Matching Items (20)
Description
Voting in presidential primaries, compared to general elections, provides a challenging task for voters given the lack of party cues, the similarity of the candidates' policy positions, and the relatively low information levels. As trustworthy sources of local information, local news media in presidential primaries have a profound potential to shape voters' evaluations of candidates. I argue that the proximity of local news, its local nature, makes it a trusted and influential source of candidate information, moderated by candidates' prominence. Furthermore, variation in local news across states as a result of differences in standards of newsworthiness and organizational resources helps clarify the distinct role that local news plays in voter opinion of presidential primary candidates. Relying on an original content analysis of news coverage in 11 battleground and early primary states, and utilizing an extensive panel survey of 5,301 respondents over the course of the 2008 primary campaign, I am able to match primary voters with their local news content. I examine the influence of the quantity and tone of local news coverage on voters' evaluations of presidential candidates over the course of the primary season. The findings suggest that local news outlets provide voters with vastly different amounts and types of campaign news. I find that the amount of local news coverage influences people's willingness to evaluate presidential candidates. In addition, evaluations of low tier presidential candidates are significantly influenced by the tone of local news coverage, even after controlling for voters' ideological predispositions and local candidate activities. These findings suggest that local news coverage has a powerful effect on voters' evaluations of low tier candidates in particular, consistently shaping voters' recognition and evaluations of these candidates. The availability and bias of candidate information in presidential primaries may ultimately impact electoral outcomes in both nominating contests and general elections.
ContributorsCarle, Jill (Author) / Fridkin, Kim (Thesis advisor) / Kenney, Patrick (Committee member) / Espino, Rodolfo (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
The shift in the cultural makeup of the U.S. population has peaked general curiosity on how growing minorities are going to influence society in the future. The Latino community is perhaps the most prevailing among these groups; however, the voter turnout of this community had remained at constant rate for the previous elections. This research project examined to what extent Hispanic/Latino voter turnout and voting behavior in Arizona's Elections has been influenced by efforts of grassroots campaigns . The hypothesis is that if social campaigns are effective IN raising awareness and reaching out to the Latino community, then the voters will be more likely to cast their vote. Today, diversity is expected, and it is a given that all groups should be represented. However, despite the long way minority groups have come in U.S. politics, there is still a long road ahead to achieve the goal of having more minorities in positions of influence to impact policies and society as a whole.
ContributorsGutierrez, Mayra Alejandra (Author) / Espino, Rodolfo (Thesis director) / Woodall, Gina (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
This thesis aims to enhance the academic conception of American anti-Semitism by analyzing the rhetorical visions of two distinctly American theologies: Christian Identity and Black Israelism. Using a theoretical framework that couches the rhetoric of both religious movements within their respective historical contexts, I seek to understand the persuasive appeals of the alternative histories that lead both movements to conclude that their racial group is descended from the ancient Israelites--a status both movements claim has been "usurped" by contemporary Jews. After contextualizing their rhetoric, I juxtapose the rhetorical vision of Christian Identity with that of Black Israelism, concluding that the former can be understood as a movement and narrative premised on racial hubris whose paranoid rhetoric makes meaningful contributions to the climate of anti-Semitism, while the latter constitutes a movement and narrative premised on historically-legitimated suspicion whose paranoid rhetoric, though invidious, does not constitute a comparable threat.
ContributorsRuben, Brian (Author) / Walker, Michael (Thesis director) / Mueller, Caroll (Committee member) / School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
In order to better understand how the national legislative body works, this research examines the factors that influence the level of productivity in the U.S. Congress. By mapping these characteristics into the classical framework of an economic production function, this model serves to produce a more transparent image of the aspects of Members of Congress that are desirable to form a productive legislative body.
ContributorsMcKenna, Ryan Michael (Author) / Roberts, Nancy (Thesis director) / Kuminoff, Nicolai (Committee member) / Espino, Rodolfo (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
Abstract Kicking the Habit: Reforming Mandatory Minimums for Drug Crimes Ashley Allen While mandatory minimum sentences apply to all drugs, in this paper, I primarily discuss them for marijuana, cocaine, and opiates since these drugs are the most commonly used. My paper will include an exploration of the reasons behind the implementation of mandatory minimum sentences, an analysis of the problems involved with enforcing them, and a discussion about the harms such enforcement has on communities. While mandatory minimums were introduced to prevent discrimination in sentencing as people of color often faced much harsher sentences, the minimums have not been a lasting solution; rather these sentencing techniques have become a major component of the problems communities face associated with drug use. They enforce negative stereotypes and cycles of drug use, do not promote rehabilitation, and unnecessarily burden the judicial and prison systems. I will discuss both successful and failed attempts to reform these laws, and finally offer possible solutions for rethinking mandatory minimum laws, including harm reduction, sentencing restructuring, and the reform of federal laws.
ContributorsAllen, Ashely (Author) / Henderson, Deborah (Thesis director) / Espino, Rodolfo (Committee member) / Walker, Michael (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2012-05
Description
The story of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz is one of a woman who defied the odds of her time. Sor Juana was a nun born in the 1600's in Mexico. From an early start, she had an endless passion for knowledge and always strove to learn as much as she could. She went on to become a nun at the Convent of Santa Paula and used her intellect to advocate for women's rights. Though met with opposition, she wrote many poems, letters, and even plays which included her strong push for women's equality. However, the name Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz is almost never mentioned in popular feminist discourse, despite Sor Juana being credited as one of the first feminist authors. This paper works to not only tell the story of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz in detail, but also works to answer the question, "Why do people not know about Sor Juana". By diving into the origins of the Feminist movement in the United States, the dark underbelly of Feminism is uncovered. Primarily, the topic of how racism in feminism has plague the civil rights movement, what damage has been done to people of color because of feminism's history, and how does that pertain to modern day feminism and Sor Juana. By telling her story through both written and visual aids, the voice of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz is no longer silenced but free to tell her tale and move a generation.
ContributorsParker, Natalie (Author) / Devine, Theresa (Thesis director) / Walker, Michael (Committee member) / School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-12
Description
A large amount of research examines the effect of partisan polarization on the institution of Congress, yet we know remarkably little about this political phenomenon’s precise effect on the political behavior of the American electorate. Some scholars argue that polarization is healthy for democracy because it allows political elites to send clear cues to the mass public, but other scholars postulate that polarization is bad for democracy. Decades of research on voter turnout resulted in a vast accumulation of knowledge on the subject. However, scholars must pay greater attention to data collection and measurement strategies because the prevalent technique to quantify voter turnout artificially deflates participation rates. I take two paths to uncover the effects of partisanship on the decision to vote. From the micro perspective, I utilize a variety of partisanship measures based on survey data. From the aggregate perspective, I argue that calculating voter turnout based on the voting eligible population (VEP) is a superior measurement strategy to other techniques. I adoopt a VEP measure of voter turnout for state-wide races (1994-2010). The results suggest that polarization is an important factor that increases voter turnout at both the individual and aggregate levels.
ContributorsBumgardner, Erik (Author) / Espino, Rodolfo (Thesis advisor) / Fridkin, Kim (Committee member) / Kenney, Patrick (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
This study looked at the accuracy in sexual orientation judgment in college-age students from Arizona State University’s West Campus while viewing female actors. One actor was straight and the other bisexual. Participants viewed a 3-minute-long video with audio and visual of a mock forensic interview between Taylor Addams (played by one of the actors) and Officer Carter (played by Kiersten Carter), and were not told this was a test of their gaydar. It was found that though each group was biased toward straight responses, the straight actor group scored significantly higher on the straightness measure than the bisexual actor group. There was also no significant difference between the two groups in their confidence in their answers.
ContributorsCarter, Kiersten M (Author) / Holloway, Steven (Thesis director) / Walker, Michael (Committee member) / School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
This thesis explores the potential reasons individuals may romanticize violent serial killers and seeks to eradicate the idea that this phenomenon is due to any singular reason alone. In light of the recent explosion of interest surrounding serial killers and other true-crime genre media, this work aims to help the general public understand, not only the reasons that we may feel inclined to romanticize such evil individuals, but also the potential dangers behind such romanticization. This research led to the conclusion that a fascination for media or entertainment surrounding and related to this topic has been long standing in human history. Additionally, it was concluded that, while the personal reasons each individual may have for romanticizing serial killers may vary, today’s media representations of violent serial killers (both fictional and not) appeal to these reasons by subtly portraying killers as more palatable to the public. Ultimately, this project compiled numerous potential causes of romanticizing serial killers in order to conclude that no single reason is the source for this phenomenon, but that it is rather a complex culmination of factors.
ContributorsSerpa, Hannah (Author) / Sturgess, Jessica (Thesis director) / Walker, Michael (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description
This master’s thesis reports on the experiences and understandings about coercion into human trafficking of activists working in the field. Trafficking exists as a wholly exploitative process which impacts both the psychological state of being of victims as well as their overall lived, day-to-day experience. A qualitative interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) was utilized for this research to gain understanding of the experiences of activists working in the field of trafficking. Given IPA as the method of inquiry, emphasis was placed on achieving an understanding of the lived experiences of the participants. Using a semi-structured interview guide, six different activists in the field of human trafficking were interviewed to gain an understanding of the coercive methods of traffickers, the socio-political realities surrounding trafficking as well as an individualized understanding of what trafficking is like for the victims. The interviews were transcribed and coded for themes and subthemes according to the stipulations of IPA. Three themes emerged from this analysis on trafficking. The first theme addressed basic needs. Participants speak to how traffickers' primary method of recruitment centers around the supplication of basic needs otherwise not provided for. In the second theme, activists reported on the socio-political realities involving trafficking and how that impacts victim identification and recruitment into the life of trafficking. In the third theme, activists reported on the psychological consequences of trafficking during recruitment, being in traffic and once they get out of the life of trafficking and into rehabilitation.
ContributorsJoseph, Steven (Author) / Mean, Lindsey (Thesis advisor) / Taylor, Jameien (Thesis advisor) / Walker, Michael (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023