Political science is about power — who has it, who wants it and how it is used. It studies systems of governance, how decisions are made, and analyzes political activity and behavior.
Engage
Our students gain valuable experience through internships in political campaigns, with legislators, at the White House, with attorneys and public defenders, and on newspapers’ political beat.
They spend semesters in Mexico, France, the Netherlands and Washington, D.C. And they undertake original research in settings ranging from rural Illinois to Chicago to Myanmar.
Learn how the world works
Political science majors learn the academic and practical aspects of political life. They visited the 2020 Iowa presidential caucuses. They worked on political campaign strategies in professor Robin Johnson’s classes. They gained insights about the United Nations from someone who used to work there. And they conduct independent research in the senior seminar.
The next steps
Our political science graduates have become politicians and legislative staffers; lawyers and political science professors; teachers and Peace Corps volunteers; business leaders and marketing professionals; community organizers and advocates for civil rights. They have attended regional and national law schools and graduate schools, including the University of Chicago, Georgetown University, the University of Notre Dame and the University of Virginia.
