It is a pleasure to be reporting news from the Department of Political Science to our alumni and friends. This edition of the newsletter provides information about student and faculty recognitions, research being conducted by both graduate and undergraduate students, a groundbreaking new book on religion and politics by Professor Mark Smith, and a popular series of faculty panels on current political issues.
The past year has been an especially busy one for the department. The department... Read more
Over the past two years, the department has hosted a series of faculty panel discussions that have given University of Washington students new scholarly perspectives on important topics in today’s news headlines. The panels have allowed faculty members to bring their perspectives to bear on topics such as global environmental politics, the rise in incarceration rates in the United States, the worldwide refugee crisis, and recent US elections. The growing popularity of these events is leading us... Read more
According to conventional wisdom, organized religion has long been a powerful and conservative influence on American politics. Professor Mark Smith’s new book, Secular Faith: How Culture has Trumped Religion inAmerican Politics, develops a startlingly original and compelling alternative perspective. Instead of looking at whether religion leads people to favor certain policies or vote for particular candidates, Smith explores how public opinion influences the political... Read more
Our PhD program has long been an essential part of the Department of Political Science’s mission. The department’s graduate students do tremendous work as teaching assistants and instructors in undergraduate courses, receiving recognition in senior exit surveys and high scores on student course evaluations. Many of our former graduate students have now established themselves as leading scholars in political science while teaching at other top universities in the United States and abroad. Our... Read more
Every spring, thousands of University of Washington students, faculty, and staff participate in the Undergraduate Research Symposium, a celebratory and informative event where undergraduates present original research projects. The presenters at this year’s symposium on May 20th included 17 political science majors. Our students presented research on a wide range of topics including political participation among youth, racial... Read more