http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/keyword/america Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Fri, 01 May 2026 06:31:26 -0400 Fri, 01 May 2026 06:31:26 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1958/the-relationship-between-gender-and-trauma-in-donna-tartts-the-goldfinch By Katie K. Strubel - The Goldfinch (2013) by Donna Tartt is a novel that explores the conditions of grief and escalating lengths characters will go to survive the traumas and mysteries of life. This story of guilt and loss—intermixed with love and longing—is far detached from the traditional coming-of-age trope. I argue that one of the most tantalizing aspects found in this piece of literary fiction is the fascinating and sometimes questionable relationship between main characters, Theodore Decker and Boris Pavlikovsky. Reading this novel through a queer/gender studies lens and the use of a dialogic journal... Mon, 19 Sep 2022 02:37 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1958/the-relationship-between-gender-and-trauma-in-donna-tartts-the-goldfinch http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1957/how-media-influences-the-use-of-violence-in-protests-an-analysis-of-the-black-lives-matter-and-#stopthesteal-movements By Clay B. York - Two of the most prevalent protest movements in recent history were the Black Lives Matter and the #StopTheSteal movements. While there are many differences between the two, one of the most prevalent is their use of violence. Whereas the BLM movement remained largely peaceful, the StS movement did not. Despite previous research indicating that several factors such as communal identities, state repression, and viewing nonviolent methods as ineffective cause protests to turn violent, the research conducted in this paper found that one other factor was more important than those discussed by previous... Tue, 07 Jun 2022 08:52 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1957/how-media-influences-the-use-of-violence-in-protests-an-analysis-of-the-black-lives-matter-and-#stopthesteal-movements http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1951/biased-narratives-in-the-media-coverage-of-fatal-shootings-during-black-lives-matter-demonstrations By Halie A. Hoffman - During the summer of 2020, two fatal shootings occurred following Black Lives Matter protests. The first event involved Kyle Rittenhouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and the second Michael Reinoehl in Portland, Oregon. Two shootings, each committed by members of opposing political ideologies and opposite their victims, present an opportunity to check for ideological bias in the news by comparing CNN and Fox coverage, sources who lean opposite on media bias scales, in the immediate aftermath of fatal shootings. Results suggest that CNN relied more heavily on episodic framing of the Portland event, thereby... Fri, 15 Apr 2022 02:04 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1951/biased-narratives-in-the-media-coverage-of-fatal-shootings-during-black-lives-matter-demonstrations http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1940/the-evolution-of-third-party-doctrine-analysis-how-the-supreme-courts-current-analytical-framework-limits-the-scope-of-the-third-party-doctrine By Peter Conlin - The Fourth Amendment protects the “right of people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures…” Fundamentally, the Fourth Amendment places constitutional limits on law enforcement’s power to conduct a search or a seizure. However, the Supreme Court has recognized certain exceptions to this general constitutional requirement. The most controversial and expansive exception is the Third-Party Doctrine, which states: once information is relinquished to a third party, its original owner loses any expectation of privacy... Fri, 25 Feb 2022 09:30 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1940/the-evolution-of-third-party-doctrine-analysis-how-the-supreme-courts-current-analytical-framework-limits-the-scope-of-the-third-party-doctrine http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1936/explaining-the-gender-gap-in-the-criminal-justice-system-how-family-based-gender-roles-shape-perceptions-of-defendants-in-criminal-court By Katharina Geppert - Numerous studies have investigated why women are vastly underrepresented in prisons across the United States. In explaining this “gender gap,” scholars have found that women are treated more leniently than men at various stages of the judicial process. Explanations for women’s lenient treatment are often oversimplified as “sex differences” in criminal behavior and could benefit from further investigation. Through qualitative interviews with federal judges and attorneys, as well as observations of criminal court proceedings, this study examines how the family, as a... Wed, 09 Feb 2022 01:17 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1936/explaining-the-gender-gap-in-the-criminal-justice-system-how-family-based-gender-roles-shape-perceptions-of-defendants-in-criminal-court http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1929/understanding-the-2016-republican-primary-substantive-versus-strategic-voting-behavior By Max Gonzalez Saez-Diez - Was the selection of Donald Trump in the 2016 Republican Primary a strategic or a substantive choice? Donald Trump defied many predictions when he won the GOP’s presidential nomination despite his initial ‘underdog’ standing and controversial record. However, there is a limited understanding of the interplay between assessments on Trump’s electoral power versus policy and ideological preferences in voters’ decision-making. Scholars have long argued that “viability” considerations strongly affect voters’ choice in primary elections, where substantive... Mon, 03 Jan 2022 11:44 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1929/understanding-the-2016-republican-primary-substantive-versus-strategic-voting-behavior http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1926/american-construction-reconstruction-and-destruction-the-cultural-historical-and-literary-underpinnings-of-our-great-divide By Michael L. Neely - This thesis explores the inherent conflict between liberty and equality—the twin pillars on which the United States and its Constitution are predicated—and the materialization of this conflict in storm center texts, whose subjects cover the sentiments of the zeitgeist during American construction, destruction, and reconstruction. This paper asserts that American Construction and Reconstruction were fraught with the partition between these twin pillars—liberty and equality—and it brought this partition to the fore. American founders and historical and literary figures gave... Thu, 09 Dec 2021 12:12 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1926/american-construction-reconstruction-and-destruction-the-cultural-historical-and-literary-underpinnings-of-our-great-divide http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1925/emotion-and-politics-how-strengths-of-mind-relate-to-political-attitudes-in-the-united-states By Vincent C. Patierno - Political polarization has been an increasingly salient point of discussion since the 2016 presidential campaign, the election of Donald Trump, and into today. Beyond emphasizing partisan and issue-based divides, scholars have identified emotion-based roots of polarization. With more cognitive and emotional aspects of social behavior being considered in empirical frameworks, contributions from psychology have become of paramount importance. The present study employs measures of variables that emphasize self-awareness and openness to opposing viewpoints, like intellectual humility. Research to... Wed, 01 Dec 2021 02:36 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1925/emotion-and-politics-how-strengths-of-mind-relate-to-political-attitudes-in-the-united-states http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1921/vindication-for-tin-foil-hats-an-analysis-of-unethical-cold-war-experiments-and-their-enduring-consequences By Michael D. Opheim - While the Cold War is popularly regarded as a war of ideological conflict, to consider it solely as such does the long-winded tension a great disservice. In actuality, the Cold War manifested itself in numerous areas of life, including the various scientific fields of the Contemporary Era. Accordingly, scientific research became nothing more than a competition to both the United States and Soviet governments, influencing both to hastily expend their resources on progressing their respective understandings of science. In their hasty pursuit of scientific superiority, however, recent investigations... Wed, 10 Nov 2021 09:11 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1921/vindication-for-tin-foil-hats-an-analysis-of-unethical-cold-war-experiments-and-their-enduring-consequences http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1913/securitization-framing-and-the-threat-of-right-wing-militias-under-donald-trump By Mia Wolosky - This paper assesses the political preferences and ideologies of the Trump administration and how they influenced framing issues in a way that has underestimated the threats of right-wing militia groups in the United States. President Trump and officials within his administration used rhetoric to place emphasis on the security concerns associated with immigration and far left-wing groups, while failing to condemn violence coming from the right. This paper analyzes how framing, and the securitization of certain issues, downplayed and encouraged the persistent threat of far right-wing domestic terrorists... Tue, 05 Oct 2021 10:23 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1913/securitization-framing-and-the-threat-of-right-wing-militias-under-donald-trump http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1911/the-legacy-of-american-transcendentalism-in-contemporary-literature-from-thoreau-to-krakauer By Perla Kantarjian - American Transcendentalism (1836-1860), despite having an amorphous and transient lifespan, holds strong importance in American history: religious, philosophical, and literary. Not only did this movement approach societal and spiritual life with new and radical perceptions concerning a variety of matters, but the tenets it preached still strike a certain chord within all who study them. Leaders of this compelling movement, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Margaret Fuller, who are all prominent names in American literary history, called for a “transcendence” from... Mon, 27 Sep 2021 08:21 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1911/the-legacy-of-american-transcendentalism-in-contemporary-literature-from-thoreau-to-krakauer http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1907/through-thick-and-thin-understanding-democracy-and-its-consequences-in-the-united-states By Zak Schneider - One of the key ways to measure and analyze the performance of such expansive countries such as the United States is to look at their institutions and corresponding values. This paper offers a framework of thin democracy, the institutions, norms, and end goals that are broadly accepted by Americans in order to wage political conflict through peaceful means. And thick democracy, or a more complex sense of civic understanding that permeates at the mass level. Then, this work delves into the American case study of democratic erosion, looking through the lens of both thin and thick democratic elements... Fri, 17 Sep 2021 09:20 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1907/through-thick-and-thin-understanding-democracy-and-its-consequences-in-the-united-states http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1903/from-flourishing-industrial-slavocracy-to-restrictive-tenancy-and-re-enslavement-the-southern-labor-force-before-and-after-the-civil-war By Mang Lu - Some scholars of American history suggest the institution of slavery was dying out on the eve of the Civil War, implying the Civil War was fought over more generic, philosophical states' rights principles rather than slavery itself. Economic evidence shows this conclusion is largely incorrect; the industrial slavocracy of the south was thriving—Southern aristocrats had every reason to fight the prospect of abolition, for the Southern economy and capital structure was almost exclusively on the ownership of Black men and women. After the war, repression continued through economic means, as... Tue, 25 May 2021 09:44 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1903/from-flourishing-industrial-slavocracy-to-restrictive-tenancy-and-re-enslavement-the-southern-labor-force-before-and-after-the-civil-war http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1891/conservative-perspectives-of-political-outsiders By Audrey Cialdella - Western conservatism is often conceived as the philosophy of large landowners in the past and business executives in the present. Heightened awareness of racial and class disparities in recent years has increased the perception that conservatism is the ideology of the elite. In this paper, I will explore the conservative philosophies of three individuals who contradict this notion: Cicero, Edmund Burke, and Alexander Hamilton. I argue that conservatives consider their in-group to be those who share their values and traditions, and those traditions and values are their most salient identity. Disruption... Thu, 18 Mar 2021 04:39 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1891/conservative-perspectives-of-political-outsiders http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1885/the-modern-american-family-in-amcs-the-walking-dead By Kasandra J. DiSessa - AMC's The Walking Dead (TWD) has maintained a dedicated viewership since its premiere in 2010 and serves as a well-known example of zombie media in today’s culture. The zombie genre has long been recognized for its subversive potential, but is often critiqued for failing to subvert certain institutions, such as the heterosexual, nuclear family. TWD has been critiqued in previous scholarship for sharing this failure. However, analysis of more recent seasons of TWD shows that the show has steadily increased its representation of different family types, and this increase of non-heterosexual... Wed, 10 Mar 2021 08:13 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1885/the-modern-american-family-in-amcs-the-walking-dead http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1879/sensationalism-of-trauma-in-american-film-and-literature By Clare M. Nee - The Virgin Suicides written by Jeffrey Eugenides, as well as Sofia Coppola’s film adaptation, utilize the literary and cinematic tropes of suicide to explore female suicides as romantic notions and assertions of agency within the teenage world of five sisters. In a world in which suicide and mental illness are rapidly on the rise, one might ask: is it ethical to use suicide merely as a plot device to explore a narrative other than its own? The novel and film adaptation use suicide as a vehicle to exploit and sexualize the adolescent female body through a voyeuristic, collective male narrative... Fri, 19 Feb 2021 11:43 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1879/sensationalism-of-trauma-in-american-film-and-literature http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1877/inglorious-basterds-a-satirical-criticism-of-wwii-cinema-and-the-myth-of-the-american-war-hero By Nadine Hussein - This article explores the way in which Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds challenges the myth of the American hero and criticizes the glorification of war cinema by satirizing the viewer directly. The particular focus is on the subtly with which Tarantino creates a network of parallels and analogical relations which dissolve the distinction between hero and villain. This article also argues that Tarantino effectively manipulates the audience into confronting the self-aggrandization of the American collective memory of WWII and exposes the ease at which the viewer is propagandized. Tarantino... Tue, 16 Feb 2021 04:53 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1877/inglorious-basterds-a-satirical-criticism-of-wwii-cinema-and-the-myth-of-the-american-war-hero http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1875/the-graphic-novel-as-argument-visual-representation-strategy-in-kyle-bakers-nat-turner By Jacqueline Rodriguez - Traditional slave narratives follow a set of conventions that helped abolitionists recognize them as factual and trustworthy stories. Previously enslaved authors subverted those conventions to take control of their narratives and expose white abolitionists’ selfish motivations. In Kyle Baker’s graphic novel retelling of Nat Turner’s life story, free from the conventions of those traditional narratives, the reader is provided a new perspective on Turner’s story with an emphasis on reader participation. His graphic narrative prioritizes the black story without a white person... Thu, 11 Feb 2021 11:41 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1875/the-graphic-novel-as-argument-visual-representation-strategy-in-kyle-bakers-nat-turner http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1867/edgar-allan-poe-and-race-analyzing-the-absent-negro-trope-in-gothic-literature By Jennifer Celeste - Edgar Allan Poe is known for writing about a wide variety of controversial topics, such as death, murder, and addiction. However, one topic that his work tends to avoid is race and/or racism. Instead, he often chooses to include marginalized groups of people in tertiary roles, intentionally or unintentionally utilizing stereotypes associated with each marginalized subject to enhance or reveal insights on many of the more overt themes included in his literature. This paper will analyze Pompey, a side character in Poe’s “How to Write a Blackwood Article” in order to assess how... Fri, 22 Jan 2021 09:21 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1867/edgar-allan-poe-and-race-analyzing-the-absent-negro-trope-in-gothic-literature http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1864/democratic-misrepresentation-a-quantitative-analysis-of-out-of-district-state-campaign-fundraising By Mattew L. Katz, Justin Miller, & Sethu Odayappan - This paper aims to fill the gap in quantitative research on out of district donations at state levels of American government. Examining inequality in donor representation is an important part of ensuring an equitable and just democracy. Using donor data from the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF) we identify unjust patterns in out of district contributions to state representatives in the 2016-2018 Massachusetts campaign cycle. Specifically, we examine economic, occupational, and racial factors through the use of home price estimates as a proxy for wealth, self-reported... Tue, 19 Jan 2021 05:46 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1864/democratic-misrepresentation-a-quantitative-analysis-of-out-of-district-state-campaign-fundraising http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1859/cultural-competencies-for-healthcare-providers-working-with-rural-finnish-americans By Abigail K. Carlson - The number of Americans aged 65-years-and-older is projected to increase significantly by 2050. As rural older adults age-in-place, it is imperative to examine the links between cultural competencies, ethnic minority status, and access to care. Rural providers from outside the local culture must recognize the need to practice cultural humility and cultural sensitivity to champion best practices of care. Finnish Americans have a unique subculture in the Upper Midwest, particularly in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where they have historically faced much hardship, as well as significant barriers... Fri, 08 Jan 2021 12:54 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1859/cultural-competencies-for-healthcare-providers-working-with-rural-finnish-americans http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1858/the-lingering-influence-of-revolutionary-political-discourse-from-the-civil-war-and-reconstruction-era By Bhadrajee S. Hewage - The Civil War was a seminal moment in the historical development in the United States. The American Revolution may have created the U.S. as a sovereign nation, but the Civil War helped to determine what kind of nation America would become. The Reconstruction era, from Lincoln's 1863 Emancipation Proclamation to Hayes's removal of federal troops from the South in 1877, further defined how exactly the U.S. would evolve into the nation that it is today. By examining the attitudes towards the extension of slavery in the pre-war U.S., the decisions taken by the Union and Confederate governments during... Fri, 08 Jan 2021 10:45 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1858/the-lingering-influence-of-revolutionary-political-discourse-from-the-civil-war-and-reconstruction-era http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1855/reading-religion-in-literature-toni-morrison-luisah-teish-and-postsecular-theory By Kayla R. Drummond - The postsecular turn of the late 1990’s refers to the emergence of a critical theory which challenges an important modern assumption: that secular ideologies are inherently more valid and truthful than religious ideologies. Other developments in literary theory in the latter half of the 20th century were aimed at disrupting and challenging normative assumptions, and postsecularism was no different. By disrupting the hierarchy of the knowledge/faith binary, postsecular theory provides a range of fresh opportunities for reading religion in literature. This essay examines several important... Mon, 04 Jan 2021 12:13 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1855/reading-religion-in-literature-toni-morrison-luisah-teish-and-postsecular-theory http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1849/the-role-of-native-american-healing-traditions-within-allopathic-medicine By Rachna Vemireddy - Although spirituality has been an essential part of healing for most of mankind, modern medicine is more likely to embrace a mechanistic view of the human body where illness is an engineering problem and the body is the sum of discrete parts, rather than a complex whole. This may be the accepted norm today, but it is in complete contrast to the Native-American tradition, where the spirit is inextricably linked to healing. Neither approach is wholly sufficient in modern times and Native American (NA) groups have adopted their healing beliefs and practices to work in tandem with allopathic medicine... Thu, 10 Dec 2020 12:14 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1849/the-role-of-native-american-healing-traditions-within-allopathic-medicine http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1848/examining-the-complex-subjective-filmography-of-oliver-stone-a-comparison-and-critique-of-jfk-to-nixon-and-platoon-to-heaven-and-earth By Mang Lu - Oliver Stone's filmography has levied an unprecedented effect on the popular understanding of American history, especially of the turmoil surrounding the Vietnam War and the assassination of John F. Kennedy. His style has been described as highly subjective, fantastical, impassioned, insensitive, and unabashedly masculine. It is rather undisputed, however, that his features are not without cultural, racial, or religious shortsightedness. Stone's narrative style is particularly strong when working within a certain set of circumstances with respect to story and historical substance. Western, male... Tue, 08 Dec 2020 12:20 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1848/examining-the-complex-subjective-filmography-of-oliver-stone-a-comparison-and-critique-of-jfk-to-nixon-and-platoon-to-heaven-and-earth http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1845/bonds-of-slavery-and-bonds-of-love-investigating-the-role-of-african-american-families-and-marital-unions-in-the-struggle-against-slavery By Xavier G. Reader - Resistance to oppression is often found in the most unlikely of places. This article investigates the significance that families and partnerships played in fostering the emotional support necessary to sustain enslaved peoples throughout the onslaught of slavery in the antebellum South. Despite the ever-present threat of separation and sale that sought to split families and spouses apart, the bonds of love that enslaved African-Americans held and shared were not easily severed. This examination of the lived experiences of enslaved folk demonstrates that the creation, mutability, and endurance of... Sat, 28 Nov 2020 10:03 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1845/bonds-of-slavery-and-bonds-of-love-investigating-the-role-of-african-american-families-and-marital-unions-in-the-struggle-against-slavery http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1835/has-the-us-constitution-reached-its-expiration-date-a-review-and-criticism-of-the-worlds-longest-lasting-constitution By Emma L. Bernstein - The United States Constitution is the longest lasting written constitution in the world, despite the fact that one of the key framers, Thomas Jefferson, believed that written constitutions ought to have a nineteen year expiration date before they are revised or rewritten. Yet, it has been nearly thirty years since the United States Constitution has even been amended, and critics believe many aspects of the Constitution are no longer suitable for the United States today. This article argues that the Constitution is long overdue to be amended or even rewritten. It will first analyze factors that... Tue, 10 Nov 2020 08:36 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1835/has-the-us-constitution-reached-its-expiration-date-a-review-and-criticism-of-the-worlds-longest-lasting-constitution http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1829/construction-of-asian-identity-in-restaurant-menus-a-case-study By Mika Skibinsky - This paper explores the meaning and implications of “Asian” in the context of American restaurant menus. I determine what kind of language in dish descriptions, specifically ingredients and adjectives, indexes a restaurant or dish as “Asian.” Then, building on Mapes (2018), I observe how “Asianness” is constructed and performed using key discourse strategies, which I divide into two parts: Constructing “The Other” and Constructing “The Comfort Zone.” I then discuss how the construction of “Asianness” indexes the restaurant... Thu, 29 Oct 2020 09:56 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1829/construction-of-asian-identity-in-restaurant-menus-a-case-study http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1817/the-power-of-right-wing-populism-in-the-twitter-age-analysis-of-donald-trumps-tweets-during-the-2016-election By Cecilia S. Dakers - The emergence of social media platforms into American life has remarkably altered the political communication landscape. Websites such as Twitter have become a prioritized communication medium for politicians looking to directly reach the electorate, replacing more traditional mass-media avenues. Concurrent with this transformation, the United States has seen a rise in modern right-wing populism, reaching a new peak with the election of Donald Trump in 2016. This article dissects the role of Twitter as a vital communication channel for Trump's right-wing populist rhetoric throughout his 17-month... Fri, 16 Oct 2020 07:55 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1817/the-power-of-right-wing-populism-in-the-twitter-age-analysis-of-donald-trumps-tweets-during-the-2016-election http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1814/recycled-tropes-and-the-persistence-of-islamophobia-in-american-films By Meagen Tajalle - In this essay, I provide a content analysis of commercially and critically successful films that perpetuate popularized Islamophobia, which is often masked as irreconcilable religious and cultural difference although it has in fact been consistently manufactured and weaponized throughout history in order to further Western empirical interests. Recycled tropes and stereotypes in cinematic depictions can be traced back to historical orientalism and political Islamophobia, both of which were instrumental in garnering support for the War on Terror. Specifically, I examine the racial, religious, and... Sat, 10 Oct 2020 08:43 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1814/recycled-tropes-and-the-persistence-of-islamophobia-in-american-films