Department of History & Political Science
Political Science

Political science offers students fundamental insight into the realm of politics. Americans have grown used to thinking of politics as a dirty word, but in fact politics refers to some of the most elemental of human behaviors: the distribution and exercise of power.

Without politics, important matters would be decided by force, and those without power in such communities typically find themselves the objects – rather than the wielders – of power.

Political scientists draw freely on the insights of anthropology, economics, history, psychology, and especially sociology to explain and analyze political behavior, and to recommend changes in policy.