Oakland University Department of Political Science

03/10/2026

02/25/2026

Please join us in congratulating our Model UN team. Our students recently returned from the North American Model United Nations conference in Toronto with several distinguished awards and commendations!

Jan Kuehnke received the conference's highest honor, the Best Delegate Award, for his representation of the United States in the UN Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee. In recognition of his achievement, Jan was presented with the chair's gavel.

Abigail David earned an Outstanding Advocate Award for her representation of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the International Court of Justice. Over the course of several days, Abi litigated the highly complex case DRC vs. Uganda (2005) in the court simulation.

Ethan Vela earned a Book Award for his portrayal of Cuban journalist and activist Juan Gualberto Gómez in the historic Spanish-American War crisis committee, where he inspired an independence movement and maneuvered his way into the role of Interim President of Cuba.

Our students represented Oakland exceptionally well in Toronto, and continue to bring distinction to the university. We couldn't be prouder!

01/08/2026

Registration for the annual Oakland University High School Model UN competition is now open!

Oakland University Model United Nations 9th Annual High School Conference 10 - 11 April 2026

11/27/2025

Please join us in congratulating our Model UN team for their outstanding performance at the annual American Model United Nations conference in Chicago! The team returned early Wednesday morning with multiple awards.

The entire delegation earned a Position Paper Award for its representation of the State of Palestine across several committees. In addition, multiple students received Exceptional Representation Awards: Jan Kuehnke for his work on the Security Council, Ethan Vela for his efforts on the International Atomic Energy Agency, and Meghan Bareis and Joseph Zonzius for their contributions to the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia.

Finally, Meghan Bareis and Aiden Wheelihan successfully litigated a case on the legality of the West Bank wall in the International Court of Justice simulation.

Interested in joining OU's Model UN Team? Contact Professor Eldredge at [email protected] for more information!

09/20/2025

Join the OUSC Sustainability Committee and be part of the change, whether it’s reducing waste, planting gardens, or making campus more eco-friendly.
Email [email protected] to apply today!

12/07/2024

Remote 'volunteer fellowship' program:

DescriptionBallotpedia, Encyclopedia of American Politics, is excited to announce that applications are open for the Spring 2025 class of our Ballotpedia Volunteer Fellows Program!As a Ballotpedia Fellow, you will work hand-in-hand with our staff as we...

10/21/2024

This weekend four Political Science majors presented original research at the annual meeting of the Michigan Political Science Association!

Junior Larissa Giaomin devised a series of original empirical tests to evaluate several core assumptions of classical realism.

Senior Landon Julius explored the extent to which education can serve as a conditional remedy to political polarization in Western democracies.

Senior Jacob Packard explored the ways in which political culture and institutions in Japan interact to impair its ability to address a number of pressing policy problems.

Senior Alex Verzillo demonstrated that in addition to having a corrosive effect on economic development and confidence in public institutions, political corruption also shortens human lifespans.

Additionally, Professor Doug Carr received the MIPSA Founder's Award for his contributions to Public Administration, and to the work of the association.

A warm congratulations to our students and faculty!

09/09/2024

Pi Sigma Alpha, our honor society, is co-sponsoring a presidential debate watch party tomorrow evening in the Oakland Center Habitat. Come out and get informed.

09/09/2024

We have been made aware of some newly announced job opportunities with the US State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement that might be particularly interesting to recent alumni and those who intend to graduate in December. To learn more, contact Prof. Trumbore directly ([email protected]).

04/28/2024

Summer internship/service opportunity!

The Ballotpedia Fellows Program launched in June 2020 to provide high school and college students interested in politics with a service opportunity that helps develop subject matter expertise in political research and analysis. As a Ballotpedia Fellow, you will play an instrumental role helping us e...

04/15/2024

We're thrilled to congratulate Oakland University Model United Nations for hosting its 7th annual High School Model UN Competition last week. Our team welcomed roughly 180 students to campus over two days to address some of today's most pressing global problems.

We're grateful to Representative Haley Stevens for offering a warm virtual keynote to our delegates. We also wish to congratulate Grand Blanc High School for earning first place, Troy High School for earning second place, and Bloomfield Hills High School for earning third place at the competition.