Political Science | Penn Today

Celia Kreth reading papers in an office in Arkansas.

A Paideia fellow finds a community for research and connection

For Celia Kreth, a junior in the School of Arts & Sciences, the SNF Paideia Fellows Program allows for a holistic, hands-on approach to her education.

People walking in Moscow's Red Square are reflected in a puddle on the ground

Russia’s disinformation campaign against the U.S.

Mitchell Orenstein of the Russia and East European Studies Program discusses the Kremlin’s manipulation tactics in a conversation with Russian politician and dissident Konstantin Borovoi.

Lynn Meskell standing in front of a glass display case at the Penn Museum.

Studying the past through a modern-day lens

In a Q & A, archaeologist and PIK Professor Lynn Meskell discusses her background, the subjects that interest her—from espionage to World Heritage sites—and collaborations that have organically arisen at Penn despite the pandemic and a mostly remote first year.

Hard barriers and soft power: Study assesses outsider perceptions of border walls

Two researchers explore how border walls damage a country’s international image, with real soft power implications.

Trudy Rubin and former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Alexander Vershbow sit in chairs on a stage with a sign between them reading Perry World House

Can Russia be stopped?

Alexander Vershbow, former U.S. ambassador to Russia and Perry World House Distinguished Visiting Fellow, discusses Russia’s military buildup along the Ukrainian border that’s stoking invasion fears.

Two human figures communicating via different colors, shapes, and dialog boxes.

Want to reduce political polarization? Start by looking beyond politics

New research from PIK University Professor Duncan Watts sheds light on how even hardliners can be swayed when coming in contact with opposing viewpoints.

Fairer elections in Pa. could depend on 12 mathematicians

Philip Gressman of the School of Arts & Sciences and 11 other mathematicians are asking Pennsylvania to use their computer-generated map to establish new congressional districts in a bid to undo gerrymandering.

Protesters and riot police stand on a street in Almaty, Kazakhstan, as smoke rises in the background

Q&A

Kazakhstan unrest, explained

Philip M. Nichols of the Wharton School and the Russia and East European Studies program in the School of Arts & Sciences offers some background on the protests and violence and why what happens in Kazakhstan matters to the region and the world.

There’s exactly one Democrat running for governor of Pennsylvania

Dan Hopkins of the School of Arts & Sciences said it’s “striking” that so many Democrats are running for Pennsylvania’s Senate while “Josh Shapiro has the gubernatorial primary on the Democratic side all to himself.”

Ensuring Pennsylvania’s Latino voters have a say

Michael Jones-Correa of the School of Arts & Sciences wrote an opinion piece in support of new Pennsylvania districting maps, which he says will better reflect the state’s diversity. “Pennsylvania’s preliminary plan reverses decades of partisan gerrymandering that led to the dilution of the political power of Black, Latino, and Asian Pennsylvanians by packing them into a small number of districts with incredibly high populations of people of color,” he wrote.

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