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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. 
Jacqueline Saturn

I am Maxwell.

My time as a student at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School prepared me for my career in the music business in ways I never could have imagined. My passion for utilizing political and legal systems and structures to advocate for and protect people’s rights guides many of the most important decisions I make.”

Jacqueline Saturn ’90 B.A. (PSc)

President of Virgin Music Group North America, 2026 Maxwell | A&S Undergraduate Convocation Speaker

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Recent Faculty Books

Maxwell's Political Science Department faculty members publish award-winning books on a wide range of topics.  Scroll a sample of recently published works below, or visit the Maxwell Faculty Bookshelf for more.

Gadarian featured in Vox article on anxiety, coronavirus, and politics

April 28, 2020

Vox

Shana Kushner Gadarian

Shana Kushner Gadarian


"We’ve recommended that the medical experts be up front and center, and the political leaders take a step back and defer to the doctors and to the head of the health agencies, because that’s who anxious people want to hear from," says Shana Gadarian, associate professor of political science and co-author of Anxious Politics: Democratic Citizenship in a Threatening World. "They don’t want to hear as much from the political leaders, particularly when they think that the performance to date has been pretty bad, which we see in the polling." Gadarian was interviewed for the Vox article "How anxiety changes political behavior." 04/28/20

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

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Baobao Zhang

Gadarian featured in Vox article on anxiety, coronavirus, and politics

April 28, 2020

Vox

Shana Kushner Gadarian

Shana Kushner Gadarian


"We’ve recommended that the medical experts be up front and center, and the political leaders take a step back and defer to the doctors and to the head of the health agencies, because that’s who anxious people want to hear from," says Shana Gadarian, associate professor of political science and co-author of Anxious Politics: Democratic Citizenship in a Threatening World. "They don’t want to hear as much from the political leaders, particularly when they think that the performance to date has been pretty bad, which we see in the polling." Gadarian was interviewed for the Vox article "How anxiety changes political behavior." 04/28/20

Political Science Department
100 Eggers Hall