|
|
|
History
of Political Science at WMU Political
Science at Western Michigan University, originally known as the Western
State Normal School, began in 1904. The department was listed as History
and Civics in the summer of 1904 course book. In these early years, courses
in civics were primarily focused on citizenship and civil affairs and
many of these courses were taken by education students. By 1919, the
History and Civics Department was renamed History and Economics, which
later changed in 1920 to History and Social Science when courses in political
science were first offered. Political science courses expanded to include
American federal government, state and local government, and comparative
government. Throughout the 1920s other courses were added. D.C. Shilling
began his career in political science at WMU in the 1920s. A distinguished
scholar whose tenure at the Univeity lasted 30 years, Shilling taught
all of the courses offered throughout the course of the semester in the
department's early days. In 1945, the Department of Social Sciences was divided into four separate departments: history, political science, economics, and sociology. The Political Science Department continued to be a small one with Professors, Shilling, Weber and Santoro. In 1955, the department began an M.A. program. By 1960, the department had grown to 11 professors and by the 1970s that number had increased to more than 20. The department established the Institute of Public Affairs in 1963, to encourage research and to provide opportunities for faculty and students to become actively involved in public affairs. In 1964, Milton Greenberg became the first elected chairperson of a department at WMU. Many other departments subsequently changed from appointed heads to elected chairs. In 1974, the Center for Public Administration was created and later became the School of Public Affairs and Administration. The master's in development administration followed in 1985. The department has historically been a strong advocate of experiential education and its internship programs have been a key avenue for this type of learning. In 1991, the department in cooperation with the Lee Honors College, established a Capital Internship Program. This program allows up to fifteen students each spring semester to complete an internship in Lansing. To date, more than 180 students have been capital interns. This program has showcased WMU's students to the Lansing political community to the benefit of the University and the students. In recent years, students in the department were twice recipients of the major national Truman Scholarship and the Udall Scholarship. A number of students actively participate on our Mock Trial Team and in Model Arab League. To date, the department has almost 500 students majoring in political science. In 1992, the department established a doctoral program to prepare students for careers in teaching, policy analysis, and applied as well as academic research. The department has awarded eight Ph.D.s. The faculty in the political science department has a daunting publication record of books and numerous publications in the leading professional journals in the field. In recent years, several members of the faculty have received National Science Foundation grants. The department's Institute of Government and Politics (IGP) continues to be an active focus of intellectual stimulation. Programming in the academic year 2002-2003 included brown bag lunches, evening lectures, assorted panel discussions, and guest speakers. The programming, organized by IGP is open to students, faculty and community members. Not surprisingly, the department has had its share of political office holders in elected positions at the local, state, and federal level including the U.S. House of Representatives. The department has prided itself over the years in its contributions to serving the community.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||