Political Science

Understand the role that power and resources play in society.

Whether you specialize in American politics, law and politics, comparative politics, international relations, or political theory, we encourage you to be well-versed in multiple areas. You’ll have access to graduate-level courses at our School of Advanced International Studies, one of the top-ranking international relations programs in the country, and research and internship opportunities in Baltimore, Washington, DC, and around the world.

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CLASSES YOU MIGHT TAKE

The Power of Rhetoric

In a time when people claim language “has no preference to facts, truths, or realities,” the power of rhetoric is both vilified and lauded in the strongest possible terms. You’ll be introduced to the art of persuasive speech, writing, and visual media so you can be prepared to critically examine and evaluate the claims made for and about the role of language in contemporary politics.

Fictional World Politics: International Relations Through Fiction

The plots and settings of fictitious works provide “cases” for our exploration of international relations theories through literature, film, and works of international relations scholarship.

Disposable People: Race, Immigration, and Biopolitics

This course will explore theories and practices of race and immigration to illuminate the proliferation of populations regarded as disposable in contemporary politics. We’ll examine how political power influences the relays between citizenship status and those whose lives are worthy of protection, and those who should be allowed to die.

Faculty Spotlight

Prof. Robbie Shilliam

Chair and Professor, Department of Political Science

Prof. Francesco Bianchi

Professor, Department of Economics

Hopkins to Launch New School of Government and Policy in Washington, DC.

The university’s 10th academic division, based at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center, will build on Hopkins’ longstanding leadership in research and discovery to develop solutions to contemporary policy challenges.

PROF. VESLA WEAVER

Professor of Political Science and Sociology

Justice for All?

Political scientist and sociologist Vesla Weaver is spending her career listening to and researching the voices of a sizable group of people whose experience of democracy, citizenship, and government is completely different from that of those not living under police surveillance.

PROF. WILLIAM E. CONNOLLY

Professor, Department of Political Science

Image: Larry Canner

Following the Course of Major Problems

William E. Connolly, considered a giant in political theory, talks about the discipline as a way to solve the world’s problems.

Join the Club

Hopkins students are eager to pursue their interests outside the classroom. With 450+ student-led organizations, here are just a few you could join:

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Humanities Research at Hopkins

by Stephanie L.