Research Opportunities

Political Science majors work closely with faculty members to complete independent research projects. They regularly present their research at Heidelberg’s annual student research conference. Some have also presented at Walsh University’s annual political science conference (in North Canton, OH) and at the Ohio Economics and Political Science Association Annual Meetings, on several occasions winning cash prizes in the undergraduate research paper competition. Students have presented with their faculty advisor at the International Studies Association Midwest Conference in St. Louis, MO, a major professional conference, as well as submitted and published in an undergraduate research journal.

Political Science Presentations at Heidelberg’s Annual Student Research Conference

February 19, 2009
  • Stephen Boyles - "Robert Mugabe and Zimbabwe: An Unyielding Leader and Struggling Country"
  • Matthew Cotman - "Oasis in the Sands: The United Arab Emirates"
  • Matthew Curley - "The Canadian Hockey Identity"
  • Emily Dages - "Who We Are: the Political Use of American Identity"
  • Dane Holmes - "Energy: A Look at the State of Global Energy"
  • Sean Hutson - "Venezuela, Oil and the Future of Democracy"
  • Keenan Jones - "The Right to Have Rights"
  • Cory Martinson - "Watching Molasses Drip from a Jar: The Slow Path of Progress in Iraq"
  • Sean Moore - "Analysis of Violence in Sudan, Somalia, and the Congo"
  • Ray Oulette - "What NATO Did Wrong?"
  • Seth Robertson - "Once in a Lifetime: The Inauguration of Barack Obama"
  • Samantha Wairimu - "Martyrs or Murderers? Heroines or Damaged Goods? Inside the World of the Female Suicide Bomber"
February 19, 2008
  • Liesl Barth – “Death and Destruction in Darfur”
  • Kelli Cox – “Crossing Boundaries: Immigration Issues Between the U.S. and Mexico Border”
  • Emily Dages – “Quebecois: Masters in Our Own House” and “The Legacy of Sykes-Picot”
  • Jessica Eby – “The Culture, Politics and Economics of Modern Saudi Arabia”
  • Erica Fouty – “The Effects of Religions and Party Identification”
  • Kristina Gaietto – “Child Soldiers: The Outright Denial of Children’s Human Rights” and “Pakistan: The Black Hole of the American War on Terror”
  • Dana Gardner – “Darfur: War, Death, Destruction, Crisis”
  • Jeremy Hejnal – “Diamonds Aren’t Forever”
  • Sean Hutson – “Human Rights Law and Inner Conflict”
  • Keenan Jones – “Beyond Relations: America’s Need for a Russian Policy”
  • Katherine Robbie – “Bleak Future”
  • Shannon Tiernan – “Women of the Middle East: The Rights of Muslims”
  • Andrew Ziegelmeyer – “Native American Genocide”
  • Chelsea Zimmerman – “International Carbon Emission Reduction Initiatives”
February 20, 2007
  • Costina Detterman – “Guilty Until Proven Innocent”
  • Sara Dolinski – “One Couple, One Child: An Analysis of China’s One-Child Policy from a Human Rights Perspective”
  • Jessica Evans – “Power and Glory: The Roman Colosseum”
  • Maryann Fremion – “Should We Damn the Dam? A Western Perspective of China’s Three Gorges Dam Project”
  • Kristina Gaietto – “Water: The Quiet Crisis”
  • Brittany Harnish – “Rwanda: Murder and Redress” and “Roman Literature: Voices of Empire”
  • Keenan Jones – “A Balancing Act: Russian Foreign Policy”
  • Chris McCall – “Illegal Immigration: Mexico and the U.S.”
  • Jennifer Tangeman – “Home is Where the Heart is…Right? Homelessness in America” and “The Role of Social Class and Religion in Partisan Identity”
  • Gregory Trumble – “Genesis: The Rise of al-Qaeda as an International Player” and “The United States and the Arab Gulf Monarchies: The Oil-for-Security Dynamic Revisited”
  • Aaron Weaver – “The Effect of Military Tactics on the Creation of Empire”