Political Science

News & Events

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  Political Science Graduate Program Enters National Top 50

  The University of Houston College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) Department of Political Science celebrated an exciting milestone last week, breaking into the top 50 of U.S. News and World Report’s 2021 rankings of the best graduate programs in the discipline. The publication's prestigious and influential rankings, which rely on peer institutions' survey data, reflect the growing impact of the research and scholarship from the department's graduate students and faculty.

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  Professors Kennedy and Tiede Win $750,000 NSF Grant

  Associate Professors Ryan Kennedy and Lydia Tiede have been awarded a major NSF Grant for their project “Community Responsive Algorithms for Social Accountability,” which promises to establish a model for accountability for a comprehensive range of algorithms used in public policy.  It will also contribute to education and workforce development by producing a set of educational materials that can be easily accessed by legal professionals and the general public. This award is one of the most prestigious given to Political Scientists.

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  Ph.D. Student Anna Marisa Schoen Wins Dissertation Award

  Anna Marisa Schoen, Ph.D. recently won the UH Outstanding Dissertation Award. This award was given to only one humanities dissertation across the entire University, along with a $1,000 prize. Schoen’s dissertation examined the concept of the “nation” in pre-modern political theory texts. It argued that the medieval notion of nationalism is in some ways an improvement on our contemporary approach to nationalism.
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  Assistant Professor Tyson Chatagnier Wins $220,000 NSF Grant

  Congratulations to Assistant Professor Tyson Chatagnier for being awarded a NSF grant for his project, “Military Service in Political Appointees,” which will result in the collection and analysis of a new cross-national data set detailing the military experience of political appointees around the world. The grant will fund research assistantships for graduate and undergraduate students. This grant is among the most prestigious grants awarded to political scientists.
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  Ph.D. Student Samantha Chapa Wins Prestigious NSF Fellowship

  Chapa was recently honored with a 2021 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF), which will support her research on migration, human rights, and artificial intelligence.  The NSF considers this award a “highly significant national accomplishment” that places Chapa “amongst an elite group of fellows who have gone on to distinguished careers in STEM or STEM education.”

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  Ph.D. Student Naomi Nubin Wins Best Paper of the Year Award

  Nubin recently won the Sammy Younge Best Student Paper the Year for the paper, “The Poor, The Needy, and The Partisan: How do State-Level Political Factors Influence Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program Benefits,” awarded by the National Conference of Black Political Scientists.

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  Professor Patrick Shea Wins $180,000 NSF Grant

  Congratulations to Associate Professor Patrick Shea for being awarded an NSF grant for his project “International Coercion, Debt Relief, and Land Transactions.”  The grant is a 2 year, $180,000 grant, which will fund RAships for graduate and undergraduate students.  This grant is among the most prestigious grants awarded to Political Scientists.
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  POLS major Wasiq Javed Wins Phi Beta Kappa’s Inaugural Key into Public Service Award

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  POLS Major Taylor Hall wins Peek Scholarship

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  POLS Major Shana Hardin recognized by Provost for Outstanding Research

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  SWAGS Goes Virtual

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  Professor Jason Casellas Elected President of WPSA

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  Professor Patrick Shea’s Article Accepted at the JOP

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  Professors Elizabeth Simas and Alex Badas Featured in Washington Post

  Associate Professor Elizabeth Simas and Assistant Professor Alex Badas co-authored a post that appeared on the Monkey Cage, a Political Science blog published by the Washington Post.  In their post, they argue that voters punish their Senators if their Senators do not vote to confirm for their preferred Supreme Court nominee. The article was published during the Amy Coney Barrett hearings. Their article can be found here.

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  Professor Zachary Zwald Wins Bernard Brodie Prize

  NTT Instructional Assistant Professor Zachary Zwald has won the Bernard Brodie Prize for his co-authored article “Why Language Matters: Shaping Public Risk Tolerance During Deterrence Crises,” published in the journal Contemporary Security Policy. The prize is given annually to the most outstanding article published by this journal. Professor Zwald’s article argues that the public’s tolerance for risk during a conflict is not stable over time but depends on how the risks are framed by elites. The article can be found here.