Graduate Student Research

UW may be a small school by the standards of major research universities, but you wouldn’t know it by the number, quality, and range of experiences reflected in our MA students’ accomplishments. You can view a complete list of graduate student thesis work from 1999 or you can read more about our graduates and their career paths.

Recently Completed MA Thesis Work
	Amy Arnold. (MA '08) Amy spent a year in Guatemala working on a local tourism project that involved the creation of a town park. She used this experience to examine some of the shortcomings of the Participatory Action Research (PAR) organization in Guatemala.
	Evgeniya Arzamazova (MA '06) Evgeniya's work focuses on demographic changes in the EU and issues in migration policies and processes and the economic challenges and problems stemming from European immigration. The research analyzes the importance and policy actions specifically related to skilled migrant labor.
	Nana Baramidze (MA '06) Relying on past experience and new research in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, Nana's analysis focuses on donor support for non-governmental organizations and the difficulties of autonomous and responsible NGO activity in a climate of donor-support dependency.
	Boris Brouk (MA '06) Drawing on his work with the Ministry of Economic Planning in Saratov, Russia, and supplanted by fieldwork in Saratov, Boris' research focuses on good governance and obstacles to achieving a more transparent, accountable and effective system of planning in the transition from state planning to local democratic practice.
	Shaojin Chai (MA '06) The politics of Taiwan often seems impenetrable, but understanding the rise and many dimensions of Taiwanese nationalism helps to sort out the strands and processes of political alignment in Taiwan. This conceptual and theoretical work relied on comparative analysis as well as the publications and websites of various political parties and factions in Taiwan.
	Aditi Roy Choudhury(MA '07) How do women in India deal with spousal abuse, and what policies in the United States could positively affect their reporting and seeking help for abuse? This is an examination of public records, statutes, and statistics of abuse and the solicitation of medical treatment in order to draw comparative lessons.
	Hsieh-hou (Tony) Chung (MA '06) How does family law in Taiwan differ from family law in the United States, and how can each help to inform the other. In looking at rates of divorce, first-hand examination of divorce and child custody filings, and the scholarship on family law in Taiwan, Tony added to the literature on the transition of Taiwan into a country governed by law as well as tradition.
	Chaz Cook. (MA '08) Chaz's research focused on the political dynamics in contemporary Mexico and the role of party activity in the most recent presidential election. Chaz gathered research material in Mexico City and Chiapas.
	Petru Culeac (MA '07) With an interest in emerging democracies in the Former Soviet Union, Petru examined the rise of political movements, civil society and political parties in Moldova, his home country. His work relied heavily on summer internship research in Washington, DC, made possible by his receiving the highly competitive scholarship from the Atlantic Council of the United States.
	Logan Fitzpatrick (MA '08) Logan was a David Boren (NSEP) fellow in China, spending nine months in Xinjiang improving her Mandarin and studying the Uyghur language. Logan conducted informal interviews and one formal survey on Uyghur identity and accommodation strategies to the Han domination of Xinjiang among Uyghur youth.
	Brian Joseph (MA '07) Originally from St. Lucia, Brian was interested in the effects of natural resources on tourist-driven development in the Caribbean. His work relied primarily on economic statistics and world system theory to explain in comparative perspective the dilemma of resource management and economic development.
	Ahmed Murat Sener (MA '07) The question of democracy in countries where Islam is the main religion has great currency today. As a student from Turkey, Murat examined theories of democracy and democratic transition in the context of Turkey and other Middle Eastern countries, testing the thesis of the compatibility of Islam and democratic practice.
	Courtney Stephens. (MA '08) Courtney studied how the Free Trade movement presents its appeal, and compares the movement between the United States and Britain. Ethical consumerism, especially, was analyzed from interviews, an examination of advertising , promotional material of Fair Trade social organizations, and consumer statistics.
	T. J. Tappe. (MA'08) After serving as assistant to the U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, TJ drew on his experience and voluminous records and notes to construct the events of the “Orange Revolution” in the Ukraine. His particular analysis is of the question of international interference versus support for democratic forces in this FSU country.
Current Ongoing Research of MA Candidates
	Sarah Barton. Sarah is interviewing and observing mothers from Somalia and the Sudan living in Denver, Colorado who have pre-school age children. Her interest is the decision-making process and consequent experience for mothers who chose to have their children in pre-schools and those who did not.
	Alex Brauer. Alex’s thesis research focuses on environmental justice concerns and the implications of current economic trends for sustainable development. Alex will have a research position with the researcher-in-residence program at the Prague office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in Summer 2009. Following that, he will work with The Great Baikal Trail Organization on Lake Baikal in Russia for the remainder of the summer.
	Mike Deutsch. Mike is examining the links between human development and environmental security in West Africa. In an effort to better understand how humans access, use, and manage forest resources in West Africa’s changing landscape, Mike plans to carry out a comprehensive human footprint (HF) study in and around the Bakoun forest located in Guinea’s Fouta Djallon highlands in summer 2009.
	Kashmira Gandhi. Kashmira’s research focuses on Women’s Artisan Cooperatives in Latin America. She is particularly interested in the economic and social impacts of these programs and their affect on the position of women in their communities.
	Mark Leech. Mark's research focuses on ecotourism on the Isla de Ometepe in Nicaragua. In particular, he will be examining the the economic, political, and social impact of ecotourism on the island. He will be traveling to Nicaragua to conduct his field work in the summer of 2009.
	Adam Liebman. Adam spent seven months in Yunnan, China as a David Boren (NSEP) Fellow in 2007 and went back for the summer of 2008 to investigate the activist campaign opposed to hydropower development on the Nu River. He is interested in the development of environmental civil society and evolving state-society relations in China.
	Zach Moore. A current Peace Corps Volunteer in Mongolia with a major in Environment and Natural Resources. Zach is studying the parameters and enforcement of the environmental assessment process that involves livestock production in Mongolia.
	Neil Shah. Neil spent four months in the fall of 2007 in India where he studied women artisans in a Gujarat village. His focus is on obstacles and paths to economic viability through artisan work and art tourism in rural India.

Graduate Student Research

Recently Completed MA Thesis Work

Amy Arnold. (MA '08) Amy spent a year in Guatemala working on a local tourism project that involved the creation of a town park. She used this experience to examine some of the shortcomings of the Participatory Action Research (PAR) organization in Guatemala.

Nana Baramidze (MA '06) Relying on past experience and new research in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, Nana's analysis focuses on donor support for non-governmental organizations and the difficulties of autonomous and responsible NGO activity in a climate of donor-support dependency.

Chaz Cook. (MA '08) Chaz's research focused on the political dynamics in contemporary Mexico and the role of party activity in the most recent presidential election. Chaz gathered research material in Mexico City and Chiapas.

Current Ongoing Research of MA Candidates

Sarah Barton. Sarah is interviewing and observing mothers from Somalia and the Sudan living in Denver, Colorado who have pre-school age children. Her interest is the decision-making process and consequent experience for mothers who chose to have their children in pre-schools and those who did not.

Kashmira Gandhi. Kashmira’s research focuses on Women’s Artisan Cooperatives in Latin America. She is particularly interested in the economic and social impacts of these programs and their affect on the position of women in their communities.

Mark Leech. Mark's research focuses on ecotourism on the Isla de Ometepe in Nicaragua. In particular, he will be examining the the economic, political, and social impact of ecotourism on the island. He will be traveling to Nicaragua to conduct his field work in the summer of 2009.

Zach Moore. A current Peace Corps Volunteer in Mongolia with a major in Environment and Natural Resources. Zach is studying the parameters and enforcement of the environmental assessment process that involves livestock production in Mongolia.

Neil Shah. Neil spent four months in the fall of 2007 in India where he studied women artisans in a Gujarat village. His focus is on obstacles and paths to economic viability through artisan work and art tourism in rural India.