Engaged analysis. The political world is changing rapidly and we are working to ensure that our knowledge keeps pace.

Our substantive interests are wide-ranging: the causes and consequences of gender and race equality in the United States and abroad; nationalism as an enduring idea; the role of Islamic organizations and social movements in European politics; the causes and prevention of war; the political economy of the global film industry; the effect of police on political outcomes.

We are self-consciously a department of "politics"; that is, a department that seeks to encourage students to investigate important real-world problems. The undergraduate curriculum aims to develop the knowledge necessary for the engaged analysis of political theories, institutions and conflicts throughout history and worldwide.

We prepare students for careers in governmental and nongovernmental public service, policy analysis, journalism, law and business, as well as for post-graduate work in political science and other social sciences.