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The College of Arts & Sciences
The department of government offers students a variety of opportunities to engage with politics and political science, beginning in the classroom, with the chance to work one-on-one with faculty; by participating in internships, and by drawing on the department's ties with programs across the College of Arts and Sciences.
In classes, research and through the new Cornell Center on Democracy, faculty are collaborating to study democratic declines, as well as strategies for strengthening the republic we still have. Cornell’s role in strengthening democracy is broad – faculty research guides democracies throughout the world, alumni serve in top government and public service positions, public engagement efforts boost community and policy organizations and, perhaps most importantly, students on campus are gaining the knowledge and communication skills they’ll need to move democracy forward.
A flood at the Nepal-Tibet border is testing regional cooperation, says Allen Carlson, a government professor in Cornell’s College of Arts and Sciences. The disaster raises questions about China’s transparency, long-term relief role in Nepal, and the future geopolitical dynamics of the Himalayan region.
New York Times obituary writer and Cornell College of Arts and Sciences alumnus Sam Roberts explores obituary journalism in his new memoir, Are They Dead Yet?. As a piece on the Cornellians website explains, the book examines how notable lives are chronicled and reflects on the enduring value of life stories.
Cornell’s Freedom Party returns Sept. 19 with live music, free books, social service resources and food. Organized by the Center for Racial Justice and Equitable Futures, and the Africana Studies & Research Center in the College of Arts and Sciences, the event promotes community connection and academic freedom.
Graduate students connected to Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences departments — history, linguistics, Asian studies, history of art and visual studies, government, comparative iiterature, Romance studies and music —have received Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies East Asia Program fellowships and grants for the 2026-2027 academic year.
Season 2 of Cornell's Research Matters podcast launches Aug. 25 with 18 episodes on how academic discoveries translate into practical insights that shape everyday life and society. Cornell College of Arts and Sciences faculty from astronomy, government, physics and psychology will be featured in the new season.
In a USA Today op-ed, Isabel Perera of Cornell University’s College of Arts and Sciences argues that America’s mental health care shortage stems partly from weak political power among providers. Stronger unions could help expand access and strengthen the mental health workforce, she writes.
The Government Department at Cornell is committed to free speech and academic freedom, to creating and sustaining a community all of whose members can teach, study, work and thrive, whatever their backgrounds or beliefs, without fear of intolerance, bigotry, harassment, or reprisal. Cornell University is justifiably proud of having committed itself to an affirmative responsibility to protect academic free speech, including extramural speech. It has declared this to be a year of "freedom of expression" at Cornell. We reaffirm.
Our doctoral students are trained in all the main fields of the discipline and have extensive research and teaching experience. Government graduates have gone on to outstanding careers in higher education, public service, and the private sector.