Cornell's Department of Government is devoted to the study of how political power is shaped by institutions, and channeled and challenged by civic engagement, in local, national and international contexts. The faculty offers students a diverse field of study ranging from the analysis of the great texts of political philosophy to game theoretical approaches to politics, and from political economy to the examination of the behavior of decision makers and publics in the United States and other societies.
The government department offers students a variety of opportunities to engage with politics and political science, beginning in the classroom with the hands-on learning of different analytical approaches such as survey research, political psychology and the close reading of texts; with the chance to work one-on-one with faculty in the honors program or as research assistants; by participating in internships in Washington, D.C. through the Cornell in Washington Program; and drawing on the department's ties with programs across the College of Arts and Sciences with a focus on regions of the world, peace studies, and ethics and public life.
Department websiteKathleen Fallon
Graduate Student
Addison Barton
Graduate Student
Education
- MA, University of California, Berkeley
- MA, University of Manchester, UK
- BA, Willamette University
Departments and programs
Li-Han Lin
Graduate Student
Jonathan Kirshner
Stephen and Barbara Friedman Professor of International Political Economy Emeritus
Ewa Nizalowska
Graduate Student
Education
- B.A., Political Science, McGill University
- M.A., Political Science, McGill University
Departments and programs
Keywords
Contemporary Political Theory; History of Political Thought; Psychoanalysis; Anticolonial Theory; Authoritarianism; Critical Theory; Feminist Theory; Political Resistance
Frances Cayton
Graduate Student
Education
- AM Harvard University - Regional Studies - Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia
- BA, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - History and Political Science
Departments and programs
Keywords
Civil society and protest politics, conspiracy theories, political behavior, democratization, post-communism, East-Central Europe, Eurasia, methodology
Zinab Attai
Graduate Student
Departments and programs
Keywords
Afghanistan, Middle East, State-building, Governance, Rebel groups, Conflict, Security, Peace, Gender
Marissa Rivera
Graduate Student
Education
- BA, Political Science, Michigan State University (with High Honor)
Departments and programs
Keywords
American politics, race and ethnic politics, political behavior, public opinion, democracy,
criminal justice, incarceration
Helena Crusius
Graduate Student
Education
- B.A., Classical Languages and Political Science, Bryn Mawr College
Departments and programs
Keywords
Greek political thought, democratic theory, aesthetics