Based on prior research, the standard degree of humeral retroversion (the rotation of the head relative to the distal articulation) has been agreed to be between 25°- 35°, and increased retroversion is potentially correlated with several factors. Madison Hubbart’s research evaluates retroversion angles among adult male and female humeri from the Windover population to test…
Research Spotlight: How Burdensome Experiences with College Financial Aid Impact Civic Participation and Trust in Government
Key Questions Bureaucratic rules that impose undue burden on citizens often result in marginalized citizens losing access to rights and benefits. In this project, we explore whether citizens have lower trust in government and civic engagement after losing access to a tuition-free college program. How do experiences of administrative burden influence beliefs about civic duty,…
Undergraduate Spotlight: Omer Turkomer from the Department of International Affairs
What is your major and why did you choose it? I am an International Affairs and Political Science major. I chose these majors because I have always been interested in the subject areas of government, history, and international relations, and as such believed these two majors would allow me to combine my personal interest with…
Graduate Student Spotlight: Matthew Smith from the Department of Political Science
What department are you a graduate student in? The Political Science Department Why did you decide to go to graduate school? I want to increase my understanding of the influences that shape the world we live in and contribute to the field of political knowledge. Did your interests change throughout your program? I entered the…
Research Quick Take: Signal received? Authoritarian elections and the salience of autocrats
Why do authoritarian leaders still hold elections? Even when there is little chance that they will actually cause a transfer of power, scholars have claimed that authoritarian regimes value elections as signals of the ruler’s strength and popularity. Cunha, Schuler, and Williamson argue that for these signals of strength to have any value, the public…
Honors Thesis Spotlight: China’s Evolving Non-Interference Policy and Expanding Role in Conflict Mediation Abroad
In 1954, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced a policy of non-interference after the “Century of Humiliation” that was inflicted on China from 1842 to 1949 by other foreign powers. This policy was proposed in the form of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence: the mutual respect for other territories, the absence of aggression,…
Research Spotlight: The Debate on Vote Buying Continues: Enter the CARES Act
Since the inception of New Deal aid programs in 1933, there has been heated political debate about whether Presidents can leverage federal assistance programs to “purchase” support from voters. The logic of the bought vote hypothesis is that those who benefit from government programs, whether it be emergency aid like FEMA payments for damaged property…
Undergraduate Spotlight: Kendall Lewis from the Department of Political Science
What is your major and why did you choose it? My major is Political Science. I got interested in politics during the election of 2020. I like listening to different opinions and different views on decisions that not only affect me but also my future children and their children. What do you want to do…
Graduate Student Spotlight: Lauren Thornberg from the Department of Urban and Regional Planning
What department are you a graduate student in? I am a student in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning. Why did you decide to go to graduate school? I have known I wanted to be an urban planner since high school, and urban planning is a field where a master’s degree is necessary. In…
Research Quick Take: When Religion Hurts: Structural Sexism and Health in Religious Congregations
Sociologists Homan and Burdette are concerned with understanding how gender inequality operates in society. Their study focuses on how structural sexism affects the health of women in religious institutions. Religious congregations are a novel way of examining sexism. They represent a meso-level in between other scales of sexism that have been studied, such as state-level…
Wicked Problems, Wicked Solutions 