Our curriculum encourages meaningful work by students.  HPG students get the opportunity to do work that is:

1. Meaningful personally, because they get the opportunity to select the question or problem they want to research.
2. Meaningful to the discipline(s) because what they are doing pushes the limits of what is known.
3. Meaningful to the public because it is a question or issue of significance.  When students conduct meaningful research, they forward the discipline and connect to “real world” problems and issues. 

Here are some recent undergraduate student research projects from our majors in history, political science, and interdisciplinary studies.

History Capstone

• Josh Herrick, “Is Death the End? An Analysis of Grief and Heaven in Post-Civil War America,” digital exhibit, Fall 2018
• Dante Kinnick, “Heroes and Vacationers: Published Soldiers’ Letters in Lowndes County, Mississippi, World War I,” digital exhibit, Fall 2018
• Katy Osborne, “Mary McClure Hutchinson Martin: An Unusual Humanitarian,” digital exhibit, Fall 2017
• Rachael Damms, “History Pin: A Digital Tour of Mississippi University for Women,” digital tour, Fall 2015
• Brooke Farley, “The Contradiction of Slavery in the Revolutionary War,” digital exhibit, Fall 2015
• Rain Gerteis, “The Desegregation of Mississippi State College for Women,” digital exhibit, Fall 2015
• Kayla Robison, “The Counterculture in Mississippi during the 1960s and 1970s,” digital exhibit, Fall 2015
• Candice Walls, “The Great Depression at Mississippi State College for Women,” digital exhibit, Fall 2015
• Charles Griffith, “Mississippi University for Women Integration Project: A Researcher’s Guide,” digital exhibit, Fall 2014.
• Sarah Whitt, “Change through the Decades: Desegregation of the MSCW Social Clubs,” digital exhibit, Fall 2014.
• Ashley Cardenas, “‘Only an Ordinary Woman’: A Digital Exhibit on Annie Coleman Peyton and the Founding of Mississippi University for Women,” digital exhibit, Fall 2013. 
• Nichole Larson, “Gendered Images: Finding Connections in Local Advertisements from Columbus, Ms.,” digital exhibit, Fall 2013. 
• Christian Friar, “Black, White, and Freedom: Seeing the Color of Slavery through Advertisements,” digital exhibit, Fall 2013.
• Civil War 150 Sesquicentennial Celebration, HIS 441 American Social History (Charles Griffith, Katoria Rice, Bethany Huff, Emily Wicker, Karen Lott, and Christian Friar) presented research presentation and posters on local Civil War history, Columbus Lowndes Public Library, Columbus, Mississippi, May 2, 2013.

 Political Science

• Nonpartisan Voter Guide, 2018, an election guide created by Dr. Chanley Rainey’s class on Campaigns and Elections.  The guide includes details of US Senate special election Mississippi Chancery Court District 14, Places 2 & 3, and US House of Representatives, District 1.
• Nonpartisan Voter Guide, 2016, an election guide created by Dr. Chanley Rainey’s class on Campaigns and Elections.  The guide includes details of candidates for District 3’s Mississippi Supreme Court Justice and District 1’s US Representative.  

All presentations were made at annual meetings of the Mississippi Political Science Association. 

• Pedro Acevedo, “Will Japan March Again?” – February 7-8, 2014 (at Ole Miss)
• Clint Gannon, “Canadian Healthcare Challenges in the 21st Century” – February 7-8, 2014 (at Ole Miss)
• Menuka Ban, “Somalia: Rising from a Failed State?” – November 2-3, 2012 (at Delta State)
• Jasmin Fleming, “North Korea’s Direction after Kim Jong-Il” – November 2-3, 2012 (at Delta State)
• Patricia Hernandez, “Cuba: An Example of Communist Success or Misinformation?” – November 2-3, 2012 (at Delta State)
• Karen Lott, “Educational Equality vs. Economic Competitiveness: An Analysis of German Vocational Education” – November 2-3, 2012 (at Delta State); Won the conference’s award for best undergraduate paper
• Jordan Kaase, “Counter-Terrorism Intelligence Gathering Strategy and effectiveness in Mississippi” – November 11-12, 2011 (at Millsaps)
• Preston Veal, “Is China Ready for Hegemony?” – November 11-12, 2011 (at Millsaps)
• Jacorius Liner, “Libya’s Transition: Will Qaddafi’s Ouster Bring Democracy?” – November 11-12, 2011 (at Millsaps)
• Nikki Rister, “Morocco’s Future: Presidential Democracy or Authoritarianism?” – November 11-12, 2011 (at Millsaps)
• Julie Foster, “Democracy in Indonesia: is It Sustainable?” –  November 11-12, 2011 (at Millsaps)
• Bess Toyama, “The KGB’s Persistent Impact on Russian Government” – November 5-6, 2010 (at MUW)
• Eve Certhoux, “The Persistence of the National front in French Politics: Its Impact beyond the 2002 Presidential Elections” – November 5-6, 2010 (at MUW)
• Lesly Griffin, “A Democratic Government in Iraq?” – November 5-6, 2010 (at MUW)
• Terresia Rush, “Women’s Rights Movements in Saudi Arabia – November 5-6, 2010 (at MUW)
• Laura Corley, “Is Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Moving Liberia toward or away from Genuine Democracy?” – November 5-6, 2010 (at MUW)
• Hunter Harris, “Explaining Support among African-Americans for the Democratic Party” – November 6-7, 2009 (at Millsaps)
• Lauren Jee, “Poetry as a Form of Political Reconciliation” – November 6-7, 2009 (at Millsaps)

Interdisciplinary Studies Capstone

• Vikrant Thapa Gautam, “Existential Entanglement: An Experiment on Positive Nihilism” –2018
• Cassidy DeGreen, “”Beneficial Integration of Spirituality in Psychotherapy for Sexual Assault Survivors with PTSD” –2017
• Winter Cochran, “Women’s Experiences with Divorce, Separation, and Breaking Up” –2017
• Bayleigh Herron, “Die-T: A Nutritional Biochemical Look into the Diet Awareness of Female Senior MUW Students” –2016
• Gena Dill, “A Study on Karl Marx”—2016
• Ashley Morgan, “”The Use of English in Japanese Product Design and Packaging” –2016
• Tamara Rutledge, “The Poet Activist: Black & Lesbian Indetities as Creative Inspiration” – 2016
• Lulu Luo, “Fertility Control Policy in China: History, Current Situations, and Reactions” – 2013
• Valerie Baldwin, “Possible Health Benefits of Religious Practices” – 2013
• Jay Armstrong: “Reclamation of the World by the Adamic Race: The Claims of Christian Identity Minister Dr. Wesley A. Swift,” 2012
• Will Richey: “Music Video Project: Hayden Allen’s ‘Take Me,’” 2011
• J. Alec Hawkins: “Alice A. Bailey and Her Mystic Interpretation of the Christ,” 2011