College of Arts and Sciences
The College is the largest of the undergraduate schools, enrolling 6,000 of the University of Pennsylvania's 10,000 undergraduates, and it teaches all of Penn's undergraduates. The study of the arts and sciences provides students with critical perspectives on their world and with the fundamental intellectual skills necessary for engaging it. As Franklin recognized, professional education relies on the sustenance provided by the arts and sciences and could not exist without them. The School of Arts and Sciences remains the heart and the soul of the modern University.
261 results
Search results
Publication Religious Rhetoric in Political Discourse(2024) Coskun, Hasna SalihaThis study focuses on the complex relationship between religious rhetoric and political discourse in the United States and presents an extensive analysis that spans from historical contexts to contemporary dynamics. Introducing a novel quantitative measure, the Religious Keyword Index (RKI), this research systematically quantifies the presence and evolution of religious language and conservative tone across state and national party platforms, presidential speeches, and, for comparative insight at the presidential level, the political discourse of Turkiye, a leading democracy within the Muslim world. The analysis reveals the deep historical roots and evolving application of religious rhetoric in American politics. Findings indicate a significant and stable divergence in the use of religious language between the Democratic and Republican parties, contributing to the polarized landscape of contemporary American politics, particularly noticeable from the early 2000s onwards. Beginning with the Gulf War and 9/11, this era marks a pivotal shift: the Republican Party seemed to be increasingly incorporating religious rhetoric into its political messaging, potentially aligning with its discernible orientation towards social conservatism and evangelical voter bases. A thematic examination of RKI metrics across various political and social issues uncovers the selective application of religious rhetoric and particularly highlights its potent role in discussions around social and family values. This theme-based analysis potentially offers insights into the specific areas in which parties deploy religious language to resonate with targeted constituencies. Moreover, the study extends its analysis to the international arena by comparing the RKI of American political discourse with that of Turkiye at the presidential level, which underlines the broader global implications and the diverse roles religious rhetoric plays in different democratic contexts. This comparative perspective situates the American experience within a wider global framework. Conclusively, this research enriches the scholarly discourse on the intersection of religion and politics by offering a comprehensive qualitative and quantitative analysis of religious rhetoric in American political communication within an evolving political and global landscape. As the use of religious language becomes more pronounced, understanding its implications for political cohesion, public discourse, and democratic engagement is increasingly imperative.Publication Not Quite White: Exploring Shifts in Classification and Self-Identity Among Racially Ambiguous Groups(2024-05-20) Baghdady, IsabelaWhen Americans hear the terms “race” or “ethnicity,” certain categories come to mind: “White,” “African American,” “Hispanic,” “Asian.” From filling out the Census Race Question to checking off a box on a job application, these racial categorizations shape both public policy and self-identity. While racial categorizations play an important role in American society, there are certain groups whose identities do not fit into these neatly delineated categories, placing them in the ambiguous space between white and nonwhite. This thesis project examines racial categorization through the lens of three racially ambiguous groups, who each test the boundaries of whiteness and occupy a discrete position outside the lines drawn by present-day racial classifications: (1) Portuguese, (2) Lebanese, and (3) South Asian Indian Americans. Through tracking how these three communities have sought to institutionally express their racial identities over time, this project conducts a qualitative case study to consider: why did the Portuguese, Lebanese, and South Asian Indians—three groups who sought legal classification as white in the early twentieth century—move toward distinct racial self-definitions in the contemporary period, and how does this shift impact the boundaries of whiteness in the United States? This paper finds that shifts in racial classification among these three groups are due to a change in the meaning of whiteness between the early twentieth century and the contemporary period. The transition from overt racially discriminatory laws to covert racially discriminatory laws altered the ways in which whiteness is sustained and enforced, ultimately making it a less appealing label among racially ambiguous groups over time. In assessing this project’s broader implications for where America draws the boundaries of whiteness, this paper introduces a model that depicts whiteness as a concentric circle, arguing that whiteness is better understood as a series of degrees or gradations rather than a bounded category.Publication Dobbs is Different: Evaluating the Dobbs Decision's Lack of Strategy Compared to Landmark Sexual Privacy Cases(2024-05-20) McAtamney, SiobhanEvidence shows that the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was controversial and contributed to the Court’s weakening legitimacy in the eyes of the American public. To better understand how Dobbs was truly different from other sexual privacy cases, we can look at how other landmark sexual privacy cases were decided, primarily the context of the decisions but also the decision itself. To evaluate decisions in a more organized manner, scholars of Court decision-making often turn to “models” that propose general suggestions on what the Court’s justices are primarily considering as they make their decision. I posit that the narrow and integrative strategic models, as advanced by Epstein and Knight, are a satisfactory way of explaining the landmark sexual privacy cases before Dobbs, namely Roe v. Wade (1973), Bowers v. Hardwick (1986), and Lawrence v. Texas (2003). After a thorough examination of the literature and outline of the strategic models, I will evaluate each case to identify how the decision was made strategically. I will then examine the context of the Dobbs decision and text of the majority opinion to highlight how in contrast to prior cases, Dobbs cannot be explained by the strategic models. Specifically, I will show that the Dobbs decision showed little to no consideration of the other branches of government, the Court’s legitimacy in the eyes of the public, and for the majority public opinion on abortion. This is a significant finding because it illustrates how the prevailing methods of analyzing and understanding the Court’s decisions might be inadequate for the current Court, since the models suggest the context of the Dobbs decision would lead to a decision contrary to the one the Court made.Publication Digital Frontlines: The Emerging Role of Cryptocurrencies in Hybrid Warfare & Geopolitics(College Undergraduate Research Electronic Journal (CUREJ), 2023-04-30) Stephanie HwangAs the digital landscape has evolved over the past several decades, scholars have noted that cyberspace has emerged as a new frontier for conflict, challenging conventional war paradigms and revealing the limitations of existing legal and normative frameworks. Amidst this evolving landscape, cryptocurrencies both present high economic promise and highlight the need for necessary safeguards to ensure that their economic potential is not compromised. This thesis delves into the potential exploitation of cryptocurrencies by the Axis of Autocracy, the subsequent consequences for the global geopolitical landscape, and the wisdom gleaned from the international community's past experiences with geopolitical destabilization. By focusing on Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), namely North Korea's Lazarus Group, this research highlights the innovative and disruptive nature of hybrid warfare within the cryptocurrency realm. It underscores the dual-edged nature of cryptocurrencies: as instruments of significant economic empowerment and innovation, and as tools potentially manipulated in the service of hybrid warfare. The analysis scrutinizes the geopolitical threat posed by APTs’ use of crypto as a means of waging hybrid war against the West, emphasizing the importance of global collaboration and regulatory oversight to harness the full potential of cryptocurrencies while mitigating their vulnerabilities. In an era marked by the continuous blurring of boundaries between peace and conflict, this thesis offers invaluable insights and recommendations for policymakers, finance experts, and academics striving to understand and address the complexities of cybersecurity and international relations in promoting a stable global order.Publication Combating McCarthyism: A Comparative Analysis of Truman and Eisenhower’s Approaches(2024) Jeremy AsheMcCarthyism was a prominent force in early 1950s American politics, spearheaded by Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy. Both President Harry S. Truman and President Dwight D. Eisenhower acknowledged the dangers associated with this type of demagoguery and attempted their own unique approach to combating it. Specifically, Truman’s approach directly and publicly confronted McCarthy, while Eisenhower’s approach silently and bureaucratically undermined McCarthy’s influence in Congress and the Republican party. Although there is extensive literature on McCarthyism, Truman’s approach, and Eisenhower’s approach, there is a significant gap in the comparison between the two approaches and in analyzing them in terms of crucial psychological components of McCarthyism, specifically in-group and out-group thinking and anti-intellectualism. This paper seeks to fill that gap by comparing the Truman and Eisenhower approaches and providing additional analysis of their respective effectiveness. This effectiveness is determined by the ability to diminish McCarthy’s appeal among the public and congressional peers and his capacity to shape political landscapes through investigations and agenda-setting. To do so, I examined presidential speeches, press conferences, meeting notes, and political maneuvering in order to investigate each president’s approach. I also applied existing literature on intergroup leadership and misinformation corrections to each approach in conjunction with polling data and shifts in political alliances in order to analyze each approach’s effectiveness. I argue that Truman’s approach failed to stop McCarthy’s political influence in Congress and with the public due to Truman’s lack of ethos and trust among McCarthy supporters and the threatening nature of his attacks. The Eisenhower approach, on the other hand, effectively ended McCarthyism by undermining his support among Republicans, caused largely by Eisenhower’s trust among Republicans and the general public and his savvy political actions that made his agenda more receptive to McCarthy supporters in Congress. Finally, I briefly examine contemporary politics in light of McCarthyism by providing an explanation for Donald Trump’s political prowess through the Truman approach and potential remedies to his power through the Eisenhower approach.Publication Utilitarianism and Animal Rights(2024-05) Anderson, DanaThis paper considers two potential methods, both based in utilitarianism, that can be used to grant animals a higher moral status. The first of these methods is an “animal-centric utility” based argument which seeks to decrease harm in non-human animals and increase non-human utility. The second of these methods is an “anthropocentric utility” based argument which seeks to decrease harm in human beings and increase human utility. Though both methods are generally effective at promoting animals receiving a higher moral status, the anthropocentric utility method is ultimately more persuasive for convincing society as a whole. Because of how normalized animal consumption has been throughout history, religious narratives, and human philosophy, the argument to give animals a higher moral status must continue to place homo sapiens at the forefront of the argument; people are more likely to be persuaded to benefit themselves as opposed to benefiting someone - or something – else. This paper analyzes these two methods and provides various avenues for implementing stronger animal rights.Publication Welcoming the "Killer Robot": Understanding International Variability in Lethal Autonomous Weapon System Bans(2024-05-19) Harrison Montoya, CarmenWhat explains the variability in between nations' choices to ban lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS)? Also known as "killer robots," LAWS are a class of weapons that are able to engage and destroy a target without the need for human intervention. Despite disagreement on their definition and existence, nations and intergovernmental organizations such as the United Nations have already begun debating how LAWS could be used or misused, publicly voicing their stances on the possibility of banning LAWS once they emerge. Stark variations have since developed between stances on a possible ban of LAWS, yet explanations and analyses of nations' stances are lacking. What would compel a nation to legalize the development and use of LAWS or generate bans against them? Employing a comparative case study analysis, my research categorizes stances on LAWS through a nation's humanitarian beliefs, democratic status, and ability to develop LAWS in the near future, theorizing and analyzing which factor would contribute the greatest to a nation's decision to develop or ban LAWS. Cases will encompass the United States, Brazil, China, Russia, and Egypt. Through my comparative case study analysis, I uncover that each hypothesis is proven equally true, and more complex conversations must be had regarding decision-making processes to develop or ban LAWS. Employing these findings, I hope to provide a framework for the likely international development of LAWS and contribute a novel perspective of the future of international security policy and military automation to both academics and policymakers alike.Publication Denying Democracy: Exploring the Electoral Penalty for Election Denial in the 2022 House Midterms(2023-05-01) Leghari, Sarem Ahmed KhanIt is critical to assess the capacity and willingness of voters to check politicians’ anti-democratic behaviors. The 2022 midterms were the first nationwide opportunity for voters to hold Republican candidates accountable for endorsing President Trump’s “Big Lie,” which severely threatened democracy. 60% of GOP candidates in the 2022 midterms were election deniers. Previous research has either studied which congressmen objected to the electoral college’s certification or assessed the electoral penalty in statewide races in 2022. This analysis employs OLS regression modeling to explore the electoral penalty for election denial across 404 House midterm elections. First, using an OLS regression model, I explore the factors influencing GOP candidates’ election denial. Election deniers were more likely to run in districts that contained voters which were more racially diverse, less educated, and more supportive of Trump in 2020. Second, the politicization of election denial significantly blunts voters’ capacity to electorally penalize election deniers. As a result, these candidates face a limited electoral penalty. I attribute this limited penalty to bipartisan pro-democracy messaging from political elites and persuasion effects among independent voters. This electoral penalty doubled in districts that were either highly competitive or significantly favored Trump in 2020. Third, while election-accepting GOP incumbents do not face more competitive primaries, prominently visible critics of election deniers mostly lost their primaries. These findings indicate that despite this limited electoral penalty, the GOP has strong incentives to continue defending Trump’s “Big Lie.” The primary losses of prominent pro-democracy voices exacerbate the GOP’s turn towards election denial.Publication The Puzzling Persistence of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"(2009-05-13) King, Elizabeth DPublication Language Policy and National Unity: The Dilemma of the Kurdish Language in Turkey(2009-03-30) Cemiloglu, DicleLinguistic diversity has emerged as a major source of conflict affecting the stability of numerous political entities around the world. Language policy makers often face the question of accommodating the needs of linguistically diverse communities. This paper examines the motivations, aims, and consequences of the Turkish state’s language policies in regards to the Kurdish language. The study also attempts to answer the question of why the status of the Kurdish language recently changed from an officially “prohibited language” to “a free language” in Turkey.