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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”

Pralle Quoted in Salon Article on Sea Level Rise, Climate Disasters

September 14, 2022

Salon

Sarah Pralle

Sarah Pralle


A new pair of studies reveals one possible—even likely—pathway for which sea level rise might play out on Earth, and flood our coastal cities. One study involves the Thwaites Glacier, the widest glacier in the world. Researchers have already determined that the Thwaites Glacier is melting at dangerous levels, and the new study reveals the severity of the problem.

The second study found that Greenland's rapidly melting ice sheet will raise global sea levels by at least 10.6 inches, more than twice as fast as experts previously thought.

Sarah Pralle, associate professor of political science and expert on environmental politics and policy, climate change and energy, says that the new studies suggest "that our previous models of climate change impacts have likely underestimated the scale and timeline of major climate disasters such as sea level rise."

"Policymakers and political leaders need to take note and intensify and speed up their responses to the climate threat, to give us the best possible chance to avoid the worst impacts of climate change," Pralle argues.

Read more in the Salon article, "Glaciers and 'zombie ice': The planet is melting at both ends, research finds."

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

Pralle Quoted in Salon Article on Sea Level Rise, Climate Disasters

September 14, 2022

Salon

Sarah Pralle

Sarah Pralle


A new pair of studies reveals one possible—even likely—pathway for which sea level rise might play out on Earth, and flood our coastal cities. One study involves the Thwaites Glacier, the widest glacier in the world. Researchers have already determined that the Thwaites Glacier is melting at dangerous levels, and the new study reveals the severity of the problem.

The second study found that Greenland's rapidly melting ice sheet will raise global sea levels by at least 10.6 inches, more than twice as fast as experts previously thought.

Sarah Pralle, associate professor of political science and expert on environmental politics and policy, climate change and energy, says that the new studies suggest "that our previous models of climate change impacts have likely underestimated the scale and timeline of major climate disasters such as sea level rise."

"Policymakers and political leaders need to take note and intensify and speed up their responses to the climate threat, to give us the best possible chance to avoid the worst impacts of climate change," Pralle argues.

Read more in the Salon article, "Glaciers and 'zombie ice': The planet is melting at both ends, research finds."

Political Science Department
100 Eggers Hall