Student Authors

The Human Rights Perspective Behind Patent Laws

Caitlyn Morrison

Caitlyn Morrison is an undergraduate senior studying Political Science with an independent concentration centralized in Public Policy. Academically, she is primarily interested in international relations, specifically in Chinese politics and social policies on homelessness and poverty. Caitlyn’s inspiration for this paper came from two case studies she encountered in lecture, which followed two women’s personal struggles to afford patented healthcare testing with no ability alternative. This illustration struck Caitlyn as an obvious and outright human rights violation, bringing her to examine how access to medicine and treatment are viewed through a human rights perspective in the international realm. After she graduates, Caitlyn aims to pursue a career in public policy and public affairs in Washington D.C.

Briefing Memo: Sex Trafficking

Danielle Veatch

Danielle Veatch is a first year graduate student in the Master of Public Policy program. Her inspiration for this paper comes from her experience in working with individuals who have experienced trafficking first hand. She began working against human trafficking five years ago, and currently assists a local non-profit agency with developing a safe house for survivors. Danielle’s ambition after graduating is to develop an inter- national organization that provides safe homes for survivors in the most marginalized countries in the world.

New and Changing Implication of Exploring the Final Frontier: What Does U.S. Dominance Signify For Global Politics?

Emily Gaunt

Emily J. Gaunt is a graduating Political Science major in Spring 2016 with a concentration in Global Politics. After graduating, she plans to take a year off to travel to places such as Alaska with her family. When her year of exploration is up, she plans to buckle down to obtain her masters degree in International Relations. Emily’s inspiration for this paper spurred from an eye-opening 60 Minutes story, “The Battle Above.” She found the realities dis- cussed in the 60 Minutes special as the perfect convergence of her fascinations with space and global politics.

Examining Corporate Power at Home and Abroad

Ginger Jacobs

Ginger Jacobs is a graduating Political Science major with a concentration in Global Politics. She has greatly enjoyed her time in San Luis Obispo and is grateful for the mentorship of the political science faculty. While at Cal Poly, she spent a quarter studying in Florence, Italy, and a summer interning in the Senate in Washington, D.C. After graduation, she is moving to Washington, D.C., to join the staff of United States Senator Brian Schatz. Eventually she hopes to pursue a career in international development or foreign relations.

Punishing Criminal Attempts: The Role of Harm in Criminal Sentencing

Kevin Deely

Kevin Deely graduated Cal Poly in Winter 2016 as a Political Science major with a concentration in Pre-Law. He came to Cal Poly after transferring from the College of Siskiyou in Lake Shasta where he played basketball. Kevin found his inspiration for this paper when he had the thought of moral luck as an idea that is very relatable to everyday life and considers himself to be extremely lucky in his life where he had escaped certain consequences.

An Examination of the Debate Surrounding Core Curriculum State Standards in American Education Reform

Kristen Henry

Kristen Henry is a fourth year Business Administration major with a minor in Political Science. She began writing this paper while taking the course Critical Issues in American Politics. The more she learned about the Common Core standards, the more interested she became in assessing its true value. After she graduates, Kristen will be moving to Austin, Texas, to be a consultant for a software company.

Comparative Policing: A Brief Analysis of Casual Factors On Crime Rates and Law Enforcement in China, Mexico, and Russia

Kyle Libby

Kyle Libby is a third year Political Science major concentrating in Global Politics. His time at Cal Poly is spent participating in Model United Nations and working with the Institute of Advanced Technology and Public Policy on campus. Outside of campus, he volunteers at the food bank in down- town SLO and is also a licensed private pilot. After graduating, he hopes to get a job with the State Department. His inspiration for his paper developed from growing up in a law enforcement background, with his father being a detective with over 25 years' experience. This in combination with the recent media coverage focused on policing only deepened his interest in law enforcement. When Kyle looked more closely at other countries, he found many commonalities with emphasis on crime that deserved to be examined.

National Development and Indigenous Peoples Land Rights

Luisa Tembo

Luisa Tembo is a third year Political Science major, with a concentration in Global Politics and a minor in Ethics, Public Policy, Science and Technology. She is involved in the ASI Executive Staff (Green Team) and Inter Housing Council (IHC). Her paper was inspired by the portrayal of human societies and the themes of interconnection in the documentary film Samsara (2011).

Age of Putin: Global Implications of Russia’s Domestic Policy

Stephen Richardson

Stephen Richardson is a third year Political Science student, concentrating in Pre-Law, and is a member of the Cal Poly Marksmanship club. Stephen is a Marine veteran who was stationed in Okinawa, Japan from 2009-2011 and plans on attending grad school after graduation. After studying in Rome in 2013, and traveling throughout Europe, he became increasingly familiar with the state of affairs in Europe. Stephen saw Putin dominating international affairs and his threat on the West, which sparked his interest in European Security, and Putin himself. Stephen hopes to put his degree into practice by eventually having a career in International Affairs or Diplomacy.

Will of the People: Public Opinion and U.S. Foreign Policy

Troy Gabriel

Troy Gabriel is a fourth year Political Science major, concentrating in Global Politics. He has participated in Cal Poly’s Model United Nations club, attending conferences in New York City and San Francisco. Troy wrote this paper for a Contemporary U.S. Foreign Policy class and chose this topic because of the frequency with which public opinion polls on current events are cited in the news. Finding himself curious about the effectiveness of these polls on decision-making, Troy decided to ex- amine case studies to understand the relation- ship between public opinion and foreign policy decisions in America. After Troy graduates, he plans on joining the Peace Corps, teaching English, before attending graduate school.