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Past Winners of Best Student Paper competitions

Best Undergraduate Student Papers

1995:
"Need There Be a Taming of the News? How the Mass Media Affect U. S. Foreign Policy," by David Campbell, Brigham Young University

1996:
First Place: "Responding to Hate Speech: The Appropriateness of Discriminatory Harassment Codes in College Communities," by Mary Carolyn Harris, University of the South

Runner-up: "The Role of the Speaker, the Chair of the Education Committee, and Other Mechanisms Involved in the Legislative Journey of School Choice Through the North Carolina House of Representatives," by Brian Christopher Castrucci, North Carolina State University

Runner-up: "Breaking Gender Barriers: Women's Committee Assignments in the House from the 90^th to 104^th Congresses," by Shari Knoerzer, Nebraska Wesleyan University

1997:
First Place: "The Cultivation of the Soul and the Just Society: The State of the Self in Maslow and Plato," by Michael Todd Sansbury, The University of the South (Sewanee)

Runner-up: "Feminists and Conservative Women: From the Time of ERA to the Present," by Anne E. Daugherty, Mary Washington College

Runner-up: "Educating Tomorrow's Citizens," by Iara Duarte Peng, Rollins College

1999 Best Undergraduate Class Papers
First Place: Amy Nelson, Moorhead State University, "Early Warning: A Collective Measure for the Prevention of Ethnic Conflict"

Runner-up: Mari K. Bonthius, St. Olaf College, "Has the Shooting Begun? A Test of the Culture War Theory on the Issue of Gay Rights"

Runner-up: Edwin W. Egee V, Mary Washington College, "Gaining Support through Casework: A Quantitative Study of Contractors and the Support They Give Their Representative"

1999 Best Undergraduate Honors Theses
First Place: "A Living Past, a Dying Present: An Analysis of Nationalism, National Identity and Ethnopolitics in the Conflict between Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina," by Jennifer L. Tate, Southwestern University

Runner-up: "The Effect of Political Factors, Economic Conditions, and PAC Contributions on U. S. Senate Votes Concerning Chinese MFN Status in the Post-Tianamen Square Era," by D. Michael Nardis, Georgetown University

Runner-up: "Secular vs. Spiritual: The Development of the State in Medieval Political Thought," by Julia Tyurina, University of Arkansas

2000 Best Undergraduate Class Papers
First Place: "The Determinants of Labor PAC Allocation to Incumbent Congressional Candidates 1996-1998," by Brandon Fitzsimmons, Creighton University, Theta Alpha Chapter

Runner-up: "Political Women: Participation, Orientation and Party Identification," by Sara Barokas, Mary Washington College, Kappa Upsilon Chapter

Runner-up: "A Breath of Fresh Air in Northeast Asia/A Proposed Revision to US-Japan Defense Guidelines," by Cadet Guyton Lee Robinson, U. S. Military Academy, Chi Upsilon Chapter

2000 Best Undergraduate Honors Theses
First Place: "The Silent Constitution: An Argument Toward Developing a Conception of our Silent Constitution," by Christopher Joseph Roche, Johns Hopkins University, Gamma Rho Chapter

First Place: "Better Bitch than Mouse: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Feminism, and VMI," by Carey Olney, Centenary College of Louisiana, Psi Gamma Chapter

Runner-up: "At the Will of the Party: A Study of Political Liberalization in China during the 1990's," by Michael Mell, Connecticut College, Omicron Beta Chapter

2001 Best Undergraduate Class Papers
First Place: "Duelling Paradigms: The Void within the Realism-Globalism Dichotomy and Its Implications for U. S. Foreign Policy," by David J. Brule, Stephen F. Austin State University, Iota Epsilon Chapter

Runner-Up: "Divided Government, Congress, and Balkan Policy," by Brett S. Yellen, Tufts University, Rho Omicron Chapter

Runner-Up: "Mixed Electoral Rules and their Implications for Party Nomination Strategies: The Cases of Russia and Ukraine," by Ryan Kennedy, Truman State University, Theta Tau Chapter

2001 Best Undergraduate Honors Theses
First Place: "The Interaction of the Supreme Court, the Media and the Public: A Study on How the Media and the Court Influence the Public," by Lauren Ernst, George Washington University, Eta Beta Chapter

Runner-Up: "Politics of Humanitarianism: The Implications that Kosovo abnd the Extradition of Pinochet Provide for the Future of Human Rights Enforcement," by Jessica Shapiro, Johns Hopkins University, Gamma Rho Chapter

Runner-Up: "The Rise of the Republican Party in the North Carolina General Assembly, 1894-2000," by Seth Whitaker, North Carolina Central University, Zeta Epsilon Chapter

2002 Best Undergraduate Class Papers
First Place: "Strange Bedfellows: The National Unity Game in Israel," by Jason Steck, Creighton U

Runner-up: "School Vouchers and the Establishment Clause," by Carine Lai, Tufts University

Runner-up: "Sleeping on the Job: The Irish Failure to Ratify the Treaty of Nice," by Matthew Jennejohn, Brigham Young University

2002 Best Undergraduate Honors Theses
First Place: "Televised Presidential Debates and Exposure: Partisan, Ideological., and Demographic Characteristics," by Ryan T. Balis, Mary Washington College

Runner-up: "Is it the Economy? Stupid: Using Statistical Models to Explain Bill Clinton's Public Approval," by John Grand, Centenary College of Louisiana

Runner-up: "Explaining the Proclivity for Violence in Islamist Political Groups," by Kevin Molloy, University of California, San Diego

2003 Best Undergraduate Class Papers
First Place: "Reducing Drug Use: The Effectiveness of the Harm Reduction and Prohibition Models in Comparison," by A. Scott Hauser, Sigma Zeta Chapter, University of Idaho

Runner-up: "The Non-Voter Puzzle Solved: Weak Partisanship Explains Demographic that do not Match Candidate Preference," by Erik Johnston, Kappa Upsilon Chapter, Mary Washington College

Runner-up: "Determinants of the Outcome of U. S. House Open Seat Elections," by Scott Keller, Delta Omega Chapter, Purdue University

2003 Best Undergraduate Honors Theses
First Place: "Amicus Curiae Briefs in the United States Supreme Court: Utility from the Perspective of Former Law Clerks," by Kelly Lynch, Beta Tau Chapter, University of Pennsylvania

Runner-up: "Violent Democracy: Reconciling the Coexistence of Institutional Democracy and Violence in Colombia, by Beth Neitzel, Delta Chi Chapter, Macalester College

Runner-up: :A Decision-Theoretic Examination of the Retirements of U. S. Federal Judges, 1789-2002," by Jessica M. Perry, Alpha Epsilon Chapter, Emory University

2004 Best Undergraduate Class Papers
First Place: "Democracy without Democratic Journalism? A Content Analysis of The San Francisco Chronicle during the Policy-defining Period prior to the Iraq War," by Andrew Bloeser, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

Runner Up: "Education in Plato's Republic," by Ariel Dillon, Santa Clara University

Runner Up: "Why XY? Explaining Variation in Male Support for Politically Active Women," by Katie Jerabek, Creighton University

2004 Best Undergraduate Honors Theses
First Place: "The Selection and Appointment Process for Federal Reserve Governors and Bank Presidents," by Michael Gramins, Georgetown University

Runner Up: "After Afghanistan: Al Qaeda's Future in Failed States," by Andrew Miller, Dickinson College

Runner Up: "Partition as a Solution of Ethnic Conflicts: The Significance of Third-Party Guarantees," by Michael McFarland, New York University

2005 Best Undergraduate Class Papers
First Place:  "Candidates' Use of the Media in the Most Recent Elections in Canada, Great Britain and the United States," by Kate Metcalf, University of Richmond

Runner Up:  "The Publication of Polls and Voter Selection," by Caitlin Dwyer, Hartwick College

Runner Up:  "In the Converage of the Rolling Stone:  The Significance of Politics in a Medium of Popular Culture," by Andrew Bloeser, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

2005 Best Undergraduate Honors Theses
First Place:  "Understandint Civil Liberties Judgments after September 11: An Experimental Study," by Chase Samples, Furman University

Runner Up:  "Affecting Citizen Satisfaction: Transitions to Mixed-Member Electoral Systems in Latin America and the Effects on Citizen Satisfaction" by Jason Eichorst, Texas A&M University

Runner Up:  "Amoral Liberals, Liberal Democrats, and  Moral Republicans: Some Explanations for the Democratic Party's Apparent Debility," by Jacqueline Chattopadhyay, University of California-Irvine

2006 Best Undergraduate Class Papers
First Place: "Religion and Environmentalism in America: An Analysis of Green Consciousness among the Christian Right," by Marjorie Palmer, Sewanee: University of the South.

Runner-up:  "The Free Exercise Clause: A Guarantee of Equality or Exemptions?" by Jacqueline Kroll, University of Richmond.

Runner-up:  "The Effects of Economic Conditions on President Bush's Approval," by Jonathan Olmstead, University of Delaware.

Runner-up:  "Crimes Against Civil Liberty: An Analysis of the United States Government's Involvement in Guantanamo Bay," by Denene Wambach, Temple University.

2006 Best Undergraduate Honors Theses
First Place:  "You Can Lead a Horse to Water . . .  Youth Voting and the Personal Touch," by Timothy Ryan, Tufts University.

Runner-up:  "Media Coverage of Genocide: A Comparison of the Rwandan and Sudanese Cases," by Sarah Ekels, Dickinson College.

Runner-up:  "A Study of Absentee Voting in Maryland," by Bryan David Jennings, St. Mary's College of Maryland.

2007 Best Undergraduate Class Papers
First Place:  "Public Support for Environmental Protection: Financial Sacrifices vs. Active Support," by Sarah Arpin, Creighton University

Runner-up: "Beyond the Shouting Match: Bilingual Education in Massachusetts and American National Identity," by Michael Swigert, Tufts University

Runner-up: "State Independence, Leadership Stability, and the Severity of Ethnic Conflict," by Petra Hendrickson, Indiana State University

2007 Best Undergraduate Honors Theses (two first-place winners)
FIrst Place:  "From Contention to Cooperation: Influences on Party Strategy in Northern Ireland from 1992 to 2007," by K. Casey Dunning, Emory University

First Place:  "To Lie or Not to Lie, It Depends on the Question: Understanding Vote Over-reporting in Surveys," by Diana Watral, Georgetown University

Runner-up:  "Unnoticed, Underfinanced, and Underreported Humanitarian Crises:  The Gap in Foreign Aid Decision Making," by Jeneca Parker,  Furman University

Best Graduate Student Papers (This award category was eliminated in 2002)

1995:
"The Supreme Court's Nullification of Congressional Statutes: An Analysis of the Effect of Political Parties Across Three Partisan Eras," by Linda Camp Keith, Univ. Of North Texas

2000:
First place: "Amateur or Professional? The California Legislature in the Term Limited Era, by Renee B. Van Vechten, University of California, Irvine, Pi Omicron Chapter

Runner-up: "Electoral System Design in Russian Oblasts and Republics: A Four Case Comparison," by Bryon Moraski, University of Iowa, Beta Chi Chapter

Runner-up: "Managerialism and Public Participatory Geographic Information Systems," by Paul Schlomer and Manjusha Gupte, Purdue University, Delta Omega Chapter

2001:
First Place: "Black Feminist Consciousness: Finally It's Been Factored," by Evelyn Simien, Purdue University, Delta Omega Chapter