UMBC Political Science

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/11603/11245

Students who major or minor in Political Science can expect to receive excellent instruction and training from the Political Science faculty, both on the main campus and on our campus at Shady Grove. Our students excel in the classroom and are involved in many different extracurricular activities, such as internships, research, study abroad, and participation in our clubs. Upon graduating our alumni have worked for local and state governments, the federal government, legal offices, and in the civil service. Others have gone on to law school or graduate school for some aspect of political science or public policy. Some alumni become teachers, with several beginning their teaching careers with the Teach for America program. We also have an excellent record in statewide and national competitions. For example, Political Science students from UMBC have served as the University of Maryland student regent, have received Fulbright grants for teaching and research around the world, and have won the highly selective Truman Scholarship for outstanding public service leadership. Furthermore, Political Science students have led UMBC’s Mock Trial team to national prominence and have placed exceptionally well at Model United Nations conferences. We also provide opportunities for students to interact with each other in the Department through the Council of Majors, politically-oriented clubs, and Pi Sigma Alpha, the national honor society for Political Science. Beyond regular coursework, there is a lot to do in the Department and we are proud that our students are leaving their mark in various ways both while at UMBC and after graduation.

Our faculty represent most of the subfields in Political Science, from political philosophy to American politics and public policy to law, international relations and comparative politics. Political Science faculty conduct innovative research and have written books and articles for top publishers and journals in the field. They have also won or been nominated for numerous teaching awards. We are known as being strong teachers and researchers at UMBC and, along with our wonderful staff, we enjoy working with our students both in and out of the classroom.

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Recent Submissions

Now showing 1 - 20 of 488
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    The Fight Against Government Secrecy
    (I Hate Politics Podcasts, 2025-05-02) Dasgupta, Sunil; Spivack, Miranda
    Local journalist and author Miranda Spivack has a new book out, Backroom Deals in Our Backyard: How Government Secrecy Harms Our Communities and the Local Heroes Fighting Back. Sunil Dasgupta talks to Spivack about the book, why transparency has been a persistent problem in government, and how the public can fight back. Music by Washington art-pop rock band Catscan!
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    I Hate the News Apr 29
    (I Hate Politics Podcasts, 2025-04-29) Dasgupta, Sunil
    The weekly news analysis from I Hate Politics: Washington DC loses its AAA bond-rating. Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich is withdrawing proposed property tax increase and will instead propose raising county income tax. The Blueprint Accountability and Implementation Board is Maryland is redefining school poverty such that Montgomery and Caroll counties are seeing increases and Baltimore City is seeing decrease. One stairway reduces building costs but also reduces the margin of error on safety. The National Fire Prevention Association is thinking about the balance. The bizarre story of the murder of half a million bees in Stafford, Va. And more. Music by Seth Kibel and Friends.
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    A Climate Activist Goes to Jail
    (I Hate Politics Podcasts, 2025-04-25) Dasgupta, Sunil; Martin, Tim
    Two years ago climate activists Tim Martin and Joanna Smith poured red and black paint on the enclosure and pedestal of a famous Degas statue, The Little Dancer, in the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC. Martin and Smith were a part of a group called Declare Emergency, which engages in disruptive protests to compel urgent climate action. Sunil Dasgupta talked with Tim Martin as his trial in DC courts finally began this month, April 2025. Music by Washington art-pop rock band Catscan!
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    I Hate the News Apr 22
    (I Hate Politics Podcasts, 2025-04-22) Dasgupta, Sunil
    The weekly news analysis from I Hate Politics: SCOTUS hears Montgomery County, MD, LGBTQ books opt-out case. Can public education be apolitical? MoCo Executive Marc Elrich vetoes a tax rebate bill for office to apartment conversions. MD Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld responds to NTSB criticism that the state did not evaluate the Chesapeake Bay Bridge or the Key Bridge in Baltimore for strength. DC tries to maneuver around Congressional budget constraints. A new climate cost report from MD Comptroller Brooke Lierman on Earth Day. And more. Music by Seth Kibel and Friends.
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    Double-header: Anuva Maloo for MCPS SMOB
    (I Hate Politics Podcasts, 2025-04-04) Dasgupta, Sunil; Treviño, Lorena; Johnson, Walter
    Guest Host Lorena Treviño of Walter Johnson High School talks with Montgomery Blair High School junior Anuva Maloo, one of two finalists for the Student Member of the Montgomery County Board of Education in 2025-26. The SMOB is one of eight on the county school board, nearly co-equal with other generally elected members, but voted in by MCPS secondary school students only. Music for this episode comes from Adam Bobrow. Suvarna Insta: @anuva4smob
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    Can Climate Action and Conservation Unite?
    (I Hate Politics Podcasts, 2025-03-28) Dasgupta, Sunil; Whyman, Paula; Tidwell, Mike
    Two new books by local authors Paula Whyman’s Bad Naturalist and Mike Tidwell’s The Lost Trees of Willow Avenue grapple with the challenges and hopes of conservation and climate action. Sunil Dasgupta talks with climate activist and Takoma Park resident Tidwell and fiction-author-turned conservationist Whyman, a longtime Bethesda resident, about their approaches to saving the world. Books at Music by Washington art-pop rock band Catscan!
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    I Hate the News Apr 15
    (I Hate Politics Podcasts, 2025-04-15) Dasgupta, Sunil
    The weekly news analysis from I Hate Politics: Montgomery County offers $3 million to help restart White’s Ferry connecting Maryland and Virginia. Sandy Spring Friends School closes due to financial trouble. MCPS wants to tighten grading policy after almost 20 years of growing leniency. Ike Leggett says that Blueprint education funding remains on track despite the budget crisis. Washington DC inaugurated a new full-service hospital east of the Potomac River. And planting recommendations from the Washington Gardener Kathy Jentz. Music by Seth Kibel and Friends.
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    Will Montgomery County's Only Charter School Open in Time?
    (I Hate Politics Podcasts, 2025-04-11) Dasgupta, Sunil; Graham, LaChaundra; Cooper, Tracey
    The Mecca Business Learning Institute is Montgomery County, Maryland,’s second officially-approved public charter school project and expected to open its doors for the Fall 2025 school year. The school is reporting strong interest from families but as of a few weeks ago the school building was not ready, staff had not been hired, negotiations with the teachers and staff unions incomplete, and finances overly dependent on the county disbursements. Montgomery has long resisted public charter schools even as Washington DC, Prince George’s County, and Baltimore have embraced the idea. Sunil Dasgupta talked with founders LaChaundra Graham and Tracey Cooper about their model and the prospects for opening on time for the next school year. Music by Washington art-pop rock band Catscan! School Website: https://www.mbli-md.org/
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    Rejoining the Cult: Understanding and Reducing Blatant Political Bias
    (2025-03-27) Kane, John V.; Anson, Ian
    Partisan bias poses serious challenges for democracies. Yet scholars rarely study the determinants of partisan bias directly. Further, despite individual-level bias existing in degrees, extant scholarship has yet to systematically study partisan bias in its most extreme form. In this study, we posit that such bias can be defined as support that is unconditional. We refer to this as “blatant bias” and contend that it represents a theoretically distinct category of partisan bias. Using nationally representative data, we first explore individual-level correlates of blatant bias. Second, we present two pre-registered survey experiments to examine whether exposure to blatant bias coming from the opposing party affects blatant bias in favor of their own party. We find that such exposure significantly lowers the likelihood of engaging in blatant bias. Our results thus indicate that extreme partisan bias is both predictable as well as more malleable than often assumed.
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    I Hate the News Apr 1
    (I Hate Politics Podcasts, 2025-04-01) Dasgupta, Sunil
    The weekly news analysis from I Hate Politics: Maryland House of Delegates passes the 2026 budget amidst pushback and now the state Senate debates. Maryland reconsiders how local police interact with ICE. Delaware pushes through new law to restore its reputation as the corporate registration capital of the US. Also from Delaware, why Senator Stephanie Hansen is upset with Ocean City, Maryland? And more. Music by Washington DC area composer Anna Rubin.
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    I Hate the News Mar 25
    (I Hate Politics Podcasts, 2025-03-25) Dasgupta, Sunil
    The weekly news analysis from I Hate Politics: MD Sen Brian Feldman on bills to lower rising energy costs. Will the state legislature move a bill to allow state university faculty to unionize? The NTSB the Key Bridge in Baltimore was not evaluated to adequate strength standards before it was hit and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge still has not been assessed. In New Market, MD, an effort to term-limit the long serving mayor fizzles out. The four-day Sprung Comedy festival opens in Silver Spring, Mar 26-29: . Music by Washington DC area composer Anna Rubin.
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    I Hate the News Mar 4
    (I Hate Politics Podcast, 2025-03-04) Dasgupta, Sunil
    The weekly news analysis from I Hate Politics: Maryland and Virginia ask laid off federal workers to seek state jobs. Will former federal employees sign up to be public school teachers where staff shortage is acute? The Maryland State Department of Education proposes an overhaul of the high school math curriculum. Could it impact parent-favorite accelerated math instruction in elementary school? Illegal dumping in DC and Prince George’s County remains a problem. How to “buy” renewable energy without putting rooftop solar or depending on retail energy suppliers? Music by Washington DC area composer Anna Rubin.
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    I Hate the News Mar 18
    (I Hate Politics Podcast, 2025-03-18) Dasgupta, Sunil
    The weekly news analysis from I Hate Politics: Maryland, Virginia, and DC find themselves in different places with their budget and economic woes. Developers ask for deregulation to bring construction activity back to the city. Montgomery County releases 2026 budget proposal that includes property tax and fee hikes. In New Market, MD, the town council passes mayoral term limits in an explosive meeting where opponents say the council violated charter amendment process. Music by Washington DC area composer Anna Rubin.
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    I Hate the News Mar 11
    (I Hate Politics Podcast, 2025-03-11) Dasgupta, Sunil
    Local area Democrats protest cuts to National Institutes of Health. Does OPM’s revised guidance on firing probationary federal employees reveal cracks in the Trump Administration? Montgomery County State’s Attorney reassures residents that ICE enforcement in Maryland is limited. Charles Koiner Conservancy’s urban farm at Loiderman Middle School offers a new path to farming education and community engagement. Prince George’s County State’s Attorney likely to be the new county executive. Music by Washington DC area composer Anna Rubin.
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    How ticket-splitting voters could shape the 2026 midterms
    (The Conversation, 2025-02-26) Anson, Ian
    Democrats are desperate to retake control of Congress; Republicans want to keep it. To win, it helps to know what kind of voter is willing to cross party lines.
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    How Long Must Kennedy High Wait for School Safety?
    (I Hate Politics Podcast, 2025-03-14) Dasgupta, Sunil; Ribeiro, Ricky
    Following a series of widely-reported safety incidents and community demand, a 2024 safety audit of the John F. Kennedy High School in the Aspen Hill area of Montgomery County, MD, recommended $400,000 worth of fixes. Sunil Dasgupta talks with Kennedy HS PTSA President Ricky Ribeiro about where things stand, what he hopes will happen, and where the holdup might be. Music by Washington art-pop rock band Catscan!
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    Apprentice v Intern
    (I Hate Politics Podcast, 2025-03-07) Dasgupta, Sunil; Hsu, Jacob; Rosapepe, Jim
    In 2023, Maryland set up a commission to expand apprenticeships in the state and the commission released its interim report in February 2025: . Commission chair Jacob Hsu, a Baltimore technology entrepreneur, and member Jim Rosapepe, state senator from College Park, home of the University of Maryland, joined Sunil Dasgupta to talk about the report, the tradeoffs between internships, and apprenticeships, and the failures of higher education to meet the labor market. Music by Washington art-pop rock band Catscan!
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    The Problem of the 50-percent Democrat
    (I Hate Politics Podcast, 2025-03-21) Dasgupta, Sunil; Ngwafon, Michelle
    After 10 Democratic Senators including Minority Leader Chuck Schumer voted with Republicans to pass the Continuing Resolution to keep the government from shutting down, Democratic anger exploded. Sunil Dasgupta talks with Democratic political consultant and VP of Red Horse Strategies Michelle Ngwafon about the problem of Democrats unable to meet the moment. Music by Washington art-pop rock band Catscan!
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    Stepping Out On Your Algorithm -- A Love Letter
    (I Hate Politics Podcast, 2025-02-14) Dasgupta, Sunil; Schramm, Kevin
    Whether it is news or music, algorithms run by streaming platforms deliver us content and it gets stale and dangerous. For this Valentine's Day episode, Sunil Dasgupta talks with Poolesville, MD, resident Kevin Schramm about how he finds music regularly. Sampled music from: Stella, Magdalena Bay, Waxahatchee, MJ Lenderman, Beverly Glenn Copeland, Nourished by Time, Parannoul, Lexa Gates, William Onyeabor.
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    I Hate the News Feb 11
    (I Hate Politics Podcast, 2025-02-11) Dasgupta, Sunil
    The weekly news analysis from I Hate Politics: Maryland Governor Wes Moore gives his 2025 state of the state address. House Minority Leader Delegate Jason Buckel offers Republican response. Prince George's County Budget Director Stanley Earley on the impact of the state budget on counties. New UMD-Washington Post poll on Moore's favorability. And more. 1920s music by the Benson Orchestra of Chicago, the Paul Whiteman band, Carl Fenton, and Jan Garber.