Research and Projects

All political science majors complete an original thesis, which they present and defend during their senior year.

In the spring of their junior year, majors take Seminar on Research and Methodology, an intensive course in which they learn how to research, organize, document, write, and orally present and defend a major piece of original work. Students choose topics according to their unique interests and potential career goals.

In their senior year, students apply these skills to a more extensive and professional senior thesis, with individual mentoring provided by a professor whose expertise aligns with their chosen topic. These experiences provide students with valuable professional skills that serve them well after graduation.

Recent thesis topics include:

• “The Iron Lady and ‘Mr. Scargill’s Insurrection’: The Exceptional Leadership Qualities of Margaret Thatcher In Breaking the 1984-1985 Coal Miner’s Strike”
• “Solving an Economic Issue or a Social Issue in U.S. v. Morrison?: Congress’s Ongoing Abuse of the Commerce Clause”
• “Zelman v. Simmons-Harris: The Supreme Court’s Correct Ruling and Evaluation of the Establishment Clause”
• “The Debate over Confederate Statues: The Middle Ground Between Heritage and Hate”
• “Monumental Power: Presidential Overreach of the Antiquities Act”
• “French Protests of May 1968: Student Political Activism for a New Generation”
• “The War of Words: Modern Technological Propaganda as a Weapon of Authoritarian Regimes”
• “The Case of Ex Parte Merryman: How the Higher Understanding of Law Was Used to Protect the Constitution and the Unity of America”
• “The Public and Political First Lady: Eleanor Roosevelt’s Surpassing of the Traditional Role of the President’s Wife”