American Politics

Unique Opportunities

Notre Dame, committed to a small but superb program in American politics, offers graduate students the opportunity to study with experts in a wide range of fields. Students receive generous financial support, access to the Program in American Democracy, and have excellent prospects upon graduation.

Mass Behavior and Institutions

Faculty interested in the empirical study of mass behavior and institutions share an interest in central problems of American politics, with particular strength in and attention to issues of culture, religion, race, ethnicity, class, gender, and identity. Students of American politics have benefited not only from the research expertise of the American faculty but from exposure to work on similar themes of democracy, identity, and social cleavages being conducted by faculty in our comparative and theory fields. 

  • Peri Arnold writes on the organization of the Presidency, the role of the presidency in the Constitutional order, and the contribution of Progressive era thought to the shaping of the American regime.
  • Louis Ayala specializes in participation, Congress, and democratic theory.
  • David Campbell’s expertise is political participation, religion and politics, and education policy. 
  • John Griffin works on American political institutions, especially Congress. 
  • Rodney Hero is an expert in Latino Politics and sub-national politics, and is especially concerned with problems of inclusion in American politics. 
  • David Nickerson is interested in voter mobilization, political methodology, and experimental design. 
  • Benjamin Radcliff works on mass political behavior, democratic theory, and the politics of happiness, with particular attention to class and labor. 
  • Alvin Tillery specializes in social movements, African American politics, and American political development.
  • Christina Wolbrecht’s work examines political parties, agenda setting, and American political development, particularly with regard to women and gender politics.

Public Law and American Political Thought

For students interested inpublic law, the Founding, and American political thought, the resources of the Political Science Department are rich and deep.  For students who wish to combine their interest in American politics with political theory, our department boasts uncommon breadth and depth, ranging from ancient to contemporary political thought to politics and literature. Students also benefit from exposure to the work on democratic theory, institutions, and comparative constitutions being done by our colleagues in comparative politics and the Kellogg Institute for International Affairs, and often utilize the impressive resources available in Philosophy, Theology, and History. 

  • Sotirios Barber is a widely respected theorist of the American Constitution whose interests include the American founding, approaches to constitutional interpretation, federalism, judicial review, and welfare rights.
  • Donald Kommers is an internationally recognized authority on American and comparative constitutional law and has written extensively on both American and German constitutional politics.
  • Walter Nicgorkski offers graduate courses in the American Founding.
  • John Roos, who also teaches natural law and religion and politics in the political theory field, works in comparative legislatures and theories of congressional reform, and is especially interested in the question of how institutions can join individual interest with public outcomes.
  • Michael Zuckert is a leading scholar of the American founding, the Fourteenth Amendment and related issues of race and gender, constitutional theory, and American political thought.

Program in American Democracy

Graduate students are encouraged to participate in and help shape the recently established Program in American Democracy. Currently the Program in American Democracy offers:

  • A speaker series
  • A workshop for graduate students and faculty
  • Research support

A series of mini-conferences, offered by the Program in American Democracy, bring together leading scholars from around the country (and world) to address central issues of American politics.  Previous conferences include:

  • The Politics of Democratic Inclusion
  • Religion and the 2004 Presidential Election
  • Political Women and American Democracy (May 2006). 

Select Job Placements

Recent students of American Politics have been placed at the following Universities and others like them.

  • Ball State University
  • Catholic University
  • Davidson
  • University of Mississippi
  • Villanova
  • University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee

Financial Support for the Study of American Politics

The Department of Political Science offers attractive financial aid packages to students of American Politics. Most students receive five full years of funding. Students receive individual attention from faculty, and have a chance to tailor integrative programs.

Contact

Benjamin Radcliff, Director of Graduate Studies or
Christina Wolbrecht, Chair of American Politics Field
Department of Political Science
203 O’Shaughnessy Hall
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN 46556
(574-) 631-9017

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