Political Science at Providence College
The Department of Political Science is among the most popular programs at Providence College, with about 330 majors and minors. Yet our classes are small, rarely exceeding 25 students, with many seminars, special topics courses, and undergraduate research projects. We offer an Honors option for outstanding students, which includes writing an Honors thesis during the senior year. We maintain a computer lab, online and other electronic data resources, an extensive politics-oriented video collection, and a library of political texts, campaign materials, and memorabilia.

The Political Science Department believes strongly that learning is not limited to the classroom. The Department encourages community involvement: we are engaged with the International Institute of Rhode Island in a series of voluntary projects, we encourage foreign study, and we support internships, all as part of our academic program. On campus, the department presents a full range of public events every year, including lectures, films, and “teach-ins,” for examples. Our students are actively involved in campus student government and many other organizations.

Our faculty are teachers and scholars
The department has a diverse full-time faculty of 14 members, who hold Ph.D. degrees from California at Berkeley, Brown, SUNY at Buffalo, Chicago, Columbia, Kent State, Massachusetts, Michigan State, North Carolina, and Rutgers. In recent years political science faculty have directed the College's interdisciplinary programs in Black Studies, Latin American Studies, and Public Administration, and also teach in the Women's Studies, Liberal Arts Honors, Global Studies, Public and Community Service, Asian Studies, and Development of Western Civilization programs. Our teaching faculty also enjoy strong scholarly reputations. They write well-regarded academic books and articles, and are regularly invited to present research in many regions and fields: the American, Western, Midwest, Southwest, and Northeastern Political Science associations, the National Conference of Black Political Scientists, and the Latin American, African, and International Studies Associations. Our faculty all serve as academic advisors for majors and minors, and mentors for students who seek admission to some of the nation's most prestigious graduate, professional and law schools. We invite prospective students to find additional information about our program on this website, or to contact us directly.

Prof. Edward Cleary publishes new book on Latin American politics Rev. Edward L. Cleary O.P., professor of political science and director of Latin American studies at Providence College, has published Conversion of a Continent: Contemporary Religious Change in Latin America. Co-edited with Timothy J. Steigenga and published by Rutgers University Press, the book analyzes the role of religion in Latin America's Indigenous political resurgence. An internationally-recognized expert on religion and politics in the Americas, Fr. Cleary has previously published Representing God at the State House: Religion and Politics in the American States (Rowman & Littlefield 2005), Resurgent Voices in Latin America: Indigenous Peoples, Political Mobilization, and Religious Change (Rutgers 2004), and The Struggle for Human Rights in Latin America (Praeger 1997).

Dr. Trudeau presents research at New Mexico conference on popular culture Prof. Robert Trudeau recently traveled to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the annual meeting of the Southwest/Texas Popular Culture and American Culture Association. At the conference, held February 13-16, 2008, Dr. Trudeau presented a paper analyzing music, popular culture, and politics in the United States, with a focus on the "Grateful Dead Phenomenon." Dr. Trudeau's seminar on "The Sixties" has been one of the Department's most popular courses in recent years.