Three people having a conversation in front of the UAlbany Downtown campus. Three people having a conversation in front of the UAlbany Downtown campus.

Department of Political Science

Department of Political Science

Political Science is the study of government, politics, and power, whether international relations or local politics. Our major provides the knowledge, skills, and experiences to guide students from classroom to career.

Why political science?

Gain knowledge about issues that matter: 
Discover how politics works, what effect it has, and what you need to know to participate effectively in it. Our major has something for every interest: from public law to political theory to security and statecraft.

Learn skills that will help you as a professional when you graduate:  
Our coursework provides analytical, writing, and research skills, and our major offers pathways to careers in law, government, think tanks and non-profits/advocacy (among others). Recent graduates now work in such diverse places as the US House of Representatives, World Affairs Council, New York State Executive Chamber, the District Attorney’s Office (CO), the Nashville Office of Emergency Management, and Catholic Charities.

Discover hands-on experiences: 
We offer a range of hands-on experiences, so students know what they want to do when they graduate and are ready to do it. Most of our students take advantage of our career preparation services, including workshops for their application materials, networking opportunities, and internships. Our students also have the opportunity to work collaboratively with faculty on a professor’s research project or to develop their own research in our Honors program.

 

Undergraduate

Interdisciplinary Studies - Legal Studies BS

Political Science BA | +MIA Option | +MPA Option | +MS Option | +MA Option |

Political Science BA | +MIA Option | +MPA Option | +MS Option | +MA Option |
Political Science BA | +MIA Option | +MPA Option | +MS Option | +MA Option |
Political Science BA | +MIA Option | +MPA Option | +MS Option | +MA Option |
Political Science BA | +MIA Option | +MPA Option | +MS Option | +MA Option |
Political Science BA | +MIA Option | +MPA Option | +MS Option | +MA Option |
Political Science BA | +MIA Option | +MPA Option | +MS Option | +MA Option |
Political Science BA | +MIA Option | +MPA Option | +MS Option | +MA Option |
Political Science BA | +MIA Option | +MPA Option | +MS Option | +MA Option |
Political Science BA | +MIA Option | +MPA Option | +MS Option | +MA Option |
Political Science BA | +MIA Option | +MPA Option | +MS Option | +MA Option |
Political Science BA | +MIA Option | +MPA Option | +MS Option | +MA Option |
Political Science BA | +MIA Option | +MPA Option | +MS Option | +MA Option |
Political Science BA | +MIA Option | +MPA Option | +MS Option | +MA Option |
Political Science BA | +MIA Option | +MPA Option | +MS Option | +MA Option |
Political Science BA | +MIA Option | +MPA Option | +MS Option | +MA Option |
Political Science BA | +MIA Option | +MPA Option | +MS Option | +MA Option |
Political Science BA | +MIA Option | +MPA Option | +MS Option | +MA Option |
Master's

International Affairs MIA | Partially Online | +CGS Option |

International Affairs MIA | Partially Online | +CGS Option |
International Affairs MIA | Partially Online | +CGS Option |
International Affairs MIA | Partially Online | +CGS Option |
International Affairs MIA | Partially Online | +CGS Option |
International Affairs MIA | Partially Online | +CGS Option |
International Affairs MIA | Partially Online | +CGS Option |
International Affairs MIA | Partially Online | +CGS Option |
International Affairs MIA | Partially Online | +CGS Option |
International Affairs MIA | Partially Online | +CGS Option |

Political Science MA | +CGS Option |

Political Science MA | +CGS Option |
Political Science MA | +CGS Option |
Political Science MA | +CGS Option |
Political Science MA | +CGS Option |
Political Science MA | +CGS Option |
Political Science MA | +CGS Option |
Political Science MA | +CGS Option |
Doctoral

Political Science PhD | +CGS Option |

Political Science PhD | +CGS Option |
Political Science PhD | +CGS Option |
Political Science PhD | +CGS Option |
Political Science PhD | +CGS Option |
Political Science PhD | +CGS Option |
Political Science PhD | +CGS Option |
Political Science PhD | +CGS Option |
Political Science PhD | +CGS Option |
Faculty
Associate Professor, Political Science; Affiliate Faculty, English
Associate Professor, Chair of Political Science
Professor, Director of the Master of International Affairs Program
Dean of Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy; Professor; Collins Fellow
Professor, Undergraduate Program Director
Associate Professor, Director of Semester in Washington
Professor, Director of SUNY/CUNY Southeast Asia Consortium, Director of Graduate Studies

Professors Emeriti/ae 

Professors Emeriti
Carlos A. Astiz, PhD
Thomas W. Church, PhD
Martin Edelman, PhD
Alvin Magid, PhD
Michael Malbin, PhD
Bruce Miroff, PhD
Charles D. Tarlton, PhD
Frank J. Thompson, PhD
Lewis P. Welch, PhD

Associate Professor Emerita 
Anne M. Hildreth, PhD

PhD Student Profiles
PhD Student Profiles

Christopher Ahmed-Denham

Research Interests:

  • Agenda-Setting
  • Educational Policy
  • Politics of Civics Education
  • The role of Civics Education in Democratic Decline 

Contact: [email protected] 
 

Aldi Nur Fadil Auliya

Research Interests:

  • Southeast Asian Politics
  • Environmental Politics
  • Democratization
  • Electoral Politics
  • Religion and Politics
  • Policymaking Process

Contact: [email protected]  CV
 

Camila Castro

Research Interests:

  • Public Law
  • International Relations 

Contact: [email protected]  CV 

 

 Young Jun Cho

Research Interests:

  • International relations
  • International political economy
  • Economic statecraft

Contact: [email protected]  CV

 

Shrijna Dixon

Research Interests:

  • Comparative politics
  • Democracy and democratization
  • Political parties in democracy. 

Contact: [email protected]   CV

 

Ashari Cahyo Edi

Research Interests:

  • Policy process politics
  • NGO advocacy
  • Indonesia studies

Contact: [email protected]   CV

 

Samuel Eisenkraft

Research Interests:

  • Religion and politics
  • Political attitudes
  • Democratization
  • Post-materialism
  • Religious regulation and discrimination
  • Survey research

Contact: [email protected]  CV
 

Ryan Emery

Research Interests:

  • Critical theory
  • Aesthetics
  • Climate change

Contact: [email protected]

 

James Fakolt

Research Interests:

  • Nuclear Security
  • Grand Strategy
  • World Power Politics

Contact: [email protected]  CV

 

Amalini Fernando

Research Interests:

  • Digital privacy policy
  • Information policy
  • Privacy on the Internet
  • Cybersecurity
  • Emerging digital technologies​​​

Contact: [email protected]   CV

 

Wilson Han

Research Interests:

  • International Political Economy
  • China's Foreign Investments
  • US-China Relations 

Contact: [email protected]  CV
 

M. Monica Parada Hernández

Research Interests:

  • Agrarian Justice
  • Rural Development
  • Justice Institutions
  • Women and Gender
  • Democracy
  • Transitional Justice

Contact: [email protected]   CV

 

Karina P Indrasari

Research Interests:

  • Terrorism
  • Radicalization
  • Social Movements
  • Migrant Workers
  • Southeast Asia

Contact: [email protected]   CV

 

Rocky Intan

Research Interests:

  • International relations
  • International political economy
  • Comparative political economy
  • Southeast Asia
  • Indonesia

Contact: [email protected] CV


Fatema Tuj Johora Lima

Research Interests:

  • International relations
  • Human rights
  • International organizations

Contact: [email protected] 


Poyung Lin

Research Interests:

  • Alliance politics
  • International security
  • East Asian security

Contact: [email protected]   CV


Emily R. Matott

Research Interests:

  • Social Movements and Political Action
  • Gender, Sexuality, and Class identity and politics
  • Critical Theory
  • Queer Theory
  • Ideology Studies

Contact: [email protected] CV
 

Connor Moran

Research Interests:

  • Political Discourse
  • Disagreement
  • Agonism
  • Deliberative Democracy
  • Populism
  • Polarization 

Contact: [email protected]   CV
 

Yaung Chi Soe Naing

 

Research Interests: 

  • Contentious politics
  • Comparative politics of Southeast Asia
  • Political behavior
  • Authoritarian politics

Contact: [email protected] CV



Kaubin Neupane

Research Interests:

  • Public Policy
  • Climate Migration

Contact: [email protected]   CV  
 

Joseph Popcun

Research Interests:

  • Public Policy
  • Policy Failures
  • Gun Violence
  • Community Re-Entry
  • State-level Public Safety
  • Criminal Justice

Contact: [email protected] 

 

Md Sohel Rana 

Research Interests:

  • Domestic political economy of developing states
  • Foreign policy 

Contact: [email protected]  CV

 

Farzin Shargh

Research Interests:

  • West Asian Politics
  • Identity Politics
  • Human Rights
  • Politics and Higher Education

Contact: [email protected]   CV


Wan Yu

Research Interests:

  • Southeast Asia
  • Democratization
  • Regime types
  • Political parties
  • Ethnic politics

Contact: [email protected]  CV


Oğulcan Yıldırım

Research Interests:

  • Democratic Backsliding
  • Foreign Policy Analysis
  • European and Middle Eastern Politics

Contact: [email protected]   CV