State Legislatures
POL 395: Supervised Group Research in Data Science and State Politics with Dr. Garlick
Catriona Leary, Kiana Stockwell and Alex Garlick
State Legislative Rules Shape Bill Advancement and Passage Rates
Emma Becker, Juan Carlos Belmonte, Anthony Cortazzo, Anthony Saginario, James Wright and Alex Garlick
The Effect of Partisan Alignment on Interest Group Agenda Setting
December 2020 Showcase
POL 498: Senior Seminar in Political Communication with Prof. Garlick
Watch the PIRS Showcase Panel, presented on December 2, 2020, as well as additional student presentations, below.
Professor Alex Garlick
Introduction and Overview: Professor Alex Garlick discusses the capstone projects from POL 498: Senior Seminar in Political Communication to be presented at PIRS and that are still in progress. This course was remote-only, but the students still pursued interesting research questions on contemporary issues including the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 presidential election, climate change, mass shootings, Russian disinformation campaigns and more. We hope you enjoy this innovative and rigorous work.
PIRS Showcase Panel
featuring:
Madeline Davies: “The Widening of Partisan Polarization: A Catalyzer of Diverging Climate Change Media”
Alanna Namit: “Athletes and Politics: A Study of Black Lives Matter and Athletic Activism”
Dylan Teixiera: “The Effectiveness of Social Media in Social Distance Messaging”
Kelsey Ballard
Gender, Ideology and Electability: Newspaper Coverage of the 2020 Democratic Primary
Jayson Morelli
News Consumption Trends in Response to the COVID-19 Outbreak
Joshua Oh
Social Media’s Impact on Political Opinion of Presidential Policy
Vincenzo Spanola
Young Americans Political Involvement: Evidence from Mass Shootings
Deisha Inniss
Mobilization of Black Movements through Interest Groups and the Media
Emily Evers
The 2016 Russian Internet Research Agency Twitter Disinformation Campaign and its Impact on American Newspapers