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As a government major, you’ll learn how to think and write rigorously and creatively about issues of public life. You’ll have the choice of courses in four subfields: American politics (the political behavior, policies and institutions of the U.S.), comparative politics (the institutions and political processes of other nations), political theory and philosophy (normative theories of politics and history of political thought) and international relations (transactions between states, international organizations and transnational actors).
Course offerings reflect the breadth of faculty expertise in this exciting and growing discipline, and the study of Government at Cornell trains students with skills that are in high demand in public service, business, law, the non-profit sector, and many other professions. Our introductory courses in American politics, comparative politics, political theory, and international relations introduce students to the major tools and approaches to the study of politics. From there, students apply these tools to understand the many facets of public life, from contemporary political thought to campaigns and elections, public policy, conflict and peace, and beyond. The Department of Government not only offers a major program, but also an honors program and two minors.
The graduate program in Government at Cornell prepares students for academic and research careers in political science. All students admitted to the program are expected to earn a doctoral degree. Completion of the Ph.D. program normally requires two-to-three years of full-time course work at Cornell and several additional years of dissertation research and writing.
Professor Jessica Chen Weiss, an expert on U.S.-China relations, was among the attendees of the dinner following President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s historic summit on Nov. 15 in San Francisco.
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Optimists and ‘doomers’ are fighting over the direction of AI research – and those who want speed may have won this round, Sarah Kreps writes in an op-ed in The Guardian.
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Differences of opinion about OpenAI’s “benefit of humanity” vision became more evident over recent months, says Sarah Kreps, professor of government and director of the Tech Policy Institute.
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Argentines have voted to elect Javier Milei, economist and former TV pundit, as their next president, and Gustavo Flores-Macías weighs in.
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Martin Shefter ’64, professor of government emeritus in the College of Arts and Sciences, died Nov. 3 in Ithaca. He was 79.
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Journalists find themselves challenged by mistrust and polarization from both sources and audiences, according to experts at a recent panel as part of Cornell’s Freedom of Expression theme year.
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This may be a once-in-a-century opportunity for peace, writes Uriel Abulof, visiting professor of government in the College of Arts and Sciences, in a Time opinion piece.
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With President Joe Biden meeting face-to-face with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, on Wednesday, government professor Allen Carlson says a key factor will be how much the two heads of state are able to publicly agree to disagree.
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