I write at the conclusion of a tumultuous academic year that overlapped with a surprising presidential election and its complicated aftermath. The presidential election intensified interest in politics not just among our students, but also for many people in our surrounding community. The articles in this edition of the newsletter feature some of the department’s outreach efforts and achievements.
Some departmental highlights of the past year include three new new courses on very timely topics... Read more
Political Science graduate students make essential contributions to undergraduate education as teaching assistants and instructors while earning their PhD degree. This year, three of the department’s outstanding graduate student instructors devoted their teaching skills in a novel setting: The Washington State Correctional Complex in Monroe. Chelsea Moore, Emma Rodman, and Emily Christensen taught a college level Introduction to American Government course to a group of prisoners as part of the... Read more
Why did Donald Trump win the presidency if Hillary Clinton had nearly three million more votes? What policy changes can President Trump make through executive orders without cooperation from Congress? How will people in China respond to the Trump presidency? Did Trump’s victory dramatically reduce the chances of addressing climate change through international agreements? These and many other questions related to the 2016 presidential election were discussed by UW faculty in a series of three... Read more
The Political Science Department is excited to welcome three new members of our faculty this fall, Caitlyn Ainsley, Geoffrey Wallace and Sophia Jordán Wallace.
Caitlyn Ainsley
Caitlyn Ainsley joins the department as Assistant Professor. Ainsley received her Ph.D. in Political Science from Emory University in 2016, and spent the last year as a graduate fellow at Emory University’s Institute for Quantitative Theory and Methods. During Autumn quarter, Professor Ainsley is... Read more
Members of the Department of Political Science have been busy over the past year sharing their expertise beyond the classroom. Faculty and graduate students have been prominently featured in national and regional news media, and many have participated in community forums and events as well. These outreach efforts have covered a wide range of topics including whether rideshare companies should allow tipping drivers... Read more