Chair's Message
Ronald King

Welcome to the Political Science Department at San Diego State University. The department was founded in 1948 and the graduate Masters program was added in 1954. We currently have 19 full-time faculty, 15 associated lecturers, more than 670 undergraduate majors, and approximately 60 graduate students. The department offers undergraduate courses in the four main subfields of the discipline – U.S. Politics, Political Theory, Comparative Politics, and International Relations. The graduate program offers the choice between a general political science M.A., a Comparative/IR specialization, or a Public Policy specialization.

It is customary in these messages to begin with a definition of the subject. Aristotle called the study of politics "the master science." Humans are inherently social animals, who live in communities governed by rules and who often participate in the process of writing those rules, that affect their commerce, their rights, and their personal levels of well-being. As a consequence, there are enduring political science issues regarding:

• the establishment and stability of the public community,
• the boundaries between the private individual and the community,
• the institutions and procedures used by the community to make choices,
• the behavior of political actors, both elites and average citizens, within that community,
• the distribution of power within the community,
• the policy outcomes that emerge from community decision-making,
• the variations in type of institutions and practices across communities,
• the interactions among communities co-existing in a global setting.

Emphasis upon public-regarding character of political science places the discipline firmly within the debates fundamental to Western intellectual history. Nevertheless, the distinctions separating the fields of political science, sociology, public administration, economics, and psychology are relatively arbitrary. All are concerned with human relationships and aim, despite various theoretical perspectives, to study and improve the human condition. The Political Science Department at San Diego State encourages an interdisciplinary perspective. The faculty shares a strong commitment to collegiality, mutual respect, and methodological pluralism. We celebrate diversity and provide course offerings for students with a wide variety of backgrounds and interests.

This is a comparatively young department, which is reflected in the energy and interests of the professors. The department is dedicated to the ideal of the engaged teacher-scholar, who participates actively in his/her community, studies meaningful aspects of that community, and helps instruct students to better understand and participate in that community.

As a faculty, we share the belief that the study of politics must be grounded in ethical and philosophical considerations, as the foundation for understanding historic and ongoing struggles for greater democracy and social justice. We also share a conviction that informed citizenship is not just national, but local and global. We take particular advantage of our unique position, on the geographic borders of Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region, to incorporate global concerns into our teaching, scholarship, and service.

An additional commitment is to prepare students with the skills and experiences necessary to work at the cutting edge in their respective professions and occupations. We want our majors to know important things – theoretical and empirical -- about their political world. We also want them to know how to ask independent questions and pursue rigorous answers on their own. Our undergraduate and postgraduate students go on to careers in government, law, public service and advocacy, education, business, and international agencies. We value a multi-cultural, multi-lingual world, and are dedicated to preparing students for that world.

The faculty in Political Science take pride in their research. The reputation of the department is strong and growing. The professors maintain an impressive record of publication in professional journals, as grant and award recipients, and as invited consultants both in the U.S. and abroad. Please look at the “What’s New” link for our latest achievements.

The Political Science Department at SDSU is a lively association of professors, students, and staff -- who are working to build an exciting intellectual life together and contribute usefully to the world in which we live.