Skip to content
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”

Taylor Weighs In on Trump’s Ukraine Peace Plan in Newsweek Article

July 5, 2024

Newsweek

Brian Taylor

Brian Taylor


Trump has repeatedly said he could settle the war in Ukraine within a day if he defeats President Joe Biden in November, without presenting evidence of how he would do so.

But one proposal drawn up by Fred Fleitz and retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, who were chiefs of staff in Trump's National Security Council, involves telling Ukraine it would get more U.S. military support only if it entered peace talks (as reported by Reuters).

The proposal would also mean warning Moscow that any refusal to negotiate would signify increased American support for Ukraine and would require a ceasefire based on prevailing battle lines.

“The idea of a peace plan for Russia's war against Ukraine sounds nice, but the ideas proposed by two Trump advisers would not be acceptable to either Russia or Ukraine,” says Brian Taylor, professor of political science and director of the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs.

“The two countries' objectives are incompatible,” says Taylor. “Russia wants to have political control over Ukraine and eliminate the idea of Ukraine as a separate nation, and Ukraine wants to defend its territory, its people, and its democracy from Russian violence and domination.”

Read more in the Newsweek article, “Donald Trump's Ukraine Peace Plan Trashed by Experts: 'Incompatible'.”

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

Taylor Weighs In on Trump’s Ukraine Peace Plan in Newsweek Article

July 5, 2024

Newsweek

Brian Taylor

Brian Taylor


Trump has repeatedly said he could settle the war in Ukraine within a day if he defeats President Joe Biden in November, without presenting evidence of how he would do so.

But one proposal drawn up by Fred Fleitz and retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, who were chiefs of staff in Trump's National Security Council, involves telling Ukraine it would get more U.S. military support only if it entered peace talks (as reported by Reuters).

The proposal would also mean warning Moscow that any refusal to negotiate would signify increased American support for Ukraine and would require a ceasefire based on prevailing battle lines.

“The idea of a peace plan for Russia's war against Ukraine sounds nice, but the ideas proposed by two Trump advisers would not be acceptable to either Russia or Ukraine,” says Brian Taylor, professor of political science and director of the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs.

“The two countries' objectives are incompatible,” says Taylor. “Russia wants to have political control over Ukraine and eliminate the idea of Ukraine as a separate nation, and Ukraine wants to defend its territory, its people, and its democracy from Russian violence and domination.”

Read more in the Newsweek article, “Donald Trump's Ukraine Peace Plan Trashed by Experts: 'Incompatible'.”

Political Science Department
100 Eggers Hall