Academic Programs

Students in Professor Buell's "Selecting the President" class traveled to New Hampshire to observe presidential primary politics first-hand.

Denison's Department of Political Science is composed of seven faculty members whose expertise and interests cover the core of the discipline of political science.

We offer a wide variety of courses ranging from political philosophy to African politics and American politics.

Our students' career interests are similarly wide, ranging from careers in law and public service to international business.

Denison's Department of Political Science also offers coursework toward majors, programs and concentrations in interdisciplinary areas such as Environmental Studies; the Honors Program; International Studies; Philosophy, Politics and Economics; and Women's Studies.

The political science major and minor

For a major in political science, you are required to take nine courses (36 credit hours), including:

• At least one course from each of three areas:
• American politics
• Political theory
• Comparative politics/international relations
• Analyzing Politics (methods course)
• A senior seminar.

For a minor in political science, you must take six courses, including:

• At least one course from each of three areas:
• American politics
• Political theory
• Comparative politics/international relations

What do political science majors do after Denison?

Many of our students have gone on to law school, and several have entered master's and Ph.D. programs in political science and related disciplines.

Examples of post-Denison experiences for our political science majors include:

• Mary Morris '05 is attending graduate school at the London School of Economics, studying Afghani Women in Development.
• Christy Rhodes '04 is a Charles B. Rangle Fellow at George Washington University's Elliot School of International Affairs. The Rangel International Affairs Fellowship Program seeks to attract outstanding young graduates into pursuing a career in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State.
• Anand Sokhey '03 is pursuing a doctoral in Political Science at The Ohio State University.

Learn more about pre-professional programs, including information on preparation for post-graduate work in law.

Special programs, internships and honors

The Richard G. Lugar Program in Politics and Public Service is named in honor of Senator Richard G. Lugar (R.-Ind.), a Denison alumnus of the class of 1954 and University trustee, whose career as a Rhodes Scholar and public servant is a model of academic excellence and accomplishment for the public good.

Open to students of any major with an interest in American politics, the program places participants in a congressional internship during the academic year or May Term and requires completion of four courses on American political institutions and U.S. foreign policy and participation in a senior year discussion relating their congressional experience to future plans. For more details, contact Professor Emmett Buell.

The Cephus L. Stephens Summer Internship Program permits a junior Political Science major to serve a 10-week internship in an executive or legislative office of the government or in a non-profit organization which deals with public service or public policy issues.

Recent student honors research projects include: "NATO's Intervention in Kosovo: The View from Three Theoretical Perspectives" by magna cum laude graduate Sonia Kap '02 and "Racial Gerrymandering in Congressional Districts" by summa cum laude graduate Mark Snider '01. Anand Sokhey '03 has published an article with Professor Djupe "American Rabbis in the 2000 Elections" in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.

The department recognizes the accomplishments of outstanding political science majors by selecting them as Departmental Fellows or inviting them to become members of Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honorary which was established at Denison in 1947.

Who are our professors?

Department Chair and Associate Professor James R. Pletcher has been at Denison since 1983. He earned a bachelor's degree from University of Michigan and master's and doctoral degrees from University of Wisconsin. He focuses on the politics, agriculture and economic development of developing areas such as Africa and Southeast Asia. Professor Pletcher teaches Comparative Politics of Developing Nations, Politics of the Global Environment, Politics of the Third World, Politics of Sub-Saharan Africa and International Political Economy.

Assistant Professor Eric Boehme joined the faculty at Denison in 2005. He earned a B.A. from DePaul University and an M.A. and a Ph.D from Rutgers University. Boehme teaches and does research in political theory, American politics and the law. His research focuses on the political development of citizenship in the United States, race and ethnicity, continental philosophy, social theory, tort law and duty to rescue law. Boehme teaches classes in ancient, modern and contemporary political theory, democratic theory, law and politics, race and politics and American institutions.

Professor Emmett H. Buell Jr. joined the faculty at Denison in 1969. He earned a B.A. and an M.A. at Louisiana State University and a Ph.D. at Vanderbilt University. His teaching and research interests are the American presidency, presidential selection, the politics of Congress, voting in presidential and congressional elections and U.S. public opinion. He is widely published and presently is engaged in a study of negative campaigning in presidential elections. He is the director of Denison's Richard G. Lugar Program in Politics and Public Service.

Professor Katy Crossley-Frolick joined the faculty at Denison in 2007. She earned her bachelor's degree at North Central College and both a master's and doctorate at Loyola University, Chicago. She teaches Introduction to International Politics, Transitions to Democracy, and International Organizations. Her research interests focus on democratic transitions, U.S. foreign policy and national security, human rights, and security studies.

Assistant Professor Sue F. Davis joined the department for the 2002-03 academic year. She earned her bachelor's degree from University of Nevada-Las Vegas, and her doctorate from Emory University. She teaches courses in the area of comparative politics, including the Politics of Russia, Eastern Europe, Ethnic Conflict and Revolutions, along with Research Methods. She has published a number of articles and two books on topics in Russia and Central Asia. Her current research interests include the former Soviet republic of Georgia and the impact of labor and the Orthodox Church on civil society and democratization in Russia. Davis also serves as faculty sponsor for Denison's chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha political science honorary.

Assistant Professor Paul A. Djupe joined the faculty at Denison in 1999. He holds a bachelor's degree from Gustavus Adolphus College and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Washington University, St. Louis. Among the courses he teaches are American Political Behavior and Institutions, Analyzing Politics, Political Organization in the U.S., and American Public Policy. He has published various works in religion and politics.

Associate Professor Andrew Z. Katz became a member of the faculty in 1993. He earned his bachelor's degree at Brandeis University and a master's and doctorate from Johns Hopkins University. His research addresses the relationship between public opinion and foreign policy. He teaches The Conduct of U.S. Foreign Policy, International Security Policy, Introduction to International Politics, Foreign Policy Formulation, The Middle East in World Affairs, America in Vietnam and International Relations Theory.