The Department of Political Science emphasizes theoretically and historically informed approaches to contemporary political issues. Research interests of faculty and students include political theory in all its diversity, political institutions in comparative and historical perspective, democracy and its challenges, identities and politics, and the international dimensions of contemporary politics.

Political Science at The New School for Social Research takes a distinctive approach to the study of politics. We emphasize the theoretical dimension of political analysis, regarding both political explanation and normative evaluation. We focus on the historical roots of contemporary political forces and problems. Faculty members are interested in how institutions shape political life, in the intersection between political and cultural processes, and in classical and current versions of political economy.

To facilitate interaction with the discipline and to provide a framework in which students can develop their projects, the department's program contains three main tracks: political theory, American politics, and comparative politics. It also contains elements of a fourth track, international relations.

Most members of the department (students as well as faculty) have interests that combine several tracks as well as elements of other disciplines. We group courses to indicate our main areas of work: democracies in theory and practice; history of political thought; identities, culture, and politics; international politics; politics in economic and social context; political development in historical perspective; and institutions, policy, and governance.

Students in the department belong to a community of scholars constituted by faculty and students from The New School for Social Research as a whole. The Department of Political Science contributes to this community through classes, research projects, and conferences. For example, the International Center for Migration, Ethnicity, and Citizenship, directed by Aristide Zolberg, engages in research, policy analysis, and graduate education bearing on international migration, refugees, and the incorporation of newcomers into host societies. Recurring visiting professors are an important part of our department's life. These distinguished scholars join our faculty on a regular basis and help supervise students' work, including dissertations.