Political science, not political science-fiction. A student-run magazine at Binghamton University.
Dear Reader,
Thank you for picking up the first print edition of Happy Medium Magazine! This was made possible due to the efforts of an amazing team at Happy Medium and the generous support of the Undergraduate Research Center’s Summer Scholars and Artists Program. The program enabled me to compile and design this print edition under the guidance of my faculty mentor, Dr. Heather Dorn.
I would also like to thank the Binghamton University Center for Civic Engagement for working with us to put a voter registration form on the inside back cover of our magazine. If you flip to the back, you will see a real registration form that you can fill out and return to the CCE in the University Union (UU-137). Special instructions are provided for students who live on campus.
Contained in this edition are articles representing several areas of political thought and communication. Please enjoy this first selection of our content in print format as we work to define our role as the political science magazine of Binghamton University.
Sincerely,
Trevor Fornara
Editor in Chief, 2022-23
The Supreme Court of the United States is now dominated by a right-wing supermajority that no longer needs the vote of Chief Justice John Roberts, who is arguably the most liberal of the six conservatives. As a result, some have proclaimed that the Court no longer belongs to Roberts, but rather to Justice Samuel Alito.
With the midterm elections around the corner, we look back at some of the most influential and groundbreaking politicians that New York has sent to Washington.
Following the 2020 census, redistricting commissions set to work to redraw voting district lines—to varying degrees of success.
Brazil’s federal law enforcement agencies can’t compete with the “Amazon mafia.” President Bolsonaro’s administration is to blame.
By looking at failed American political parties, what they stood for, who made up their voter base, and why they fell, we can better understand our two-party system.
Corporations often boast new initiatives to reduce their pollution, plastic use, reliance on non-renewable energy, or whatever else is topical in the public discourse. These corporations try to sell these initiatives to the public as corporate social responsibility—companies taking it upon themselves to help their communities and society as a whole. However, the primary motive behind these actions is likely financial. Shifts in regulations and consumer behavior have made it easier for corporations to benefit financially from doing the “right thing.”
It’s a cold winter night in Moscow, 1991. Although it’s the day after Christmas, the mood in the Red Square and the rest of the country is far from cheerful. It’s now 7:32 p.m, and as a crowd looks on, the flag of the Soviet Union is lowered for the final time over the Kremlin.
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