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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”

Keck Quoted in Democracy Docket Article on SCOTUS’s Argument on Trump’s Immunity

April 26, 2024

Democracy Docket

Thomas M. Keck

Thomas M. Keck


The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments this week on whether former President Donald Trump is absolutely immune from criminal prosecution over acts that allegedly happened when he was president, in a case that could have grave implications both for the presidency and Trump’s legal fights.

At issue is a federal criminal indictment against Trump in connection with his and his allies’ alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, a scheme that culminated in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters.

“It seems almost definitely the case that Trump couldn’t be tried, convicted and sentenced [before the election],” says Thomas Keck, professor of political science and Michael O. Sawyer Chair of Constitutional Law and Politics, noting that the Court could take months to rule. “If he wins, and is inaugurated in January, then he can make the whole thing go away,” he says, referring to a president’s authority to pardon himself and others of crimes.

Read more in the Democracy Docket article, “Three Things To Watch During the Supreme Court’s Argument on Trump’s Immunity.”

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

Keck Quoted in Democracy Docket Article on SCOTUS’s Argument on Trump’s Immunity

April 26, 2024

Democracy Docket

Thomas M. Keck

Thomas M. Keck


The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments this week on whether former President Donald Trump is absolutely immune from criminal prosecution over acts that allegedly happened when he was president, in a case that could have grave implications both for the presidency and Trump’s legal fights.

At issue is a federal criminal indictment against Trump in connection with his and his allies’ alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, a scheme that culminated in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters.

“It seems almost definitely the case that Trump couldn’t be tried, convicted and sentenced [before the election],” says Thomas Keck, professor of political science and Michael O. Sawyer Chair of Constitutional Law and Politics, noting that the Court could take months to rule. “If he wins, and is inaugurated in January, then he can make the whole thing go away,” he says, referring to a president’s authority to pardon himself and others of crimes.

Read more in the Democracy Docket article, “Three Things To Watch During the Supreme Court’s Argument on Trump’s Immunity.”

Political Science Department
100 Eggers Hall