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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”

Gadarian Discusses the Role of Delegates in Nominating a Presidential Candidate in UPI Article

July 31, 2024

UPI

Shana Kushner Gadarian

Shana Kushner Gadarian


The Democratic Party has passed the rules for nominating its new presidential candidate after President Biden's announcement that he will not seek re-election.

The Democratic National Convention rules committee passed the rules by a 157-3 vote, preparing for a virtual roll call vote.

According to the Democratic National Committee bylaws, to earn that nomination, Harris or any other presidential hopeful must receive signatures from at least 300 delegates but not more than 600. No more than 50 delegate signatures can come from a single state. 

Shana Gadarian, professor of political science, says that delegate votes will be directed by their respective state parties.

“They themselves are part of the party apparatus,” she says. “As with everything in politics in the United States, everything comes from the states. Occasionally you see a delegate make an individual decision and decide to vote for somebody else but that's pretty rare.”

Read more in the United Press International (UPI) article, “Democrats set rules for virtual roll call as path to nominating presidential candidate emerges.”

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

Gadarian Discusses the Role of Delegates in Nominating a Presidential Candidate in UPI Article

July 31, 2024

UPI

Shana Kushner Gadarian

Shana Kushner Gadarian


The Democratic Party has passed the rules for nominating its new presidential candidate after President Biden's announcement that he will not seek re-election.

The Democratic National Convention rules committee passed the rules by a 157-3 vote, preparing for a virtual roll call vote.

According to the Democratic National Committee bylaws, to earn that nomination, Harris or any other presidential hopeful must receive signatures from at least 300 delegates but not more than 600. No more than 50 delegate signatures can come from a single state. 

Shana Gadarian, professor of political science, says that delegate votes will be directed by their respective state parties.

“They themselves are part of the party apparatus,” she says. “As with everything in politics in the United States, everything comes from the states. Occasionally you see a delegate make an individual decision and decide to vote for somebody else but that's pretty rare.”

Read more in the United Press International (UPI) article, “Democrats set rules for virtual roll call as path to nominating presidential candidate emerges.”

Political Science Department
100 Eggers Hall