To make change, understand power. 

Our lives are affected by politics every day, and political events are happening all around us. Political Science is the study of politics and power in its many forms, including protest movements and revolutions, law-making and criminal justice, war and international conflicts, human rights violations and efforts to stop them, campaigns and elections in the U.S. and around the world, and competing political ideas and ideologies.

Our courses provide the tools to analyze and understand all of these things and more, and they also help students develop skills in research, analysis, writing, and speaking that are necessary for success in a variety of professions. Our graduates work in nonprofit organizations, international affairs, law, business, education, advocacy groups, and in local, state, and national government.

The GVSU Political Science Department offers Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in Political Science. We also host an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations.


Events

GVSU Night at Nationals Park

May 21, 2024 6:45 PM - 9:30 PM

Join the GVSU Washington D.C. Alumni Network for a fun-filled night under the lights at Nationals Park! Enjoy a baseball game and mingle with fellow alumni. All ticket sales include a donation to...

Hidden Wounds of War Conference 2024

May 23, 2024 All Day

How can we better serve those who serve and have served us? All too often our veterans, medical service workers, and first responders experience psychological trauma in silence and bring the hardship...

Virtual Information Session: Fulbright US Student Program (English Teaching Assistantship and Study/Research)

May 30, 2024 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM

Interested in teaching English abroad as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA)? Curious about the Fulbright Study/Research (S/R) grants for US students seeking support for a year of funded graduate...

Virtual Information Session: Fulbright US Student Program (English Teaching Assistantship and Study/Research)

June 4, 2024 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM

Interested in teaching English abroad as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA)? Curious about the Fulbright Study/Research (S/R) grants for US students seeking support for a year of funded graduate...

Writing Workshop for all August 16 Deadline Fellowships (Fulbright, Marshall, Rhodes)

July 7, 2024 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM

You should have your essays for the Fulbright, Marshall and/or Rhodes Fellowships well underway! The internal GVSU deadline is August 16. It's not too late for feedback and guidance! If...

Writing Workshop for Fulbright US Student Program applicants (ETA and S/R)

July 25, 2024 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Have you begun work on your Fulbright U.S. Student Award essays? Would you welcome a review of the key components of the essays – and an opportunity to brainstorm opening sentences, paragraph...

Virtual Info Session: Gilman International Scholarship and other undergraduate fellowships that help with costs of study abroad - Interested in applying? Join me to learn more!

August 6, 2024 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Join me to learn more about the Gilman International Scholarship and other fellowships (external, competitive, high-impact opportunities) that help to defray the cost of undergraduate study abroad! The...

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News

Pullins Wins Outstanding Paper Award

Pullins Wins Outstanding Paper Award

Sarah D. Pullins is the winner of the Outstanding Paper Award for Political Science and International Relations.

May 3, 2024

Retirement Tribute: Professor Michelle Miller-Adams

Retirement Tribute: Professor Michelle Miller-Adams

The Political Science Department congratulates Professor Michelle Miller-Adams on her retirement.

Apr 15, 2024

GV in DC Scholarship Winner: Jackson Tisdale

GV in DC Scholarship Winner: Jackson Tisdale

Jackson Tisdale is the recipient of the GV in DC Scholarship for the 2023-24 academic year.

Apr 5, 2024

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Spotlights

James Meernik

Political Science Professor

Audrey Tappenden

Audrey Tappenden, Economic Development Assistant for Coldwater Area Chamber of Commerce and the City of Coldwater

Lindsay (Schachtner) Ryan

Lindsay Ryan, Chief of Staff, Congressman John Moolenaar

Chelsea Kendziorski

Student Summer Scholar 2014

Hannah Patrick

Contracts Administrator for Integrated Health Partners

Greg Robinson

Greg Robinson, Associate Professor and Chair of Political Science at Binghamton University (SUNY) in New York

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Page last modified October 31, 2023