Government
The goal of the Government Department is to engage students in discussion pertaining to the political dynamics of human life through research and intensive writing. Students emerge prepared to shape, analyze, and fully participate in civic life.
About the Major
The study of politics and public affairs at Hamilton has three tracks: government, world politics, and public policy. Government majors are grounded in international relations, American politics, comparative politics, and political theory. Many participate in Hamilton’s program in Washington, D.C., where they get a front-line perspective on the U.S. government, including work in a Congressional or executive office. World politics focuses on a region or theme such as poverty and inequality, democratization, or international law. Public policy is interdisciplinary and includes economics and philosophy.
Students Will Learn To:
- Make reasonable inferences from data and evidence in order to draw logical conclusions about historical and contemporary political phenomena
- Effectively communicate ideas in clear writing
- Use foundational principles of political science to plan and carry out independent research
- Consider alternative perspectives in order to respond to counter-arguments
A Sampling of Courses
The American Founding: Ideals and Reality
An intensive analysis of the philosophical ideals of the Founding Era (1763-1800) and their uneven realization. Social histories of various races, genders and classes will help illuminate the inherent ambiguities, weaknesses, strengths and legacies of the social and political philosophies of late 18th-century America.
Explore these select courses:
This course examines the ways war and processes of militarization impact women in the Global North and the Global South. Discussion will be accompanied by an analysis of categories such as “women,” “gender” and “sexuality” in relation to the “state” and “nation” during periods of warfare and armed conflict. We will engage with a range of interdisciplinary texts on gender and militarism. These narratives will be grounded by theoretical readings that explore the ongoing debates and tensions among feminists regarding nationalism, violence, war and militarization.
What is the relationship between capitalism and democracy? Do the claims of democracy extend into the workplace? This course examines the development of a market society, the division of labor, and contemporary working conditions, exploring the challenges and possibilities each presents democratic life. It emphasizes critical reading of historical, empirical, and normative texts in order to define and assess the mutual obligations between democratic societies and their citizens and workers. Readings include Adam Smith, Max Weber, Hannah Arendt, C. Wright Mills, and Karl Polanyi.
Meet Our Faculty
Sharon Werning Rivera
Sidney Wertimer Professor for Excellence in Advising and Mentoring, Chair and Professor of Government; Director of Russian Studies
Post-communist democratization, the composition of the Russian elite, elite survey research, and the diffusion of ideas
Public administration, public ethics, and law and society
International political economy, European politics, U.S. foreign policy
Environmental political theory; republican political thought; environmental politics; land-use politics; political geography; climate change
Comparative politics; authoritarian politics; political economy of development; Chinese politics
Energy policy and justice, environmental politics, behavioral experiments, computational social science
International security; civil-military relations; coups d'état; international conflict; civil war
Democratic theory, modern political thought, and politics of technology
American politics, political economy, gender, race, and inequality, quantitative research methods
comparative politics, international relations, and Middle East politics
American politics, political parties, campaigns and elections, race and American politics
Kenneth Leonardo
Postdoctoral Fellow and Visiting Assistant Professor of Government
History of political thought (Western, non-Western, and Indigenous), American political development
American political thought, democratic theory, early modern political thought, philosophy of social science, and constitutional law
Ngonidzashe Munemo
Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty, Professor of Government
The international politics of Eurasia, post-communist democratization, and the composition of the Russian elite
Comparative politics, Latin American politics, protest and social movements, political violence, and state capacity
History of political thought, American political thought, work and labor, and the Progressive Era
Frank Vlossak ’89
Distinguished Lecturer in American Public Policy and Practice
Careers After Hamilton
Hamilton graduates who concentrated in government are pursuing careers in a variety of fields, including:
- Program Analyst, Department of Homeland Security
- Strategic Marketing Coordinator, NBC Universal Media
- Writer, Comedy Central
- Coordinator for Communications & Outreach, U.S. Department of State
- Orthopedic Surgeon
- Advisor & Associate Counsel, Republican National Committee
- Maynard-Knox Professor of Government, Hamilton College
- Founder/Executive Director/President, New England Center for Children
- Director, Foreign Exchange Distribution, UBS Securities LLC
- President & CEO, Texas International Education Consortium
- Senior Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Department of the Interior
Explore Hamilton Stories
How Two Distinct Disciplines Meshed in a Senior Thesis
Discovering the intersections between two disciplines miles apart is no easy path to take — but it is a rewarding one. Christian Hernández Barragán ’24, a government and theatre major, shares how he meshed his two favorite departments in his senior theses and in off-campus adventures in London and Washington, D.C.
Sharon Rivera Presents at MPSA Conference
Sharon Werning Rivera, the Sidney Wertimer Professor of Government, recently presented a paper at the 81st Annual Conference of the Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA) in Chicago.
Six Awarded Gilman Scholarships
Six Hamilton students — Lara Barreira ’25, Nikki Conlogue 25, Miranda Gregory ’25, Kelvin Nunez ’24, Christina Stoll ’25, and Mimosa Van ’26 — are studying abroad this semester, thanks to assistance from Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships.
Contact
Department Name
Government Department
Contact Name
Sharon Rivera, Chair
Clinton, NY 13323
