Political Science
Welcome!
Currently, we are a department of seven faculty who offer a program which serves the needs of students whose interests range from law to international politics, from philosophy to business. Our curriculum includes introductory and advanced courses in American politics, political philosophy, and comparative and international politics. Graduates of our program have pursued a wide variety of career paths, from law and politics to the Peace Corps, from PhD programs in political science to banking. Our program also provides many and varied opportunities to participate in off-campus and co-curricular educational experiences. Whatever your life goals, we feel we provide a high quality educational experience that will help you realize these goals.
The expertise of our faculty is divided between the three substantive fields of our department: American politics, international and comparative politics, and political philosophy. In addition to providing a wide variety of courses within these fields, each faculty member pursues his or her own research agenda on topics such as votong behavior in the United States, political leadership in Russia, the political thought of Adam Smith, and agricultural politics in the developing world.
Our advanced course offerings are divided into the three subfields mentioned above. Students must complete two introductory courses and seven advances courses to fulfill the major requirements. Of the seven advanced courses, at least one must be taken from each subfield. Courses can be transferred from other institutions, and many of our students spend time abroad. In recent years we have had students who traveled and studied in Russia, Kenya and Indonesia, as well as students who have worked and studied in Washington, D.C. To learn more about Off-Campus Study, contact Sandy Spence at (740)587-6532 or spences@denison.edu.
The Department also participates in a variety of interdiciplinary and co-curricular experiences. The Richard G. Lugar Program in American Politics and Public Service combines coursework at Denison with a congressional internship. The American University Washington Semester program provides an opportunity for students to spend one semester studying in Washington D.C. while engaging in an internship. In addition, the May Term program provides opportunities for many other off-campus educational experiences. On-campus, the Political Science Department has interdiscipilinary links with the Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE), ENVS, IS, and the HNRS.
We are proud of our department, and proud of our university. There is much more I could say about it, but I want you to know is that we have many wonderful opportunities waiting for you here. The close relationship you can develop with your faculty and your peers at Denison will last you a lifetime. I hope you have a chance to visit us, and drop by the department. We would be happy to see you. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate contact me.
James R. Pletcher, Chair, Department of Political Science