Political Science
A history marked by achievement and filled with events
Professor J.D. Williams
The Hinckley Institute of Politics
Since its founding in 1965, and the work of U of U Political Science Professor J.D. Williams as its first director, the Hinckley Institute of Politics has shared a wonderful collaborative relationship with the Department of Political Science as a venue for educating and inspiring students to actively participate in politics, and cultivate critically-minded citizens to apply their knowledge to address societal and global challenges.
The End of the Cold War
The Cold War’s end in the late 1980s and early 1990s created opportunities for new lines of research in political science. It also created openings for scholarly exchange, and the Department of Political Science was no exception. In 1993, 10 members of the department were invited by Moscow State University to present papers based on each member’s research.
Political Research Quarterly and the Western Political Science Association
The then Western Political Quarterly (now Political Research Quarterly) was initiated by G. Homer Durham, Chairman of the Political Science Department at the University of Utah in 1948. The Western Political Science Association was founded shortly thereafter, also at the initiative of members of the Political Science Department of the University of Utah. The Department of Political Science maintains an active and enriching partnership with the WPSA and continues to help manage the PRQ through today.
The Maxwell and Wormuth Presidential Chairs
The Department of Political Science established two endowed chairs in honor of longtime and prolific Political Science Professors Neal A. Maxwell and Francis D. Wormuth. Since the 1990s, these endowments have made possible the exchange of ideas from scholars across the world here at the U of U in the form of panels, seminars, lectures and symposia, and a number of publications in the form of edited volumes, special issues of journals, as well as the Neal A. Maxwell Lecture Series. Professors Brent Steele and Steven Johnston are current chairs.
Brent Steele
Steven Johnston
Meeting the challenges of 2020
With a global pandemic that necessitated a uniform switch at Spring Break to online teaching, a Fall semester of in-person teaching with many precautions, Black Lives Matter protests, a Vice Presidential debate hosted at the U, and a volatile Presidential election, and record enrollments, 2020 was an unprecedented year for the Department of Political Science.
Programs in Public Affairs
The Department of Political Science has had a long and productive relationship with the Public Affairs Programs, which include the Master of Public Administration (MPA), Master of Public Policy (MPP), and the Master of International Affairs and Global Enterprise (MIAGE).