Introduction From the Chair

As 2015 comes to a close, it is clear that the world still needs people educated to explain and make better sense of the events happening around us every day. Read more.

Professor William Shively Retired

An invaluable asset and faculty member at the University of Minnesota since 1971, Professor Phil Shively has retired. Professor Shively’s path to teaching was anything but calculated, "I first got involved the field of political science because I was young and idealistic and wanted to change the world.” In his attempt to do so, he unexpectedly caught a bug for teaching political science, something that would change his life forever. Read more.

Meet Our New Professor!

The Department of Political Science is proud to announce the addition of a new faculty member, Professor Robert Nichols. Before coming to Minnesota, Professor Nichols held pre and post-doctoral positions at the University of Alberta and Humboldt University of Berlin. He received his PhD at the University of Toronto for political philosophy and intellectual history, as well as a masters degree in philosophy from the University of Wales. Read more.

What Can Political Science Do For You?

Jennifer is a fervent individual whose dedication to learn, develop, and entertain new and diverse perspectives renders her as a marque example of what it means to be a top scholar and an individual ready to embark on the journey of the post-undergraduate life. “During my first semester at the U, I took Global Politics with John Freeman and was completely enraptured by everything we learned.” Read more.

Emotion and Political Judgment

When are citizens willing to put political party allegiances aside in order to think more deeply and even handedly regarding salient policy issues? Through their collaborative research, University of Minnesota political psychology professor Howard Lavine, Duke University professor Christopher D. Johnston, and University of Missouri-Kansas City professor Benjamin Woodson, seek to answer this question. Read more.

The Afro-Cuban Experience

Professor August Nimtz and Tomás Fernández Robaina were invited to speak at the Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change this past November. Their lecture addressed the prevalent racial affairs experienced in Cuba over the last 55 years. Titled “The Complexity of the Struggle of African Descendants in Cuba Today,” Nimtz and Robaina took their audience back in time to the Cuban Revolution to consider how Black experiences were then, and compared them to the present.  Read more.

“Talk Amongst Yourselves…:” Political Science Edition (with apologies to Linda Richman, a.k.a. Mike Myers)

Done chatting about the Kardashians?  Let us suggest some topics for your next dinner conversation! Read more.

Internship Opportunities

Do you have internship opportunities open to UMN Political Science students?

Let us know! Contact our Internship Director Paul Soper with information: psoper@umn.edu

Meet Our New Faculty!

Assistant Professor Anoop Sarbahi is a new addition to the Department of Political Science! Prior to joining the University of Minnesota, Professor Sarbahi has held pre and post-doctoral positions at Stanford University, UCLA, and Harvard University. He received his PhD from UCLA in 2011, and also has an M.Phil. in Planning and Development from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. Read more.

BA/MPP Program

The Department of Political Science is proud to introduce the brand new Bachelor of Arts/Master of Public Policy (BA/MPP) in Political Engagement! The BA/MPP program is a collaboration of the Political Science Department in the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) and the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. It allows students to complete both a BA and an MPP in only 5 years. Read more.

What happens when Public Policy and Political Science mix?…

Scott Abernathy is much more than just an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Minnesota. His experience and work prior to being at the U of M gives him a unique and valuable skill set. Professor Abernathy’s path to political science was indirect, unorthodox, and not the typical route a professor usually takes, to say the least. Read more.

Professor Martin Sampson Retired

Associate Professor Martin Sampson, faculty member at the University of Minnesota since 1977, has retired. Professor Sampson taught both undergraduate and graduate level courses, focusing on U.S. foreign policy, global environmental politics, theories of foreign policy, and the Middle East. From 1993 to 1998, he was the coordinator of the department’s five-year exchange with Bogazici University in Istanbul, Turkey (a relationship that influenced his teaching and research at the University). Among other contributions, Professor Sampson was a faculty liaison to the Minnesota State legislature for seven years, promoting the importance of Minnesota’s only research university. Read more.

Alumni / Student Networking Lunch

The Department of Political Science is pleased to showcase the March 2015 Alumni / Student Networking Lunch! This annual event is one of the most beneficial resources that the department offers for students who are eager to begin building networks within their respective fields of study. The alumni that attended represented over thirty years of  graduate classes - from as early as 1976 to 2009. Former graduates return to the U to speak with current Political Science students about their academic and career-related experiences, as well as answer any additional questions they might have. Read more.

Letter from the Chair

Welcome back, e-briefly, to the Department of Political Science at the University of Minnesota! We have revived the PoliSci Connection, a newsletter to alumni and friends of the department.  We hope that you will want to hear from us, and we know that we are very eager to hear from you. Read more.

Alumni Survey

The Department of Political Science has created a brief survey for alumni informational purposes. It would help us tremendously if you would give us a few minutes of your time to complete this 10-question survey in order to help the newsletter continue to improve with every issue. Click here to take the survey.

Please note, any information that is no longer valid, or is in need of a modification can be updated here.