Department of Political Science

Political Science
1414 Social Sciences Building
267 19th Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Phone: 612-624-4144
Fax: 612-626-7599
E-mail: polisci@umn.edu

Chair: Raymond D. Duvall

About

Political Science at the University of Minnesota goes back very nearly to the beginnings of instruction here. Classes in "Civil Government" were being offered as early as 1871-72 and by 1879 there was a fully fledged Department of Political Science under the leadership of then university president, William Folwell. From 1906 till 1913 the department was known as the Department of Economics and Politics which reflected something of the interdisciplinary focus of the faculty at that time. However, in 1913 the Regents authorized separate departments of Economics and Political Science and the department assumed its present trajectory.

Over time the department has given rise to and been affiliated with a number of programs and research undertakings. These include the Center for International Relations and Area Studies and the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs. More recently, the department has become an active partner in the MacArthur Program and has co-founded the Center for the Study of Democracy and the Center for the Study of Political Psychology.

From the beginning the graduate program has been a central part of the department. The first Ph.D. was granted by the Department in 1899 and since then its thoroughly trained graduates have been appointed at Yale, Wesleyan, the University of Wisconsin and Brown University, to name only a few.

Complete history (PDF)