L-R: Dr. Kelly, Dr. Cavalli, Jesse Kronen, Dr. Montagano 

Jesse Kronen, a senior Political Science major with an American Politics concentration, recently successfully defended his honor’s thesis as one of his last steps toward graduating.  

Jesse’s thesis, An Afront to the Political Sacred: A Criticism of Electoral Democracy in Western Civilization, looked at the concept of what a representative democracy in America really is. 

When asked about his thesis Jesse said, “I crafted a critique of our revered electoral system and proposed my alternative to democracy, known as ‘sortition’, to help us overcome some of our nation’s recurrent issues.”  

Seeking a challenge, Jesse chose this specific thesis topic because “I wanted to push boundaries by criticizing a system believed by many citizens to be one of our most sacred institutions. I’ve been told that fundamentally changing our electoral system is impossible, but similar things have been said about many ideas that while once considered radical, are now a fundamental part of our lives.” 

“For those of us who know and love Jesse” said Dr. Kelly who had Jesse in class this semester, “we know that Jesse always comes prepared with fun and radical ideas, whether that be in his thesis or in class discussions.” 

 Creating a thesis like Jesse’s is no small feat and Jesse attributes his success and completion of his thesis to multiple PSIA professors on his thesis board. “I had a wonderful time creating my thesis, as I had an excellent board that was always available to help me find great sources and think critically about the difficult questions I was asking.”   

Alongside Dr. Montagano, who served as Jesse’s thesis advisor, his thesis board was made up of PSIA faculty members Dr. Kelly and Dr. Cavalli. Jesse extends immense gratitude to them for their unique perspectives and also extends many thanks to Dr. Harris, his academic advisor, for his technical knowledge. “I am so happy that I had access to all of these wonderful political science professors, as without them, such an ambitious project would not have been possible.” 

For fellow PSIA students who will create and defend an honor thesis during their academic career Jesse offers some valuable advice: “Be ready to answer the ‘so what’ question. When you are defending your thesis, your board will ask you the ‘so what’ question, so don’t get caught flatfooted. If you can answer quickly and confidently, you may have just gained your idea’s first new supporters. [Also] if you want change, be prepared to tell your audience, whether that be your thesis board or your potential voters, exactly why your idea will make their lives better.” 

Congratulations to Jesse on successfully defending his honor’s thesis and his upcoming graduation! The PSIA Department wishes you all the best in your future endeavors. 

[Author: Orla Fennell, IA’23]