Political Science

Department Overview

The Political Science Department seeks to instill in its students a lively interest in politics, in how political systems work and how we can make them work better, in contemporary political issues, in international relations and foreign policy, in political theory, and in the law. We offer a comprehensive program that reflects the broad discipline of political science. Students take three required introductory courses followed by intermediate and advanced courses in four areas:

• American Politics
• Comparative Politics
• International Relations
• Political Theory

The major is designed to serve students who wish to concentrate in a particular area, those who aspire to go on to graduate school, and those who want merely to explore the field of politics.

Our main goal is to help students think analytically about political issues. We do this by developing students’ knowledge of the four subdisciplines of political science, by cultivating in them the skills they need to understand political issues, and by enhancing their abilities to assess political situations and problems from both empirical and normative perspectives.

We aim to provide students with the historical and contemporary information they need to understand national and international political structures, behaviors, and ideas. In terms of analytical skills, we seek to

• offer students the methodological and technical training they require to read texts carefully;
• collect, analyze, and interpret data; and
• communicate their conclusions effectively and elegantly.

We, finally, teach students to examine political issues and problems from both empirical and ethical viewpoints as a first step toward developing policy recommendations that can improve political participation, processes, and outcomes.

Pi Sigma Alpha, Tau Gamma Chapter

Founded in 1920 as the national political science honor society, Pi Sigma Alpha receives into membership students of political science and related disciplines who attain high standards of scholarship and academic distinction. Eligibility requirements include:

• at least six political science and/or political science-history (PLH) courses for which letter grades were assigned;
• a combined 3.5 GPA from all of these courses; and
• a 3.25 cumulative GPA.

Faculty

Chair of Department of Political Science: Natalie Taylor

Professors: Beau Breslin; The Joseph C. Palamountain Chair in Political Science, Katherine E. Graney

Associate Professors: Emmanuel Balogun, Christopher Mann, Yelena Biberman-Ocakli, Feryaz Ocakli, Ronald P. Seyb, Flagg Taylor, Natalie Taylor; Douglas Family Chair in American Culture, History, and Literary and Interdisciplinary Studies, Robert C. Turner

Assistant Professors: Adam Thal

Visiting Assistant Professors: Kristen Morrow, Ben Sehnert

Administrative Assistant: Barbara McDonough

Political Science B.A.

For Students Who Entered Skidmore Prior to Fall 2025

Requirements for a major in political science are 10 courses and 33 credit hours.

These courses include:

For Students Who Entered Skidmore in Fall 2025 and Beyond

Requirements for a major in political science are 10 courses and 33 credit hours.

These courses include:

American Politics

Comparative Politics

International Relations

Political Theory

The Writing Requirement in the Political Science Major

The Political Science Department at Skidmore College is committed to helping its students become skilled writers. Recognizing that an important part of learning to write well in political science and government is learning to write well overall, the Political Science Department places considerable emphasis on both quantity and quality of writing opportunities in our courses and has adopted a wide-reaching and thorough set of Standards and Expectations for Written Assignments in Political Science and a Uniform Code of Notation for Providing Feedback on Written Work. Students in Political Science Department classes expect to be held to the expectations and standards established in these documents. Thus, by successfully completing the requirements for the Political Science Major, students fulfill the Writing Requirement in Political Science.

Interdepartmental Majors

In conjunction with the relevant departments, the Political Science Department offers majors in business-political science, political science-French, political science-German, and political science-Spanish. See Interdepartmental Majors. The department also participates in the International Affairs major.

Political Science Minor

The political science minor consists of six courses with a minimum of 18 credits to be determined in consultation with the department chair or a political science department faculty member.

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Students who enroll in PL 383 New York State Assembly Program or PL 384 New York State Senate Program may only count 6 credits from these courses toward the political science minor.

Honors

To be recommended for honors in political science, students must meet the College requirements of a GPA of 3.0 overall and 3.5 in the major. Students must also receive at least an A- on a senior thesis in political science. Specific requirements for the senior thesis are established by the department. A senior thesis in political science is also required for interdepartmental majors.

Course Listing