Welcome to the Department of Politics and Government

Politics and Government: Confronting the most important issues of our time

Why does democracy take root in some countries and not in others? Why do wars occur, and how can they be prevented? What is the best way to organize elections and encourage political participation? What are the sources of national, ethnic and religious conflict? How much power should be in the hands of the people as opposed to the government? How do legal systems function, and what is the best way to pursue justice? How to fight terrorism? What role for ethics and values in political life? What is the ideal balance of freedom and equality, and can politics be a means to that end? Political science studies how people govern, and how power and authority are created and used. The Politics and Government Department trains students to understand the complexities of political science and political power, whether at the local, national, or international level.

On this site you'll find links to course offerings, faculty profiles and requirements for the major.  The department also maintains a blog where we post regular news about events on campus and around Tacoma, alumni and student updates, and anything else we think might be of interest.  There is an option to subscribe to our weekly newsletter where we summarize what's been posted on the blog.  We also have a department resource site where we add and organize links around internship and employment opportunities, conferences, fellowships, study abroad and summer programs, to name a few.  Finally, we answer the question: what do you do with a Politics and Government degree, anyway?  Our students have gone on to a wide range of careers that have taken them around the world, and we give a few examples.  We hope that this will be a useful resource for prospective and current students as well as alums. 

Want to know more?  Give me a call, send me an e-mail, or stop by.

Patrick H. O'Neil
Chair