Addressing inequality, regulating AI, improving health outcomes, mitigating climate change: nowadays, any and all plans to solve the fundamental challenges facing the nation – and humanity – must pass through politics. Oftentimes, the political world can feel daunting, and the workings of our democratic system frustrating. But we believe that understanding politics is more important for young people than ever before. Our major, and our individual courses, introduce you to the exciting field of political science. You’ll systematically engage with a variety of concepts, theories, methods, and case studies through which you’ll explore the challenges of governing and the exercise of power across local, national, and global dimensions.
Robbie Shilliam, Chair of Political Science
Pizza & Politics
The Pizza & Politics talk series brings undergraduates into conversation with policy-makers and practitioners in the DC region. The series for Fall 2024 has included Christine Emba from The Atlantic, CBS contributor Kim Wehle (University of Maryland Law School), and Marshall Kosloff from the Hudson Institute.
The Political Science Steering Committee
The JHU Political Science Steering Committee is committed to and organized around strengthening the ties between the Johns Hopkins University Political Science Department and the undergraduates within it. It is to be an intermediary between the two parties, and will advocate on behalf of the undergraduates to the department when needed. The Steering Committee is also committed to fostering student appreciation for the academic practice of political science, and is to organize various events throughout the academic year to achieve this.
Johns Hopkins Undergraduate Journal of Political Science
A student-led research journal dedicated to offering a platform for undergraduate students and scholars to showcase their work, with a focus on publishing innovative and insightful pieces from the Hopkins community. The journal is published by the Johns Hopkins Political Science Steering Committee
The Julius Turner Award
The Julius Turner Award is bestowed each year for the best student thesis in Political Science. Past winners have produced theses of exceptional quality, originality, and creativity. Turner was a graduate student at Hopkins and the author of Party and Constituency in Congress (1952), which is regarded as a pathbreaking work. The Turner Award provides a cash award of $250.
Past recipients
| 2023-2024 | Margaret Tydings Molly Gahagen |
| 2022-2023 | Devin Green |
| 2021-2022 | Fatima Mendoza Layla Yousef |
| 2020-2021 | Timothy Shade |
| 2019-2020 | Jessup Jong Samuel Richter |
| 2018-2019 | Matthew Scotti |
Student Testimonials
Arusa Malik
Class of 2026
“My independent research on the Balkans in the 1990s has sparked a strong interest in macroeconomic cooperation and multi-track diplomacy.”
Olivia Eads
Class of 2027
“The political science major combines my passion for history and current events to contextualize modern policymaking.”
Aneesh Swaminathan
Class of 2027
“I study political science to understand how our political systems, politics, and policies can best serve humanity’s highest ideals: