Political Science

Student reading on Criminal JusticePolitical science is the study of how humans live collectively--how individuals organize themselves into social structures and how they make decisions concerning their common destiny.

As students of politics, we seek to understand the structures and processes of government on the local and the national levels, as well as the relations among nations on the world stage. Our focus, however, is broader than the formal institutions of government. Many social entities outside of government, including political parties, interest groups, corporations, the media, or even other nations, also influence the allocation of values and goods within a society. Hence, civil and economic organizations are also within the purview of political science.

Finally, because politics is an inherently moral enterprise, one involving the pursuit of justice, we are concerned not only with how societies are governed, but also with how they ought to be governed.

Information about academic internships in political science can be obtained from the Academic Internship Office. For opportunities to study abroad, or for a Semester in Washington, contact the Study Abroad Office.

Information about preparation for a career in law, sought by some political science students, can be found at the Student Resource Center's Career Development site.

We invite you to contact individual members of the department with any questions you may have. Some department members also maintain their own personal Web sites, accessible through the faculty page.

To contact the Department of Political Science:

Department of Political Science
Saint Michael's College
One Winooski Park, Box 281
Colchester, VT 05439

Fax: 802.654.2243

 Department Chair:
Jeffrey Ayres
jayres@smcvt.edu
802.654.2680

Department Secretary:
Lynn Wells
lwells@smcvt.edu
802.654.2417

View a complete list of faculty in the Department of Political Science.