Fields
The Department of Political Science provides training in three major fields of study: American Politics, Comparative Politics, and International Relations.
American Politics
Description
The study of American Politics involves understanding and explaining the differences between the national government and the state governments. Our faculty approaches the study of American Politics in different ways that includes the study of political institutions, such as Congress, the Presidency, the Courts, or the process of creating and implementing public policies. Beyond institutions, a number of faculty examine American political behavior, which encompasses how Americans think and act as individual citizens. Regardless of our substantive interests, we study American Politics from theoretical perspectives and utilize a variety of methodological tools. Currently, we have faculty who are experts on elections and voting behavior, public opinion, state politics, political parties, the courts, the presidency, and congressional operations.
Faculty
Comparative Politics
Description
The field of Comparative Politics is devoted to understanding and explaining differences in the structure and characteristics of political systems across the globe. The goal of Comparative Politics is to use information about politics in specific times and places to make general statements about politics. The Comparative Politics faculty at Texas Tech embraces a wide variety of both theoretical and regional avenues of research. The Department maintains specialists on electoral systems, political behavior, legislative behavior, political parties, and voting behavior. Their regional specializations include western Europe, Asia, Latin American, and Post-Communist Europe.
Faculty
International Relations
Description
The study of International Relations focuses on the political and economic relationships between states as well as between states and essential non-state actors including international organizations and non-governmental organizations as well as rebel groups, ethnic separatists, and terrorist organizations. Our faculty have research interests in military and economic coercion, globalization, international organizations, foreign policy decision-making, and international security. We employ a variety of empirical methods of study in order to simplify and understand the ever-changing world around us.