This thesis examines how the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) has contributed to the free speech crisis in American academia. More specifically, building upon Wilson and...Show moreThis thesis examines how the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) has contributed to the free speech crisis in American academia. More specifically, building upon Wilson and Kamola’s insights about the libertarian “Koch donor network,” it considers the role that populism plays in the way this organization operates. In doing so, this thesis argues that FIRE exhibits, to some degree or another, all the core elements of what Benjamin Moffitt has termed “populist political style”—but also, crucially, that it does this in largely subtle and indirect ways. Rather than interpreting his analytical lens as inadequate, however, or considering FIRE to be a “bad” example for studying populism, the author argues that it is precisely the aforementioned subtlety and indirectness that illustrate the utility of Moffitt’s “populist style” framework. (It should be noted that—although it did end up receiving a sufficient grade and was even complimented on by its evaluators for its level of insight and originality—this thesis was not handed in as a finished product. It contains elements of a draft, and substantial portions of it are written in note-form.)Show less
How women of color in American politics are represented by the media can influence their political career. This study therefore analyzed how Vice President Kamala Harris and Congresswoman...Show moreHow women of color in American politics are represented by the media can influence their political career. This study therefore analyzed how Vice President Kamala Harris and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are portrayed by right wing news websites Foxnews.com and Breitbart.com. The study used Critical Discourse Analysis to analyze 20 news articles written by both websites, to see what kind of language is used to portray both female politicians. The results show that gender and racial stereotypes were found in the majority of the news articles, but that gender stereotypes were more prevalent than racial stereotypes. A possible explanation for this could be that racism is less socially acceptable than sexism nowadays, and is therefore less prevalent in news articles written on women of color in American politics.Show less
Immigration is a central topic in the public discourse in the United States, even more during the Trump presidency. Mass media (re)produces this discourse and, as a result, play a crucial part in...Show moreImmigration is a central topic in the public discourse in the United States, even more during the Trump presidency. Mass media (re)produces this discourse and, as a result, play a crucial part in the construction of social realities. Media outlets use framing to shape immigration discourse and public opinion. In immigration discourse there are three frames widely employed: immigration/the immigrant as 1) threat, 2) victim, or as 3) hero. This study analyzed articles by conservative (Republican) leaning news outlet Fox News. Focusing on how self-other communication is presented in each of these frames to shape how Fox News audience perceive immigrants and immigration. Negative-other perception and positive self-perception are highly visible in articles employing the threat frame, whereas in articles employing a hero frame positive- other perception is only clearly visible. There was also a large imbalance in what frames are employed by Fox News, a large majority of articles employ the threat frame.Show less
This thesis asks why Canada became a global leader in peacekeeping in the 1960s and 1970s. The thesis is conducted through an analysis of both domestic and international causes that played a role...Show moreThis thesis asks why Canada became a global leader in peacekeeping in the 1960s and 1970s. The thesis is conducted through an analysis of both domestic and international causes that played a role in Canada's acquisition of a disproportionally large role within global peacekeeping. These causes are extensively researched using two case studies, being the United Nations' peacekeeping mission in Congo in the 1960s as well as the mission in Cyprus in the 1960s and 1970s. Furthermore, the thesis analyses the link between the United Nations and Canada on the peacekeeping front and discusses why it is that the UN came to rely on Canada so heavily for global peacekeeping efforts in the time period of the 1960s and 1970s.Show less
This thesis investigates the the importance of multiple technological advances in the American Civil War, and applies them to the contemporary revolution in military affairs in order to disprove...Show moreThis thesis investigates the the importance of multiple technological advances in the American Civil War, and applies them to the contemporary revolution in military affairs in order to disprove Biddle who discredits the importance of the revolution in military affairs.Show less
This thesis examines U.S.-North Korean relations during the Trump administration, particularly focusing on how President Trump's behavior can be explained in light of the "Madman Theory". By...Show moreThis thesis examines U.S.-North Korean relations during the Trump administration, particularly focusing on how President Trump's behavior can be explained in light of the "Madman Theory". By applying Roseanne W. McManus' typology, it is argued that Trump's madness is characterized by situational deviation from consequence-based decision-making, which is hypothesized to be potentially helpful. Furthermore, this thesis examines the effectiveness of Trump's usage of madness during the first year of his presidency compared to his later summit diplomacy. This thesis argues that while the usage of perceived madness was helpful in bringing North Korea to the negotiating table, it was no more successful than summit diplomacy in bringing about denuclearization of the peninsula, while summit diplomacy at least brought stability to the region. Denuclearizing North Korea seems to be possible only through regime change, a costly venture both in terms of human lives and economic costs. For this reason, summit diplomacy seems to be the preferable option.Show less
