Political Science

Chair: Andrew Martin Department Secretary: Janet Rensing

Home Page: http://polisci.wustl.edu/ Email: polisci@artsci.wustl.edu Telephone: (314) 935-5810

Although relatively small in size, the Department of Political Science in Arts & Sciences is consistently ranked among the nation's top graduate programs. Faculty offer strength in all areas of American politics, with special emphasis on mass behavior (voting, public opinion), judicial politics, interest groups, and public policy. The department offers first-rate training in formal theory and has a national reputation for excellence in this area. It also offers considerable expertise in the areas of international relations and comparative politics. Department faculty are involved in a variety of campus, cross-disciplinary initiatives, including the Center for Political Economy, the Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government and Public Policy and the American Culture Studies program.

News Stories & Tip Sheets:

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Walking, living embodiment of where America ought to go" Harold Ford Jr. to give annual Stein Lecture in Ethics Sept. 23, 2009 -- Harold Ford Jr., once described by President Bill Clinton as "the walking, living embodiment of where America ought to go in the 21st century," will give this year's Elliot Stein Lecture in Ethics for the Assembly Series. His talk will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday, October 7 in Graham Chapel. The event is free and open to the public.

Killing Fields revisited Cambodians unsure tribunals will heal wounds of mass killings, JAMA study suggests Aug. 21, 2009 -- Lessons learned from research into the societal effects of post-Apartheid "truth and reconciliation" hearings in South Africa are now being applied to a U.S. National Institute of Peace-sponsored study of the long-term mental health impact on Cambodians from human rights tribunals targeting the killing of millions by the nation's former Khmer Rouge regime, says James L. Gibson, a professor of political science at Washington University in St. Louis and co-author of a study published Aug. 6 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

New software provides powerful tool for pollsters and the public Tracking Congress and public opinion in the Obama era April 21, 2009 -- Taking the political pulse of the nation has been the purview of pollsters for decades, but now a new internet site called Civic Science makes it easy for everyone. Software created with the help of a professor at the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis allows users to track votes in Congress and compare their views with elected officials across the political spectrum.

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Faculty Experts:

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James Davis Professor Emeritus of Political Science in Arts & Sciences Davis Download Davis, an expert on defense and public policy, health care policy, presidential campaigns and party platforms, is a close follower of current issues in politics. Davis has taught courses focusing on the presidency, military history and political literacy and is a frequent commentator on news events, ... Expertise: presidency, campaigns, budget battles, American politics, military history, politics of war on terrorism, U.S. intelligence operations, … Direct contact: (314) 935-5828 / davis@artsci.wustl.edu

Victor Le Vine Professor Emeritus of Political Science Le Vine Download Victor Le Vine is an expert on hostages, terrorism, guerrilla warfare and political problems of the Middle East and Northern Africa. Other areas of interest include international law and politics and ethnic politics. He has followed the situation in Iraq closely since well before the Gulf War and can ... Expertise: politics, terrorism, guerrilla warfare, Middle East, Iraq, Africa, Liberia, … Direct contact: (314) 935-5867 / vlevine@artsci.wustl.edu

William Lowry Professor of Political Science William Lowry William Lowry studies American politics, public policy and political institutions with a special emphasis on natural resources, public lands and related environmental policiy issues. In recent years, Congressional Quarterly has called upon Lowry to write an updated chapter for the annual CQ Press ... Expertise: American politics, environment, environmental policy, natural resources, public policy, American rivers, environmental restoration, … Direct contact: (314) 935-5821 / lowry@artsci.wustl.edu

Steven Smith Kate M. Gregg Professor of Social Sciences, Director of the Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy Steven Smith Download Steven S. Smith is director of the Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy at Washington University. He has worked on Capitol Hill in several capacities and has served as a senior fellow at the Brooking Institution. Smith has also authored or co-authored six books on congressional ... Expertise: Congress, American politics, legislative institutions Direct contact: (314) 935-5697 / smith@wustl.edu

Andrew Sobel Associate Professor of Political Science and Resident Fellow in the Center in Political Economy Joe Angeles/WUSTL Photo Sobel Download Sobel specializes in the politics of international finance with a focus upon domestic explanations of international behavior. His books include Domestic Choices, International Markets (1994), which examines the politics underpinning the liberalization and globalization of national securities markets ... Expertise: international relations, international political economy, globalization, foreign investment Direct contact: (314) 935-5856 / sobel@artsci.wustl.edu

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Related News Clips:

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Show More Clips

When the Justices Ask Questions, Be Prepared to Lose the Case The New York Times May 26, 2009 -- A new study by four political scientists, including WUSTL doctoral candidate Ryan Black, to be published in the WUSTL Journal of Law and Policy, looks at whether or not Supreme Court justices tip their hands during oral arguments.

What another woman would bring to Supreme Court The Christian Science Monitor online May 19, 2009 -- Expectations are high that Obama will nominate a woman to the Supreme Court. A recent study by three academics focusing on the votes of federal court of appeals judges bears out the observation that a conservative woman acts more pro-women's rights than a conservative man. The research was conducted by WUSTL law and political science professor Andrew Martin and WUSTL political science doctoral student Christina Boyd, along with Lee Epstein of Northwestern University Law School in Chicago.

States rebel against Washington The Christian Science Monitor March 27, 2009 -- Just as California under President Bush asserted itself on issues ranging from gun control to medical marijuana, a motley cohort of states — from South Carolina to New Hampshire — are presenting a foil for President Obama's national ambitions. WUSTL political science professor Steve Smith, who is director of WUSTL's Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government and Public Policy, comments.

Stimulus fight gives Obama lessons early USA Today and 1 others Feb. 12, 2009 -- WUSTL political science professor Steve Smith comments on some lessons learned by Obama and his team in the push for the stimulus bill.

Bush steers the bailout bus; Dems play backseat driver The Hill (DC) online Nov. 25, 2008 -- The government's midnight bailout of hobbled banking giant Citigroup leaves the Bush administration firmly in charge of the financial rescue package while Congress is away on recess and President-elect Barack Obama continues to assemble his Cabinet. WUSTL congressional expert Steve Smith said Congress is in a weak position. "There is essentially nothing they can do except hold a hearing every other day," he said.

Courses in Comparative Politics include the study of various political phenomena from a comparative perspective (revolution and political violence, political elites, political modernization and development, comparative public policy), and the study of government and politics in particular geographical areas (Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Western Europe).

Courses in International Politics include the study of international development, international political economy, national security and defense policy, nuclear weapons and arms control, terrorism and guerrilla warfare in international perspective, international organizations, bargaining and negotiation.

Political and Social Theory involves the study of various political, empirical, and conceptual aspects of the ways in which we seek to understand the political world. It includes courses in the history of political thought, modern ideologies, and contemporary political philosophy, political psychology, and political sociology.

Finally, the Department offers a number of courses in Formal and Mathematical Approaches to the study of politics. There is also among the faculty a variety of intellectual styles and approaches to the discipline and a considerable willingness to adapt the curriculum to meet the developing interests of students, either with new courses or through independent study.