The Washington Semester Program is a selective, semester-long program offered in Washington, D.C., through Holy Cross. The program welcomes students from all disciplines, and it allows them to have the opportunity to work with national leaders, engage in independent research, and live in the stimulating environment of Washington, D.C. An award is given each semester for the best research paper produced in the Washington Semester Away Program. The recipient of the prize is accorded the opportunity to give a public lecture at the College on their research. In addition, the recipient receives a bound copy of the thesis and is presented the book award during Commencement exercises.

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Papers from 2017

Communication: A Key Component of Constituency Service, Richard T. Barkauskas III

Competition and Premiums Under the Affordable Care Act: A Study of How Insurer Participation in the Health Benefits Exchanges Has Affected Premiums, Austin Barselau

Brownfields Redevelopment--Past Performance and Reauthorization, Austin Bosworth

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Redeem: Evaluating Bottle Bill Legislation as Means of Reducing Ocean Plastic Pollution, Jacqueline Callahan

Metadata or Mega-Violations? The Constitutionality of the NSA's Metadata Surveillance Program, William Christ

NAFTA: What's at Stake?, Joe Dillard

Mental Health Courts: A Response to the Mentally Ill Offender's Plight, Nathan Figueroa

Inequality: How Housing in America Shapes Outcomes, Nicolas Jones

The Comparative Analysis of the Modern Immigration Debate in the United States and United Kingdom and its Relation to the Rise of Nationalist Politics, Patrick Lanctot

Fair and Balanced: Network Slogan or Governmental Mandate? An Evaluation of the Fairness Doctrine and Political Polarization in Broadcast Media, Robert Legare

Infrastructure Investment in Congress: Which Factors Affect Passage, Sean Mason

Two Nations, Two Systems: The Immigration Systems of the United States and Canada, Lessan Melke

Behind the Blindfold: A Debate Between Originalism & The Living Constitution, Joseph Mongiardo

Misunderstanding, Menacing, and Miscalculation: Understanding the Failure of U.S. Policy to Achieve Nuclear Disarmament on the Korean Peninsula, Daniel Murphy

The Use of Force in the Pursuit of Peace: When Westphalia and Realpolitik Get in the Way of Humanity, Clare Orie

85 Million Ivanka Trumps: Republican Motherhood, Pro-Family Policies, and Universal Child Care Proposals, 1972-2016, Carly Priest

Using a Social Determinants of Health Approach to Explain Health Disparities in the United States, Dario Rodriguez

Funding Formulas in Public Schools: Channeling More Money to Low-Income School Districts, Caroline Rossi

Winner-Take-Some? Motivating Electoral College Reform, Donnie Stephens

Oral History and the Dominant Narrative of the 1964 Mississippi Summer Project Freedom School Newspapers, Catherine Tarantino

Politics of Representation: A Case Study on "A More Perfect Union" and the Representation of Internment Experiences of Japanese Americans in Museum Spaces, Martina Umunna

Educational Equity: Closing the Fourth Grade Black-White Achievement Gap in Math and Reading in Urban Areas, Micheal Varda

Evaluating the Implementation of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act and Assessing Congress's Ability to Oversee the U.S. Intelligence Community, Willy Byrne Vogt

American Public Schools: A Gateway into the Justice System, Michael Ward

Qatar's Role in the War in Syria, Maeve E. Westover

America's Orphans: Implications of the "Runaway and Homeless Youth Act" and the Future of Homeless Youth in America, Morgan Wilderman

The Fundamental Breakup of Iraq: the History and Reasons for a Partition, to Increase Regional Stability, Alexandra Yoeckel

Papers from 2016

Burning Through the Budget: Will today's wilfire suppression crisi be solved by the policy of tomorrow?, Keelin Arseneault

Still Separate, Still Unequal: Socioeconomic Integration as a Remedy to Racial Segregation in American Public Schools, Jared I. Boone

The Struggle of Interest Groups over Special Interest Policies, Joe Cataldo

"The Man from K.A.R.M.A." or The Question of US-Russian Cooperation in National Security and Nonproliferation, Daniel Clague

Women in the United States Congress, Caitlin Daniels

High Recidivism Rates in California: How the Problem Can Be Solved With Help from Oregon and Michigan, William Devine

Pills and Needles: Shifting Opinion and Federal Policy towards Prescription and Illicit Opioid Addiction, Christopher H. Fox

An Investigation on Criminal History Disclosure On College Applications, Katie Giesecke

Assessing the Impacts of the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid Expansion, Kayla Horan

How Do We Reduce the Achievement Gap for Students that are defined as Highly Mobile?, Mae Hougo

How Has the Proliferation of Transformative New Media Redefined Political Socialization for the Millennial Generation?, Brenna Rose Kent

Why France Shose the European Union Over NATO: An examination of French foreign policy following the November 2015 Attacks and US foreign policy following 9/11, Audra Kinney

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Resettling Syrian Refugees in the U.S.: Regional Stability and Saving Lives, Alexander Kochenburger

Congressional Deference and the Right to Privacy, Brian Latu

The Role of Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) in Trade Agreements, Colleen Naber

What political factors have changed the United States climate Change policy?, Paul Nymberg

Stability Endangered: The Effects of the Refugee Crisis on the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan: What this means for the United States and How the Next Administration Should Respond, Olivia Paulo

The Battle of the Seas: South China Seas Island Building, Marielle Pavek

Post-2015 Development: Examing the Ability of the Sustainable Development Goals to Build on the Success of the Millennium Development Goals and Correct for their Failings, Emma Peplowski

U.S.-Saudi Stability in a Collapsing Middle Eastern Order, Jacob Pereira

The Effects of Civic Education on Youth's Civic Engagement, Luke Reynolds

The Invariable Truth of Detention & Deportation, Edgar D. Rodriguez

Expanding National Service in America, Emily Sullivan

A Continuum of Family Needs: Discrepancies Across the Family and Medical Leave Act, Maeve C. Sweeney

Modern Media Impede Charities' Ability to Succeed, Briana Travers

Examining the Relationship Between Islamism and Democracy in Morocco, Hannah Tyrrell

How Will America Handle Climate Change and Who Is Driving the Decision, Author Unknown

Peace and Prosperity: Understanding the US trade with China Geopolitically, Yingdong Xu

Papers from 2015

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SB 10990: A Ray of Hope for Bridgeport? The Effects of a Casino Establishment in the City and Peoposed Policy Decisions, Christopher E. Auray

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The Spike in Number of Unaccompanied Children Entering the United States from El Salvador, Genesis Bautista

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CELAC: Puzzling or Purposeful? Assessing New Regionalism in the Americas, Brian Beaton

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The Student Loan Debt Crisis Rising Borrower Default Rates for Graduates of Both Traditional and Non-traditional Universities, Meaghan Elizabeth Body

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Decision-Making During Episodes of Terror: How Fear of Terrorism Impacts Partisanship, Rowan Bost

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Morality Policy and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2013: Opposition and Advocacy Framing in LGBT Policy, Emily Breakell

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Russian Reclamation: The Kremlin's Geopolitical Ambitions and the Former Soviet Union, John Cicchitti

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The European Parliament and European Security Policy: Parliamentary Oversight and Community Foreign and Security Policy, Elizabeth Cohn

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Policy Through Rhetoric: An Analysis of Cyber Security and Privacy Policy, Alec Davis

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Finding Poetry's Value in American High Schools: A comparative analysis of poetry in the Massachusetts State Standards and the Common Core State Standards, Emily Dyer

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Partisanship and the Effects of a Representational Void In The District of Columbia, Kyle Espinola

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The Economic Impact of Lifting Sanctions on Iran: How the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action Will Affect the Economy of Iran, Ryan Foley