Social Studies
MN

Political Science

Preparing students to confront vital issues, raise critical perspectives, and explore new methodologies in the study of the fundamental concepts of power and change.

Why More Democrats Are Now Embracing Conspiracy Theories

UMN political scientists Christina Farhart, Joanne Miller, and Kyle Saunders study how Democrats and Republicans changed in their conspiracy beliefs during the 2016 election.

Panel: Knowledge Production and Public Engagement

A panel discussion, moderated by the Humphrey School’s Larry Jacobs, explores and responds to New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof’s critique of the social sciences as creating a “culture of exclusivity.” U of M faculty panelists include Doug Hartmann, Kathryn Pearson, Tim Brennan, Joann Miller, and Joe Soss.

Thinking about Trayvon: Privileged Response and Media Discourse

A classic roundtable discussion from The Society Pages features U of M professors Zenzele Isoke and Enid Logan. Isoke issues a damning critique of media constructions of balance: “When the media panders to both sides or both ‘storylines’ … it makes a mockery of the political community. The media operates on the fiction that both sides are ‘equally valid,’ when clearly they are not.”

To Ensure Governments Uphold Justice and Human Dignity

Director of the U of M’s Human Rights Program, Barbara Frey discusses what drives her research.