American Politics: Thesis

General Information

The senior thesis is the capstone experience in the Politics major. It involves the writing of a major research paper under the close supervision of a faculty member. This paper is subject to multiple stages of criticism and rewriting, intended to deepen students' insights into different forms of inquiry, methods and literature. This process will hone their skills of critical thinking; sharpen their abilities to analyze theory and test ideas through research; and ensure that their research designs and methodologies are effective and appropriate. This designated Writing-Center course if offered every semester.

Prerequisite: a minimum of three credits at the 300 level, two of which must be completed in residence at Willamette University. POLI 390, POLI 396 and POLI 398 do not count toward the three credit minimum.

Select Titles of Past American Politics Theses

The Comeback Kid: The Mystery Behind President Clifton's Approval Ratings
The South's Split-Level Realignment
The Myth of the "Gay Agenda": Identity Politics in the American Gay Rights Movement
Juridical Interpretive Powers: Mediating the Conflict Between Public and Private Sex and the Law
The Wrong Kinds of Suffragist: Abigail Scott Duniway and the Feminist Politics of the American Woman's Suffrage Movement
Racism, Pearl Harbor, and the Internment: The Creation of a Japanese-American Population
The Drive for Direct Democracy: An Analysis of States Without the Initiative and Referendum
From Garfield to Roosevelt: The Creation of the Modern Candidate
The Rhetorical Presidency and the Rhetorical Governorship: Reconsidering the Origins of Executive Rhetoric and Popular Leadership
An Experiment in Effective (but Unconstitutional) Public Policy: Ballot Measure 9 (1994) and its Implications for the Future of Campaign Finance Reform in Oregon
The Political Ambition of American Women: An Explanation of Why There Has Never Been a Female President in the United States
Environmental Political Activism: Dissecting the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement
Taking Sides: The Expression of Feminist Ideologies within the National Organization of Women
Working and Walking: The Roots of Local Campaigns
Uncovering the Fears of the Founding Fathers: Executive Power and Popular Leadership in the Constitutional Convention