WMU Department of Political Science

02/25/2025

This event features WMU PSCI instructor Kathy Purnell as one of the panelists.

Don’t miss our panel discussion “The Ethical Imperatives of Solito” on Wednesday @ 6!

02/13/2025

Congratulations to WMU PSCI alum Brittany Brake! Central State University announced today that Brittany is the recipient of the 2024 President’s Award for Faculty Excellence in Teaching. The CSU press release notes that Brittany "has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to student engagement, innovative teaching, and mentorship that extends beyond the classroom."

You can read more Brittany and her work at this link:

Central State University proudly recognizes Associate Professor of Political Science Brittany Page Brake as the recipient of the 2024 President’s Award for Faculty Excellence in Teaching.

02/10/2025

02/10/2025

WMU's Political Science Department was well-represented at last month's Southern Political Science Association (SPSA) annual conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico with graduate students, alumni, and faculty participating. The conference was the first with WMU's Mark Hurwitz as SPSA executive director. Next year's conference will be held in New Orleans.

01/12/2025

Congratulations to WMU PSCI alum Jordan Walker (BA '20)!

The 2017 Miss Basketball Award winner set the Mona Shores program record for points and assists in a career before excelling at both Western Michigan and Tennessee.

12/09/2024

Paul Clements' article on International Climate Migrant Policy and Estimates of Climate Migration just came out.
"As climate change policy has been constructed under headings of “mitigation” and “adaptation”, climate migration has been classified under adaptation, but adaptation programming has mostly neglected climate migrants. In practice, most international support for people forcibly displaced by climate change has come from traditional humanitarian agencies.
This, I argue, is a mistake."
The article is available at:

The architecture of international aid and climate finance should be reformed to address the needs of climate migrants. While humanitarian aid agencies that support some climate migrants are increasingly overburdened, climate migration has been underestimated and largely neglected by the United Natio...

11/05/2024

Happy Election Day!
For complete voter information in Michigan, visit the Secretary of State's website:
https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/

Still not registered? Here's how:
https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/Home/RegisterToVote/

10/09/2024

How has the climate crisis become so severe, why is the UNFCCC failing, and what global government does climate justice demand?

Paul Clements' chapter, "Climate Risk, Climate Justice, and Why We Need Stronger Climate Governance," in a book with the working title, Climate Policies - Modern Risk-Based Assessment of Investments in Mitigation, Adaptation, and Recovery from Residual Harm (edited by Gary Yohe) is now available online:

Scientists often assume that their analyses of risks will lead to rational action through the policy process. In reality, however, levels of risk normally depend on how information is channeled through political and institutional processes. Here, climate change presents great challenges.....

10/01/2024

Today at 1 p.m.: Protecting Democracy (a WeTalk event)

This forum brings together former U.S. Congressman Fred Upton (R), former U.S. Congressman Mark Schauer (D), and former Michigan Elections Director Chris Thomas. Moderated by Jeff Breneman, Western Michigan University’s Vice President for Government Relations, this panel will explore the critical issue of election integrity amid a broader erosion of trust in institutions such as elected bodies, higher education, and the media.

With their extensive experience in public service and election oversight, the speakers will address key threats to our voting system from both foreign and domestic sources, the rise of misinformation, and what citizens can do to help restore confidence in the democratic process. The conversation will also focus on finding bipartisan solutions to ensure the integrity of U.S. elections for future generations.

Event Details:
Date: October 1, 2024
Time: 1 PM - 3 PM
Venue: WMU Student Center Ballroom A

More information is available at this link:

Protecting Democracy Join us! A moderator-led panel discussion addressing key topics surrounding democracy and the upcoming election.  RSVP Here Home About Dissecting the Dilemma of Homelessness Heterodox Academy (HxA) Free Speech Cafes Moving Conversations @ WMU Past Events Bryan Newland Visit Dav...

10/01/2024

Happy 100th Birthday, former President Carter!

It’s time to celebrate! Jimmy Carter, America’s humanitarian-in-chief, is 100 years old today! The longest-living former U.S. president co-founded The Carter Center in 1982, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1999, and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. The former Navy man, peanut farmer, governor, and husband to the late Rosalynn Carter will mark his big day at home in Plains, Georgia. bit.ly/3zFj0Pf

09/24/2024

Join us this Thursday!

🗣 Attend this free event hosted by the WMU Political Science Department

There is a lot of media discussion about a possible realignment of Black voters
in the 2024 election. Such announcements are often overgeneralized and based
on scant data and small sample sizes. In this talk, I examine the history of
Black voting behavior in presidential elections and identify the strengths and
weaknesses of current data sources to help listeners make reasonable inferences
about predicted voting behavior.

Discussion: Black Voters, Donald Trump and the 2024 Election: A Preview
Speaker: Andra Gillespie, PhD, Associate Professor of Political Science, Emory University
Date/time: September 26, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Location: Dunbar Hall, Room 2101
Info: wmich.edu/politics

09/12/2024

Election season is in full swing, and WMU political scientists Peter Wielhouwer and John Clark have been providing insight and analysis to local, regional, and national media outlets. Both did multiple interviews surrounding the recent presidential debate.

You can hear Wielhouwer's post-debate analysis on WKZO-AM here: https://omny.fm/shows/kalamazoo-mornings-with-ken-lanphear/analysis-of-the-presidential-debate-with-wmus-dr-p

Clark was interviewed for a story on WEYI-TV in Flint: https://midmichigannow.com/news/local/voters-weigh-in-on-trump-vs-harris-did-the-debate-sway-opinions #

FLINT, Mich. - For the first time and possibly the only time during this Presidential Election former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris ap