Lindsey Haines, a 2010 department alumna, spoke at the 2018 King Day teach-in on Social Justice and Affordable Housing.
Dianne Pinderhughes, Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame, spoke on "The Voting Rights Act and the Problem of Race in American Politics" for the "Perspectives on Civil Rights and Race" lecture series, 2015.
In Political Science we engage students in critical thinking about governments, civic processes, and political behavior here and around the globe. We prepare students to excel, whether they are interested in law school, graduate school, the private sector, or a future in public or nonprofit service.
Recent graduates have received full scholarships to attend graduate programs at Yale, Princeton, Harvard, Washington University, Emory University, and the University of Illinois.
Two recent alumni were ranked No. 1 in their law school classes at the University of Illinois College of Law.
Since 2009, two of our alums have held the prestigious Dunn Fellowship in Washington, D.C.
Internships
Students gain direct and practical experience through numerous internship programs at all levels of government, or through Illinois Wesleyan's community project-oriented Action Research Center (ARC).
Study Abroad
Political science students regularly study abroad in countries such as Tanzania and Belgium. Several travel courses offer the direct study of politics in different parts of the United States and, most recently, in South Africa and France. Because of these experiences, our graduates frequently pursue advanced degrees overseas. Two members of the class of 2009, for example, attended the London School of Economics and Cambridge University.
Rotary Scholarships
In recent years, political science students and graduates have been awarded Rotary scholarships for graduate work:
Charlie Sell, ‘10 was awarded a $25,000 Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship for post-graduate work in Geneva, Switzerland.
Megan Winkeler, '11 was awarded a $25,000 Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship for post-graduate work in Cape Town, South Africa.
Danny Kenny, ’13 was awarded a $50,000 Rotary Foundation Global Grant Scholarship to pursue a master’s degree at Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra. This was the largest Rotary scholarship ever received by an IWU student.
Jia “Muyi” Yang, ’18 was awarded Rotary Peace Fellowship to pursue a master’s degree in peace and conflict studies at Uppsala University in Sweden.
Alani Sweezy, ’19 was awarded a $30,000 Global Grant Scholarship from the Rotary Foundation to pursue a Master of Philosophy at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom.
