Political Science

The political science program in the Honors Tutorial College is a particularly important part of our mission, and we have been proud to see our graduates go on to the top graduate programs in the world. Whether the future career is law, teaching, governing, political consulting, or some other related field, we feel that the program in political science along with the broader liberal arts orientation of the college offers our HTC students a particularly good start.

The program is designed around the belief that our HTC students, as talented and mature people, should enjoy freedom to explore the issues and possibilities of the field. Therefore, with the exception of asking students to accomplish the equivalent of two years of study in a foreign language, take eight tutorials in the field, and write the Honors Thesis, and complete the general Honors Tutorial College requirements, we encourage them to work with the director of studies to develop a personalized program of study.

Program Overview

Tutorial Requirements

The core of the program is eight semester-long tutorials, one taken each semester. The undergraduate program in Political Science includes courses in American Politics, International Relations, Political Theory, Law & Politics, and Comparative Politics.

Two senior-level tutorials are specifically designated "research tutorials" in which a student enrolls for the purpose of researching and writing the required senior thesis. This thesis is written under the supervision of a member of the Political Science Department faculty. All tutorials, including the "research tutorials," are courses in which the student meets with the tutor on a one-to-one or small group basis. The tutorial is a weekly meeting lasting one hour.

The strength of the tutorial program in Political Science is the one-to-one or paired tutorial format. This approach facilitates the acquisition of verbal as well as written skills due to the intensive attention devoted to each tutorial student by the tutor. The student is expected to demonstrate knowledge of weekly assignments through papers, oral reports, or such other projects as may be designated by the tutor. This provides invaluable experience in research, writing and oral presentation.

Collateral Courses

The balance of the student's course work is taken in regularly scheduled courses selected in consultation with the director of studies. We also require our tutorial students to complete a minimum of two years of a foreign language. The Department of Political Science feels that language skills are an important component of a student's undergraduate education in political science. With the flexibility available, the tutorial program offers the student the opportunity to design a curriculum specifically tailored to the needs and interests of the individual. The only constraint is that the student's curriculum must have the approval of the tutorial director.

Internships

The Department of Political Science coordinates the public affairs internship program for undergraduate and graduate students. The program includes local, state and federal agencies and private organizations. Internship opportunities are available in such offices as the Vice President of the United States, Amnesty International, the mayor of Athens, the city law director, the Ohio State Senate, the Ohio House of Representatives, and other groups and agencies. The goal of the program is to provide students with supervised practical experience relevant to their academic and career objectives.

Eligibility

Applicants are selected on the basis of superior academic ability and the potential for self-motivated undergraduate study and research.

Director of Studies

Associate Professor, Dr. Andrew Ross
740.597.1820
255 Bentley Annex
rossa@ohio.edu 

Education

Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University, 2005

Research Areas

• Global Politics
• IR Theory
• Emotions and Politics
• Politics of Humanitarianism

About Dr. Ross

Andrew Ross is a broadly trained scholar of international relations, international law, and political theory. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, has taught at the Universities of Oregon and Puget Sound, and has been a post-doctoral fellow at the Mershon Center for International Security Studies at Ohio State University.

Dr. Ross’s book, Mixed Emotions: Beyond Fear and Hatred in International Conflict(opens in a new window) (University of Chicago Press, 2014), examines emotions as powerful and creative forces in the politics of terrorism, ethnic conflict, and transitional justice. Approaching emotions as products of social interaction, the book investigates how on-the-ground events such as protests, speeches, and commemoration rituals evoke "circulations of affect" among co-participants. Drawing from neuroscience, the sociology of emotion, and cultural theory, Mixed Emotions makes an original contribution to key problems in IR theory—the changing location of collective agency, the volatile politics of identity, and the sources of justice and normative change.

Dr. Ross’s work has also been published in: European Journal of International Relations, International Organization, International Theory, Millennium: Journal of International Studies, and Political Psychology. His current research moves into the field of global communications, addressing the psychosocial impact of new media technologies on global citizenship, public diplomacy, and humanitarian advocacy.