These are the final copies of our students’ senior theses in political science at BSU. Every political science major completes a thesis.
Seniors present their theses to the class and the BSU community, and we post them here for posterity and for others to review.
2024 Thesis
- Brady Crosby – Do Unions and Collective Bargaining Impact Economic Inequality in OECD Nations?
- Victoria Floden – Juvenile Diversion Programs in Minnesota Counties and their Effect on Arrest Rates
- Edie Frantzen – Analyzing Racial and Structural Disparities in U.S. Maternity Leave Policies
- Isabella Gallardo – Analyzing the Intersectionality of Race and Socioeconomics in Foster Care and Child Welfare
2023 Theses
Political Science
- Morgan Bausman – Judicial Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: How Do Diverse Judges Affect Sentencing Guidelines in the State of Minnesota
- Madison Fulton – The Effects of Medical Malpractice Laws in the American States on Healthcare Expenditures
- Emma Gottschalk – Public Opinion and Support on Physician Assisted Suicide
- Icarus LaDuke-Lott – The Questionable Death of Jim Crow
- Cullen Livingston – The Cruel Case of Wrongful Convictions
- Jacob Matise – Does Money Matter in House Elections?
- Elise Monson – Can Renewable Portfolio Standards Explain the U.S. States’ Advancement of Wind Energy?
- Mya Schmeling – Assessing Environmental Justice in Minnesota: Do Native Americans Face Disproportionate Risks?
- Angelee Smith – Upholding Democracy: Black Voter Mobilization and its Impact on Political Participation and Representation
- Madison Weyker – Jury Representation: Are Minnesota Counties Ensuring a Jury of Your Peers?
Social Studies
- Zachary Schueller – How Has the Covid-19 Pandemic Transformed the Relevance of the Traditional College Experience?
2022 Theses
Political Science
- Jacob Berg- Do voter ID requirements impact voter turnout in Minnesota and Wisconsin?
- Jackson Galstad- Patriotism, Polarization and War: The Consequences of Divergent Meanings of Patriotism in Russia and the United States.
- Maggie Lowrey- How do Intersectionality and Women in State Legislatures Impact Bill Success?
- Megan Majewski- Has there been another “Ferguson Effect”?
- Angel Stevens- Tribal Identity and The Rise of the American Indian/Alaskan Native Population
Social Studies
- Stephanie Carlson- Factors Influencing the Credibility and Believability of Victims of Sexual Assault
- Colton Casselman- The Future of Family-Operated-Resort-Destinations
- Emma Petermeir- Putting Around the Issue: How Gender Issues are Pushing Women Away from Golf
- Lauren Werner- The Surge of Unaccompanied Minors at the U.S.-Mexico Border
2021 Theses
Political Science
- Jacob Carnevale – Chinese Investment Motives and Strategies in Africa
- Jason Kolb – Effectiveness of COVID Policy across the American States
- Ashley Martin – Emotions and Political Participation among Women in the United States
- Kenneth Morris – Degrees of Trust and Use of Social Media in Politics
- Benjamin O’Brien – Exploring the Dynamics of the Changing Catholic Partisan Identification
- Allyna Storms – Just War Theory and the War on Terror
Social Studies
- Timothy Biocic – Polarization in Politics: Elite or Grassroots?
- Nicholas Edwards – Containerization and the Future of the Saint Lawrence Seaway
2020 Theses
Political Science
- Matt Sauser- Labor union members’ stance on major social issues in the 2016 general election.
- KayLynne Lyons – A Political Effect on Judicial Decision Making. Does Ideology or Election Effect the Way Judges Decide?
- Jonathan McNicholes – Examination of Online Voter Registration Within Non-Profit Organizations Post 1993
- Kaydin Schmitt – Juvenile Diversion Programs: Comparing Minnesota County Characteristics to Determine Their Role in Pre-Trial Diversion Programs
- Autumn Fosteson – How Factors of State Supreme Court Retention affect Votes to Overturn Precedent
- Kellyn Webster – To What Extent Did Title IX Create Equality Within Athletics: Analyzing Female Athletic Participation in High School Institutions
- Dylan Hruska – European Citizens Attitudes Towards the European Union and Integration, and the Question of Sovereignty
- Colby King – Are Police Actions Towards African Americans Different from Other Races?
- Samantha Frenz – Change in Partisan Ideology Among University Students
Social Studies
Ben Abrahamson – How Socialism Failed Venezuela
2019 Theses
Political Science
- Connor Brown – Electoral Competitiveness and Social Media Strategies: Who Goes Negative When and Why?
- Marliana Yerbich – Does Anyone Trust the Government Anymore? Or Does it Depend on Who You Ask and When You Ask Them?
- William (Mike) McNeely – Does Students United really help state funding for higher education: Analyzing the Strength of State Student Associations Effect on State Higher Education Funding in the U.S. (2013-2018)
- Jacob Israel – For-Profit Prisons: How Lobbying Has Affected the Way America Houses Prisoners
- Chantell Bergquist – Virtual Hearings and Blockchain Technology Solutions in Criminal Law
2018 Theses
Political Science
- Opalina Peralta – How do Native American Candidates Win Elections in Non-Native Districts?
- Richard Furlong – Analyzing the Differentiation Among State Medical Marijuana Policies by Examining Lobbying Efforts and State Policy Trends
- Joshua Pavek – Tweets from the Bully Pulpit: President Trump’s Twitter Habits and Popularity
- Galen Hlavsa – Analyzing Union Voting by Workforce Sector in the 2016 Election
- Hailee Saxton – Examining the Strategies of Formation and Action Among Social Movements: A Comparison of the Civil Rights Movement and Black Lives Matter.
- Ami Jo Wadena – Beyond the Movement: State Action in Addressing Campus Sexual Violence
Social Studies
Jocelyn Anderson – Evaluating Theories of Income Polarization in the United States
2017 Theses
Political Science
- Cameron Shepard – Spoilers and Signatures: Ballot Access and Third Party Performance
- Evan Tompkins – The Supreme Court’s Counter-majoritarianism? What Impact Does Public Opinion Have On Supreme Court Decisions?
- Jake Wheeler – Analyzing the Role of Income Inequality in American Political Polarization
- Kyle Priest – Churchill’s Argument Against Democracy: The Average Voter. Information Levels and News Sources among Americans
- Kyle Johnson – Beyond Pluralism and Elitism: How Much Influence do Special Interests Have on the Content of Congressional Legislation?
- Carl Karpinski – American Immigration: Differing Views of the Threat from Immigrants
- Michael Herbert – The New Evangelicals: How Donald Trump Revealed the Changing Christian Conservative Base in the 2016 Republican Presidential Primary
- Kyla Henderson – Capture Theory and State Regulation of Animal Cruelty
- Anas Alqaed – Explaining the Rise of ISIS
2016 Theses
Political Science
- Tyler Cate – Social Media and Political Engagement: Environmental Organizations, Social Media and Political Engagement
- Todd Brandon – Examining American Attitudes on the Use of Military Drones
- Sean Murphy – The Bannock Street Project: The Failed Project of the Midterm Election by Sean Murphy
- Andrew Kryshak – Chinese Housing Registration (Hukou): Bridge or Wall
- Jessica Dulz – Race and Gender and the Perception of Masculinity and Femininity of the American Political Parties
- Clarissa Caola – Humanitarian Intervention: Determining the Effectiveness of Outsourcing Humanitarian Intervention during Humanitarian Crises
- Connor O’Malley – The Cyber Industrial Complex
2015 Theses
Political Science
- Erica Trabing – State-to-State Child Adoption Variations: A Political Culture Perspective
- Matthew Blake – The Snowden Effect: The Conflict in a Free Society, Who Values Privacy versus Who Values Security?
- Justin Rostad – American Conservatism: The Evolving Role of Social Issues in American Politics
- Alex Berge – Global Hegemon: Chinese Foreign Policy Shifts and Elevated UNPKO Involvement
- Laura Langer – Strengthening Democracy Youth Political Knowledge and Engagement
Social Studies
Matt Phipps – The Cold War: Over, Renewed or Never Ended
2014 Theses
Political Science
- The Relationship between Media Consumption and Public Opinion, Using the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as a Case Study — Taylor Burdick
- Economic Voting, Sociotropic vs. Checkbook: Cases from Greece and Germany — Matthew Coen-Tuff
- The Political History of Sugarcane-based Ethanol in Brazil Joshua Gagner
- Juvenile Diversion Programs:High-Risk Youth — Chelsey Warner
Social Studies
- The War Powers Resolution of 1973 and its Relevance in the “War on Terror” — Samuel Day
- Challenges and Opportunity of Online Learning In Developing Countries with Specific Focus on Liberia — Andrew Paygar
2013 Theses
- An Analysis on the Effects of Voter ID Laws and Minnesota’s Decision to Vote Against It — Amy Asell
- Latino Party ID: Inherited or Learned? — Dylan Davison
- Sex Trafficking: The influence of cultures, socio-economic structures and law & order on sex trade in Asia — Saanya Dua
- Women Ruling the Bench: Steps to Achieving Gender Parity on State Courts — Cheyenne Horien
- Explaining Political Activeness and Attitudes toward Unionization among Nurses in the United States. — Crystal Lesmeister
- Cracking the Tax Codes: How State Tax Laws Influence the Number of Manufacturing Jobs within Their Borders — Nick Lorenson
- North Dakota’s Oil Boom and its Effect on North Dakota Politics — Nick Nelson
- Hunting for Huntington’s Evidence: An Empirical Reassessment of The Clash of Civilizations Theory — John Shindelar
2012 Theses
- The Effects of Political Institutions on Public Budgeting – Andrew Burnos
- The Politics of H-1B Visa Limits – Fang Fang
- A Congress of the Tea Party: Measuring the Effect of the Tea Party on Congressional Voting and Conservative Positions within the 112th Congress. – Joseph Henry
- Is Facebook Changing the Face of Voting? How the Internet and Social Networking Sites Affected Youth Voting Behaviors in the 2008 Election. – Aleesha Larsen
- A Comparative Analysis of the Transitional Effect of Democratic Regime Change on Human Rights Development – Alana McElhinney
- The Regulation of Online Gaming Across Jurisdictions: Success, Standards and Stability. – Peter Nelson
- The Effect of Tribal Governments on Reservation Poverty Rates – Heather Raisch
- IMF: Predatory Lender or Latin America’s Best Chance? – Paul Smith
- Unemployed Veterans During a Recession: Factors Affecting the Completion Rate of the Veterans Rehabilitation and Employment Program – Christopher Witt
- HIV/AIDS in the Islamic Countries – Kaoru Yamaguchi
2011 Theses
- Luke Welle – Success of Welfare Reform Policies
- Samantha Stinedurf – Gender and Voting
- Dan Cotter – Public Opinion and Health Care
- Nambee Ragavan – Foreign Policy and Student Exchange
- Geoffrey McIver – Patterns of Nonvoting
- Melissa Arneson – FGM in Africa
- Elizabeth Hoene – Asian American Political Participation
- Dave Hitchcock – Stadium Financing Politics
- Casey Dainsberg – State Tax Policies
- Melissa Dahl – Green Energy in the OECD
- Jacob Converse – Developing World Sustainability
- Jennifer Boucher – Rebuilding New Orleans
2010 Theses
- Travis Roline and the Effect of Elections on Distributive Politics
- Erin Sollund – Welfare Reform
- Jessica Santala – Female Suicide Bombers
- Kelsea Klein Thesis on Financial Aid Types
- Jeff Knapp on Iraqi Nationalism and Sectarianism
- Chad Hedman’s Thesis on Asset Forfeiture
- Trevor Grunwald Thesis – Third Party Politics
- James Foster Thesis on Economics and Voter Attitudes
- Jennifer Baker, Juvenile Delinquency Variations
- Heather Avenson and The Daily Show
- Tom Sorenson thesis on Indian Gaming
2009 Theses
- Aly Gunstrom, The Politics of the Olympic Site Selection Process
- Patrick Bright 2009 Thesis on Japanese Rearmament
- Erik White 2009 Thesis on SCHIP
- Nicole Kvidera 2009 thesis on school vouchers
- Amber Neumann 2009 thesis on NEPA participation politics
- Selena Krueth 2009 thesis on county/state mandate relationships