Croft Theses
One of the requirements for graduating with a major in International Studies is completion of the senior thesis during the final year in a student's program. The senior thesis is a substantial work of original research and analysis in the student's regional and/or thematic concentration.
Prizes for the best theses in each region, the best interregional thesis, and the best overall thesis are recognized each year at the Croft graduation ceremony.
Theses/Dissertations from 2024
As Bonecas Babadeiras: Drag Subculture and Global Media in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Logan Baggett
Politicization and Economic Benefits of Renewable Energy, Sean T. Cunningham
La Langue des Autres: The Linguistic Evolution of African Representation in French Popular Culture, Colonialism to Present, KathrynAnne Eastman
South Korea's Scramble for Diplomacy in African Development, Binta Fadiga
NGO, NGO-ing, NG-gone: NGOs and their Social Ramifications in Jordan, Caroline Leonard
Framing Identity: Russian Media in the Baltics as a Mechanism of Soft Power, Jackson McArthur
Rhythm, Roles, and Resistance: The Palestine Music Expo, Abigail Metcalf
The Pope and the ʿUlamāʾ: a Study of Religious Institutions and Their Evolving Relationship to Government, Benjamin Newton
Lasting Impact: Analyzing the Relationship Between Colonialism and Proxy War Onset, Sydney Rehm
"Speak Arabic!": Arabic Dialect Comparison Videos and the Reconfiguration of the Maghreb-Mashreq Language Ideology, Jacquelyn Stewart-Kuhn
Theses/Dissertations from 2023
Differences in French Law Pertaining to Refugees from Former Colonies: A Case Study of North Africa and Indochina, Lauren Bergin
Can Uruguay Have Its Steak and Eat it Too? "Greening" a Red Meat Economy, Michael Chepolis
Reframing Culture: The Decolonization and Repatriation Process in the Italian Museum System, Leila de Gruy
Buy the Rumor; Sell the News: Predicting Growth in the Shanghai Stock Exchange Resulting from the 2020 Foreign Investment Law, Jonathan Dwyer
Language Laws and Regional Identity: A Case Study of Euskera in the Basque Country, Jenna Ebel
Los Pedrenses: Alternative Tourism, the Spectacle of Youth, and Struggles for Local Authority in La Pedrera, Uruguay, Gwendelyn Gardner
Para Todes: ¿Sí o No? The Use of Inclusive-Language Alternatives in the Spanish Language in Montevideo, Uruguay, Gabrielle Goulet
At the End of Life: Conceptualizing Human Dignity and Assisted Suicide Debates in Contemporary Germany, Edith-Marie Green
The Religious Landscape of Uruguay in the Third Millennium: Present Piety as a Product of the Past?, Brandon Kriplean
« Iel Dit Quoi ? » : A Study of the Origins and Evolution of Francophone Gender-Neutral Pronouns and Inclusive Language and a Discussion of French versus Canadian Acceptance, Alyssa Claire Langlois
Understanding How Women Navigated The Fight For Equality During The Second Republic And Transition-era Spain Through Feminist Literature, Amanda Jeanette Pagoaga
Chinese Political Rhetoric and Ideology: Tension and Pretension, Israel Paredes
Our Mothers are Dying: How Economics Affect Maternal Mortality, Kendall Wheelock
Theses/Dissertations from 2022
Population Aging and Healthcare Costs in China and Japan, Sean Brown
To Be or Not to Be: An Assessment of Latin American Airport Infrastructure and the Creation of An Airport Infrastructure Index, Jess Elisha Cooley
“A History of Heartache”: Korean Reunification through the Eyes of Giseong Sedae, Johanna Avalyn Cooper
Protest Music and Survival in the Basque Country During the Franco Regime, Michael J. Dodick JR
Exhuming Franco: Polarization in the Debate over Historical Memory in Contemporary Spanish Politics, Stephanie Gardiner
Body Image Perceptions Reflected in Social Media: A Guatemalan Instagram Study, Sarah Harris
Measles and Migration in Colombia and Brazil: Determinants of Differential Disease Impact Resulting from the Venezuelan Crisis, Kaylen Hisle
Table Stakes in the War for Talent: Examining the Role of Educational Assistance Programs Among the Fortune 1000, Noah Hubbard
Russia's Agenda For Ukraine: An Examination Of Putin's Media Propaganda Narratives, Gillian Grace Littleton
Aftermaths of Opposition: Effectiveness of Repression Against Reformist Islamists in Saudi Arabia, Londyn Lorenz
The Sustainability Rhetoric among the Spanish Fashion Companies Involved in the Rana Plaza Collapse of 2013, Keegan Lyle
Popular Protests and Democratization in Post-Soviet Countries: An Analysis of Why Some Democracy Movements Failed and Others Succeeded, David McDonald
How Immigration Policy Affects Migratory Flows and Immigrant Experiences: A Comparative Analysis of Policy Impacts on Northern Triangle and Venezuelan Immigrants in the United States, Audrey Lynn McDonough
How Chinese Media Reports on Infectious Disease Emergence and Human Environmental Interactions, Kai-Shin Newman
Church State Relations: Religiopolitics in Chile and Uruguay in the 21st Century, Calley Overton
Driving Factors Behind Language Use Among Younger Generations in Taiwan: Is the Demise of Hokkien Inevitable?, Jesse Weaver Paxton
Panda Diplomacy: China's Use of Soft Power to Influence the World, Anna Reed
Why No Rallying Force? Factors of Rassemblement National Underperformance in 2021 French Regional Elections, Amy Rhodes
Pendulums of Personhood? Exploring the Multitudes of Immigrant Womanhood in Spanish-Maghrebi Literature, Kaitlyn C. Sisco
Money Moves: An Analysis of Chinese Foreign Direct Investment in Europe, Susan Soh
From Patrons to Landlords: The Transformation of Class Relations in Zanzibar Through Wakf Reform, Isabel Spafford
AMLO and Huachicoleo: The Effects and Implications of the Fuel Theft Crackdown in Mexico, Samuel Starr
A Look Towards the Future of Eldercare: Lessons Learned from Social Care Models in Japan, Caroline M. Steil
Social media agenda setting of Environmental Policy Issues in Switzerland, Canaan Vaughan
Ageism, Eldercare, and Healthcare: An Examination of Growing Old in Costa Rica, Akshaya Vijayasankar
Homeland Calling: Myths as Mobilizers of Conflict in the Zapatista Rebellion and the Kosovo War, Catherine E. Williamson
The Politics of Migration in América: A Comparative Analysis of Federal Immigration Policy AND Local Impacts in the United States and Ecuador, Hayden Williamson
Politics and War in the Cannes International Film Festival: An Analysis of the Festival’s Unifying Agenda, Julia Grace Wood
Theses/Dissertations from 2021
The Great Equalizer or a Modern Iteration of Historical Inequality: Artificial Intelligence in Latin America, Santana Amaker
'Here we start and in Jerusalem we meet:' The Motivational and Organizational Influences of Israel's Statehood onTransnational Salafi Jihad, Charlotte Armistead
Assimilation, Association, And Modernism In The Urbanism Of The French Third Republic, Thomas Bleeker
The Ceibalitas in Uruguay: How Digital Educational Technology affects Social Cohesion, William Bradford
Support for Regionalist and Nationalist Political Parties in Spain, Bailey Burleson
Gay Identity in the GDR: The Homosexuelle Interessengemeinschaft Berlin between Self-Expression and State Control, Susanna Cassisa
Fine Particulate Matter and Low Weight Births in Mexico City, Mexico, Kennedy Cohn
Being Female and Indigenous: Barriers to Reducing Bolivia's Maternal Mortality Rates Under Evo Morales, Channell Cole
‘Con Los Brazos Abiertos’: Venezuelan Migration and the Humanitarian State Under Ecuador's Moreno Administration, Madeline Cook
Finding the Missing Peace: A Postcolonial Feminist Analysis of UNSCR 1325 in the African Union and European Union, Katie Dames
Factors in Disaster Response in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, Ashleigh Daugherty
Crisis and Catalonia: An Analysis on the Impact of Crisis on the Public Opinion of the Secessionist Movement in Catalonia, Rachel Ducker
The Impact of Intercultural Healthcare on Indigenous Maternal Health and Access to Care in Ecuador, Lea Dudte
Mamás Trabajadoras: An Evaluation of Policies that Incite Maternal Participation in the Labor Force in Spain and the European Union, Anna Kate Ferrell
The Politics of Everyday Subversion: Crisis, COVID-19, and Coming-of-Age in Córdoba, Argentina, Abby Flickinger
The Impact of Civil Society Engagement on Support for the Colombian Peace Accord, Victoria Gallegos
Anti-Americanism and the Auteur: Critical Discourse and the French Film Industry from 1946 to 1965, Madison Gee
Soda, Water, and Convenience: an Evaluation of the Mexican Soda Tax, Benjamin Hager
Refugees Not Welcome Here: An Analysis of Human Rights Transgressions Under the Migrant Protection Protocols, Claire Haxton
China, Xinjiang, and the Genocide Convention: The Fragility of International Law, Lucy Kate Herron
The Politics of Taxation: An Economic Analysis of Politically Motivated Tariffs Placed on French Wine by the United States, Katelyn Hutson
A City Divided: A GIS-Informed Study of Urban Planning in Amman, Jordan, Ella Lawson
Exploring the Global Rise of Ethnoreligious Nationalism: A Case Study of Vox in Spain and the Bharatiya Janata Party in India, Swetha Manivannan
The Blue State: UNRWA's Transition from Relief to Development in Providing Education to Palestinian Refugees in Jordan, Alana Mitias
Who Gets to Ride? A Case Study in Inequality and Public Transportation in Santiago, Chile, Melissa Sanguientti
From Ideological Resource to Financial Asset: The Evolving Relationship Between Youth and the State in Putin's Russia, Eleanor Schmid
Hand over fist: russia's use of military aggression to affect regional policy, Bobby G. Simmons II
Going Green: A comparative analysis of green urbanism in Paris and Shanghai, Jeanne Torp
Perceptions of Chinese Influence in Tanzania, Matthew Jacob Travers
Understanding German-Turkish Identity in the Context of Deutschrap, Alena Tien Vu
Why did the Camel Cross the Road?: The use of Camel Racing and Military Pageantry in Unifying Oman through Nationalism Racing, Elizabeth Williams
Theses/Dissertations from 2020
How Misinformation and Mistrust Compound the Threat of Epidemics, William Boyd
On the Basis of Sex: Personal Status Law Reforms and Economic Growth, Kylie Bring
Socializing Caregiving: Social Services, Women's Employment, and Overall Economic Success, Summer Caraway
French Exceptionalism: The Impact of Laïcité, Rachel Culp
Can Cities Be Feminist? A Cross-National Analysis of Factors Affecting Local Female Representation in Latin America, Katie Davis
The Differences in Talk about Violence and Terrorism: A Case Study of Northern Ireland and the Basque Country, McClellan Davis
Diabolus Ex Machina? A Comparative Case Study to Test Whether Automatic Weapons Can Disproportionately Benefit Irregular Forces, Harrison Durland