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Research Paper PresentationsSocial Scientific Methods inComparative PerspectiveRoom 222, 1:30pm–2:55pmP A P E R 1The Western Union TelegraphExpedition and the Participants’Views of the Natives TheyEncounteredKelly CooperFaculty Mentor: Dr. Susan Smith-PeterDepartment of HistoryBetween 1865 and 1868 members of the WesternUnion Telegraph Expedition encountered manynative people on their journeys through Alaska andSiberia. Historians have not given a detailed orcomplete account of the Western Union TelegraphExpedition, especially the encounters between theparticipants and the natives of Siberia and Alaska.This paper tries to provide this account and examinea topic that has not been given much consideration.This paper concentrates on the views of theexpedition participants towards the natives theyencountered on their journeys. Based on the writtenaccounts of George Kennan, Richard Bush, andWilliam H. Dall, this paper argues that all theparticipants viewed the natives they encountered asinferior, and that this opinion was shared by thewhite American population at the time. Theexpedition members’ views about the natives can beconnected to the broader white American view thatnatives, including Native Americans, were barbarians.This paper argues that this view contributed to thenegative view the expedition participants had of thenatives in Alaska and Siberia. This negative viewvaried in degree among the participants, but none ofthem found the natives to be equal. This wassurprising because most of the participants wouldhave died had the natives not been so helpful insuch terrible conditions.P A P E R 2The International Committee ofthe Red Cross and the TerezinGhettoDeryn CroFaculty Mentor: Dr. Mark LewisDepartment of HistoryThe Nazis set up the Terezin ghetto in theProtectorate of Bohemia and Moravia to persuadethe outside world that Jews were being protectedwithin the Third Reich. Even after an investigationby the International Committee of the Red Cross(ICRC), the Nazis were still able to maintain thisfaçade. This study focuses on the time between1941-1945 when Terezin was first developed, andsuspicions regarding the Final Solution began toincrease. Historians have previously speculated thatthe ICRC, as a neutral organization, had its handstied with regards to the Holocaust. However, thisresearch hopes to use archival evidence to showthat the ICRC not only had previous knowledge butalso chose to not act upon this information. It alsoseeks to explain why the organization made thedecisions it did. Another objective is to explainwhy the ICRC made no further inquiries aftervisiting Terezin, and the lengths the Nazis went toin order to cover up the true purpose of the “modelghetto.” This research looks to back up accusationsthat the ICRC failed to provide properhumanitarian assistance that could have halted theNazis’ plans for extermination.P A P E R 3The New York City Mayoralty andPublic OpinionKanika KhannaFaculty Mentor: Dr. Richard FlanaganDepartment of Political Science, Economics andPhilosophyThe New York City Mayoralty and Public Opinionexamines the relationship between approval ratingsand conditions/events and on the highest politicaloffice of New York City. Through a comparativestudy of the mayoral terms of Koch, Dinkins,Giuliani, and Bloomberg, I note a shift in publicperception of mayoral performance regarding theeconomic state of New York City. This study utilizesboth statistical analysis of polling data andhistorical analysis of New York City’s politicalsystem. Resources used include polling data,archives, newspapers, and numerous historicalpublications. From my research, I have concludedthat the Bloomberg mayoralty is held lessaccountable for economic downturns thanprevious administrations; however, opinions on amayor’s effectiveness during economic struggle areinfluenced by the portrayal of the mayoralty’sleadership and relatability.17