Student Work
Natalie Logan always loved her high school history and government classes, so political science was a natural choice. Logan, who is also majoring in economics, is most interested in economic policy, and 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 that 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. With political science, I found the ability to fully understand the workings of everyday life,” he says. Fillingame has spent the last one-and-a-half years furthering his understanding by working on Professor Ronald Mitchell’s study of environmental treaties. “My involvement in this process has been the most educational and influential experience I have had at the university,” he says.
Selected Faculty Work
Assistant Professor Joseph Lowndes focuses his research on the construction of political identities through discourse and institutions. He has a forthcoming book called The Southern Origins of Modern Conservatism, which 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 out-battled others in the construction of the European Union. His next book is called How to Map Arguments in Political Science. 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 is to explore the wide breadth of courses offered and to seek advising early so that you’re able 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. He teaches courses about international relations, international environmental politics, and international regimes. Mitchell is currently completing two research projects. The first involves development of a database of all multilateral environmental treaties and the application of quantitative methods to associated data to examine the effects these treaties have on the behavior of state and nonstate actors. The second, with colleagues at Harvard University, examines the conditions under which environmental science influences international policymaking.
Career Prospects
Political science majors provide 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.
You can pursue a career in government at either the local, state, or federal level. Or, you can choose a career in nonprofit organizations, nongovernmental organizations, private industry, and teaching. Graduate school opportunities also abound for political science students; you can choose law school or graduate programs in international studies, business, public administration, or further your studies in political science.