Honors Theses (2008-2022)
2023 Theses
Sydni Henagan, "Same Shackles, New Polish: Black Women and Reproductive/Sexual Regulation Continuity from the Antebellum Period to 1970s-2000s.”
Mentors: Professors Pitts and Gabin
Joshua Hainer, “We Must Be Finns: The Development of Finnish National Identity (1835 – 1999).”
Mentors: Professors Klein-Pejšová and Gray
Mikayla Klemp, “The Fight for Survivance: A Study of Indigenous Women in Armed Conflicts of the American West 1860-1890.”
Mentors: Professors Marsh, Gabin, and Cooper (Dept. of Anthropology)
Anurag Shah, American Foreign Policy and Public Opinion of the Crimean War (1853-1856)"
Mentors: Professors Smith and Lande
Nick Thompson, “Princes, Patriarchs, and the People: William of Tyre and Popular Legitimacy in the People’s Crusade and the Principality of Antioch 1095-1143.”
Mentors: Professors Mulhall and Mitchell
Elizabeth Wood, "Skirts and Shotguns: Women in the Provisional Irish Republican Army from 1969 to 1997"
Mentors: Professors Foray and Brownell
2022 Theses
Marnie Abram, “Behind the Stage: Groupies and Gender Politics in the United States, 1958-1979.” Mentors: Professors Gabin and Atkinson
Nathan Au, “Applying the Byronic Model in the International Volunteers to the Nationalist Cause during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939).” Mentors: Professors Foray and Randall (Purdue University Libraries)
Ally Eaton, “Vaccines versus Virulence: A Study of American History and Vaccine Resistance.” Mentors: Professors Kline and Walton
Payton Garrett, “Defending the Impregnable Wall between Church and State: How the Supreme Court Adjudicated Christian Conservatism and Anti-Communism during the Cold War.” Mentors: Professors Pitts and Boling (Department of Political Science)
Sydney Greenwood, “A Fundamental Contradiction: An Analysis of the Congressional Motivations Behind Extending MFN (most-favored-nation status) to Romania from 1975 to 1989.” Mentors: Professors Klein-Pejsová and Gray
Katelyn Leffler, “Fear of Foreign Women: U.S. Immigration Law from 1875 to 1924 and How the Federal Government Viewed Immigrant Women.” Mentors: Professors Gabin and Pitts
Ian Smith, “Omani Diplomacy and Maritime Trade in the Indian Ocean World, 1792-1856.” Mentors: Professors Holden and Fora
2021 Theses
Lea Cejvan, “An Analysis of Bosnian Migrant Perceptions and Cultural Transfers in Twentieth-Century Chicago.” Mentors: Professors Foray and Klein-Pejsova
Alex Griffin-Little, “Home Is Where the Hate Is: Housing and Education Discrimination in Greater Lafayette in the Twentieth Century.” Mentors: Professors Gabin and Brownell
Roberto Kampfner, “Vincent van Gogh: Religious Consolation, Visions of the Poor, and His World-Renowned Artworks’ Connection to God.” Mentors: Professors de la Fuente and Fleetham
Samuel Leeds, “A Social Scientist, Two Bishops, and Darwin: The Presence of Darwinism in Three African Americans’ Views on Race, between 1871-1920.” Mentors: Professors Davis and Bynum
Charlotte Li, “The Pulse of the City: Diversity and Accessibility in the Allen County Public Library 1895-2020.” Mentors: Professors Gabin and Larson.
Wesley Morning, “Living in the White House: The Significance of the First Family in Cold War Politics.” Mentors: Professors Brownell and Gabin
Nidhi Shekar, “Deconstructing Democracy: A Comparative Analysis on Subjugation Using the Melian Dialogue and the US Constitution.” Mentors: Professors Pitts, Mercier, and Walton
Daniel Williams, “Not Forgotten But Ongoing: The Case of the 106-Year Armenian Genocide and Turkish Denial.” Mentors: Professors Klein-Pejsova, Holden, and Walton
2020 Theses
Andrew Chapman, “Oneness, Otherness: Religious and Racial Tribulations of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World 1906-1937”
Mentors: Professors Fleetham and Pitts
Jake Patterson, “American Icon: The Willys Jeep in the Anglo-American Imagination, 1940-1960”
Mentors: Professors Atkinson and Smith
Nicholas Short, “Politics and Nationalism in Early Eighteenth-Century English Almanacs”
Mentors: Professors Zook and S. Mitchell
Ryan Wettschurack, “Evolution of Conservative Media: How the Republican Party under Newt Gingrich Empowered the Rise of Conservative Talk Radio in American Politics in the 1990s.”
Mentors: Professors Brownell and Gabin
2019 Theses
John Knight, “The Girard Incident: US/Japanese Relations in 1957” Mentors: Professors Sally Hastings and David Atkinson.
Jackie Krogmeier, “Virtuous Irish Peasants and Victorian High Society: Gender and Ideology in the Children’s Literature of Ireland, 1870-1921” Mentors: Professors Whitney Walton and Melinda Zook.
Emma Maggart, “Creating a Creator; constructing the stories of Frankenstein” Mentors: Professors Melinda Zook and Yvonne Pitts
Theodore A. Sagendorf, “Vox: Sound of the Longhairs. How an amplifier, born in 1958, became a cultural force in music and an iconic symbol of Britain” Mentors: Professors Mary Mitchell and Nancy Gabin.
Tatum Theaman, “Entanglements of Power in the Coronation Ceremonies of the Medici Queens of France” Mentors: Professors Silvia Mitchell and Melinda Zook.
2018 Theses
Daniele Celano, "Dual Jurisdiction in a Dueling Nation: The Struggle between the Executive and Judicial Branches in the Civil War" Mentors: Professors Caroline Janney and Yvonne Pitts
Kelsey Chapman, "Connecting Indiana and the World: International Education in the Hoosier State 1919-1970" Mentors: Professors Whitney Walton and David Atkinson
Colleen Couch, "Integration and Internment: Britain's Changing Attitude toward the Kindertransport and the Work of the Refugee Children's Movement" Mentors: Professors Jennifer Foray and Rebekah Klein-Pejsova
Alex Davis, "Unwanted but Unavoidable: Reevaluating French Jesuit--Native American Encounters in the Early Seventeenth Century" Mentors: Professors Dawn Marsh and Silvia Mitchell
Allison Ferrara, "Emmett Till to Black Lives Matter: The Treatment of African Male Youths in 1931, 1955, and Today" Mentors: Professors Cornelius Bynum and Nancy Gabin
Katelyn Graham, "A Study in African American Choreographic Dance Perspectives on the Black Experience in America" Mentors: Professosrs Cornelius Bynum and Susan Curtis and Mary Beth Van Dyke
Tiffany Hunsinger, "Polish Diaspora in the United States: An Ethnic Group's Grasp on Cultural Identity" Mentors: Professors Rebekah Klein-Pejsova and Nancy Gabin
Daniel King, "Chicago's Water Infrastructure: Relections of Urban Experience, 1830-1900" Mentors: Professors John Larson and John Teaford
2017 Theses
Ian Campbell, “England in the War of the Spanish Succession: An Evolving Pursuit of Peace (1708-1712)” Mentors: Professors Silvia Mitchell and Melinda Zook
Eden Holmes, “Charles Pinckney and Religious Freedom: Influence of Revolutionary-Era Christianity on the United States Constitution, 1780-1789” Mentors: Professors Cole Jones and Nancy Gabin
Alexandra René Reisinger, “Indigenous Conquistadoras: Luisa Xicotencatl and Leonor de Alvarado in the Spanish Conquest of Guatemala”
Mentors: Professors Silvia Mitchell and Charles Cutter
Mary Strong, “Constitutionality of Forced Sterilizations in the U.S. Courts from 1960 to 1980” Mentors: Professors Yvonne Pitts and Wendy Kline
Jonathan Welk, “Texas, War, and Empire: The American Empire in the Conquest and Annexation of the Floridas and the American Southwest” Mentors: Professors David Atkinson and Caroline Janney
2016 Theses
Matt Campbell: “Anglicizing Ireland: The Lives and Policies of the Lord Deputies of Ireland during the Reign of Elizabeth I, 1558-1584.” Mentors: Professors Zook and Mitchell
Sam Walburn: “Scandalous Conduct: Homoeroticism and Hypermasculinity in the Civil War Navy.” Mentors: Professors Yvonne Pitts and Carolyn Janney
Andrea Matio: “Harem Girls and Handsome Sheiks: A Reconsideration of American Orientalism via the 1893 Columbian Exposition and Early Hollywood Films.” Mentors: Professors Nancy Gabin and Katherine Brownell
Emma Gaier: “Experiencing World War I: Indiana through Germanic Heritage, Youth, and Faith.” Mentors: Professors Nancy Gabin and Doug Hurt
Chelsea Rose: “"Hijacking the Conservative Movement: Terrorism, Civil Aviation Security, and Domestic Politics."” Mentor: Professors David Atkinson and Katherine Brownell
Ally Wong: “The Yellow Peril at Purdue University: An Examination of the Chinese Student Experience during the Exclusion Era,” Mentors: Professors Sally Hastings and Monica Trieu
2015 Theses
Emily Durkin: "Popular Culture Depictions and Social Class on the RMS Titanic" Mentors: Professors Nancy Gabin and Melinda Zook
Ryan Freeman: "Through Eyes of Steel: Existentialism in the Industrial Calumet Region during the Post-WWII Era" Mentors: Professors Susan Curtis and Nancy Gabin
Kevin Adams: "International Women's Day 1979: The Microstructure of a Polyvalent Iranian Women's Movement" Mentors: Professors TJ Boisseau and Stacy Holden
Jon Schoenwetter: "'Shall Not Justice be Meted Out?' Northern Newspaper Portrayals of Civil War Prisoners: 1861-1868" Mentors: Professors Carolyn Janney and Michael Morrison
Lauren Haslem: "Shifting Cultural Climates: War and Mental Illness in Twentieth-Century America" Mentors: Professors Yvonne Pitts and Wendy Kline
Nekoda Witsken: "Japanese and American Women as Agents of Nineteenth-Century Imperialism" Mentors: Professors David Atkinson and Nancy Gabin
Jill Bosserman: "Employment and Empowerment: The Economic, Social, and Psychological Advancement of Working-Class Women in First-World-War Britian" Mentors: Professors Whitney Walton and Melinda Zook
Hannah Vaughn: "The Queen of Hearts: How Diana, Princess of Wales, Changed the Perception of the British Monarchy, 1981-2013" Mentors: Professors Melinda Zook and Whitney Walton
2014 Theses
Madison Heslop: "Charlie Chaplin Eats a Shoe: The Klondike Gold Rush in Popular Culture." Mentors: Professors Michael Morrison and Susan Curtis
Luke Howard: “Raiding and Recruiting: Indiana in the American Civil War.” Mentors: Professors Caroline Janney and Robert May
Samantha Richards: “The Namibian Genocide as a “Game” of Political Chess: An Analysis of the 1918 British Blue Book in Colonial Africa” Mentors: Professors Alicia Decker and Rebekka Klein-Pejsova
Katie Martin: "The CCC in Indiana: The Development of the State Park System." Mentors: Professors Nancy Gabin and Kathryn Brownell
Robert Kugler: "Allies and Enemies: Great Britain's Response to Iraq's Role in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War." Mentor: Professors Stacy Holden and David Atkinson
Jennifer McVeigh: “Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty and the Evolution of Propaganda.” Mentors: Professors Rebekka Klein-Pejsova and Michael Smith
Bradley Pierson: “September 1970: A Turning Point for US-Israeli Relations.” Mentors: Professors William Gray and Stacy Holden
Grant Priester: “The Legacy of the Stonewall Riots, 1969.” Mentors: Professors Yvonne Pitts and Nancy Gabin
Kevin Robey: "Turning Tables: Gangsta Rap, the LAPD, and the 1992 LA Riot" Mentors: Professors Kathryn Brownell and Cornelius Bynum
2013 Theses
Kristen Blankenbaker: "Bra-less Bubbleheads and Bionic Women: Stereotypes and Perceptions of Second-Wave Feminism, 1963-1980." Mentors: Professors Nancy Gabin and Whitney Walton
Kelsey Campbell: "Incomparable Patience & Endless Mercy: "the Reigning Virtues of Mary I." Mentors: Professors Melinda Zook and James Farr
Cade Carmichael: "The Dark Scales of Justice: The Legality of the 1692 Witchcraft Trials in Colonial America." Mentors: Professor Yvonne Pitts and Frank Lambert
John Foerster: "The 10,000 Mile Appeal: President Wilson's Trip across America in Defense of the Treaty of Versailles." Mentors: Professors David Atkinson and Michael Morrison
Olivia Hagedorn: "Explaining the Rise of Black Nationalism in Chicago: How Discrimination and Disillusionment Gave Rise to Black Collective Thought and Action from 1918-1945." Mentors: Professor Cornelius Bynum and Susan Curtis
2012 Theses
Jessica Bair: “Faster, Higher, Stronger: The Influence of Politics on the Olympic Games.”
Mentors: Professors Michael Morrison and David Atkinson
Lynch Bennett: “Quakers, Proprietors, and Palatines: German Immigration in the Making of the Philadelphia Election Riot of 1742.” Mentors: Professors Frank Lambert and John Larson
Vincent Dahl: “Controlling and Responding to Public Opinion: The London Metropolitan Police, 1829-1880.” Mentors: Professors Melinda Zook and Whitney Walton
Kyle Dowd: “Lost in the Desert: American Views of North Africa-from Operation Torch, 1942-1943.” Mentors: Professors Whitney Walton and Stacy Holden
J. T. Lang: “Pablo Picasso’s ‘Instrument de guerre’ Guernica [1937] as propaganda in Europe and the United States, 1937-1942.” Mentors: Professors Jennifer Foray and Catherine Dossin
2011 Theses
Katrina Galt: “Drama, Divorce, and Diplomacy: Royal Marriage in Georgian England.” Mentors: Professors Melinda Zook and Nancy Gabin
Brittany Poe: “Shifting Perspectives in Philosophy and Witchcraft in the Later Middle Ages.”
Mentors: Professors Michael Ryan and James Farr
William Vogel: “Warships and Disarmament on the Inland Seas: The Great Lakes, 1815-1871.” Mentors: Professors Michael Morrison and Robert May
2010 Theses
Elizabeth K. Allum: “Once Upon a Queen: The Reign of Queen Victoria Reflected in Nineteenth-Century British Children’s Literature.” Mentors: Professor Whitney Walton and Melinda Zook
Ellie V. Carolus: “Not Rebels But Patriots: The Post-Civil War White South in Their Own Terms, 1965-1905” Mentor: Professor Caroline Janney
Gregory Halmi: “Intimate Killers: The Infantry in Iraq.” Mentors: Professors Stacy Holden and Randy Roberts
Amy Heaney: “A Necessary Neutrality: Spanish Volunteerism and Economic Collapse in World War II.” Mentors: Professors Jennifer Foray and William Gray
Rebecca Lutton: “Cola di Rienzo and the Influence of Antiquity.” Mentors: Professors Michael Ryan and Melinda Zook
Corrina Smith: “The Election of 1860: Anglo-American Relations Reconsidered.”
Mentors: Professors Robert May and Melinda Zook
Max Vande Vaarst: “A State without a Center: The Search for New Jersey’s Identity in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries.” Mentors: Professors Darren Dochuk and Nancy Gabin
2009 Theses
Rosemary E. Arnold: “Celebrated to Scorned: The Construction of Belle Boyd in Public Memory.” Mentors: Professors Caroline Janney and Robert May
Nicole A. Capehart: “Sojourns, Slavery, and Sects: The Experiences of an Indiana Couple in Antebellum Mississippi.” Mentor: Professor Robert May
Emily L. Dawes: “The Road to the Farhud: Baghdadi Jews in the 1930s.”
Mentors: Professors Stacy Holden and Whitney Walton
Samuel W. Needham: “Welsh Calvinistic Methodism in the Eighteenth Century.”
Mentor: Professor Melinda Zook
Mark D. Robison: “Perceptions of Early Syrian-American Immigration and the Achievement of Legal ‘Whiteness’.” Mentors: Professors Yvonne Pitts and Stacy Holden
Charles G. Spencer: “Wherever Our Fortunes Fall: Medical Care of Wounded Soldiers during the Austro-Prussian War.” Mentors: Professors William Gray and Charles Ingrao
2008 Theses
Iyad Shihadeh: “They Also Served: Untold Story of the Egyptian Labor Corps in the Great War.” Mentors: Professors Stacy Holden and Melinda Zook
Emma Meyer: “Myth of Nations: The Aryan Myth in British, Indian and German Nationalist Discourses.” Mentors: Professors Tithi Battacharya and Will Gray
Siobhan McGuire: “Conformity and Recusancy in Sixteenth-Century England: The Apostasy of Thomas Bell.” Mentors: Professors Melinda Zook and James Farr
Mark Johnson: “Freedom through Exile: Mme de La Tour du Pin and The Emigration to the United States during the French Revolution.” Mentor: Professor Whitney Walton
Meredith Horn: “The Persecution of German-Americans during World War I: The Peculiar Experience in Evansville, IN.” Mentor: Professor Douglas Hurt