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Department ofPolitical Science

Past Winners

2023 Kaitlin Sanders

2022 Isha Vial

2021 Alexandra (Allie) George

2020 Kate Kirkpatrick and Fiqir Taye

2019 Joseph Curran

2018 Nathan George and Katherine Meyer

2017 Sophie Meyer

2016 William Hardy and Sean Werkema

2015 Ramsey Fisher, Caitlin Massey, and Patrick McDonell 

2014 Jesse Caemmerer

2023

Award Winner Category and Title of Work

Andrew Johnson

American Politics: “Religious Liberty and the Roberts Court"

Melanie Corral

American Politics: "Eisenhower’s Impact on Executive Power: Examining the Expansion of Executive Privilege and Covert Operations"

Donna Taheri

Comparative Politics:  “The Case of Identity Politics in Catalonia and Spain"

Michaela Gallo

International Relations:  “The Environment: A Pawn in U.S. Foreign Policy"

Maile Hee-Seon Belnap

AQM: “Asian American Economic Disparity and Political Polarization"

Quinn Gilman

Political Philosophy: "Comparing Alfredo Rocco and Nietzsche"

Naomi Watson

Sustainability and Environmental Justice: “The Richmond, CA Chevron Oil Refinery and the Transition to Sustainable Energy: An Application of Historical Institutionalism"

 

2022

Award Winner Category and Title of Work

Lilly Evans-Riera

American Politics: “Analysis of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program"

Mariella Beaurpere

Comparative Politics: “Women in Afghanistan”

Estefany Meza

International Relations: “US-Mexico Relations and Modern Capitalism"

Katie Sanders

AQM: “An Exploration of What Affects Americans’ Attitudes about Abortion"

Sofia Russell

Political Philosophy: "Opposite Ends of the Spectrum: Using Locke's Letter on Toleration to assess Nietzsche's Religion Chapter"

Michaela Gallo

Sustainability & Environmental Justice: “Implementing Green Wall Technology"

 

2021

Award Winner Category and Title of Work

Benjamin Grundy

American Politics: “From Neutral to Partisan: The Evolution of Originalism”

Haley Howard

American Politics: “Reimagining Criminal Justice Reform with Excarceration” 

Katherine Popeo

Comparative Politics: “The Reunification of Germany”

Maria Gregg

International Relations: “Uncle Sam is an Irishman: Irish American Cosmopolitanism and U.S. Foreign Policy in Ireland” 

Naomi Watson

AQM: “Female Representation in Government” 

Sydney Freeman

Political Philosophy: “Foucault and Tolentino on Social Divisiveness”

Maria Parker

Political Philosophy: “Mandragola: Compromising Machiavellian Dichotomies of Goods”

Ava Gleicher

Sustainability & Environmental Justice: “Idealist Environmentalism”

 

2020

Award Winner Category and Title of Work

Robbie Nunes

American Politics: "The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: A Public Solution to a Healthcare Problem" 

Chang Woo (Hansung) Lee

Comparative Politics: "The Legacy of Praetoriansm: Guatemala's Fialure to Reform a Consolidated Democracy"

Lydia Dadd

AQM:"The Determinants of Individuals' Environmental Concern"  

Tanvi Antoo

Political Philosophy:  "Ideology and Transcendence" 

Avery Rissling

Political Philosophy:"MeToo, Humane Vitae, and the Will to Power"

 

2019

Award Winner Category and Title of Work

Audrey Danciger

American Politics: "A Warning Sign: What Kavanaugh Taught Us about the Supreme Court Confirmation Process"

Steven Marten

Comparative Politics: "The Legacy of Praetoriansm: Guatemala's Fialure to Reform a Consolidated Democracy"

Nick Nagy

International Relations: "The Influence of Islam in Iranian Foreign Policy"

Mackenzie Tobin

AQM: "The Mystery of Political Participation in America Explained"

Madison House-Tuck

Political Philosophy: "The Montage: Beyond What Meets the Eye"

Hassan Said

Political Philosophy: "An Examination of Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil, The Gay Science, and The Antichrist"

 

2018

Award Winner Category and Title of Work

Christine Abrahamians

American Politics: "The First Amendment Jurisprudence of Justice Antonin Scalia."

Paul Becker

Comparative Politics: "Group Rights, Repression, and Assimiliation: The Role of Changing Institutions in the Destruction of the Volga German Identity."

Katherine Meyer

Applied Quantitative Methods: "Confidence in the Police: A Cross-National Study of Africa."

Aly Motzel

International Relations: "Consequences ofa Welcoming State: The Rise of the Radical Right-Wing in Refugee Era Germany."

Anand Purohit

Political Philosophy: "History Doesn't Repeat Itself, But It Rhymes: How Rap Escaped the Modernist's Trap."

 

2017

Award Winner Category and Title of Work

Tyler Downing

"That Damn Cowboy: Roosevelt's Precedent of a Powerful Presidency."

Alexandra Hoffmann

"Predicting Pro-Environmental Activity: An Exploration of Variation in Support for the Environmental Agenda."

Jake Belding

"Taking the Road Less Traveled by Sustainable Development: Prospects for One Belt, One Road."

Julia Wood

"David Foster Wallace's This Is Water: A Philosophy of the Future?"

Yesenia Veamatahau

"Nietzsche's Three C's: Creature, Creator, and Cruelty."

 

2016

Award Winner Category and Title of Work

Ashley Pascale

Comparative: "The Longevity of Post-Asian Financial Crisis Economic Reforms in South Korea's Developmental State"

William Swanson

International Relations: "The Trans-Pacific Partnership and Investor State Dispute Settlement"

Ryan Khojasteh

American: "Does Originalism Work: Assessing the Practicality of this Constitutional Interpretive Theory"

Sean Werkema

American: "Ron Wyden: A Study of Interest Group Influencne on Legislative Action"

Ashraf Hammad

AQM: "Opposition to Affirmative Action: Racism or Reasonable Objection?"

Daniel "Roscoe" Escobar

Political Philosophy: "The Bonobo, the Fox, and the Lion: A Machiavellian Criticism of Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil"

Andrew McCarty

Political Philosophy: "Preludes to a Philosophy of the Future: Nietsche's Condemnations and Challenges in Beyond Good and Evil and On the Genealogy of Morality"

 

2015

Award Winner Category and Title of Work

Ramsey Fisher

Ineffective Assistance of COunsel: The Causes and Remedies of a Constitutional Problem

Randall Scarlett

Camp David Accords: Structuring Communication and Building Trust in Negotiations of International Conflicts.

Luke Koslosky

The Implemtation of the Dayton Peace Accords and its Lasting Failure

Daniel Hunt

All Company is Bad Company: A Nietzscheian Analysis of Costa Bradatan's Wistom of the Exile

William Portnof

Political Participation and Group Membership: Brothers-in-Arms?

Jake Beldling

Urban Development Policy and Sustainable Growth

2023 Jordan Tachibana, Andrew Johnson

2022 Abigail (Abby) Alvarez

2021 Ciara Moezidis

2020 Mariana Perera

2019 Beau Scott

2018 Athena Nguyen and Elena Radding

2017 Lidia Diaz-Fong

2016 Anthony Gill

2015 Stephanie K. Goodman

2014 Jose Lujano