In 2008, the same year Barack Obama got elected president, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was launched with the release of Iron Man 1. The launch of the MCU introduced a new era with regard to...Show moreIn 2008, the same year Barack Obama got elected president, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was launched with the release of Iron Man 1. The launch of the MCU introduced a new era with regard to super hero movies. Likewise, the election of Barack Obama promised a different direction for the United States foreign policy. Obama advocated using soft power and diplomacy in order to solve the challenges he had inherited from the George W. Bush Administration. This paper looks at the extent to which Phase One of the MCU reflects, and as such aids, the approach of the Obama administration to foreign policy.Show less
Sustainability has become an increasingly important and stressed matter and to succeed in tackling some of the most pressing environmental and climate issues, huge amounts of capital need to be...Show moreSustainability has become an increasingly important and stressed matter and to succeed in tackling some of the most pressing environmental and climate issues, huge amounts of capital need to be shifted to more sustainable, low-carbon sectors. This thesis examines the developments of sustainable finance at the level of the government, the banking sector and civil society between 2009 and 2019 in the United States under Obama and Trump’s presidencies, as the country plays an important role in the world economy and global sustainability.Show less
This thesis focuses on sanctuary cities as a form of protest against federal immigration measures. The research question is: Why was there a new wave of sanctuary cities after the election of Trump...Show moreThis thesis focuses on sanctuary cities as a form of protest against federal immigration measures. The research question is: Why was there a new wave of sanctuary cities after the election of Trump and how can these cities be seen as a form of protest? This thesis argues that sanctuary cities are a form of bottom up social protest, a result of increasing radicalization of the immigration debate. Sanctuary cities as a form of protest are executed locally to express discontent with the federal government and in an effort to influence immigration policy on a federal level.Show less
This thesis studies how the Women's Liberation Movement was presented in the US Underground Press in the 1960s and 1970s by analyzing textual and visual data in the Berkeley Barb.
Gender inequality persists in United States politics. Focusing on state level politics, presents us with a major imbalance of female participation. In some states, female participation in state...Show moreGender inequality persists in United States politics. Focusing on state level politics, presents us with a major imbalance of female participation. In some states, female participation in state politics is much larger than in other states. This thesis seeks to explain what demographic factors contribute more to the level of participation of women in American state politics. To answer this, four demographic factors (political engagement, geography, race and ethnicity, and socioeconomic) are isolated and analyzed.Show less
This thesis explores an underlying conflict that exists between Native Americans and non-Natives in United States society and that mostly translates into environmental exploitation or environmental...Show moreThis thesis explores an underlying conflict that exists between Native Americans and non-Natives in United States society and that mostly translates into environmental exploitation or environmental injustice. Native Americans differ from other minorities living in the United States, due to their sovereign status. Such a status, however, has not always shielded Native Americans from phenomena of marginalization or, as this thesis will prove, economic and environmental exploitation. The historical development of uranium mining in the last century gives a perfect illustration of this, and it will be used as a case study to explain the conflict being played out on tribal lands. The economic and sociocultural harms of this historical development have further entrenched Native Americans in the lowest socioeconomic layers of American society, and the repercussions of such a phenomenon of further marginalization will persist for future generations. Ultimately, this thesis argues for the importance of strengthening tribal sovereignty in the interest of preserving tribal tradition as well as the natural environment Native Americans inhabit.Show less
For long, presidency scholars have tried to categorize the presidents of the United States. One specifically important and respected theory is that of Schlessinger's imperial presidency, which...Show moreFor long, presidency scholars have tried to categorize the presidents of the United States. One specifically important and respected theory is that of Schlessinger's imperial presidency, which covers the presidencies up until Richard Nixon. This thesis investigates whether or not Ronald Reagan can be considered the next imperial president in line. To provide a refreshing perspective, Ronald Reagan will be reviewed along the main presidents from Schlessinger's theory, using a digital humanties approach.Show less
There is an abundance of quantitative research on the policy and sociological results of the 1996 welfare reforms, but less is known on the ideological background that inspired these reforms. This...Show moreThere is an abundance of quantitative research on the policy and sociological results of the 1996 welfare reforms, but less is known on the ideological background that inspired these reforms. This thesis researches to what extent neoliberal ideology influenced changes to social welfare programs (AFDC) in the United States between 1992 and 1996. It is suggested that the change from AFDC to TANF happened in 1996 due to a combination of a sharp increase in welfare rolls and increasing poverty levels occurring consecutively, changing ideological motivations toward social welfare, and welfare experiments conducted under H.W. Bush proving successful. In 1992, Clinton promised to replace welfare with a comprehensive suite of programs to facilitate leaving welfare, but passed welfare reform in 1996 without generous provisions due to a belief in the independent functioning of the core provisions of the TANF law. TANF was different, because it introduced; flexibility in policy making, by devolving authority to states through block grants, negative incentives to leave welfare, through time limits on lifetime benefits and work requirements and increased accountability, by making states responsible for maintaining work participation rates. It is suggested that most major TANF provisions were consistent with a belief in market-efficiency, market-morality and monetarism and could therefore be linked to neoliberal ideology both by their execution and by the discourse surrounding their implementation.Show less
This thesis tells the tale of the toxic legacy of uranium mining, which has been casting a shadow over the lives of the Navajo people for over seven decades. Due to the rising tension between the...Show moreThis thesis tells the tale of the toxic legacy of uranium mining, which has been casting a shadow over the lives of the Navajo people for over seven decades. Due to the rising tension between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, a nuclear arms race developed. In the United States, the government’s interest in uranium became a matter of top priority, which resulted in a mining boom. At first, the mining boom seemed like a blessing since it created many jobs. Especially for the Navajo people, a Native American tribe indigenous to the southwestern United States where uranium could be found in abundance. However, the initial excitement about these work opportunities was soon to be overshadowed by the toxicity of the work environment. For more than a decade, Navajo miners worked in this environment without any proper protection from the life threatening effects of uranium. And only in the 1960s, when the years of unprotected mining started taking its toll, was it that the Navajo people started to become aware of these dangers. What followed were three decades of organizing and activism on the part of the Navajo people, which eventually led to the passing of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) in 1990. Though this was a crucial moment for Navajo anti-uranium activism, it does not necessarily mean that the story of Navajo activism ends here. Nevertheless, little scientific work has been dedicated to the development of the story after 1990. Therefore, this thesis will shift the focus towards the direction that Navajo advocacy against the toxic legacy of uranium mining has taken after the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act was passed. Such post-1990 types of activism mainly focus on three concepts; compensation, cleanup and remembrance. When it comes to compensation, the main goal is the inclusion of post-1971 uranium workers for compensation under RECA. Current eligibility criteria exclude those employed as uranium miners after 1971, which is when the United States government stopped being the sole purchaser of uranium ore. However, those in favor of amending the Act to include post-71 workers are arguing that this date only signified the end of government liability, but not the end of the inadequacy of radiation standards. Another cause for activism is the immense impact that the uranium industry has had on the environment. Many abandoned uranium mines exist on Navajo lands and environmental issues range far beyond the impact of these mines alone. Additionally, President Trump’s 2017 Executive Order on Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth has fueled fears of uranium mining returning to Navajo lands. In response, the Navajo people are trying to remind the nation of the disastrous impact of the industry and the toxic legacy that it has left behind. The possibility of uranium mining returning to Navajo lands, the exclusion of post-71 workers and the continued risks due to environmental contamination are all part of the toxic legacy against which the Navajo people are still fighting today. The telling of the tale of the Navajo people and the toxic legacy of uranium mining as done in this research sheds light on the historic and current relevance of recognizing the impact of uranium mining and the need for solutions.Show less
