Musings Often in Stereo

Note: The last (and easily longest, at 8900 words counting citations) of my papers, this beast was written for POL 4410: Justice in Times of Global Transition for Professor Leigh Payne. It analyzes the work of the Consultative Group on the Past, a commission in Northern Ireland, and its recommendations for ways forward after the Troubles of 1966-1998. It is missing a more healthy analysis of Northern Irish identity, something I intended to use to frame transitional justice as inherently ineffective in NI, but the Report the Group lays out is long enough and filled with both positive and negative aspects to transitional justice. Ultimately, I find that while it will do some good for society, the end result will be lacking to fix Northern Ireland’s problematic history of sectarian violence. Do look out for Professor Payne’s book The Justice Balance,  co-written with other members of her Transitional Justice Data Base team, which hopefully will come out in 2010. I used a draft copy, along with she and her associates’ draft papers, in my analysis. Read the rest of this entry »

Note: Second to last in the series of final papers, this was written for CSCL 3910: On Human Nature, taught by the fantastic Harvey Sarles. Take whatever course he teaches in Fall 2010; chances are you’ll see me. This paper brings in different sides of modern Christianity, namely science, philosophy, and a history of dualism, to the abortion debate. Essentially, the questions within Christian thought surrounding what it means to be alive, when the soul is transferred, and how to deal with critical verses in the Old Testament all lead to a very inconclusive answer to whether abortion can be justified. Through the paper, I show both sides to the argument and attempt to, when I know them, explain their justifications before explaining my own Christian-influenced view on one of American society’s most divisive topics. Read the rest of this entry »

Note: Another political science paper: This was written for POL 4885W: International Conflict and Security, a class taught by the thankfully departing Asli Calkivik. The subject matter is interesting, but to be honest, this professor conclusively ruined any interest I had in being in IR for the rest of my life. I’m shocked I spent any intellectual effort on this. Anyhow, cultural globalization is displayed in this paper as an avenue for terrorism and international discontent to arise. Read the rest of this entry »

Note: Another in a series of finals-related essays. This collection of one-page entries is for CSCL 3177: On Television, in which students are taught how to overanalyze every television show in light of multiple different prevailing philosophies about film, media, and culture in general. These essays discuss NBC’s 30 Rock, a show that I suggest you watch for your own good. Tina Fey is the Carl Reiner of our generation; she’s the singular TV comedic voice, and she’s putting her talent to use in an homage to TV! Read the rest of this entry »

Note: This is my final paper in POL 4810: Transatlantic International Relations, taught by the hilarious and otherwise brilliant Franz Kernic. It details the EU’s role in the war in Afghanistan; specifically, how has the EU acted, how it hasn’t acted, and how it has adapted to the changes in the dynamic of the war regarding both the changes in policy by the United States and the deterioration of security on the ground. My personal opinion: the failures in Afghanistan are more the result of the United States and their decision to fight one unnecessary war in Iraq while dealing with a more serious and more necessary security situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The EU’s failings have been to an extent a misunderstanding of the limits of soft power, but it is more than reasonable to suggest that if a soft power role is the one assigned, it shouldn’t be an expectation to cover for someone else’s hard power slack.

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So to remain sane, I keep a few hobbies. I play guitar. I fail miserably at cooking. And I follow global football, known to dirty Americans as soccer. Read the rest of this entry »