Undergraduate Studies

Our faculty and students come from practically all regions of the United States and the world. This national and demographic diversity gives rise to diverse research interests and political ideas that enrich the Department in unique ways.

The ideas and work of Ralph Bunche, a founder of the Department and the first Black person to receive a doctorate in Political Science and a Noble Peace Prize, provided the foundation for the Department. Bunche and his colleagues questioned the institutional legitimacy of the Political Science discipline and argued that it was unresponsive to the intellectual interests of Black Political Scientists and the socio-economic needs of the Black community.

The Department has continued in that tradition, providing a critical mass of African American and other under-represented students who enroll in graduate, law and other professional schools and provide service to the larger community.