Welcome to the Department of Politics & Government
The Department of Politics & Government is committed to providing high quality graduate education that weaves broad theoretical concerns about politics and political values with more focused questions of applied policy analysis. Students are able to pursue Master’s and PhD level study in the traditional fields of American politics and public policy, as well as innovative joint programs of study with economics, psychology, and religion. Students also benefit from having the opportunity to work with affiliated faculty from the Claremont Colleges. A distinctive feature of our program is the close relationships that we develop with our students, many of whom have opportunities to be involved in collaborative research with faculty mentors. We look forward to welcoming you to this exciting community of scholars.
Masters Programs
MA in Politics
MA in Public Policy
MA in Public Policy & Evaluation
MA in Religion & American Politics
Doctoral Programs
PhD in Political Science
PhD in Political Science & Economics
Dual Degree Programs
Political Science | Business Administration
PhD in Political Science | MBA or EMBA
Faculty
Core Faculty
Carlos Algara
Mary Toepelt Nicolai and George S. Blair Associate Professor
Research Interests
American politics, the United States Congress, ideological representation, electoral politics, elite institutions
Mark Blitz
Fletcher Jones Professor of Political Philosophy
Field Chair, Political Philosophy
Director, Salvatori Center for the Study of Individual Freedom
Research Interests
Political science, Philosophy, American politics
Heather E. Campbell
Professor, Department of Politics & Government
Chair, Division of Politics & Economics
Field Chair, Public Policy
Research Interests
Public Policy, Urban Environmental Policy, Environmental Justice
Stephen Omar El-Khatib
Visiting Assistant Professor of American Politics
Research Interests
American Politics, Identity and Immigration, Mixed Method Research, Psychology and Morality, State and Local Policy
Robert Klitgaard
University Professor
Research Interests
Public Policy, Economic Strategy, Institutional Reform, Corruption
Tyler Reny
Assistant Professor
Research Interests
American Politics, Racial and Ethnic Politics, Political Behavior, Public Opinion, Political Psychology
Javier Rodríguez
Associate Professor
Research Interests
Public & Health Policy, Social Inequality, Quantitative Methods for Social Science Research
Jean Reith Schroedel
Professor Emerita of Political Science
Research Interests
Native American voting rights, American political development, women and politics, religion and politics, and congressional policy-making
Extended Faculty – CGU
Mark Abdollahian
Full Clinical Professor
Research Interests
Strategic Decision Making, International Political Economy, Sustainable Development
Yi Feng
Luther Lee Jr. Memorial Chair Professor
Research Interests
International Political Economy, International Relations, Political Economy of China and Latin America, Quantitative Methodology
Jacek Kugler
Elisabeth Helm Rosecrans Professor of International Relations
Research Interests
Causes and Consequences of War, Political Performance, Power Transition
Melissa Rogers
Associate Dean, School of Social Science, Policy & Evaluation
Associate Professor, International Studies
Co-Director, Inequality and Policy Research Center
Field Chair, Comparative Politics
Research Interests
Comparative Politics, Political Economy, Economic Inequality
Sallama Shaker
Senior Fellow of Middle East & International Studies
Research Interests
Power Politics, Religion, and Culture in the Middle East; Feminization of Poverty and Global Challenges; Globalization
Extended Faculty
Joseph M. Bessette
Claremont McKenna College
Research Interests
American constitutionalism, American politics, crime and criminal justice, ethics and American democracy, presidency
Guillermo Douglass-Jaimes
Pomona College
Research Interests
Environmental health, global health equity, social and spatial determinants of health, environmental justice
Charles R. Kesler
Claremont McKenna College
Research Interests
American constitutionalism, American political thought, American politics, conservative movement in America, constitutional law, Greek and Roman political thought, idealism and nihilism, political philosophy, term limitations
Jennifer L. Merolla
University of California, Riverside
Research Interests
Candidate evaluations during elections, immigration policy attitudes, foreign policy attitudes, and support for democratic values and institutions
Hal T. Nelson
Portland State University
Research Interests
Environmental, social, and economic sustainability, primarily in the energy sector
John J. Pitney, Jr.
Claremont McKenna College
Research Interests
American politics, California politics, Congress, electoral politics, internet & politics, media politics, national elections, Obama administration, political advertising, political parties, presidency, public policy
Ralph Rossum
Claremont McKenna College
Research Interests
American constitutionalism, American founding, constitutional law, crime and criminal justice, Indian gaming issues, redistricting, supreme court, voting rights
George Thomas
Claremont McKenna College
Research Interests
American constitutionalism, American political thought, constitutional law, Supreme Court