I wrote a thesis on the rhetoric of the two candidates and the election of Donald Trump. I focused on the rhetoric of the two candidates and the different pieces that came into play to ultimately elect Donald Trump as the President of the United States. The thesis involved months of research and planning on how Trump became President, as well as the rhetoric and mindset behind why Trump became President.
I first reached out to many different political science professors concerning the thesis process and proposed my idea on the rhetoric of Trump to many different professors. I settled on Clifford Brown as my thesis advisor. I spent the fall term researching the debates as well as keeping track of different articles that encompassed the rhetoric of the election. I found the weekly meetings with Professor Brown to be extremely helpful in narrowing the topic that I would write about and providing the foundation for what my thesis would be about. I made sure to watch the Presidential and vice-presidential debates as well as track where the candidates went throughout the fall term. This gave me the foundational knowledge and research to understand the rhetoric behind the election and why the election would play out in the manner it would. In addition, I took the presidential elections class with Professors Brown and Oxley, which furthered my knowledge of this election and allowed me to form the basis of understanding the topic for my thesis.
Nevertheless, the thesis process was quite intense for me as it involved lots of in-depth research and analysis behind the election, which allowed me to understand best why the election was carried out in the manner it was. I felt the process was paced at an appropriate level, but I believe the process could have been improved if the thesis itself did not require as much writing as it did.
I believe it is important to showcase one’s work through the thesis process as it allows the student to present their work and develop a meaningful piece of writing that represents their interests in a particular field. The thesis process was an integral part of my journey at Union College and ultimately allowed me to write about a specific topic of interest to me. I would highly recommend for most students to complete a thesis as it allows them to develop a significant piece of writing that speaks to who they are and capstone their education in a unique way. My thesis was the culmination of my political science education at Union, and at the end of the process, I completed my academic work and gained newfound experience in academic research. I learned important lessons about politics with my thesis and will take important information away regarding the state of the election.
