27th Annual Student Research Conference
A Sociological Investigation into the Government's Military Use of Drones
Aaron C. Albrecht
Dr. Amber Johnson, Faculty Mentor
I conduct a historical analysis of the relationship between the military use of drones and the social structure of the United States. Using the inductive method and the methodology of the Sociological Imagination, I argue that the United States use of drones constitutes a social problem. I connect this with an empirical investigation where I hypothesize that as an individual learns about the consequences of the use of drones they will adopt attitudes of opposition. I perform a classical experiment that includes a control group and two experimental groups. I perform bivariate and multivariate statistical analysis to analyze the way in which the amount that an individual knows about the consequences of drones is related to his/her attitudes towards drones (favor/oppose). I find a positive relationship between treatment group and attitude of opposition towards the use of drones. I conclude with a strategy to create progressive social change.
Keywords: Drones, Military Industrial Complex, Global Capitalism, U.S. Foreign Policy, International Law, Social Problem, Phronetic Social Study, The Classic Tradition
Topic(s):Sociology
Political Science
Geography
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 207-1
Location: MG 2090
Time: 9:30