Creating Conscious Citizens

If you are interested in the analysis of the political process, the political science major at the UO is perfect for you. The Eugene community prides itself on its political activism, its many grassroots movements, and its passion for keeping the public politically informed. You will be pleased to discover that a wide range of ideologies exist within the university community.

But Left or Right, Red or Blue, it doesn’t matter what your political stance is. “We’re not about espousing a political ideology,” says Associate Professor Lars Skalnes. “We want to make people into critical thinkers, and to make them into citizens who will participate in politics.”

You will also have the opportunity to delve into comparative studies that explore political theory. These studies help build a solid foundation you’ll be able to apply to local, state, national, and international government careers.

While majoring in political science, you’ll study the inner workings of our own country’s political system, and you’ll learn how governments differ among countries. There are also numerous study-abroad programs available to supplement your academic learning with first-hand experience. “We send students all over the world,” says Skalnes.

The political science faculty strives to make subject matter relevant and exciting. “The department has a faculty with a very broad range of interests dedicated to both conducting research on and helping students to understand how politics operate at the local, state, national, and international level,” explains Professor Ronald Mitchell. Significant political figures such as Corazon Aquino, former president of the Philippines, and UO President Emeritus Dave Frohnmayer, a former Oregon attorney general, have taught courses in the department..

In addition, explains Skalnes, the small size of the department means that "the faculty is more accessible than at bigger institutions." This kind of contact with political leaders makes the UO political science department a unique place to learn, and to prepare for a variety of careers. 

• The political science department specializes in Asian, comparative, environmental, Latin American, and Eastern European politics, as well as international relations and American political development
• You can participate in internships at the local level, at the Oregon Legislative Assembly in Salem, or even in Washington, D.C. Every year, students work on senatorial campaigns and as constituent-relations representatives for U.S. senators and members of congress
• By participating in one of seventy overseas study programs in forty countries, you will be exposed firsthand to the diverse political systems of other nations, a perspective that is increasingly important in our international community
• You can receive honors in political science by completing a year-long senior thesis project that is reviewed by a departmental honors committee. Past topics have varied from the politics of interracial adoption to Egyptian water management policy to voter mobilization tactics

Hands-on Learning

You’ll be able to participate in many forms of the political process at the UO. Each year, many UO political science students earn academic credit as interns for state and U.S. legislators, government staff members, and lobbyists in Salem, the Oregon state capital.

As a political science major, you might have a strong interest in student government or local politics. You might decide to get involved in local campaigns, or discuss and debate important political issues and policies with fellow students, professors, and local government leaders. Students with an interest in international issues may take their studies overseas, often with the assistance of departmental study abroad scholarships.

Interdisciplinary Opportunities

Political science can easily be integrated with other disciplines. You can effectively complement a major in political science with studies in economics; environmental studies; international studies; history; sociology; or planning, public policy, and management. Political science can serve as a valuable and versatile foundation, no matter where you plan to create change and progress. 

Student Work

Natalie Logan always loved her high school history and government classes, so political science was a natural choice. Logan, also majored in economics, and is most interested in economic policy. She says she may want to run for Congress one day. A member of Pi Sigma Alpha, the political science honors society, Logan has also been involved with the Women in Business Club, volunteered at Sacred Heart Medical Center, and read to children as a volunteer for Start Making a Reader Today (SMART). As for her future career, there are many options Logan is considering, but “before anything, I want to go to law school,” she says.

Michael Fillingame started his academic career as a microbiology major, but grew tired of spending his days "looking through a microscope," explains. "With political science," he adds, "I found the ability to fully understand the workings of everyday life." Fillingame contributed to work on Professor Ronald Mitchell’s study of environmental treaties, and reports that his involvement in the project "has been the most educational and influential experience I have had at the university."

Selected Faculty Work

Assistant Professor Joseph Lowndes focuses his research on the construction of political identities through discourse and institutions. His recent book From the New Deal to the New Right: Race and the Southern Origins of Modern Conservatism traces the development of the modern Republican Party from the end of World War II to the Reagan administration. Lowndes teaches courses in racial politics, political culture, and the presidency.

Associate Professor Craig Parsons specializes in comparative politics, political economy, European politics, and democratization, but is especially interested in the “ideas and institutions that came together to construct today’s Europe.” His first book, A Certain Idea of Europe, examined the political principles that shaped the European Union. His follow up, How to Map Arguments in Political Science, provides a basic toolkit for analysis in the field. Parsons is now working on tracing the history of ideas about democracy in Britain, France, and Germany during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Assistant Professor Jane Cramer’s research interests involve matters of international security, the causes and prevention of war, and terrorism—topics highly relevant in today’s society. She is currently working on a book that examines the causes of state overestimation of security threats, the tradeoffs between national missile defense and cooperative efforts for nonproliferation of nuclear weapons, and the diversionary theory of war. Cramer explains that the political science department at the UO is unique in terms of its scope. Her advice to undergraduates considering the major: explore the wide breadth of courses offered, and seek advising early to craft a major plan that best fits your interests.

Professor Ronald B. Mitchell is the recipient of a Sabbatical Fellowship from the American Philosophical Society. His teaching includes classes on international relations, international environmental politics, and international regimes. Mitchell's recent research projects include the development of a database of multilateral environmental treaties to analyze their effects, and an analysis of the conditions under which environmental science influences international policymaking. 

Career Opportunities

Political science majors learn analytical communication skills that are valuable in a wide array of potential careers, and a degree from the UO provides a beneficial foundation for any number of career choices.

Graduates can pursue a career in government at the local, state, or federal level, or follow a career path in nonprofit organizations, nongovernmental organizations, private industry, or teaching. Graduate school opportunities also abound for political science students, including law school, or graduate programs in international studies, business, public administration. Undergarduate majors may choose to pursue graduate studies in political science. 

Contact Information
(541) 346-4864
(541) 346-4860 fax

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