Loyola University Chicago

Department of Political Science

Stories

  • Roundtable on Ukraine

    Roundtable on Ukraine
  • Faculty Fellowships

    Professor Jennifer Forestal was selected as a 2021-2022 Faculty Fellow at the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study. She joins nine other faculty fellows, drawn from top research universities across the United States, for a year of intensive collaborative research on the organizing research theme of 'Resilience.' As part of this fellowship, Forestal is working on a project on how to design resilient democratic communities by investigating the trajectory of incels in online forums.
  • MA Graduate Spotlight

    As an MA student at Loyola University Chicago, Nahrain S. Rasho became excited about political science research and motivated to pursue a Ph.D. in political science. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the department of political science at the University of California, Davis, and a 2020-2021 Peace Scholar Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP). She studies nationalism, ethnic conflict, and state-building strategies in post-conflict settings. Her research explores how policy solutions to ethnic conflict increase conflict between ethnic groups in local societies.
  • Michael Noonan

    I currently work as the Director of Research and as Director for the Program on National Security at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI). Working at a think tank is a pretty unique experience. Basically we operate like a university department without students—although we do work with interns—focusing on research, publication, and education. Different think tanks operate in different manners. Some places operate strictly on conducting studies while others hold events. As FPRI is located outside of Washington, DC, we operate on more of a hybrid model where we conduct research and also hold events for the public. In an age of hyper-partisanship it is nice to be involved in an organization with scholars holding myriad views and perspectives. FPRI is somewhat unique in that we are focused on a geopolitical outlook that analyzes world affairs through the lenses of history, geography, and culture. In terms of research, I have a few projects going at the moment but I am most excited about a book manuscript that I am working on, Irregular Soldiers and Rebellious States: Small-Scale U.S. Interventions Abroad, that deals with the topics of how the United States works with foreign partners on defending their sovereignty against subversion, lawlessness, insurgency, terrorism, and other threats to their security (i.e., foreign internal defense) or in supporting a foreign insurgency or resistance movement against its government or an occupying power (i.e., unconventional warfare). If any students in the department, or in the broader university, are interested in learning more about think tanks they are more than welcome to contact me at mnoonan@fpri.org
  • Michael Schumacher

    Michael J. Schumacher (Political Science Ph.D. candidate), who is writing a dissertation that compares the role of foreign fighters in the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) and for ISIS in the Syrian Civil War (2011-present), has received four external grants to conduct his dissertation field research in the United States and Tunisia in 2018-19. His specific grants, received in spring 2018, are as follows: • The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation Ernest Hemingway Grant: $1,600 • Smith Richardson Foundation World Politics and Statecraft Grant: $7,500 • Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy Grant: $7,500 • Harold D. Lasswell Award for Outstanding Project in International Relations (from Horowitz Foundation): $1,500
  • Political Science Honors Award Ceremony

    Congratulations to Political Science Students Receiving Honors in 2018!
  • Meet Our Newest Professor: Olivier Henripin

    Olivier Henripin is the Helen Houlahan Rigali Endowed Assistant Professor of Political Science at Loyola University Chicago. He specializes in international relations, with a special focus on China’s foreign relations and international security issues. Originally from Montreal, Canada, Professor Henripin joined Loyola’s Department of Political Science in fall 2015 after completing his Ph.D. at Northwestern University. He is teaching courses this semester on Chinese foreign relations and the globalization of international relations.
  • Political Science alumna receives prestigious Ronna Jaffe Award

    Loyola alumna Mara Naselli recently received the 2014 Ronna Jaffe Foundation Writer’s Award. The former graduate student is one of six recipients of the prestigious national literary award, which includes a $30,000 grant.
  • Alumni Spotlight

    Lifetime Loyolans

    Marty Lane (BS '65) and Bob Ward (BS '65) both worked at Loyola University Chicago, were classmates in college, and are celebrating their 50th reunion this year. In the interview here, they reflect on their time at Loyola as students, staff members, and alumni.
  • Faculty Spotlight

    Faculty Highlights: John Allen Williams receives Morris Janowitz Career Achievement Award

    Loyola’s resident expert in Military Science, John ("Jay") Williams, Political Science, was awarded the distinguished Morris Janowitz Career Achievement Award in fall 2013, underscoring his teaching and professional contributions to the study of US national security and civil-military relations.
  • Student Spotlight

    Graduate Student Investigates Disappearances in Turkey

    Jessica Mecellem’s research has taken her all the way from Loyola to Turkey. The political science graduate student is conducting her Ph.D. dissertation research abroad to investigate mass human rights violations in the country and the mechanisms to prosecute government officials who commit them.
  • Professor Molly Melin Goes Beyond Lectures to Engage and Intrigue Students

    Political Science Professor Molly Melin does more than just lecture. From board games to Facebook groups, she’s finding new and creative ways to engage her students in politics and international relations. In fact, Dr. Melin has recently been awarded with the Provost’s Award for Teaching Freshmen. The award seeks to highlight instructors who teach 100 level classes and demonstrate a high level of commitment to building community among freshmen students.
  • Student Spotlight

    Political Science Student Brings Women Together for Change

    Aubrey Dvorak is igniting change on campus by putting women’s issues in the spotlight. The political science student started The Women’s Project at Loyola this semester as a way of uniting women to discuss and create solutions to pressing social issues.