A female student holding a microphone towards another female student to ask questions at a political debate.

Department of Political Science News

Faculty in the political science department cover a broad range of specialties including American politics, public policy, public law, political theory, comparative politics, and international politics.

Current Political Science News

The Las Vegas skyline (Josh Hawkins, UNLV).
Campus News | December 4, 2023

A collection of news stories highlighting UNLV’s dedication to community and research.

The Sphere on the Las Vegas Strip.
Campus News | October 2, 2023

A collection of news stories highlighting expert insights, research, and academic achievement.

Students at Pida Plaza on the first day of classes (Josh Hawkins, UNLV).
Campus News | September 1, 2023

A roundup of prominent news stories highlighting university pride, research, and community collaboration.

three individuals wearing body paint with sky in background
Arts and Culture | August 24, 2023

The free event will open on Sept. 28 with a reading by the film's writer and narrator — activist and Oglala Lakota poet Layli Long Soldier.

Graduation surprise
Campus News | August 1, 2023

News stories from the summer featuring UNLV students and faculty.

group of women pose while sitting in front of window
Campus News | July 5, 2023

Program includes workshops, activities to awaken participants’ inner 'warrior queens.'

Political Science In The News

Charleston Post and Courier
December 1, 2023

Former Gov. Nikki Haley faces steep odds to win Iowa and New Hampshire against a dominant Donald Trump. Yet Haley is almost guaranteed to come in first in the third contest — the Feb. 6 Nevada primary — which comes weeks before the crucial vote in South Carolina. And she’ll probably do it without spending a dime, but she won’t get a single delegate for it.

Voice of America
November 30, 2023

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday (November 29) appointed Representative to the European Union and to Belgium Yu Dai as the new representative to the United States, replacing Hsiao Meiqin, who has registered as the running mate of Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Lai Ching-te. Before leaving office, Xiao Meiqin said goodbye to her colleagues in the representative office in the United States and thanked the United States for its "love" and support for Taiwan.

Taiwan News
November 28, 2023

Coast Guard says situation around Dongsha Islands normal, no unusual activity

New York Times
November 26, 2023

Fact checkers and watchdog groups said public apathy was a concern — research suggests that Taiwanese people make limited use of fact-checking resources in past elections — as was the risk of being spread too thin.

Wainao
November 22, 2023

While the American people are celebrating Thanksgiving, the drama of Taiwan's presidential election has just settled. Hou Youyi, the presidential candidate of the Chinese Kuomintang (Blue Camp), and Ke Wenzhe (White Camp), the presidential candidate of the Taiwan People's Party, officially announced that they would give up their "Blue and White Partnership" to run for the 2024 Taiwan presidential election, and instead decided to nominate their own party members.

Nevada Independent
November 19, 2023

While hotel mogul Robert Bigelow was the governor’s primary backer throughout the campaign, gaming giants came out in force with funding after his election win.

Political Science Experts

An expert on judges, judicial selection, and race and gender bias.
An expert on environmental security, economic development, and political violence.
An expert in political philosophy, and the intersection of politics and religion.
An expert in the politics of Europe and other democracies.
An expert in competitive debate, policy debate, argumentation and persuasion, and presidential and political debates.
An expert on Latin American politics, with a focus on NAFTA and the Mexican and North American automobile industry.

Recent Political Science Accomplishments

December 4, 2023
Austin Horng-En Wang (Political Science) contributes a chapter, "Politics in Taipei," to the Encyclopedia of Taiwan Studies edited by SOAS Centre of Taiwan Studies at the University of London. By reviewing the history and the development of politics in Taipei City between 1600 and 2020, Wang argues that Taipei City has performed two essential…
November 22, 2023
Professor Ben Farrer (Political Science) published "Goals, Strategies, and Tactics: Continuity and Change in Extinction Rebellion in the United Kingdom" in the December 2023 edition of the journal Contention. This article argues that the environmental activism group Extinction Rebellion has a unique strategy that helped it disrupt UK politics.…
November 20, 2023
A journal, Governance, vol. 7, which highlights the excellent work done by UNLV undergraduates in the Department of Political Science, was recently published. The faculty supervisor is professor Nerses Kopalyan. Professor Martha Phelps assisted with this issue.
November 17, 2023
Rachel Torres and Elizabeth Maltby (both Political Science) had a peer-reviewed article published in Journal of Public Policy.  Abstract: "Previous scholarship has shown that experience with public policies can affect citizens’ willingness to participate in politics. However, few studies have examined whether the effect of experience with policy…
November 8, 2023
Jared Oestmand (Political Science) and Tim Passmore from the Virginia Military Institute recently published an article, "Reliable Contributors? Leadership Turnover, Regime Type, and Commitments to Peacekeeping," in Foreign Policy Analysis. Their study examines the links between domestic politics and countries' voluntary troop contributions to…
October 20, 2023
John Tuman (Political Science) coauthored a chapter with John Holmes, emeritus, Queens University,  entitled, "The North American Auto Industry in Transition," which has accepted for publication in the edited book La IAM en la transición. The book will be published by the The Friedrich Ebert Foundation and the El Colegio de Sonora, Mexico.