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Welcome to the Department of Political Science

For over half a century, the Department of Political Science at UC Santa Barbara has been home to top scholars engaged in cutting edge research. Housed in a world-class university widely known for its interdisciplinarity, the department is committed to rigorous quantitative and qualitative research, as well as to normative theory. describe the thing at the place for the stuff

In addition to its commitment to research, the department prides itself on first-rate teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels.  Our research and teaching cover the traditional fields of International Relations, Comparative Politics, American Politics, Political Theory, and Research Methods. We are distinctive because of our additional emphasis on the Politics of Identity and Politics of the Environment.

 

Message From the Chair

July 1st, 2024Professor Alison Brysk, Department Chair

Welcome to Political Science @ UCSB!  We are a diverse and engaged community of scholars, teachers, and students building knowledge and understanding of the  critical political issues of our times.  Political Science is the study of the sources, patterns, and impacts of power, authority, and governance--from the local to the national to the global. 

We offer courses and research in the traditional subfields of American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Political Theory--plus enriched Focus Areas in Environmental Politics and Identity with interdisciplinary outreach across campus.  Our award-winning faculty and doctoral students use a full range of social science methods to advance innovative research, from statistics to experiments to case studies to international fieldwork. 

Political Science students are campus leaders, and many pursue careers in law, government, academics, the nonprofit sector, and business.  Our dedicated staff provide support tailored to each sector of our community--including a robust team of peer advisors.  Our website will guide you to how you can participate in our major, graduate study, research, events and support.  We look forward to seeing you soon!

Awards and Announcements

Navigating Life Post-PhD: Communication and Influence Outside Academia

Join the UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC) for a new virtual...

Book Launch - Thurs, March 6: Abortion Rights Backlash with Alison Brysk

Join us Thursday, March 6th from 2-3:30pm in the UCEN Lobero Room for the launch of  UCSB Political Science Professor Alison Brysk's new book, Abortion Rights Backlash: The Struggle for Democracy in Europe and the Americas. The launch will feature UCSB Sociology Professor Catherine Taylor as a disccusant. 

In Abortion Rights Backlash, Alison Brysk shows how threats to reproductive rights stem from a gendered political struggle over declining democracy, national identity, and widening inequality due to globalization.

Leah Stokes: 2024 Schneider Award Winner

Congratulations to our very own Dr. Leah Stokes, Associate Professor in Political Science, for receiving the 2024 Stehphen H. Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication. 

Come check out this election discussion!

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Events

Local Peace, International Builders: How UN Peacekeeping Builds Peace from the Bottom Up

Join us Thurs, April 30th from 3-5pm in Mosher Alumni Hall at Alumni Hall (2nd floor) for the book launch of Political Science Professor, Will Nomikos. Professor Nomikos' book, Local Peace, International Builders: How UN Peacekeeping Builds Peace from the Bottom Up, highlights a critical pathway through which UN peacekeeping may successfully maintain order in the international system. The findings have clear implications for how we think about international interventions—and how they can be better designed in the future to prevent violence in conflict and post-conflict settings. 

 

  1. April 30, 2025 - 3:00pm to 5:00pm
  1. Event
  2. Book Launch
Boundless Love - Enduring Legacy of Cedric J. Robinson in Teaching, Research, and Activism

This roundtable panel will celebrate the enduring legacy of Dr. Cedric Robinson from the perspective of his former students and PhD alums in Political Science, Black Studies, and Chicana/o Studies, UC Santa Barbara. Whereas Dr. Robinson’s scope of influence was beyond the academic arena and included the Division of Student Affairs, Division of Academic Affairs, and the entire University of California system, our discussion will focus on the impact of Dr. Robinson’s teaching on the scholarship and career path of his students. In addition, each panelist will share their story of resilience and love in the trajectories to promote feminist social justice. They will be joined by Elizabeth Robinson and other former students to help expand the scope and nature of Dr. Robinson’s impact, including those who did not finish, or turned to become lawyers, or took another path outside of academia.

  1. May 8, 2025 - 4:00pm to 7:00pm
  1. Politics of Identity
  2. Resilient Love Series
  3. MCC