Without the resources of Pepperdine Libraries, I have an extremely hard time imagining my Political Science Honors Thesis existing in its current form today. From the days of searching through databases such as JSTOR, Sage Research Methods, to Academic Search Complete, I was able to gain access to entire body of Political Science literature at the whim of my fingertips. Over the course of the past semester and a half, I was able formulate the research question for my thesis, collect a wide range of academic resources, and gain the help of expert librarians to narrow down and carry out my research.
The beginning of my thesis started in early September, and when I had one of my biggest challenges, and that was to narrow down my research interest of “congressional legislation and politics” to something that was practical to research and write about with limited undergraduate resources. At the beginning, I started using the Pepperdine Libraries InfoGuides, which directed me to the most useful databases for conducting my research. With my initial research, and many conversations with my thesis advisors, I finally narrowed down my topic to political framing theory and tying it to recent gun control legislation. My final research questions were the following: First, what are the particular elements of a political action frame used towards arguments regarding gun control policy during the summer 2013? Second, what elements of those frames can lead to a formation of a positive or negative public opinion of said legislation? After formulating my research questions, I was able to use library resources to find potential answers.
My thesis is heavily focused on using previous academic literature as a way to support my research, and I then u...
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...blic opinion of the “Manchin-Toomey Background Checks Gun Control Bill”. I used an eBook, “The Stata survival manual”, from Pepperdine Libraries, to quickly learn how to use the Stata software program to quickly calculate and present the data I collected.
In conclusion, the time I spent writing my Political Science Honors Thesis was not an easy process, but it was a detailed and through process that benefited my final piece of work, and with the resources from Pepperdine Libraries, I was able to achieve a piece of research I am highly proud of. Over the course of a semester and a half, I was able to learn about and overcome the challenges of conducting original academic research, and with the resources from Pepperdine Libraries, I believe that I have created a piece of research that can be expanded upon by future researchers interested in political framing theory.
The first four weeks of CR510 have prompted this student to reflect on her years of teaching in the public school setting. Having experienced many similar complexities to the ones in the text, this student is sympathetic to the challenges facing those in the education system and is eager to find opportunities to offer a better solution for all involved. CR510 has strengthened this student's belief that a third party neutral can provide valuable benefits to educational systems at all levels.
The American Academy of Political and Social Science The Annals of The American Academy of Political and Social Science,(2013)
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Another controversial issue in America is the issue of gun control. The Second Amendment to the Constitution guarantees the right to keep and bear arms. However, the extant of this right remains highly debated. In the past two decades, massive killing sprees and school shootings have given rise to debates about this issue. In the 1990s the prevalence of guns in our society has allowed these mass killings to occur, angering a majority of the Americans. Therefore, in the 1990s there was a massive public push for stricter gun control with the majority of 60 percent Americans thinking laws needed to be stricter (Figure 4). However, as state laws became stricter and shootings became more prevalent there was a push back on gun control in a few short
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Initial Reflective Essay When I first thought of what I wanted to do with my life after college, the first thing I thought of was helping people. The next step in deciding what I wanted to do with my life was to examine how I could accomplish this goal. I started pondering and I was thinking about how much I love to take care of my body. Health care and personal hygiene has always been an important factor in my life. So I decided to major in Health Sciences.
The debate over gun control in America has constantly been brought up over the years due to gunmen killing large amounts of people in shootings. From Columbine to Sandy Hook, or the shootings of the two reporters in West Virginia, these public shootings are occurring everywhere. Lawmakers and civilians alike are pushing for increased gun control in hopes of preventing the same tragedies. Anyone that has been affected by the shootings has been pushing Congress and state governments to force new sanctions on the government. Over the past three years, Congress has shot down all the laws despite the large amounts of public support.
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