With Special Thanks To…
The Planning Committee
Our Sponsors
Evan Sweeney, SIS Undergraduate Council
SIS Dean’s Office
Priya Diwakar, SIS Undergraduate Council
SIS Undergraduate Council
Rachel Mases, SIS Undergraduate Council
Delta Phi Epsilon Fraternity
Katherine Sibel, Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority
Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority
Sagatom Saha, Delta Phi Epsilon Fraternity
Sigma Iota Rho Fraternity
Corey Koppel, Delta Phi Epsilon Fraternity
Megan Nissel, Clocks & Clouds
Bradley Harmon, Clocks & Clouds
Madison Freeman, SIS Olson Scholars Program
Emily Dalgo, SIS Olson Scholars Program
Professor Aaron Boesenecker, Faculty Advisor
Eugene Smith, SIS Dean’s Office
Sacha Stein, SIS Undergraduate Program Office
Graduate student and faculty panel chairs, panel discussants, and judges
Student abstract readers and symposium volunteers
The 18th Annual
SIS Undergraduate
Research Symposium
Graduate Student and Faculty Judges
Best Paper Judges
•Dr. Aaron P. Boesenecker
•Dita Dobranja (SIS IER M.A. Program)
•Dr. David Bell Mislan
•Dr. Mirjana Morosini
Best Oral Presentation Judges
•Thomas Bradley (SIS CRS M.A. Program)
•Emily Kaput (SIS IER M.A. Program)
•Kate Tennis (SIS Ph.D. Program)
•Tahina Vatel (SIS GGPS M.A. Program)
Best Poster Presentation Judges
•Daniel Ginsburg (SIS USFP M.A. Program)
•Balazs Martonffy (SIS Ph.D. Program)
Acknowledgements
The planning committee would like to recognize the efforts of the entire SIS
community in promoting research at the undergraduate level in the field of
international affairs.
A special thanks to Professor Nanette S. Levinson for creating the SIS Undergraduate
Research Symposium.
History
The first annual SIS Undergraduate Research Symposium took place in 1998 to
provide a forum for undergraduates to present outstanding research. Now in its
sixteenth year, the symposium continues to highlight exceptional undergraduate
research projects covering an array of important international issues. By offering
students an opportunity to discuss and further develop their undergraduate research,
the symposium helps to celebrate our diverse interests as students and build a
community of scholars who exemplify the commitment to academic excellence and
global service—the core tenets of the School of International Service.
Friday, April 24, 2015
12:00 – 8:00 pm
Abramson Family Founders Room
& SIS Atrium
Opening Remarks & Welcome 12:00-12:15
•Welcome from Symposium Organizers
•Remarks by Associate Dean Patrick Jackson and Dr. Aaron P. Boesenecker
Panel I: Examining National Identity & Belonging 12:15-1:30
Moderator: Dr. Patrick Jackson, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education
Discussant: deRaismes Combes (SIS Ph.D. Program)
•Gabrielle Hasenstab: “Uncovering Perception of National Identity in Post-Soviet
Ukraine.”
•Rhys Leahy: “The Re-Emergence of Religion in Post-Soviet Russia: An Interpretivist
Analysis of Divergent Discourses between the Russian Federal Government and
Opposition Groups.”
•Eric Rosenthal: “Muslims in France: The New Kids on the Block and Why They’re
Being Oppressed.”
•Emily Dalgo: “The American Dream: Discourses of Equality and Achievability for
the Black American.”
Panel II: New Themes in Development & Environment 1:40-2:30
Moderator: Dr. Nanette Levinson
Discussant: Rachel Nadelman (SIS Ph.D. Program)
•Erin Bovee: “Examining the Understanding of the Identity of the National
Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning.”
•Trent Burns: “New Belgium Brewing Company & Sustainability as a Function of
Organizational Culture.”
Panel III: Examining Dimensions of Conflict & Security 2:40-3:50
Moderator: Dr. Garret Martin
Discussant: Dr. Eugene Walton Jr.
•Natasha Alexander: “Separatism, Power, South Asia.”
•Madison Freeman: “An Examination of the Role of the ‘Kurdish Problem’ in the
Turkish State Response to ISIS in 2014.”
•Anne Shannon: “When Never Again Happens Again: An Analysis of The New York
Times and Washington Post Coverage of the Conflict in the Democratic Republic of
the Congo since 2009.”
Panel IV: Human Security 4:00-4:50
Moderator: Dr. Rose Shinko
Discussant: Sharad Ghimire (SIS GEP M.A. Program)
•Becca Lamb: “People for Sale: Sex Workers as Commodities in Southeast Asian Sex
Tourism.”
•Jennifer Bradley: “Understanding Refugee Identity in a Globalizing World.”
•Michael Kinzer: “Ethno-Religious Discrimination in Urban Areas.”
Poster Session 4:30-6:30
(In SIS Atrium Concurrent to Panel Discussions)
•Victoria Anderson: “Marginality in Focus: Exploring the Decade of Roma
Inclusion.”
•Chandler Coniglio: “Serving Women: Does Gender Equality Derive from Service
Exports?”
•Monica Emma: “The Failure of Sustainable Development.”
•Emily Gallagher: “Rebuilding Eden: Conflict and Peacebuilding in the Iraqi
Marshlands.”
•Maha Kamel: “Political Islam and the Modern World.”
•Allison Lajeskie: “Food for Thought: How Cuisine Fosters Peace in the Eritrean
Diaspora.”
•David Russell Mullis: “Solar Technology Advantages in China.”
•Max B. Sherman: “How Has the Increased Need for Rare Earth Elements Caused
New Military Conflicts around the World?”
•Jake Sullivan: “Peer to Peer Lending.”
•Ferdinand Swedi: “Africa Let Us Help: Analysis of New Western Imperialism in
Africa.”
Panel V: Issues in Latin America 5:00-6:10
Moderator: Ambassador Anthony Quainton
Discussant: Emma Fawcett (SIS Ph.D. Program)
•William Kakenmaster: “Indigenous Identity, Land Tenure, and Human Rights: The
Case of the Marlin Mine in San Miguel Ixtahuacán, Guatemala.”
•Gretchen Cloutier: “Latin America’s Female Prisoner Problem: How the War on
Drugs and Feminization of Poverty Are to Blame for the Increased Incarceration of
Women.”
•Christine Chipko: “Unpacking the Gendered Approach to Conditional Cash
Transfers: Fostering Inclusivity for CCT Programs in Mexico, Brazil, and Chile.”
•Fifi Baleva: “The Cuba Normalization Network: Behind the Scenes of Obama’s
Decision.”
Panel VI: Identity & the MENA Region 6:20-7:30
Moderator: Dr. Aaron P. Boesenecker
Discussant: Dr. Dylan Craig
•Melis Cengiz: “Baklava and the Politics of National Identity.”
•Emily Litsas: “Turkish and Greek Conflict Cuisine.”
•Katelyn Pashby: “First the Land and then the Language: Language Colonization in
Transjordan and Palestine.”
•Erin Campbell: “The Fading of the Seasons: Perspectives on the Decline of the
Egyptian Arab Spring.”
Awards Reception & Refreshments 7:30-8:00
•Comments from Symposium Organizers
•Presentation of Best Paper, Best Presentation, and Best Poster Awards