UROP Project

A Political Machine: Expanding the Cold War Through Propaganda

History Cold War International Affairs
2024 Headshot.jpeg
Research Mentor: Ms. Madeleine Stout, She/Her
Department, College, Affiliation: History, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: mestout@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 1
Relevant Majors: History
International Affairs
Political Science
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: No, the project is remote
Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 5, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
  • Day: Friday, September 5
    Start Time: 4:00
    End Time: 4:30
    Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/7820384803?omn=98423532751

Project Description

The Cold War is traditionally thought to take place from 1946-1989. When World War II ended the international stage focused on a fight against United States democracy and Soviet communism. As the Allied Powers split Germany into different zones they also tasked themselves with reshaping how the world would be postwar. The Cold War was more than militarized border control of the Iron Curtain and proxy wars. The world was flooded with pamphlets, posters, and broadcasts arguing whether communism or capitalism was a better economic and political system. I argue that when scholars analyze propaganda in the 1940s-1960s they engage with a battle that began in the 1920s. As such when we look at the Cold War through the lens of propaganda materials and messages we see that the Cold War began in the 1920s and not the 1940s.

Research Tasks: Data collection - I.E. posters, pamphlets, newspaper advertisements, radio transcripts
Literature Review

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Writing - skills in Microsoft word
Organization - skills in Microsoft excel/spreadsheets to create a list/database
Research - ability to navigate databases and Strozier library to collect information
Creative/Critical Thinking - to question and analyze images

Mentoring Philosophy

As a research mentor I believe in creating a positive environment where students can feel comfortable asking questions and gaining skills. Being a mentor is more than overseeing a project, it is about helping mentees develop as scholars and learn best practices for a specific field or fields. When serving as a UROP mentor in 2023-2024 I held weekly individual meetings with my mentees to touch base and answer any inquiries they had. I try to get to know my mentees and cater the tasks I give them to what they are interested in. Part of conducting research is failing or making mistakes, as a mentor I do not chastise students when this happens, instead I help them navigate ways to grow from hardships. Finally, I see serving as a UROP mentor to go beyond the UROP year. I have continued to keep in contact with my past mentees and written multiple recommendation letters for Kaysyn Jones. I do not leave my mentees out in the cold and always offer to help them after UROP ends.

Additional Information

This is my second time serving as a UROP mentor. In 2023-2024 I worked as a mentor to three students while teaching and conducting my dissertation. I love to work with students who are interested and passionate in research and learning.

Link to Publications


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