Politics
Investigate the dynamics of collective power and governance.
What is Politics? The Power behind Ideas, Institutions, and Interests
International Relations
International relations is a subfield within the politics major, which also contributes to the college-wide international affairs concentration that can be added to any major.
Electoral Pathways
Over the last five years Oberlin has funded sixty Cole Scholars to conduct field research on campaigns and political consulting firms.
Undergraduate Research
I felt discouraged because I believed my research interests were too niche. That quickly changed when I found a professor who encouraged me to follow my passion.
Featured Courses
Mass Politics in a Media Age
American politics has fundamentally changed over the past quarter century. Sound bites are shorter, cynicism is higher, hard news is giving way to soft news, and new media have made political information ubiquitous. In this media-driven world, do we fulfill our obligation to be “good citizens”? Do we make rational voting decisions? In this course, we develop an understanding of the relationship between citizens, the media, and politicians in a rapidly changing media age.
- Taught by
- Michael Parkin
Revolutions
What leads some societies to rise up in revolution, while others suffer in silence? Why do some revolutions succeed, and others fail? Are revolutions effective means of social change, or do they merely reproduce the problems inherited from the past? This course will examine a number of revolutions, both violent and nonviolent. We will ask whether recent global changes render revolutions obsolete, or whether they can persist as a means of social and political transformation.
- Taught by
- Steve Crowley
US Foreign Policy
In this course students analyze foreign policy theories concerning the President, Congress, the bureaucracy, and those hoping to influence the policy making process. In addition to theory, the course focuses on pivotal moments in U.S. foreign policy, including Washington’s farewell, Monroe Doctrine, Truman’s 1947 speech, Kennan’s ‘Containment’ writings, and several recent Presidential foreign policy doctrines. Students will also analyze several current ‘hot spots’ confronting the United States.
- Taught by
- Eve Sandberg
Justice, Virtue, and the Good Life
What does it mean to live a good life? How do different understandings of justice and injustice, virtue and vice, help us to answer that question? How do they draw boundaries between those who get to enjoy a good life and those who do not? In this course students place these questions in conversation with ancient, medieval, modern and contemporary thinkers. Authors include Plato, St. Augustine, Locke, Weber and Lorde.
- Taught by
- Jade Schiff
Student Profiles
Running the Marathon of Campaign Work
At Oberlin, León Pescador ’18 majored in politics and East Asian studies. Since graduating last May, Pescador has been working on political campaigns, including Dan Helmer’s campaign for Virginia’s 40th House of Delegates district.
Crafting Strategies To Aid Health Care Reform
During her senior year, Emma Eisenberg ’17 was the director of placement for the politics department’s Winter Term Congressional Internship program. Since graduating, Emma has worked for the communications agency GMMB.
Fulbright Fellow in Malaysia
Jacques Forbes ’19, a double major in politics and law and society, was awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Malaysia. A native of San Angelo, Texas, Forbes sought out the fellowship as a meaningful transition before he applies to law school.