Political Science News and Events
The Saint Louis University Department of Political Science holds events throughout the year for students, faculty and staff.
Annual Events
ATLAS Week
The Sam and Marilyn Fox ATLAS program is held every year in the spring, highlighting the international dimension of Saint Louis University's academic programs. ATLAS Week celebrates SLU's role in international education and service in light of the Jesuit tradition. The primary goal of the ATLAS program is to increase awareness of global issues to inspire and inform action.
Constitution Day
SLU鈥檚 political science department holds an event each September to celebrate Constitution Day. The event includes a trivia contest, pizza and soda provided by the department.
Welcome Back Lunch
At the start of every school year, political science and international studies students and faculty meet to kick off the new school year for pizza and conversation.
Pre-Commencement Reception
The Department of Political Science hosts a reception for graduating students and their families every year. The reception provides an opportunity for faculty, students and their families to celebrate the many accomplishments of our graduates.
Election Watch Parties
Prior to elections, the Department of Political Science hosts a series of watch parties for presidential primaries, debates and election night. The watch parties feature coverage of election returns, viewings of the debates and presentations from political science faculty. Professors discuss how the primaries work, voter psychology and the election's potential implications on the courts and international affairs. To help students further engage in politics, student organizations - Political Roundtable, the College Democrats, College Republicans, Young Americans for Liberty, the Middle Eastern Students Association, Lion's Club, Rainbow Alliance, UNA, SLU Model UN, the CGC, Black Student Alliance, and ATLAS - provide information about their groups at each of the events, and students register to vote at the primary watch parties.
Senior Legacy Symposium 2017
Seniors are chosen to present their culminating projects. Past presentations have focused on politics, elections, and pollution.
The Ohio River Valley region has a unique problem with both water and air pollution.
Industrially and economically, the Ohio River serves as an important waterway for
trade, hydroelectricity, a drinking water source, agricultural water source, and a
dumping ground for industrial waste. Since the implementation of regulations, major
polluters have found multiple loopholes in the requirements. If a public policy solution
can be found for the Ohio River Valley's pollution problem, then it will provide a
model for cleaning up future issues of similar nature across the country. However,
the current political climate poses a greater obstacle for policy negotiation than
ever before.
Meredith Hargis is interested in state government administration, community relations,
and public policy negotiation. She plans to commit her career to ensuring that every
citizen's voice is heard and valued by their state government.
Meredith's advisor was Kenneth Warren, Ph.D.
Since 1979, China's One Child Policy has been a controversial policy that significantly impacted China's population and created demographic problems. However, on January 1, 2016, the Two Child Policy came into effect, allowing Chinese people to have two children. Anna investigated the effects of the new Two Child Policy on the people's opinions of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)/Government by conducting more than 2 dozen interviews in China's 3 largest cities: Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Beijing. General approval of the policy, shown by the majority of interviewees, could mean positive views of the government and the continuation of the CCP as the dominating authority in China.
Anna Liu was born and raised in Tomball, Texas. She is in the University Honors Program, majoring in Political Science, Theatre, and International Studies, with minors in Chinese and Asian Studies. She studied abroad in Beijing, China in spring 2016 and returned to China in 2017 to conduct research for her honors capstone project.
Anna's advisor was Nori Katagiri, Ph.D.
Are African American communities are receiving adequate support from elected officials? Although African American voters have shown a strong commitment to the Democratic Party, elected officials have not reciprocated the sentiment, as some African American urban communities continue to suffer from a racial disparity in the criminal justice system, and disproportionate poverty rates compared to Caucasians. Ultimately, support from African American voters for the Democratic Party has not manifested in support and resources for their communities.
Isaac Singleton Jr. majored in political science and communication.
Isaac's advisor was Chryl Laird, Ph.D.