Political Science

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Contact Information

Phone: 401.865.2434
Fax: 401.865.1222
Location: Howley Hall 318

The Faculty

Professors

Anthony D. Affigne, Ph.D.
Richard M. Battistoni, Ph.D. (Political Science/Public and Community Service Studies)
Mary L. Bellhouse, Ph.D., Emerita
Douglas W. Blum, Ph.D.
James M. Carlson, Ph.D., Emeritus
William H. Hudson, Ph.D., Emeritus
Mark S. Hyde, Ph.D., Emeritus
Susan K. McCarthy, Ph.D.
Robert H. Trudeau, Ph.D., Emeritus

Associate Professors

Ruth Ben-Artzi, Ph.D.
Joseph P. Cammarano, Ph.D., Chairperson  (Political Science/Public and Community Service Studies)
Matthew P. Guardino, Ph.D.
Adam S. Myers, Ph.D.
F. Gizem Zencirci, Ph.D.

Assistant Professors

C. Justin Brophy, O.P., Ph.D.
Paul E. Herron, J.D., Ph.D.
Thea N. Riofrancos, Ph.D.
Casey Stevens, Ph.D.

The Program

The Department of Political Science provides students with the tools for a careful and systematic study of politics within the scope of a liberal arts education and the Mission Statement of Providence College. Students are grounded in factual material about governments and politics, and in political philosophy as well. The department’s program also is grounded in values: we study what ought to happen in politics, as well as what happens in politics. We stress the importance of lifelong learning skills in critical thinking, writing, and speaking; all courses require analytic reading and clear writing, and upper-division courses (300+) require research papers.

The political science department believes strongly that learning is not limited to the classroom. The department encourages community involvement-we are engaged with local organizations in a series of voluntary projects, we encourage foreign study, and we support internships- 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.” Political science students are actively involved in campus student government, the student newspaper, and many other organizations, both on and off campus.

The political science department is among the larger programs at the College, yet our classes are small, rarely exceeding 20 students, with many seminars and undergraduate research projects, all of which means students get individual attention in a variety of ways. The department also has an active chapter of the political science national honor society, Pi Sigma Alpha, while several of our students have been selected to attend the prestigious Ralph Bunche Summer Institute. We offer an Honors option for outstanding students, which includes writing an Honors thesis during the senior year. We maintain a computer lab available to our students.

The political science department has a diverse full-time faculty of 13 members, with Ph.D. degrees from a variety of universities, including Brandeis, Brown, California at Berkeley, Columbia, Massachusetts, Notre Dame, Pennsylvania,  Rutgers, Syracuse, and Texas. Political science faculty teach in the women’s and gender studies, liberal arts honors, global studies, public and community service studies, and development of western civilization.

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, including the American, Western, Midwest, 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 the Internet or by contacting the department.

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