Political Science
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Political scientists explore the concerns and issues that animate public life. Using both humanistic and scientific approaches, we study how political communities attempt to reconcile the claims of justice, power, liberty, and authority.
Drawing on history, law, economics, psychology, sociology, and philosophy, political science is a broadly based social science that shares the traditional aims of liberal arts education while attempting to come to grips with the major public issues of our time.
Upon graduation, political science majors qualify for careers in both the public and private sectors, in local, state, and federal government, and in business, education, journalism, international organizations, and practical politics. They also pursue postgraduate study in law and public administration, as well as graduate study in political science, among other disciplines.
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Department chair: David Mayers
Campus address: 232 Bay State Road
Phone: 617-353-2540
Fax: 617-353-5508
Website: www.bu.edu/polisci
All materials in OpenBU are subject to Title 17 of the U.S. Code.
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CAS: Political Science: Undergraduate Honors Theses [59]
Political Science Honors Program
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A look at the trends in the education of our nation’s citizens and leaders; from books to digital media; what’s to come?
The education and learning habits of our nation’s citizens and leaders have changed and are changing dramatically. Contemporary American adults and adolescents spend substantial portions of their time online and acquire ... -
The nationalization of health care policy: the Affordable Care Act and state-based Medicaid expansion programs
(2024-05-03)Medicaid expansion programs vary drastically from state to state. Slow and uneven implementation, differing programs and eligibility requirements, and ideological conflict have all caused each state to have their own unique ... -
“More People? More Power!”: progressive religious activism in the Greater Boston Area
(2024-05-03)Boston has an incredibly unique religious composition and an undoubtedly important civil sector. From its start as a hub in a Puritan-dominated colony to its existence today as a cosmopolitan megalopolis, the Boston Metro ... -
The effect of historical institutions on contemporary social movements: lessons from Santiago de Chile and Cape Town, South Africa
In the past 30 years, newly democratized countries have seen an explosion in urban mobilization. From the Shantytowns of Chile to the townships of South Africa, now more than ever, urban citizens struggle to reverse the ... -
Adversaries: Sino-US relations trend analysis 1999-2001
This thesis presents a quantitative analysis of Sino-US diplomatic trends during the period from January 1st, 1999, to December 31st, 2001. Through web scraping of the People's Daily database, approximately 2,800 relevant ... -
The navigation of undocumented immigrants in society and the U.S. Immigration Legal System: through the lens of Brazilians in Plymouth, Massachusetts
(2023-05)Over 10 million undocumented immigrants currently live in the U.S. and have no legal pathways to obtain permanent legal status. While Hispanic undocumented populations are often represented in the field of academia, the ... -
American corporate political strategy by revealed preference
(2022-01-01)This thesis explores corporate political activity as a bundle of economic goods by analyzing heterogeneity between industries’ spending on lobbying, PAC contributions, and the appointment of former political officials to ... -
Age is measured with systematic measurement error in developing country surveys: a diagnosis and analysis of consequences
(SAGE Publications, 2021-07)Research in political science and other social sciences often relies on survey data to study a range of questions about politics in the developing world. This study identifies systematic measurement error in some of the ... -
The relationship between unions and people’s populist beliefs
(2022-05)This study asks, “Do unions affect people’s draw to populism and the politicians that they vote for?”. To answer this question, I interviewed custodians from Union 32BJ Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and ...