Dear Friends,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.
This fall, the Department of Political Science offered a variety of old and new courses aimed at deepening our understanding of the world. We held Freshman Seminars on “E Pluribus Unum: The States, the Feds, and the Contested Meaning of American Federalism” and “The Promises and Perils of Community,” two courses that address the difficulty of being a diverse and yet unified society. We continue to offer courses on “American Democracy in a Changing World” and “Global Politics,” and courses on “Food Politics” and “Education and the American Dream.” Graduating students leave our department feeling well prepared to take on this challenging world, having been taught systematic ways to think about politics, as well as how to approach new and novel situations and topics. As the days grow short, we in the Department of Political Science remain grateful for the opportunity we have to contribute to the understanding of how things work.
We have been busy this term hiring new faculty, helping our Ph.D. students find their first academic jobs, and working to increase the diversity of students applying to our Ph.D. program. In this newsletter, we’ll explore in depth a number of additional topics:
- We acquired a superb new faculty member, Robert Nichols.
- Meet Jennifer Adrian, a Political Science undergraduate, doing amazing things.
- Professors Howard Lavine and August Nimtz both are working on exciting research pertinent to today’s world of bold politics and harsh racial despair.
- We celebrate the outstanding work of our retired faculty member, Phil Shively.
Wishing you all insight and happiness in the New Year,
Joan Tronto, Chair
