Using normative and empirical approaches, we consider ways in which individuals order their lives in local, national, and international communities. The Department of Politics and International Relations aims to educate students for democracy and thoughtful, meaningful participation in the political process.
The study of politics is an especially useful means of understanding the forces of globalization in an increasingly integrated world. Our faculty encourages students to think independently, to tolerate opposing points of view, and to develop an abiding concern for public life in the interest of social justice. As students of politics, our task is to interpret the world – and to change it.