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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”

Reeher Quoted in The Hill and The Mirror on the Aftermath of the Assassination Attempt on Trump

July 17, 2024

The Hill,The Mirror

Grant Reeher

Grant Reeher


The attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a campaign rally Saturday shocked the world. In the wake of the attack, pundits and politicians are looking to see how it could affect the 2024 campaign for the White House.

“One could imagine it being a moment for the country—and the candidates—to reflect on the level of current divisiveness and to try to de-escalate. Or, it could also raise the level of hostility among Trump’s most ardent supporters, which in turn raises the level of reaction, and we end up even more divided,” Grant Reeher, professor of political science, tells The Mirror.

"And not to be crass, but of course if one thinks about the last time this happened, with Reagan, it helped Reagan a lot, politically," Reeher says.

In The Hill article, “The Memo: Biden walks fine line to make anti-Trump case after assassination attempt,” Reeher says that, for now, Team Biden has to be “more careful” how they articulate the case against Trump. But he suggests that, in time, the former president is almost certain to open the door for more frontal verbal jabs.

“If he goes after Biden in the same way he has gone after Biden in the past, it would be almost silly for Biden to play nice,” Reeher says.

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

Reeher Quoted in The Hill and The Mirror on the Aftermath of the Assassination Attempt on Trump

July 17, 2024

The Hill,The Mirror

Grant Reeher

Grant Reeher


The attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a campaign rally Saturday shocked the world. In the wake of the attack, pundits and politicians are looking to see how it could affect the 2024 campaign for the White House.

“One could imagine it being a moment for the country—and the candidates—to reflect on the level of current divisiveness and to try to de-escalate. Or, it could also raise the level of hostility among Trump’s most ardent supporters, which in turn raises the level of reaction, and we end up even more divided,” Grant Reeher, professor of political science, tells The Mirror.

"And not to be crass, but of course if one thinks about the last time this happened, with Reagan, it helped Reagan a lot, politically," Reeher says.

In The Hill article, “The Memo: Biden walks fine line to make anti-Trump case after assassination attempt,” Reeher says that, for now, Team Biden has to be “more careful” how they articulate the case against Trump. But he suggests that, in time, the former president is almost certain to open the door for more frontal verbal jabs.

“If he goes after Biden in the same way he has gone after Biden in the past, it would be almost silly for Biden to play nice,” Reeher says.

Political Science Department
100 Eggers Hall