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Title: Becoming American.
Creator: Amar, Monika, Program in International Affairs
Abstract/Description: This thesis examines various aspects of modern American culture and addresses potential causes and effects of American individualism and of the current mainstream American family dynamic. Discussing the effects that Americanism can have on interaction within immigrant families, as well as on society at large via globalization, this thesis evaluates historical, political and technological aspects of American society, which attribute to present-day functioning of individuals living in America...
Show moreThis thesis examines various aspects of modern American culture and addresses potential causes and effects of American individualism and of the current mainstream American family dynamic. Discussing the effects that Americanism can have on interaction within immigrant families, as well as on society at large via globalization, this thesis evaluates historical, political and technological aspects of American society, which attribute to present-day functioning of individuals living in America and beyond. Attributing changes in the way people communicate within the family realm and with others, this thesis analyzes the detrimental effects of overuse and dependence on information and communication technologies — mainly the Internet and the mobile phone — as well as the diffusion of capitalism into various realms of American society and even on a global scale as humans have become more interconnected. The intention of this thesis is to highlight the developing elements of mainstream American culture and to expose the potential for a worldwide community with the increased progressive industrialization and urbanization of more and more countries.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: FSU_migr_uhm-0337
Format: Thesis

Title: The Best Laid Plans, Laid to Rest: The Fall of the Florida Department of Community Affairs.
Creator: Medin, Kyle A., Department of Political Science
Abstract/Description: Florida Governor Rick Scott defended his move to eliminate the growth management-oriented Department of Community Affairs (DCA) in 2011, claiming that the DCA was killing jobs in the state of Florida, and that it was an inefficient use of Government money. This paper set out to test Governor Scott's claims against the data, to see if there was evidence to support his assertions. The relationship between DCA's presence and three employment variables (monthly construction jobs, aggregate jobs,...
Show moreFlorida Governor Rick Scott defended his move to eliminate the growth management-oriented Department of Community Affairs (DCA) in 2011, claiming that the DCA was killing jobs in the state of Florida, and that it was an inefficient use of Government money. This paper set out to test Governor Scott's claims against the data, to see if there was evidence to support his assertions. The relationship between DCA's presence and three employment variables (monthly construction jobs, aggregate jobs, unemployment rate) was tested with multivariate linear regression models. DCA's effect on job growth was tested by comparing job growth data from Florida with the corresponding data from Texas (a state without any such growth management agency) and the national average (to contextualize the states' growth), using paired t-tests. The effectiveness of the DCA at regulating housing growth was similarly tested, by comparing data on housing growth rates and housing density from Florida with the corresponding data from Texas and the national average using paired t-tests. The majority of the tests refuted Gov. Scott's claims. This paper lends support to the proponents of growth management, using a novel approach.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_migr_uhm-0567
Format: Thesis

Title: Blake's and Shelley's Reader Responses to Milton's Satan in Paradise Lost.
Creator: Noud, Jennifer, Department of English
Abstract/Description: This study surveys William Blake's and Percy Bysshe Shelley's reader responses of Satan in John Milton's Paradise Lost. Blake and Shelley were both Romanticists and were highly captivated with the character of Satan. Their critiques of Milton's Satan are evident through their works. Blake's works that are examined are "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell," an eleven-page poem, Milton, an epic poem, and the illuminated printings of Milton's Paradise Lost. Shelley's works that are studied are...
Show moreThis study surveys William Blake's and Percy Bysshe Shelley's reader responses of Satan in John Milton's Paradise Lost. Blake and Shelley were both Romanticists and were highly captivated with the character of Satan. Their critiques of Milton's Satan are evident through their works. Blake's works that are examined are "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell," an eleven-page poem, Milton, an epic poem, and the illuminated printings of Milton's Paradise Lost. Shelley's works that are studied are Prometheus Unbound, a closet lyrical drama, and "A Defense of Poetry" which is an essay. Blake and Shelley believed that Satan was the proper hero of Milton's Paradise Lost. They both critiqued Milton's Satan by finding several imperfections in Paradise Lost. Both tried to surpass Milton by creating their own perfect version of Milton's Satan. Shelley goes a step beyond Blake when designing his Satan by producing a new tragic hero that does not have a hamartia.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: FSU_migr_uhm-0234
Format: Thesis

Title: Change in US Supreme Court Justices' Voting Patterns during Economic Recessions.
Creator: Kline, Lindsey M., Department of Political Science
Abstract/Description: This research aims to identify how Supreme Court justice voting patterns are influenced by a number of factors.
Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_migr_uhm-0461
Format: Thesis

Title: Congressional Vote Switching and the EESA of 2008: A Case Study.
Creator: Gendal, Joshua, Department of Political Science
Abstract/Description: The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (EESA) of 2008, also known as the Bush bank bailout, was a monumental piece of legislation that sent about $700 billion to various financial institutions to sure up their failing assets, in hopes of preventing a total economic crash resulting from the sub prime mortgage crisis. The EESA passed through the House on the second attempt on October 3, after the first roll call failed on September 29 and was sent to the Senate, who amended and passed the...
Show moreThe Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (EESA) of 2008, also known as the Bush bank bailout, was a monumental piece of legislation that sent about $700 billion to various financial institutions to sure up their failing assets, in hopes of preventing a total economic crash resulting from the sub prime mortgage crisis. The EESA passed through the House on the second attempt on October 3, after the first roll call failed on September 29 and was sent to the Senate, who amended and passed the bill. This paper seeks to understand why 58 Members of the House of Representatives changed their vote from no to yes on the bailout within a span of four days. I hypothesize that constituency influence and campaign contributions from financial services PACs caused these members to alter their initial voting decision. I find inconclusive evidence for my constituency influence hypotheses, but surprisingly, my analysis reveals that it was members receiving relatively small amounts of campaign contributions from financial services PACs who were the switchers.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: FSU_migr_uhm-0165
Format: Thesis

Title: Court-Curbing: Why and When Members of Congress Seek to Harm the Supreme Court.
Creator: Marino, Phillip, Political Science
Abstract/Description: Clarke and others have established that Congressional Court-curbing proposals are used to great effect by members of Congress to impose their will upon the Supreme Court. However, the reasoning behind such proposals by Congresspersons has remained largely unstudied. This paper seeks to explain why and when members of Congress will seek to curb the Court by arguing, and supporting with empirical regression analysis, that members of Congress respond to the relative 'activity' of the Court and...
Show moreClarke and others have established that Congressional Court-curbing proposals are used to great effect by members of Congress to impose their will upon the Supreme Court. However, the reasoning behind such proposals by Congresspersons has remained largely unstudied. This paper seeks to explain why and when members of Congress will seek to curb the Court by arguing, and supporting with empirical regression analysis, that members of Congress respond to the relative 'activity' of the Court and the Court's ideological divergence from the Congressperson in question when proposing Court-curbing legislation.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: FSU_migr_uhm-0075
Format: Thesis

Title: Education, State Ballot Initiatives Banning Same-Sex Marriage, and Attitudes Toward Homosexuals in 2004.
Creator: LaRose, Adam, Political Science
Abstract/Description: In this paper, I seek to determine the effect that the current debate on same-sex marriage has on citizens' attitudes towards homosexuals. The research to date, centers on what actors and institutional characteristics lead to state restrictions on same-sex marriage. Some researchers have even found that ballot measures regarding same-sex marriage have caused a slight increase in voter turnout among particular groups to the point that it affected the outcome of the 2004 presidential election....
Show moreIn this paper, I seek to determine the effect that the current debate on same-sex marriage has on citizens' attitudes towards homosexuals. The research to date, centers on what actors and institutional characteristics lead to state restrictions on same-sex marriage. Some researchers have even found that ballot measures regarding same-sex marriage have caused a slight increase in voter turnout among particular groups to the point that it affected the outcome of the 2004 presidential election. I argue it is important to understand how these initiatives and the debate surrounding these initiatives affect how people feel about the group that is the target of these measures: homosexuals. Using a national survey, I find that the least educated in states with these measures in2004 changed their opinions of homosexuals and those changes were in line with their ideology.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: FSU_migr_uhm-0078
Format: Thesis

Title: The Effect of Military Service on Candidate Appraisal and Vote Choice.
Creator: Kliewer, Nicole Danielle, Department of Political Science
Abstract/Description: In the 2008 US presidential election, 64 percent of military service members voted for Republican nominee John McCain over Democrat Barack Obama. This is a continued trend in military voting known as the "Civilian-Military" Gap, in which military service members are decidedly more Republican leaning than the general public. This project seeks to understand this voting gap by considering the impact of military service on candidate appraisal, with particular attention to views of candidate...
Show moreIn the 2008 US presidential election, 64 percent of military service members voted for Republican nominee John McCain over Democrat Barack Obama. This is a continued trend in military voting known as the "Civilian-Military" Gap, in which military service members are decidedly more Republican leaning than the general public. This project seeks to understand this voting gap by considering the impact of military service on candidate appraisal, with particular attention to views of candidate image and ideological proximity. Furthermore, this project seeks to expand our concept of military service, to include family service, often excluded from military voting models.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_migr_uhm-0519
Format: Thesis

Title: Ferocious Motherhood: The Characterization of the Contemporary Single Mother in Southern Women's Fiction.
Creator: Kranz, Tova E., Department of English
Abstract/Description: Past the fall of the great Southern plantations and Agrarian prosperity, the Southern lady/gentleman persisted in the works of many Southern writers who wrote novels lauding the Old South in an attempt to preserve the culture of the region. Contemporary Southern writers, however, depict the South as it is. Novelists including Dorothy Allison, Barbara Kingsolver, and others reject the image of the Southern belle, and instead depict Southern women, single mothers in particular, as resolute and...
Show morePast the fall of the great Southern plantations and Agrarian prosperity, the Southern lady/gentleman persisted in the works of many Southern writers who wrote novels lauding the Old South in an attempt to preserve the culture of the region. Contemporary Southern writers, however, depict the South as it is. Novelists including Dorothy Allison, Barbara Kingsolver, and others reject the image of the Southern belle, and instead depict Southern women, single mothers in particular, as resolute and strong-willed rather than demure and pious. My research analyzes the characterization of single mothers in contemporary fiction by Southern women writers alongside the widows in two novels by Augusta Evans Wilson, a popular late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century novelist. In examining the two side-by-side I was able to compare the way in which these authors use characterization to reveal, and at times dispute with, the attitudes towards single mothers and the ways these mothers challenge them.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_migr_uhm-0510
Format: Thesis

Title: History and Activism in Regards to the FDA Ban Against Homosexual Males from Donating Blood.
Creator: Fritz, Mary, Interdisciplinary Program in Social Science
Abstract/Description: This thesis deals directly with the FDA ban on sexually active homosexual men from donating blood. This work examines how organizations have made arguments against the ban and actions taken in both the legislative realm and college activism. This study also relies on scientific evidence to support the argument of those in opposition against the ban.
Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: FSU_migr_uhm-0308
Format: Thesis

Title: An Investigation into the Representational Role of Gender in State Legislatures.
Creator: Clark, Victoria N., Department of Political Science
Abstract/Description: The number of women holding state legislative office positions has risen since the 1900s. This paper explores the theory behind why the changing gender composition of state legislatures alters the types of policies states adopt. I argue that a historical social policy niche, differences in approaches to representation, and issue-based expertise drive policy differences between male and female legislators. The influx of women legislators, coupled with differences in policy preferences,...
Show moreThe number of women holding state legislative office positions has risen since the 1900s. This paper explores the theory behind why the changing gender composition of state legislatures alters the types of policies states adopt. I argue that a historical social policy niche, differences in approaches to representation, and issue-based expertise drive policy differences between male and female legislators. The influx of women legislators, coupled with differences in policy preferences, increase the likelihood that state legislatures will adopt policies favored by women. I test the theory of female representation by exploring state expansion of Medicaid. My analysis concludes that the increased presence of women in state legislatures significantly increases the chances that a state expands Medicaid.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_migr_uhm-0530
Format: Thesis

Title: The Muted Candidate.
Creator: Waldeck, Christopher, School of Communication
Abstract/Description: During political debates, there are often candidates who are "muted" onstage by a dominant group because their ideologies and beliefs are different from those within the dominant group. By analyzing the Republican primary debates I was able to observe the candidates that were being muted, who the dominant group was, how the muted group was being muted, and what values and ideas were the most dominant. In this debate I found that in each debate the candidate whose ideas were muted the most was...
Show moreDuring political debates, there are often candidates who are "muted" onstage by a dominant group because their ideologies and beliefs are different from those within the dominant group. By analyzing the Republican primary debates I was able to observe the candidates that were being muted, who the dominant group was, how the muted group was being muted, and what values and ideas were the most dominant. In this debate I found that in each debate the candidate whose ideas were muted the most was Ron Paul. The questions he was asked were meant to address his ideas rather than take a position on an issue. He was often scoffed at by the candidates or ignored by them. Despite making it to the final four, he was still considered an outsider during the debates by the questions he was asked by the moderator and the reactions of the other candidates. In order to move forward as a Democracy, all ideas must be brought to the table not just the ones of the dominant group in order to truly represent the people in America. Keywords Muted, Dominant, Republican, Democrat, Libertarian
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: FSU_migr_uhm-0247
Format: Thesis

Title: New Descriptive Representation in the White House and African Americans' Sense of External Political Efficacy.
Creator: O'Brien, Kevin, Department of Political Science
Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: FSU_migr_uhm-0427
Format: Thesis

Title: Political Parties and their Effect on the U.S. Economy.
Creator: Parker, Logan, Department of Economics
Abstract/Description: The relationship between political parties and the economy in the United States is investigated from 1953 and 2012. Regression models are used to calculate the effect political parties have on the percent change in real gross domestic product (RGDP) and the percent change in the consumer product index for urban consumers (CPI). RGDP is the proxy for the growth of the American economy, and the CPI is the proxy for inflation. The empirical results that are presented in this paper will suggest...
Show moreThe relationship between political parties and the economy in the United States is investigated from 1953 and 2012. Regression models are used to calculate the effect political parties have on the percent change in real gross domestic product (RGDP) and the percent change in the consumer product index for urban consumers (CPI). RGDP is the proxy for the growth of the American economy, and the CPI is the proxy for inflation. The empirical results that are presented in this paper will suggest that Republican Party presidents, Republican Party controlled Senates, and Democratic Party controlled House of Representatives have a positive effect on the percent change in RGDP. This analysis also concludes neither political party has a direct effect on the percent change in CPI.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: FSU_migr_uhm-0365
Format: Thesis

Title: Roads to No One: The Problem of Alterity in the American Postmodern Novel.
Creator: Perdue, Shannon, Department of English
Abstract/Description: This thesis explores the formation of male characters as outsiders in postmodern American literature written by male authors, defining outsiders as men who are socially isolated, particularly from women, and fail to achieve personal commitments or deep emotional commitments with the other. This thesis examines this formation through the works The Road and Child of God by Cormac McCarthy, On the Road and Big Sur by Jack Kerouac, and Jesus' Son and Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson, and ultimately...
Show moreThis thesis explores the formation of male characters as outsiders in postmodern American literature written by male authors, defining outsiders as men who are socially isolated, particularly from women, and fail to achieve personal commitments or deep emotional commitments with the other. This thesis examines this formation through the works The Road and Child of God by Cormac McCarthy, On the Road and Big Sur by Jack Kerouac, and Jesus' Son and Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson, and ultimately concludes that each of the three authors situate their men as characterized by individualism, and either a sufficiency without the other or an active desire to flee from connection. In contrast, they represent their women as largely communitarian and seeking meaningful and committed relationships.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_migr_uhm-0540
Format: Thesis

Title: School Choice and Segregation in Florida.
Creator: Martin, Elizabeth, Department of Political Science
Abstract/Description: Although the 1954 case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka prohibited de jure racial segregation in American public schools, de facto segregation persists in many schools around the country. There is research to suggest that one of the causes of this segregation is the school choice movement, which includes charter schools, magnet schools, vouchers, and other programs intended to allow parents more choice in the school their child attends. This project examines the effects of the school...
Show moreAlthough the 1954 case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka prohibited de jure racial segregation in American public schools, de facto segregation persists in many schools around the country. There is research to suggest that one of the causes of this segregation is the school choice movement, which includes charter schools, magnet schools, vouchers, and other programs intended to allow parents more choice in the school their child attends. This project examines the effects of the school choice movement on both racial and socioeconomic segregation in Florida, a state that has fully embraced the school choice movement. I used data from the National Center for Education Statistics and the US Census to examine segregation on the school and district levels in order to gain a thorough understanding of the effects of schools of choice. The results indicate that charter and magnet schools are positively correlated with racial unbalance, but not economic unbalance. Overall this research shows that there may be unintended consequences to school choice. This is important for the state of Florida in particular to consider, since the ideological rhetoric surrounding the issue of school choice and education reform often outshines the concrete evidence of its costs.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: FSU_migr_uhm-0271
Format: Thesis

Title: Student Body President Television Pilot Development.
Creator: Cartwright, Joshua, Jaffe, Eric, College of Motion Picture Arts
Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: FSU_migr_uhm-0262
Format: Thesis

Title: Teenage Rebellion: The Ideological State Apparatus in Young Adult Literature Origins.
Creator: Abshier, Kristine Lake, Department of English
Abstract/Description: This thesis examines the presence of anti-Ideological State Apparatus (ISA) themes in three influential young adult literature novels: The Catcher in the Rye, A Separate Peace, and To Kill a Mockingbird. Due to their time of publishing, this project refers to these books as origins of American young adult literature. Through use of reader-response theory, I find that the novels encourage readers to seek a place outside ISAs for the remainder of their adolescence and approaching adulthood.
Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_migr_uhm-0524
Format: Thesis

Title: Voter-Party Linkage Strategies and Democratic Survival.
Creator: Dugan, Amanda, Political Science
Abstract/Description: Economic development is widely known to stabilize democratic regimes. Models of distributional conflict have revealed that with increased average income, the ability of political parties to agree on redistribution rates grows. A key assumption of such models is that parties are programmatic and will enact their mandates once elected. Yet, political parties vary in their dedication to programmatic platforms. Some parties are quite programmatic, only enacting policies that voters endorse, while...
Show moreEconomic development is widely known to stabilize democratic regimes. Models of distributional conflict have revealed that with increased average income, the ability of political parties to agree on redistribution rates grows. A key assumption of such models is that parties are programmatic and will enact their mandates once elected. Yet, political parties vary in their dedication to programmatic platforms. Some parties are quite programmatic, only enacting policies that voters endorse, while others are less programmatic, preferring to attract voters using clientelism. This suggests the possibility that countries with mostly clientelistic parties could experience less conflict over redistribution rates because there would be an absence of parties compelled to represent the poor once in office. In this paper, I relax the assumption in this model that parties always follow their mandates once in office, and I test the hypothesis that countries with clientelistic parties experience increased regime stability.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: FSU_migr_uhm-0108
Format: Thesis

Politics and government (15)	+ -
Political science (10)	+ -
Literatures (4)	+ -
Study and teaching (4)	+ -
Communication (2)	+ -

Communication in politics (2)	+ -
Culture (2)	+ -
Economics (2)	+ -
English language (2)	+ -
English literature (2)	+ -
Mass media (2)	+ -
Social aspects (2)	+ -
Social change (2)	+ -
Area studies (1)	+ -
Art (1)	+ -
Arts (1)	+ -
Bible (1)	+ -
British literature (1)	+ -
Children (1)	+ -
Christian sects (1)	+ -
Christianity (1)	+ -
Civilization (1)	+ -
Communication and technology (1)	+ -
Communication, International (1)	+ -
Comparative Literature (1)	+ -
Digital media (1)	+ -
Econometrics (1)	+ -
Families (1)	+ -
Feminism (1)	+ -

Department of Political Science (7)	+ -
Department of English (4)	+ -
Political Science (3)	+ -
Abshier, Kristine Lake (1)	+ -
Amar, Monika (1)	+ -

Cartwright, Joshua (1)	+ -
Clark, Victoria N. (1)	+ -
College of Motion Picture Arts (1)	+ -
Department of Economics (1)	+ -
Dugan, Amanda (1)	+ -
Fritz, Mary (1)	+ -
Gendal, Joshua (1)	+ -
Interdisciplinary Program in Social Science (1)	+ -
Jaffe, Eric (1)	+ -
Kliewer, Nicole Danielle (1)	+ -
Kline, Lindsey M. (1)	+ -
Kranz, Tova E. (1)	+ -
LaRose, Adam (1)	+ -
Marino, Phillip (1)	+ -
Martin, Elizabeth (1)	+ -
Medin, Kyle A. (1)	+ -
Noud, Jennifer (1)	+ -
O'Brien, Kevin (1)	+ -
Parker, Logan (1)	+ -
Perdue, Shannon (1)	+ -
Program in International Affairs (1)	+ -
School of Communication (1)	+ -
Waldeck, Christopher (1)	+ -

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