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33

full-time faculty teaching and conducting research in political science

66%

of Maxwell faculty conduct research focused outside of the U.S.

50

graduate students in residence; fewer than 12 admitted each year

Undergraduate Studies


Studying political science will help you understand the workings of political life at the local, national and international levels and will prepare you for a lifetime of active and informed citizenship. The Department of Political Science at Syracuse University has more than thirty full-time faculty that teach a wide variety of courses in multiple subject areas. We will guide you as you explore the world of politics and hone your skills as a researcher, analyst and writer.

Graduate Studies


Master’s and doctoral students receive broad training in quantitative and qualitative methods of social science research, while also concentrating in two of the following substantive fields: American politics, comparative politics, international relations, political theory, public administration and policy, law and courts, or security studies. 
Mazaher Kaila

I am Maxwell.

Civic engagement is a core value for me. I have always aspired to help the communities I’m from.” Mazaher Kaila, a Maxwell alumna and third-year student at Syracuse University's College of Law, moved with her family from Sudan to Central New York when she was four years old. “I realized that to make meaningful change in society, I needed to understand the systems that power it—government and politics—and that’s insight I would gain by studying political science.”

Mazaher Kaila ’19, L’22

political science, law

Read Kaila's story, “A Powerful Voice for Justice”

Faricy Talks to WABC-TV About Kamala Harris's Presidential Campaign

July 30, 2024

WABC

Christopher Faricy

Christopher Faricy


Vice President Kamala Harris has moved swiftly to secure support for the Democratic nomination for president, earning endorsements from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senator Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Christopher Faricy, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute, weighs in.

“It sounds like they are going full force into campaign mode and are trying to play up the prosecutor versus the felon, the future versus the past, so you're starting to see some themes emerge,” says Faricy.

“I think she's a prosecutor at heart. If you go back and parse some of her speeches, where she does the best is when she is prosecuting a case, whether it be in the Senate when she was cross-examining witnesses, or when she's out on the stump talking about women's reproductive rights,” Faricy says.

“So I think that's her natural element. When she's talking about things such as the spirit of democracy, that rhetoric maybe falls a little flatter. But when she's prosecuting a case, or having to go one on one with someone, there's no one better,” he says.

Watch the full interview via WABC-TV.

BaoBao Zhang Joins First Cohort of AI2050 Early Career Fellows

One of only 15 scholars chosen from across the U.S., Zhang will receive up to $200,000 in research funding over the next two years. Zhang will use the funding to partner with the nonprofit, non-partisan Center for New Democratic Processes to test whether public participation in AI governance is increased through the creation of public assemblies, known as “deliberative democracy workshops.”

Baobao Zhang

Assistant Professor, Political Science Department

Read More

Baobao Zhang

Faricy Talks to WABC-TV About Kamala Harris's Presidential Campaign

July 30, 2024

WABC

Christopher Faricy

Christopher Faricy


Vice President Kamala Harris has moved swiftly to secure support for the Democratic nomination for president, earning endorsements from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senator Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Christopher Faricy, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute, weighs in.

“It sounds like they are going full force into campaign mode and are trying to play up the prosecutor versus the felon, the future versus the past, so you're starting to see some themes emerge,” says Faricy.

“I think she's a prosecutor at heart. If you go back and parse some of her speeches, where she does the best is when she is prosecuting a case, whether it be in the Senate when she was cross-examining witnesses, or when she's out on the stump talking about women's reproductive rights,” Faricy says.

“So I think that's her natural element. When she's talking about things such as the spirit of democracy, that rhetoric maybe falls a little flatter. But when she's prosecuting a case, or having to go one on one with someone, there's no one better,” he says.

Watch the full interview via WABC-TV.

Political Science Department
100 Eggers Hall