Abstract: This is an extension to the March 2016 4Humanities study “What U.S. Politicians Say About the Humanities: White Paper on the Humanities in Political Discourse, 2009-2015,” which examined United States political discourse during 2009 to 2015 in the legislative and executive branches of the federal government and also the legislative branch of one state (California) to discover how politicians talk about the humanities. By now analyzing records from state legislatures in the second and third most populated states behind California (Texas and Florida), 4Humanities concludes that the humanities do not always figure in U.S. political discourse in a drama of “recognition.” Both Texas and Florida state legislators frequently drafted bills referencing the humanities during 2009 to 2015 that created substantive change. This is different than in California, where state legislators in the same years overwhelmingly recognized the humanities just through resolutions.

This study was published on 4humanities.org.

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The post “The Humanities in the Eyes of Texas and Florida Politicians” (2016) appeared first on Austin R. Yack.

Political Science Departmental Honors Thesis: “To what extent has the politicization of the presidency affected the operations of the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel?”​ (June 2015 – June 2016)

Abstract: This study examines legal opinions and corresponding documents from the United States Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) between 1981 and 2013 to discover the extent to which the office’s operations have been affected by the politicization of the presidency. Political science research has focused little attention on this influential office in the context of presidential politicization and centralization. After analyzing archives from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, as well as records from the OLC, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and the Congressional Record, it became evident that the OLC may be shifting toward presidential advocacy rather than neutrality. If the OLC is an advocate for the president, multiple politicization indicators would be validated: (1) an increase over time in the number of politically appointed Deputy Assistant Attorneys General; (2) an increase in OLC opinions at the end of an administration’s tenure; (3) the negative treatment rate (opinions that overrule and/or modify prior legal interpretations) would increase over time; (4) pro-president language such as “executive power,” “executive privilege,” and “unilateral” would be routine across published opinions, and the OLC would rarely limit White House requests; (5) controversial legal opinions discussed in the media would oftentimes not be published on the OLC website; (6) Congress would greatly scrutinize the OLC when the government is divided; (7) the content of the opinions chosen for publication would be a function of the partisan orientation of the president. The study validated six of the seven politicization indicators, leading to the conclusion that the politicization of the presidency has affected OLC’s operations.

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The post Honors Thesis: A Powerful Advocate for the President appeared first on Austin R. Yack.

Abstract: This study examines United States political discourse during 2009 to 2015 in the legislative and executive branches of the federal government and also the legislative branch of one state (California) to discover how politicians talk about the humanities. After analyzing records from the White House, Congress, and the California State Legislature, 4Humanities concludes that while the Obama administration has tried to promote the humanities using limited means (such as encouraging public-private partnerships and youth programs), neither the federal nor state legislatures studied, whatever the good will of particular politicians or parties, has moved for substantive improvement in the humanities. Legislators primarily mention the humanities in simple resolutions, thus conferring recognition without altering the status quo. The humanities figure in U.S. political discourse mainly in a drama of “recognition.”

This study was published on 4humanities.org.

Read the Full Study

The post “What U.S. Politicians Say About the Humanities” (2016) appeared first on Austin R. Yack.