Political Science

Vanderbilt University will celebrate the fall launch of Latino and Latina Studies, a new multidisciplinary program, with several events during Hispanic Heritage Month, including an Oct. 15 talk by author Joy Castro. Read More

Kristin Michelitch is on the vanguard of the movement that seeks to ensure that money spent on aid to developing countries achieves its intended goals. Read More

Policymakers in Washington, D.C., increasingly are earning the distrust of the American people, and the current impasse that led to a government shutdown is no exception, according to Marc Hetherington, a political science professor and author of two books on trust and polarization in American government. Read More

Political scientist Bruce Oppenheimer is available to talk about the government shutdown. Read More

Vanderbilt history and political science professor Gary Gerstle was interviewed extensively for a landmark PBS documentary series on the experience of Latino Americans in the United States. Read More

Jon Meacham, author of a noted biography on Thomas Jefferson, and Mark Dimunation, who directed the reconstruction of Thomas Jefferson's Collection at the Library of Congress, will speak at Vanderbilt Sept. 30. Read More

Several authors and other political experts will discuss the 2012 election at a free event at the First Amendment Center Sept. 24. Read More

“From a historical perspective, which looks at the American presidency since the end of World War II, Obama’s decision reflects a turning point, the clear triumph of domestic political considerations over foreign policy priorities,” according to Thomas Schwartz, a professor of history and political science at Vanderbilt. Read More

Jean Bethke Elshtain, a renowned interdisciplinary scholar who was the first woman to hold an endowed professorship at Vanderbilt University, died Aug. 11 at the age of 72. Read More

Jon Meacham is joining the faculty of Vanderbilt University for the fall 2013 semester. The Pulitzer Prize-winning historian will teach a political science course and lead two events open to the general public. Read More

A study by Vanderbilt University's Latin American Public Opinion Project shows that the use of social media for political purposes in the Americas can be an effective complement to conventional forms of political engagement. Read More

An executive committee has been named and will meet regularly this summer to develop a framework of ideas to guide a university-wide academic strategic planning process that will set the course for Vanderbilt’s future. Read More

Congress is taking up the debate over comprehensive immigration reform yet again. Vanderbilt has a diverse array of experts researching various aspects of the immigration debate. Read More

The latest Vanderbilt Poll shows that Tennesseans strongly support charter schools while their feelings about school vouchers are more divided. Read More

Read about faculty, staff and student awards, appointments and achievements. Read More

Rethinking Prisons conference brings together more than 100 scholars, activists, and practitioners from across the US, as well as Canada and Brazil, to discuss issues raised by prisons and the death penalty. Read More

The Vanderbilt Board of Trust has approved the awarding of emeriti honors to 14 distinguished, longtime College of Arts and Science faculty. The professors will be honored at Commencement ceremonies on May 10. Read More

Vanderbilt researcher David Lewis says that anything that can be done to corral the use of patronage for political appointments would help the federal government to operate more efficiently. Read More

If the Tennessee Valley Authority goes private, utility customers could benefit if risks and incentives are better aligned than under the current approach, according to a Vanderbilt law professor. The prospect of selling off the public utility has been raised by the Obama administration in a call for a strategic review. Read More

The Obama administration launched a “modest shot across the bow” with a call for a strategic review that includes consideration of a possible sale of the Tennessee Valley Authority, according to Bruce Oppenheimer, professor of public policy and education at Vanderbilt University. Read More