University of Minnesota Political Science

The Ukrainian-American Community Center in Minneapolis shared Professor Kathleen Collins' recent piece on the moral necessity to support Ukraine. Check out the center if you're interested in informational events about Ukraine, and check out Kathleen's piece!

Kathleen Collins: Support Ukraine’s victory out of moral necessity and for national security A dictator’s genocidal war for empire.

Born after the 1979 Iranian Revolution in a politically charged environment, Arash Davari believes that pursuing political science helped him to “make sense of (his) place in the world.” Now an assistant professor in our department, Davari talks about his research, professorship, and future at the U.

Arash Davari: Revolutions, Politics, and the Now Born in post-revolution Iran, Arash Davari believes a huge portion of his life has been shaped by politics. “I’ve spent most of my life in environments and contexts where politics is present, even when it's not explicitly present,” he says. Now an assistant professor in the political science d...

We are excited to be co-sponsoring The Politics of Futurity! This free event on December 1st will discuss what it means to be a world builder. Registration requested. More information is available at https://ias.umn.edu/events/ias-thursdays-politics-futurity

Professor Tanisha Fazal speaks with The New Yorker about the wounded-to-killed ratio of Russian soldiers and what it means for Ukraine.

How the War in Ukraine Might End In recent years, a small group of scholars has focussed on war-termination theory. They see reason to fear the possible outcomes in Ukraine.

Our signature event, ‘Views from the U’ is back for the 2022 election. This free event on October 26th will feature our department’s expert opinions on modern politics and the 2022 election. Registration requested. More information is available at http://z.umn.edu/Views2022

Congratulations to Political Science alumni W. Anders Folk (BA ‘98, German and political science) and Sandra Larson (BA ‘59, political science)!

W. Anders Folk: "Served his country, continues to serve his community: W. Anders Folk earned undergraduate degrees and his JD at the University of Minnesota while also serving as a commissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps. Considered one of the highest-ranking lawyers in the federal government, Folk serves as senior counsel in the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, leading with analysis and compassion."

Sandra Larson: "A visionary leader in social justice: Sandra Larson transformed the Management Assistance Project for Nonprofits into one of the largest management support organizations in the country. Her impressive body of work, which “mirrors the community at large,” has spanned nearly four decades in the nonprofit, volunteer, corporate and public sectors. "

Thank you both for your work serving the community.

2022 Alumni of Notable Achievement Award and Emerging Alumni Award winners Announcement of the winners of the Alumni of Notable Achievement Award as well as the Emerging Alumni Award.

Check out this event from The Department of Spanish & Portuguese Studies! They are hosting film screenings and opportunities to discuss these films with their directors. All of these Spanish films are presented with English subtitles and tell real-life stories, bringing them to life. These stories include the struggle of migrants, social and political strife, and human rights.

These directors' visits are co-sponsored by the UMN Center for German & European Studies, Center for Holocaust & Genocide Studies, Global Studies, Moving Image, Media & Sound Studies.

The Iberian Studies Initiative presents four Spanish films and Q&As with the directors Films include Platillos volantes and El sustituto by director Óscar Aibar and Idrissa: Crónica de una muerte cualquiera and Tarajal: Desmontando la impunidad en la frontera sur by director Xavier Artigas. Two screenings feature Q&As with the directors.

Kathryn Pearson, associate professor of political science, is quoted in an article on voting trends among suburban women.

Suburban women weigh crime, inflation and abortion in Minnesota midterm election The critical voting bloc helped elect Joe Biden two years ago, but Republicans say they're making inroads.

"It’s easy to reduce the murder on Aug. 10 to systematic racism. But that’s only, at best, a partial explanation." UMN Political Science Professor August Nimtz on the economic causes of violence.

Another ‘senseless’ downtown Minneapolis murder, or, another tragedy of capitalism? | MinnPost It’s easy to reduce the murder on Aug. 10 to systematic racism. But that’s only, at best, a partial explanation.

An article on Afghanistan quoting Political Science professor Kathleen Collins was the top story in Tokyo Newspaper yesterday. (Article in Japanese.)

20年間で戦費1100兆円、米兵7000人犠牲…「信じられないほどお粗末」専門家が酷評　米軍のアフガン撤退1年：東京新聞 TOKYO Web 　【ワシントン＝浅井俊典】2001年9月の米中枢同時テロを機にアフガニスタンに駐留していた米軍が撤退を完了してから30日で1年となる...

“If we look at Afghanistan today, in terms of humanitarian situation, it’s been disastrous, it’s been a catastrophe,” says Kathleen Collins, an associate professor of political science at the University of Minnesota.

One year after Afghanistan withdrawal, man living in Richfield voices concern about family in Taliban territory It's been one year since the last U.S. troops left Afghanistan, putting an end to the 20-year war. One man living in Richfield still has loved ones in the Taliban-controlled country.

Check out some of the course offerings from the Department of Political Science this fall!

Check out one of our newest course offerings: POL 3489W: Citizens, Consumers, and Corporations. How can ordinary citizens hold multinationals accountable for their influence on public policy? Learn about ways that people have mobilized to counter corporate power.

“Omar is a visible representation of what Islam is. She’s also Black. And that intersection makes her a lightning rod,” says Michael Minta, professor of political science at the University of Minnesota.

Why Ilhan Omar Almost Lost Her Primary Conventional wisdom suggests that members of opposing political parties don’t like each other — and I mean really don’t like each other. But what does it mean w…

UMN Professor Jane Sumner and grad student Emily Kurtz traveled to the Stevens County Fair to help undergrad Jakob Christopherson collect data for a project that grew out of his POL 3085 paper, part of the University's Driven to Discover (D2D) program! http://d2d.umn.edu/

Looking for a way to add leadership to your resume? Want to connect with other Political Science majors? Hoping to network? The Undergraduate Political Science Association (UPSA) is looking for Student Group Officers! The deadline to apply is August 14th.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSec82P1tIJI5hMe5ETr0L9tAc8HSXNkSWfU3c9UbpQIRi5YAg/viewform?fbclid=IwAR0XGn6WU0iZb_vwtfKjy_qKdGMtO_CphexEAMyxi0A66VdwBE6HqMZizLY

accounts.google.com

Looking to add leadership to your resume? Want to connect with other Political Science majors? Hoping to network? The Multicultural Undergraduate Political Science Coalition (MUPSC) is looking for Student Group Officers! Deadline to apply is August 14th.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfbhapue3RRGRAKDf3rWZvIpZiHL6NiQNjYaVs5AClRZcikWg/viewform?fbclid=IwAR0dNujYJm5HKSGRrE1L3I-5HoHRIl408UEK5Ol9cCGNYt-bnXMJG9RoTcw

accounts.google.com

University of Minnesota political science professor Michael Minta says it’s noteworthy that both McCollum and Omar’s challengers agree with the incumbents on almost all the major issues.

“When you're seeing the primary challengers, it's usually a progressive candidate challenging a centrist Democrat,” Minta said. “But you know, Rep. McCollum is progressive.”

Minnesota US reps. Omar, McCollum will face off with fellow Democrats Early voting is already underway for the Aug. 9 primary election, and Rep. Ilhan Omar, whose district includes Minneapolis, and Rep. Betty McCollum, who represents St. Paul, are both fighting to stay on the November ballot.

A new course addition for the fall: POL 3489W: Citizens, Consumers, and Corporations.

CLA Associate Dean and Department of Political Science Professor Howard Lavine discusses the impact of the January 6th hearings on the political landscape.

Latest Jan. 6 primetime hearing focuses on Trump's conduct during capitol riot The primetime hearing on Thursday night examined how the former president behaved as the insurrection unfolded at the U.S. Capitol.

"The late House Speaker, Tip O'Neill was famous for saying that all politics is local. But that just really isn't true in most cases today,” said University of Minnesota political science professor Kathryn Pearson. “As partisan polarization and partisan coordination among candidates has increased since then, politics really has become nationalized,” she said.

In Rochester, national grievances spill into school board, mayoral races Nonpartisan local campaigns have become platforms for a host of grievances that have defined national politics the last two years: President Trump's loss, the nation's response to COVID-19, and concerns about civil unrest are all making their way into school board, city council and mayoral races.