The Department of Political Science is dedicated to the creation and transmission of knowledge about politics and political science. The Department promotes original research, creative teaching, and public service in public life and the discipline of political science. It expects that all faculty members will be actively engaged in all three areas of the Department's mission. The Department values
distinguished disciplinary and interdisciplinary research, teaching, advising, publicly engaged scholarship, and civic education that disseminate knowledge and skills about politics and political science to widely diverse audiences. The Department has a long-standing commitment to excellence in graduate and undergraduate education, to research, and to public service and engagement. This commitment to excellence is evidenced by the 13 faculty who have won McKnight Land-Grant or Distinguished McKnight Professorships, the five faculty who have won University graduate teaching awards, and the 27 faculty have won University undergraduate teaching awards. Over the past 3 decades, 9 of our undergraduate majors have won Truman Scholarships, and 2 have won the Rhodes Scholarship. Our PhDs routinely secure academic appointments at leading universities throughout the United States and around the world. Many of our faculty have presented expert testimony before the International Criminal Court in the Hague, the United State Congress, and the Minnesota state legislature, while others have engaged in community-based research and teaching.