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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.
Expansion of the Child Tax Credit gives researchers a unique example of a universally praised social good that disproportionately benefited some populations.
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With the U.S. Supreme Court upholding a federal law that would effectively ban TikTok in the U.S., Sarah Kreps, professor of government and law, discusses possible paths forward for the popular app.
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Voters care if they’re better off than before the last election -- but also about incumbent politicians’ intentions, Cornell research finds.
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Melissa Lewin ’00 and her husband Rob ’99 are active backers of Cornell through their support of Cornell’s Public History Initiative and the archaeology program.
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Peter John Loewen, the Harold Tanner Dean of Arts and Sciences and professor of government, says it is unclear how a new Liberal leader will be selected in Canada, and whether the Liberal caucus will agree to Trudeau’s wish to stay on until a new leader is chosen.
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Elizabeth Sanders, Ph.D. ’78, professor of government emerita in the College of Arts and Sciences, died Dec. 2 in Cullman, Alabama. She was 81.
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“The Supreme Court’s decision to hear the TikTok case reflects an inclination to make its mark on a potentially landmark decision – how to balance constitutional freedoms against national security in an era of globalized technology."
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The research team includes faculty, postdoctoral researchers and doctoral students from fields such as computer science, electrical and computer engineering and social sciences.
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