Political Scholar Breaks New Ground in the Study of Latinos in Congress When Jason Casellas began research for his undergraduate senior dissertation on Latino political participation, he was surprised by the scant amount of academic writings on the topic. Undaunted by the painstaking hours of research, the experience of writing that dissertation spurred his interest […]
Department of Government
Notable Alumni
A sampling of government graduates who have entered politics: • The Hon. Kay Bailey Hutchison, B.A. 1962, has been U.S. Senator from Texas since 1993 — the first and only woman elected by Texas to represent the state in the U.S. Senate. • The Hon. Henry Cuellar, Ph.D. 1998, is a three-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives currently representing the state’s 28th district in South Texas. Cuellar’s political career began as a member of the […]
Inside the Beltway
Professor immerses students into the real world of politics For the past nine years, Associate Professor Sean Theriault has taken a group of undergraduate students to the nation’s capital to learn, behind the scenes, how the legislative process works and to test their research against the reality of Beltway politics. This year’s group of 10 […]
Teaching Awards
A Job Well Done The Department of Government is especially proud to be home to some of the university’s most distinguished teachers. Among others, these include: Henry Dietz, Latin American Politics – 2008 Raymond Dickson Centennial Endowed Teaching Fellowship; 2006-07 FRIAR Centennial Teaching Fellowship; 1999 Selection to the Academy of Distinguished Teachers; 1992-93 President’s Associates Teaching Excellence […]
Professor Advises Drafters of New Kenyan Constitution
Zachary Elkins helps East African nation Assistant Professor Zachary Elkins joined several other constitutional scholars to advise the Kenyan leaders on a new national constitution that voters there approved in August. Elkins and his colleagues counseled officials on everything from establishing an effective balance of power to eliminating redundancies or ambiguities in the proposed constitution. Kenya’s […]
Capitalism Promotes Peace
And other provocative findings from our faculty’s honored research and publications Associate Professor Patrick McDonalD’s “the Invisible Hand of Peace: Capitalism, The War Machine, and International Relations Theory” won the 2010 Jervis-Schroeder Best Book Award from the International History and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association. The book examines how competitive market structures and private property affect the […]
Political Theory on the Rise
Government scholars help answer the great “so what” question of political science When the Department of Government recruited Thomas Pangle in 2004 to become the Joe R. Long Chair in Democratic Studies, the goal was not simply to become a powerhouse in the study of political theory, but to help the department rise to elite status […]
Department of Government Timeline
100 years of excellence 1910 – Board of Regents divides School of Political Science into three units: government, economics and institutional history 1915 – Frank Mann Stewart receives first B.A. in government 1919 – Southwestern Political Science Association founded by Government faculty 1920 – Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honors society, founded by […]
In Memoriam
James Roach, Professor Emeritus The Department of Government is sorry to report the passing of James Roach, government professor emeritus. Roach had a long and distinguished career that included prizewinning teaching in international relations, South Asian politics and U.S. foreign policy. A veteran of World War II, in which he accompanied General MacArthur on his return to the Philippines and personally strode to shore to plant […]
A Latin American Boom in Austin
A presidential initiative takes Texas to new heights “We should become the nation’s most important source of expertise about Latin America,” former University of Texas President Larry Faulkner declared in his first State of the University address on Oct. 6, 1998. By prioritizing Latin America, Faulkner was harnessing one of the university’s assets — physical […]
Terrorists, Insurgents and Guerillas
Professor provides data to help fight terrorism As global terrorism has become a greater danger over the past decade, Professor Ami Pedahzur has been at the forefront of studying that danger and developing the data governments need to respond. Central to Pedahzur’s efforts is the T.I.G.E.R. Lab — Terrorists, Insurgents, and Guerrillas in Education and Research. […]
The Founding of the Government Department
How socialism, frogs and the “Mafia” shaped a department In the early 20th Century, word was spreading that a socialist was running the School of Political Science at The University of Texas at Austin. Professor Lindley Keasbey’s controversial political leanings prompted President Sidney Mezes and the Board of Regents to break the school into three […]
Public Policy to the Fore
Bryan Jones leads a resurgence Public policy has traditionally been a centerpiece of political science at The University of Texas at Austin. Emmette Redford was an early leader in the field. He sharpened his expertise through real public service in the 1940s, most notably his four years at the federal Office of Price Administration during […]
From Batts Hall to the Pink Dome
The Texas Politics Project and Government Department Internship Program The picture postcard view of the Texas Capitol dome from the top of the South Mall is only a few steps from the front doors of Batts Hall, the Government Department’s home since 2002. Having the seat of state government down the street provides students and […]
Student News
Ultimately, everything we do centers around our students. Here is a sampling of their incredible work. Graduate Student News William Blake’s research, “The Brooding Spirit of the Law: Supreme Court Justices Reading Dissents from the Bench,” was featured in The New York Times on March 8, 2010. Daniel Nogueira Budny and Matt Buehler were awarded, […]
Message from the President
Congratulations to the Department of Government on 100 Years of Excellence For the past century, the Department of Government has been at the heart of The University of Texas at Austin’s research, teaching and civic missions. Its students have gone on to become leaders in government, business and philanthropy throughout the state and nation. Its […]
100 Years
Our Centennial This year the Department of Government celebrates 100 years of teaching and research. We are glad to present this special edition of Life & Letters, the magazine of the College of Liberal Arts, in honor of our centennial. Many things have changed over 100 years, including the buildings we’ve called home. We used […]
Government Department Turns 100
In the age of Obama, the Tea Party and global financial uncertainty, the Government Department is helping its students and the rest of the world make sense of the political changes under way. Celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, the department has faculty members whose expertise ranges from Texas politics to political theory, from Latin […]
In Brief: Fall 2010
The Play’s the Thing To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the English Department’s Shakespeare at Winedale program, alumni reunited this summer and performed scenes from several of the Bard’s plays. Among them was Kathryn Blackbird, class of 1984 and 1986. She used a mirror in the century-old hay barn near the idyllic country town of […]
Q&A: Roy Germano
When Roy Germano, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Government, ventured into Mexico’s rural farmlands and villages in 2007 to gather research for his dissertation on Mexican immigrants and politics, he couldn’t shake his frustration with the tone and substance of the heated immigration debate in the United States. He knew he had to […]
Tear Down the Wall
Students re-enact Berlin Wall destruction 20 years later Students from The University of Texas and other local schools came to the South Mall one evening last November carrying cardboard boxes that evoked the wall that once divided East and West Berlin. Like the eastern side of the wall, one side of each box was bare. […]