Department of Political Science

What is Political Science?

Political science is the study of constitutions, law, and government, at the local, national, and international levels, and of those things that influence the exercise of political power, such as individual interests and attitudes, norms, institutions, and culture.

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Pi Sigma Alpha and SWIPS Host Bowling Social Event

March 27, 2024

On Thursday, March 21st, SWIPS (Supporting Women in Political Science) and Pi Sigma Alpha hosted a bowling social event. Around 20 students attended, and the organizations were thrilled with the high turnout. The social event offered a relaxed atmosphere for members to connect through competitive bowling games and delicious food. Officers brainstormed various ideas to further engage members in upcoming projects, and members expressed a strong interest in continuing to participate in future political science events.

Zoie Sanders, a member of SWIPS, said that the event was, “super fun and a great opportunity to connect with fellow organizations and members. I had an amazing time and am looking forward to attending future social events and meetings with SWIPS.

Pi Sigma Alpha’s Rho Eta Chapter is the national political science honor society chapter at Texas State University. Open to eligible political science, public administration, and legal studies majors and minors, Pi Sigma Alpha’s goal is to connect those interested in politics and policy with a wide variety of professionals from across the state and help its members get jobs, internships, and experience before and after college. If you are interested in learning more about the Rho Eta chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, check out the chapter’s page on the department website.

SWIPS is a nonpartisan women’s organization at Texas State University. They are a professional education and development organization centered around aiding political science majors and other students with exploring all facets of political science so they may discover their professional and academic interests. SWIPS meets every other Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. If you’d like to learn more information about this organization, you can contact SWIPS President Myleen Gamez at mlg269@txstate.edu.

Political Science Professors Recognized by Alpha Chi

March 27, 2024

Three faculty members from the Department of Political Science were honored as “Favorite Professors” by Texas State’s Alfred H. Noelle Chapter of Alpha Chi National College Honor Society for 2024. Drs. Emily Kay Hanks, Walter Wright, and Thomas McMahan were recognized for their outstanding and exemplary teaching. The awards ceremony took place on Friday, March 22nd in Alkek Teaching Theater.

Founded in 1922, Alpha Chi is a national honor society which promotes academic excellence and exemplary character among undergraduate college and university students – and honors those who achieve such distinction. To qualify for membership, a student must be a first-time undergraduate, a junior or senior (having attained no less than 60 credit hours), have a minimum Texas State GPA of 3.50 on at least 45 semester hours at Texas State. Graduate students with a 4.0 and at least 15 hours of graduate coursework at Texas State also qualify for Alpha Chi membership. It has over 300 chapters and 500,000 members worldwide.

Presidential Election Panel

March 22, 2024

On Wednesday, March 5th, the Department of Political Science organized a faculty panel to discuss the results of Super Tuesday – the day on which several U.S. states hold their primary elections, and there implications for the upcoming presidential election. Over 50 students attended to hear Drs. Michael Faber, Hyun Yun, and Vance McMahan explore and elucidate the election results.

Each panelist weighed in on different aspects of the Super Tuesday vote.  Dr. Hyun Yun offered an analysis of each party’s political messaging strategy.  She commented on the efficacy of each strategy and highlighted specific focus areas for students to monitor in the upcoming months.  One focus area she highlighted was the exit of Trump’s primary opponent Nikki Haley.  Although Haley ultimately ended her nomination bid after failing to secure enough party delegates, Dr. Yun questioned whether Haley’s voters would ultimately unite behind the party to vote for Trump in the general election. She suggested that Haley’s appeal as a more moderate candidate may influence her supporters to cast their vote for another party candidate, thereby frustrating Trump’s reelection bid.

Dr. Vance McMahan commented on the political tension and infighting that manifested itself in Texas’ Republican primary.  The infighting pitted Governor Abbott against Republican members of the Texas House who refused to support his school choice agenda, and Attorney General Paxton against Republican House members who supported his impeachment and three GOP members of the Court of Criminal Appeal that had limited his authority over election law violations. Challengers supported by Abbott and Paxton won many races outright and forced others in runoff including the Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan. McMahan suggested the results showed the commitment of the Republican leadership to fund and support insurgent candidates who will strictly adhere to the party line on key conservative issues such as school choice and illegal immigration.

Dr. Michael Faber explained the origins of Super Tuesday and how it was initially coordinated by southern states to give them a competitive edge as a geographic voting block in the nomination process. Upon recognizing this advantage, other states began scheduling their primaries on the same day, thus creating the current national version of Super Tuesday. Dr. Faber also fielded questions from students regarding the nomination process. One student asked about the potential benefits of having a “national primary” or a system where all states hold their primaries on the same day. Dr. Faber argued that system would be detrimental because it would give a huge advantage to better-known and better-funded candidates since they would be the only ones with enough resources to “get out the vote” before the election. Lesser-known candidates would not have enough time or exposure to be relevant in the process, thereby reducing the overall competitiveness of the primary. Dr. Faber also argued that delegate-rich states like Texas and California would receive disproportionate attention from candidates, resulting in candidates neglecting to visit other states. Another student expressed concerns about the legitimacy of Trump’s candidacy considering his recent criminal charges. Dr. Faber suggested that the Constitution does not expressly forbid a convicted felon from running for office, but emphasized that these concerns are unprecedented, and it is unclear how Trump will proceed if he is convicted in a court of law. Dr. Faber theorized that Trump could technically pardon his federal offenses if he is reelected.  However, Dr. Faber quickly noted that it would not resolve his criminal charges at the state level since his pardon power only extends to federal crimes.

After the conclusion of the event, several students met with the panelists one-on-one to ask additional questions about the political ramification of this year’s Super Tuesday vote.

Texas State students attend Student Conference on National Affairs

March 18, 2024

From February 15 to 18, 2024, four Texas State students participated in the 69th annual Student Conference on National Affairs (SCONA) at Texas A&M University in College Station.

Two political science majors, Zoe Williams and Matthew Koi, were joined by International Studies majors, Antia Fuertes Bueno and Austin White, at event which connects delegates from universities across both the nation and the world. Each year, MSC SCONA discusses a different topic of national importance, giving delegates the chance to interact with the nation’s highest academic scholars, government officials, and well-known public figures. This year’s speaker’s included Lt. Gen. Dimitri Henry, Director of Intelligence for the Joint Chiefs, Dr. James Peery, Director of Sandia National Labs, and Dr. Peter D. Haynes, Deputy Director of Commander’s Action Group, Army Futures Command.

The four bobcats participated in roundtables on various topics relating to US national security and contributed to policy papers that they later presented. Koi’s roundtable “By The People, For The People: Domestic Electoral Reform,” was the winning roundtable for the American Domestic Policy Concentration and among the four finalists for best presentation/policy paper. The students thoroughly enjoyed the experience and learned a lot from the expert facilitators.

Fuertes Bueno remarked: “It was an amazing experience, the friends I made in my roundtable are friendships that I will cherish and work on for the rest of my life.” White added that “due to SCONAs credibility, scale, and of course the Aggie spirit of tradition, there is a wide variety of experts from varying backgrounds that help to foster and guide the next generation of leaders.”

Alumni Night 2024

March 4, 2024

On Wednesday, February 21st, Discourse in Democracy hosted the department’s annual Alumni Night. A panel of alumni shared their post-graduation experiences with an audience of more than 50 students. The alumni discussed their careers and advised attendees on several topics of professional interest, including developing relationships with faculty members, internships, and curating resumes to their benefit.

The panel consisted of three alumni:

  • Stephanie Luna (MA Legal Studies 2022), a legal assistant for SWBC (Southwest Business Corporation) in San Antonio.
  • Kate Moriarty (BA 2019), a Management Analyst with the City of Hutto’s City Manager’s Office.
  • Larry Gonzales (MPA 2014), former Texas state legislator and current lobbyist.

A question-and-answer session and informal conversations between the students and alumni over refreshments and pizza followed the presentations. Students who attended the event were given department swag which included t-shirts, hats, USB drives, and beanies.

Mackenzie Rothrock, a public administration student who attended the event, said that it was “very insightful to hear from people who have had success in the political science and public administration fields. Being able to chat with the alumni afterward was also a great opportunity to get one-on-one advice about the hiring process and various jobs available upon graduating.”

SWIPS Hosts Dr. Lauren Rowlands

February 29, 2024

On Thursday, February 22nd, Supporting Women in Political Science (SWIPS) hosted their second meeting of the semester featuring Dr. Lauren Rowlands. Dr. Rowlands, a lecturer who joined the department in the fall of 2022, spoke to the group about what kind of jobs are available after obtaining a Political Science/Public Administration degree. She also discussed internships and many other opportunities that members could seek in the field of Political Science.

Following the discussion, the vice president of SWIPS shared information about the upcoming election and discussed future department events. Students and attendees were then able to enjoy the provided food and drink while planning their next meeting.

This meeting ended with a series of questions, and officers encouraged members to attend a workshop day designed for members to get a better feel for what they would like to pursue in the future.

SWIPS is a nonpartisan women’s organization at Texas State University. They are a professional education and development organization centered around aiding political science majors and other students with exploring all facets of political science so they may discover their professional and academic interests. SWIPS meets every other Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

If you’d like to learn more information about this organization, you can contact SWIPS President Myleen Gamez at mlg269@txstate.edu.

Department Publications

The Department of Political Science houses two academic journals, an international mediation newsletter, and two program magazines - Political Science's Alumni NewsWire and Public Administration's Public Matters.