St. Lawrence University: Political Science- formerly Government- Department

Home
United States
Canton, NY
St. Lawrence University: Political Science- formerly Government- Department

Our students learn how politics work not only in theory but also in practice.

04/29/2026

The Political Science Department wrapped up another wonderful Festival Day with our End-of-Year Celebration in Dean Eaton Lounge.

We were proud to feature this year’s Senior Honors Thesis presentations:
• Emma Cross, “Patriarchal Political Constructions of Ethno-Nationalism in the United States and Hungary”
• Alex Ferguson, “Tweeting Your Way Into Congress: How Did Social Media Campaigns Influence the Results of the 2024 U.S. House Elections?”
• Aiden Sax, “ Impact of Public Sector Wages on Corruption Control in the European Union”

We also celebrated the induction of new members into Pi Sigma Alpha Honor Society, which recognizes our students’ academic excellence and commitment to the study of political science.

Thank you to everyone who joined us to support our students, celebrate their impressive research, and mark the close of a successful semester.

04/22/2026

Join the Political Science Department for our annual Festival Day celebration!

📅 Friday, April 24
🕥 10:30 AM
📍 Dean Eaton Lounge

We’re celebrating a great semester with:
✨ SYE Senior Honors Thesis presentations
✨ Pi Sigma Alpha Honor Society inductions
✨ Pastries & brunch treats

Come support your peers presenting their research:

• Emma Cross — Patriarchal Political Constructions of Ethno-Nationalism in the United States and Hungary
• Aiden Sax — Impact of Public Sector Wages on Corruption Control in the European Union
• Alex Ferguson — Tweeting Your Way Into Congress: How social media campaigns influenced the 2024 US House Elections

Celebrate student research, honor society achievements, and a great year with faculty, friends, and fellow majors/minors!

See you there! 🎉

04/20/2026

This past Friday, Professor Ahyoung Cho and two Political Science majors, Ella Pecor and Jack Fortier, staffed the Political Science table and talked with students and their families at the 'Discover You at SLU" admitted student event.

A big thank you to everyone who stopped by the table! We're looking forward to seeing you around Hepburn Hall next fall!

04/13/2026

St. Lawrence Students Earn 11 Awards at Intercollegiate Model European Union Conference

Fifteen students from Dr. Mert Kartal's POLS 4083: The European Union in a Fragmented World course competed at the Intercollegiate Model European Union Conference in Buffalo, New York, from April 10–12, 2025, earning 11 awards, more than any other school among the roughly 90 students from eight institutions in attendance.

Representing Austria, Belgium, France, Hungary, and the Netherlands across three committees, students tackled policy issues including the European Single Market, energy security, European Security and Defense Policy, and EU enlargement. Their 11 awards included three Best Country Delegation awards, five pre-conference planning honors, and three individual recognitions: Stella Bouroutzoglou (Most Effective Foreign Affairs Minister), Abraham Nicol (Most Effective Finance Minister), and Jenna Stinson (Best Networker).

The participating students were Stephen Austin, Stella Bouroutzoglou, Tanner Castillo, Charlotte Colello, Mariam Dodd, Grant Gilmer, Seth Gustafson, McKenna Lee, Abraham Nicol, Thomas Proia, Aiden Sax, Maria Schwabe, Jabari Sewell, Jenna Stinson, and Reid Wilson.

04/09/2026

📢 Political Science Students: Opportunity Alert! 📢

The Vote Everywhere program is now hiring a new Ambassador Team for next year! 🗳️✨

Vote Everywhere, a program of The Andrew Goodman Foundation, builds a nonpartisan civic engagement movement focused on voter participation, public policy, and social justice. Ambassadors play a key role in educating, engaging, and empowering students across campus.

💡 What Ambassadors Do:
• Visit FYP classrooms
• Host tables & campus events
• Collaborate with student organizations
• Maintain a digital presence
• Work with the national AGF network

💰 Ambassadors receive a small stipend ($100–$300 per semester, depending on funding and workload).

🎓 Open to all students, but especially great for Political Science majors!
👏 Shoutout to outgoing ambassadors: Ally Dettor, Alex Ferguson, Elizabeth Finnerty, Kirsten Sanchez, Olivia Sundin, and Elijah White!

📅 Apply by May 1st

Don’t miss the chance to make an impact on campus civic engagement! 🌍🗣️

This is the link to apply: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfjANqgUPNnwSjHx9cp9RhswXjU0jMIZL8j3Xm9ADq5NShELA/viewform

04/07/2026

Associate Professor of Political Science Mert Kartal recently co-authored an article for Good Authority with his former St. Lawrence University student, Emma Birkitt ’24, now a J.D. candidate at Cornell Law School. The article examines a central question regarding the European Union: will the EU’s new anti-corruption rules make a meaningful difference?

The piece explains how the EU is working to harmonize the way member states define and prosecute corruption. In principle, shared legal standards could improve the ability to investigate, compare, and penalize corruption across countries. However, significant challenges remain. Member states retain considerable discretion in how they implement these rules, and enforcement ultimately depends on domestic political will.

The authors argue that recognizing these gaps is crucial. While the directive represents an important step toward strengthening EU-wide standards, its real-world impact will depend less on the legal text itself and more on national governments' willingness to enforce it effectively.

03/30/2026

Your fall schedule just got a whole lot more interesting.

For the fall semester, the Political Science department is offering courses across a huge range of topics; from AI and technology governance to U.S. elections and public policy, global politics and foreign aid, race and identity in America, feminist theory, Asian politics and culture, and the modern Middle East.

Whether you want to sharpen your research skills, fulfill a distribution requirement, or just explore what's shaping our world right now, there's something here for you.

Check APR for full course listings and descriptions.

03/19/2026

We are thrilled to congratulate Political Science major Sofi Macero on her acceptance to the MA in International Relations program at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) as a Public Service Fellow, a merit-based honor that includes a full 100% tuition scholarship!

The Johns Hopkins SAIS Public Service Fellows Program is designed for highly talented graduate students aspiring to careers in public service. Fellows benefit from curated programming with policy leaders and practitioners, engagement with alumni driving change, and personalized career guidance; all aimed at developing the strategic skills needed to tackle today's most pressing public policy challenges.

Sofi's path to this achievement is deeply personal. Grounded in her experiences and her country's and family's migratory history, she has developed a profound commitment to international governance and equitable support for those most in need, regardless of where they come from or what ideals they hold. Her passion for understanding forced migration and her aspiration to work with international organizations to address the structural barriers facing migrants on dangerous and irregular routes around the world make her an exceptional candidate for this program.

We are immensely proud of Sofi and cannot wait to see the meaningful impact she will have on the international stage. Congratulations, Sofi!

03/11/2026

Associate Professor of Political Science Mert Kartal’s latest piece for Good Authority examines a basic but overlooked question: how do we actually measure corruption?

Scholars and policymakers frequently rely on corruption indices to compare countries and track trends, yet corruption is inherently difficult to observe directly. As a result, most widely used measures rely on perceptions rather than direct evidence.

The article explains why these measures remain useful despite their limitations. Perception-based indices can capture broad patterns and help identify countries where corruption is likely to be a serious concern. At the same time, they may miss important variations or reinforce stereotypes about certain regions. Understanding both the value and the limits of these indicators is therefore essential for researchers, policymakers, and journalists who rely on them to evaluate governance and accountability.

02/18/2026

Associate Professor of Political Science Mert Kartal’s latest piece for Good Authority looks at what 2025 revealed about corruption within the European Union itself. Instead of focusing only on problems in member countries, Kartal turns the spotlight on EU institutions. Recent scandals and debates about transparency show that the Union faces a credibility problem, he argues.

In recent years, he says, the EU has taken steps to fight corruption. It now monitors rule-of-law standards more closely and links some funding to good governance. But controversies involving EU officials have raised tough questions about whether the Union holds itself to the same standards it expects from others. When it falls short at home, its message abroad loses force.

This matters politically, Kartal argues. When people see double standards, populist politicians can use that frustration to attack the EU as secretive or self-serving. If the EU does not match its words with strong internal oversight, corruption will remain both a policy challenge and a political flashpoint across Europe.

Good Authority is a prominent political science platform that translates academic research into accessible content for a broader audience, where Kartal serves as a fellow.

Address

Hepburn Hall
Canton, NY
13617

Telephone

+13152295214

Website

https://www.stlawu.edu/offices/political-science

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when St. Lawrence University: Political Science- formerly Government- Department posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The University

Send a message to St. Lawrence University: Political Science- formerly Government- Department:

Shortcuts

Want your university to be the top-listed University in Canton?