Understand the people, policies, institutions and organizations that shape public life. As a student of political science, you will gain essential analytical and organizational skills that can be applied to exciting careers in government, law, business, international organizations, nonprofit organizations, survey research, journalism and teaching.
The Political Science Department is devoted to the study of politics and government; this includes the study of:
political institutions that exercise government authority, including legislatures, courts and administrative agencies;
political organizations through which individuals and groups seek to reshape the political landscape, including parties, interest groups and social movements;
public policies that reflect governmental efforts to regulate the actions of individuals and corporations, including civil rights, immigration and environmental policy;
the interactions between and among nation-states and;
transnational organizations that shape patterns of trade and development, conflict and cooperation, war, and peace.
33
full-time faculty teaching and conducting research in political science
66%
of Maxwell faculty conduct research focused outside of the U.S.
50
graduate students in residence; fewer than 12 admitted each year
Undergraduate Studies
Studying political science will help you understand the workings of political life at the local, national and international levels and will prepare you for a lifetime of active and informed citizenship. The Department of Political Science at Syracuse University has more than thirty full-time faculty that teach a wide variety of courses in multiple subject areas. We will guide you as you explore the world of politics and hone your skills as a researcher, analyst and writer.
Graduate Studies
Master’s and doctoral students receive broad training in quantitative and qualitative methods of social science research, while also concentrating in two of the following substantive fields: American politics, comparative politics, international relations, political theory, public administration and policy, law and courts, or security studies.
I am Maxwell.
Civic engagement is a core value for me. I have always aspired to help the communities I’m from.” Mazaher Kaila, a Maxwell alumna and third-year student at Syracuse University's College of Law, moved with her family from Sudan to Central New York when she was four years old. “I realized that to make meaningful change in society, I needed to understand the systems that power it—government and politics—and that’s insight I would gain by studying political science.”
Mazaher Kaila ’19, L’22
political science, law
Read Kaila's story, “A Powerful Voice for Justice”
Reeher Discusses Chris Cuomo's Role in Brother's Scandal With Spectrum News
December 1, 2021
Spectrum News
Related:
People
Grant Reeher
Departments
Political Science Department
Topics
Ethics
Government
New York State
Publisher
Spectrum News
Grant Reeher
Chris Cuomo was suspended indefinitely from CNN this week amid questions about his roleas part of a circle of informal advisors to his brother, Andrew Cuomo, who has been accused of sexual harassment.The nearest analogy for the unusual arrangement of powerful brothers advising one another is the relationship between John F. Kennedy and his brother, Robert, who would serve as his attorney general, says Professor Grant Reeher. But Chris offering to call sources on behalf of his brother crossed a line, Reeher says. "You're shifting from that into actually drawing on your professional contacts in a way that are not supposed to be done with that kind of favoritism," he says. Read more in the Spectrum News article, "Indefinitely suspended from CNN, Chris Cuomo's role in brother's scandal under scrutiny."
Related News
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Commentary
Aug 14, 2024
Sultana Article on the Threats to Bangladesh’s Interim Government Published in The Diplomat
Conflict, Government, , South Asia
Commentary
Aug 13, 2024
Dunaway Quoted in BNN Bloomberg Article on the Divisions Among Liberal ‘Pod Save America’ Staff
, Political Parties, U.S. Elections, United States
Commentary
Aug 9, 2024
Sultana Talks to TRT World News About the Political Situation in Bangladesh
Conflict, Government, South Asia
School News
Aug 5, 2024
David Popp Co-Chairs National Academy of Sciences Committee
Economic Policy, Energy, Gender and Sex, Government, Labor, ,
BaoBao Zhang Joins First Cohort of AI2050 Early Career Fellows
One of only 15 scholars chosen from across the U.S., Zhang will receive up to $200,000 in research funding over the next two years. Zhang will use the funding to partner with the nonprofit, non-partisan Center for New Democratic Processes to test whether public participation in AI governance is increased through the creation of public assemblies, known as “deliberative democracy workshops.”
Baobao Zhang
Assistant Professor, Political Science Department
Read More
Reeher Discusses Chris Cuomo's Role in Brother's Scandal With Spectrum News
December 1, 2021
Spectrum News
Related:
People
Grant Reeher
Departments
Political Science Department
Topics
Ethics
Government
New York State
Publisher
Spectrum News
Grant Reeher
Chris Cuomo was suspended indefinitely from CNN this week amid questions about his roleas part of a circle of informal advisors to his brother, Andrew Cuomo, who has been accused of sexual harassment.The nearest analogy for the unusual arrangement of powerful brothers advising one another is the relationship between John F. Kennedy and his brother, Robert, who would serve as his attorney general, says Professor Grant Reeher. But Chris offering to call sources on behalf of his brother crossed a line, Reeher says. "You're shifting from that into actually drawing on your professional contacts in a way that are not supposed to be done with that kind of favoritism," he says. Read more in the Spectrum News article, "Indefinitely suspended from CNN, Chris Cuomo's role in brother's scandal under scrutiny."
Related News
See All News
Commentary
Aug 14, 2024
Sultana Article on the Threats to Bangladesh’s Interim Government Published in The Diplomat
Conflict, Government, , South Asia
Commentary
Aug 13, 2024
Dunaway Quoted in BNN Bloomberg Article on the Divisions Among Liberal ‘Pod Save America’ Staff
, Political Parties, U.S. Elections, United States
Commentary
Aug 9, 2024
Sultana Talks to TRT World News About the Political Situation in Bangladesh
Conflict, Government, South Asia
School News
Aug 5, 2024
David Popp Co-Chairs National Academy of Sciences Committee
Economic Policy, Energy, Gender and Sex, Government, Labor, ,
Political Science Department Events
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