This research explores the compatibility of Confucianism with constitutionalism within the context of Chinese political thought, focusing on the contributions of John C.H. Wu (1899 - 1986)—a legal scholar who bridged Chinese and Western legal traditions. As a foundational philosophy in Chinese culture, Confucianism has had a complex relationship with governance, serving both as a cornerstone of hierarchical rule and as a subject of critique for its perceived resistance to modernization. The contemporary revival of Confucianism, particularly under the leadership of Xi Jinping, prompts renewed inquiry into its implications for governance and constitutional development in China. Through an examination of Wu’s writings, this paper argues that a form of Confucian constitutionalism is indeed possible, even while acknowledging the inegalitarian elements inherent in Confucian tradition. Such a constitution would integrate principles like the Doctrine of the Mean and the Kingly Way, institutional features such as the traditional civil service examination and the censorate branches, and an ethical framework emphasizing moral integrity in political leadership. These components offer a compelling alternative to prevailing Western-centric interpretations of constitutionalism and contribute to a more pluralistic understanding of constitutional theory.

From 1997 to 2001, the United States experienced significant polarization in climate change rhetoric. This paper builds on Michael Tesler’s 2017 study, which identified climate polarization as a phenomenon unique to the United States, and explores the underlying causes that have led to this divergence from global consensus. My hypothesis posits that elite subject matter experts play a crucial role in American partisanship, with polarization at the elite level driving polarization at the public level. Utilizing the top-down model (“TDM”) from John Zaller’s 1992 work "The Nature and Origin of Mass Opinion," this study examines the relationship between elites and public opinion through a trace-processing methodology covering the period from 1997 to 2001. The research focuses on witness testimonies in congressional hearings, State of the Union Speeches, LCV scores and media archives to investigate the elite divide and its effects on public opinion. This research contributes to the TDM debate by applying a critical lens on Zaller’s framework to environmental politics, an area previously underexplored compared to the TDM on wars, abortion, homosexuality, and poverty.

Climate change is driving more frequent and intense extreme heat events, putting workers across California at greater risk of occupational heat-related illness and injury. This project examines data related to workplace violations of California’s Outdoor Heat Standard between 2019-2020. We aim to identify discrepancies between cases to explore how violations are registered, investigated, and managed by Cal/OSHA. Methodologically, we focused on the investigation report associated with each violation, which describes the event details and circumstances involved in each case, and the harm done to workers. Our analysis of these reports involves 1.) an examination of their narrative structure, use of language, and genre (as a bureaucratic form of climate-inflected labor investigation); and 2.) a mapping of the violations using ArcGIS, incorporating data like date, time of day, initial penalty, weather conditions, and so on. Our work reveals inconsistencies within Cal/OSHA's violation investigations, demonstrating the need for more stringent reporting procedures and standardized penalties.

Dog Rose is a story told at the intersection of trauma and magic. Chapters alternate between past and present. In 2009, twelve year old Kira is a newcomer to Sandy Landing, a summer camp nestled in the Sierra Nevadas. Having lived in the shadow of her gregarious brother and the isolation of chronic illness, Kira is dazzled by the attention of staff member Sean. Sean shows Kira his ambitious project which plans to renovate the local waterways with cryptobiotic fish eggs and a smattering of ecologically reckless experiments. Kira’s presence reacts magically with the sites of these experiments, and their relationship plunges her into oceanic puddles, melting habitats, and bioluminescent dreams. Meanwhile, in 2014, seventeen year old Brittany is a lifelong camper whose first year as a counselor quickly unravels when her campers, Megan and Kenny, prove cleverer and stranger than she could have imagined. When an unexpected bond forms between the three, Brittany decides to include them in her secret mission–assigned by Kira’s older brother, Brittany’s former counselor. Together, they embark on a quest to recover the magic Kira preserved amidst Sean’s chaos. Each must confront her own trauma, emerging from distant cocoons of numbness to conquer the ferocious, shimmering tunnels of adolescence. Each must discover her own power as a narrative alchemist–one who can reshape the meaning of memory and bend new worlds out of old stories. Those left behind by reality gain access to other places. Those left behind by the promise of girlhood must write ourselves back into existence. Dog Rose follows a group of girls as they brave the transition from stasis to life: the transcendent work of hatching from elsewhere.