Political Science

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Donations Support Research, Teaching, Study Abroad

Donations Support Research, Teaching, Study Abroad

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Donations Support Research, Teaching, Study Abroad In recent years, two families have made generous financial contributions to the department.  In 2022, Scott Franklin and Tamara Franklin established an endowment to support the research and teaching missions of the department.  Hazen Moore, a former Vol and graduate of the program, established a scholarship to support study […]

Students Shine at TN Intercollegiate Legislature

Students Shine at TN Intercollegiate Legislature

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Students Shine at TN Intercollegiate Legislature Last November, a University of Tennessee, Knoxville, delegation attended the 55th Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature (TISL) General Assembly. TISL is an annual gathering of college students from across the state focused on civic education through the simulation of Tennessee’s legislative and judicial processes.  This year UT’s delegation included 11 […]

Mock Trial Team Takes Home Awards

Mock Trial Team Takes Home Awards

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Mock Trial Team Takes Home Awards With its fall competition season complete, the University of Tennessee’s Mock Trial team had a lot to celebrate. The team traveled across the Eastern United States—from South Bend, Indiana, to Williamsburg, Virginia, to St. Louis—and hosted its own competition in Knoxville called “Mocky Top.” In total, out of the […]

New Scholars Add Expertise

New Scholars Add Expertise

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New Scholars Add Expertise Leonardo Gentil-Fernandes is an assistant professor in the department. He joined in fall 2024, coming from a position as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Maryland. He completed his PhD in 2023 at the University of Pittsburgh with specializations in international relations and research methods.  His areas of research focus […]

A Close Study of UK Election, Italian Parliament

A Close Study of UK Election, Italian Parliament

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A Close Study of UK Election, Italian Parliament The Department of Political Science offers students a multifaceted exposure to American politics, comparative politics, international relations, public policy, and political philosophy and theory. We see thousands of students in our introductory classes. Many fulfill their requirements and move on. For others the introductory classes whet their […]

Doctoral Student Awarded Boren Fellowship

Doctoral Student Awarded Boren Fellowship

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Doctoral Student Awarded Boren Fellowship Calista Boyd, a PhD student in the department, won a Boren Fellowship to study Arabic in Amman, Jordan, for the 2024-2025 academic year.  Boren Fellowships are awarded to US graduate students who demonstrate academic excellence and a strong commitment to public service, and who complete federal service upon finishing their […]

PhD Candidate Conducteding Fieldwork in Timor-Leste

PhD Candidate Conducteding Fieldwork in Timor-Leste

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PhD Candidate Conducteding Fieldwork in Timor-Leste Katherine Trubee, a PhD candidate, spent part of her spring semester collecting data for her dissertation research in Southeast Asia. She will spend a month in Dili, Timor-Leste, Asia’s newest country.  The resistance movement in East Timor, which won independence from Indonesia in 2002 after 27 years of struggle, […]

Professor Marr Remembered

Professor Marr Remembered

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Professor Marr Remembered We remember former UT Professor Phebe Ann Marr, who passed away on December 26, 2024. Marr was a professor of history and political science and taught at the University of Tennessee from 1974 to 1985. She was a scholar of Iraq’s complex story and the author of The Modern History of Iraq, […]

Expanding Students’ Opportunities

Expanding Students’ Opportunities

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Expanding Students’ Opportunities Many exciting changes took place this past year in the Department of Political Science. We expanded our honors program, added a new five-year BA/MA program, took over administration of UT’s global development minor, and extended our BA degree to fully online distance education students.  These curricular options provide challenging new opportunities for […]

Fulbright Fellowship Takes Simmons to Taiwan

Fulbright Fellowship Takes Simmons to Taiwan

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Fulbright Fellowship Takes Simmons to Taiwan Lucas Simmons (‘24), who majored in political science and anthropology, was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to Taiwan for the 2024-2025 academic year.  As a Fulbright recipient, Simmons serves as an English teaching assistant in Chiayi City, teaching students in grades one through five English and American cultural practices and […]