Understand the people, policies, institutions and organizations that shape public life. As a student of political science, you will gain essential analytical and organizational skills that can be applied to exciting careers in government, law, business, international organizations, nonprofit organizations, survey research, journalism and teaching. The Political Science Department is devoted to the study of politics and government, this includes the study of: political institutions that exercise government authority, including legislatures, courts and administrative agencies, political organizations through which individuals and groups seek to reshape the political landscape, including parties, interest groups and social movements, public policies that reflect governmental efforts to regulate the actions of individuals and corporations, including civil rights, immigration and environmental policy, the interactions between and among nation-states and, transnational organizations that shape patterns of trade and development, conflict and cooperation, war, and peace.