Research Specialties
Our faculty is passionate about a wide variety of theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of politics. They are interdisciplinary and multifaceted in their approaches to political science, with expertise ranging from ancient and medieval theory to American institutions to international and comparative politics. Our faculty are scholar-teachers and have won many teaching awards—a testament to their dedication to students. See a list of faculty members by research specialty.
The field of American Politics includes the study of national and local political institutions, the mass media, public opinion, elections and campaigns, political participation, political psychology, gender, race, public policy, interest groups and political parties, and constitutional law.
The field of Comparative Politics includes comparative political economy, democratization, and area studies.
The field of International Relations includes the study of international politics and international relations theory, international political economy, international conflict, and international organizations.
The field of Political Methodology includes the study of quantitative and qualitative methods, formal theory, and survey research.
Political psychology is the study of social attitudes and cognition, judgment and decision-making, group relations, personality and leadership, mass communication, public opinion, political behavior, and political socialization.
In addition to providing students with a background in political psychology, the program trains them in theory and methods useful to the field. This program is also intended to facilitate interactions among graduate students and faculty involved in research in political psychology.
The field of Political Theory includes the study of the history of political political thought, constitutionalism and legal theory, democracy and citizenship, ethics, and moral philosophy.
Political Economy explores two overlapping areas of inquiry: the interactions between the polity and the economy, and the use of the tools of neo-classical economics to explain how political and economic institutions produce social outcomes by constraining, reflecting, and shaping the behavior of self-interested individuals.