Politics is about bargaining and compromise. To achieve a common goal for a country, its people and its government must navigate specific mechanisms: the examination of power, the distributions of resources, and the amplification of voices.

Why study Politics at Sewanee?

Sewanee teaches its students to be citizens who ask hard questions, assess information, and make comparisons between various political systems and ideologies. Our curriculum tackles key issues at the intersection of law & justice while identifying ways that global institutions address challenges of conflict and cooperation. Classes are highly engaging, and faculty are able to tie research into classes, honors projects, summer internships, and community engagement opportunities.

You’ll learn to grapple with relevant questions concerning justice, liberty, power, and equality, while investigating the nature, purpose, and characteristics of political change. The politics curriculum exposes you to a rich amount of social and political perspectives, equipping you to become a lifelong participant in a democratic society. You’ll be able to articulate views while listening with civility and respect to the other side.

FIRST DESTINATIONS: politics MAJORS

Sewanee graduates secure positions in a variety of fields. Some you would expect, others, are a bit of a surprise. Sewanee prepares you for your profession and your passion. Below is a sampling of recent graduates' first job.

  • Financial Analyst, Mercer Capital, Memphis, TN.
  • Account Executive, Yelp, New York City, NY.
  • Field Organizer, Democratic Party of Virginia, Richmond VA.
  • Associate Producer, The Laura Ingraham Show, Washington, D.C.
  • Newman's Own Foundation Fellow, The Posse Foundation, New York City, NY.
GRADUATE SCHOOL & PREPROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS: Politics MAJORS

Sewanee graduates enjoy extraordinary acceptance rates to top graduate and preprofessional programs–about 95 percent to law school and over 85 percent to medical school. Below is a sampling of where Sewanee grads continue their education.

  • Ph.D. in Economics, George Mason University.
  • J.D. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law.
  • J.D. Vanderbilt University Law School.
  • Ph.D. in Political Science, Emory University.
  • M.A. in International Relations, University College Dublin, Ireland.

 

Shining a Light

Informed by her own personal history, Associate Professor of Politics Mila Dragojevic travels the world to examine the conditions that lead to refugee crises, violence against civilians, and genocide.

 

At 16, Mila Dragojevic was an ace student in languages in her native Croatia. She had studied French, German, and English and had the idea that she would be a philologist. She applied to a student exchange program and was deciding whether to go to Switzerland, the United Kingdom, or the United States.

That’s when the Balkan state she called home began falling apart, with neighbor turning against neighbor in a conflict that resulted from the breakup of Yugoslavia and the geopolitical aims of Slobodan Milošević, who incited Serbs in Croatia in an attempt to expand Serbian territory. Dragojevic and her family found themselves refugees. Though living in Croatia and having both Serb and Croat roots, the family identified as Serbs. They crossed the border to Serbia. But Dragojevic—already accepted in the student exchange program—was not there long, heading shortly thereafter to the Tidewater region of Virginia, where she was welcomed by a host family with whom she is still close.

“When the barricades go up, people have to decide which side they stand on,” says Dragojevic, who studies refugees, violence against civilians, and genocide as an associate professor of politics at Sewanee.

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A Sampling of Courses

Women in American Politics
Politics

An analysis of the role of gender in American politics, specifically how gender affects the political activities of American residents, political candidates, and elected officeholders. Students evaluate differences in men's and women's political participation, party affiliations, and campaign strategies and styles. They also examine reasons for women's political underrepresentation and implications of gender inequality in political office holding.

POLS 307
Taught by Carrie Skulley
Constitutional Law: Balance of Power
Politics

This course examines Supreme Court cases related to separation of powers and checks and balances by situating cases within varying theories of constitutional interpretation and by assessing the socio-political implications of those decisions. Cases studied include controversies about executive privilege, the Commerce Clause, the Tenth Amendment, and federalism. The course emphasizes, above all, the political role of the judiciary.

POLS 331
Taught by Andrea Hatcher
Terrorism and Global Security
Political Science

This course systematically analyzes contesting theories—and the empirical grounds of such theories—for why actors employ terrorist instruments. Among the theories of terrorism considered are those linked to psychological, ideological, cultural, and structural explanations. Finally, the course discusses and evaluates the effectiveness of various counter-terror methods and operations.

POLS 412
Taught by Rae Manacsa
China's Environmental Crisis
Politics

This course analyzes the emergence of China's environmental crisis and its national and global implications. Students explore the historical development of China's current environmental crisis, with special focus on institutions, laws, and regulations that have contributed to environmental degradation during the post-1949 era. The course addresses the efforts, and limited ability, of civil society and China's state to rein in pollution and remediate environmental damage, as well as China's engagement with global environmental norms and policymaking.

POLS 248
Taught by Scott Wilson
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Politics

Programs of Study & Related Programs

Requirements for the Major & Minor in Politics

Requirements for the Major & Minor in International & Global Studies | Website

Requirements for the Major & Minor in Women's & Gender Studies | Website

 

Meet Some Professors

Mila Dragojević
midragoj@sewanee.edu

Mila Dragojević is Associate Professor of Politics teaching comparative politics of Europe and Latin America, as well as courses in Peace and Conflict and Identity and Diversity concentrations. Her research interests include political violence, peace, identity politics, and migration. Her work has appeared in Slavic Review, Nationalities Papers, and Ethnic and Racial Studies and other journals and edited volumes. She is the author of The Politics of Social Ties: Immigrants in an Ethnic Homeland (Routledge 2014) and Amoral Communities: Collective Crimes in Time of War (forthcoming with Cornell University Press in 2019). Her work was supported by the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, Appalachian College Association, and a number of University of the South grants, including the Kennedy Fellowship, the McCrickard, the Faculty Development, and the Barclay Ward faculty research grants.

Associate Professor of Politics
Scott Wilson
swilson@sewanee.edu

Scott Wilson received his B.A. at Oberlin College and his Ph.D. from Cornell University. His research has shifted from his dissertation on village political economy to issues related to China and globalization. His course offerings reflect his interest in Chinese politics and political economy, global economic relations, economic development, comparative politics, the interface of global politics and domestic institutions, and Gramscian political theory.

Professor and Associate Dean for Global Education
Amy S. Patterson
aspatter@sewanee.edu

Amy S. Patterson received her B.A. in political science and international affairs from Trinity University and her Ph.D. in political science and African studies from Indiana University-Bloomington. She teaches courses on international relations, African politics, global health and development, and democratization. Patterson was a Peace Corps volunteer in rural Senegal, where she worked on agroforestry programs. Her research has examined the role of civil society in Africa, including how local organizations promote democracy and address issues such as AIDS

Professor of Politics

Contact

Andrea C. Hatcher 
Professor and Chair of Department of Politics

ahatcher@sewanee.edu

Guerry Hall 205A, Ext. 1652

Connecting the Dots

Civic Engagement
Preparing students for lives of achievement and service

We envision a Sewanee where students learn to engage this place and make meaningful change. To this end, the Office of Civic Engagement facilitates partnerships between campus- and community-members to develop the relationships, knowledge and skills that improve our common life across the South Cumberland Plateau.

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International & Global Studies, Major & Minor
45 professors, 14 departments

International & global studies at Sewanee stretches far beyond the gates. Involving faculty members from departments across the college, the program spans disciplinary and thematic boundaries. The rapid pace and complex nature of our world require dexterity to navigate. At Sewanee, you will study the ever-changing political, economic, and cultural issues that characterize our world today. Here, experiencing the real world begins in the classroom.

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Study Abroad
Engaged citizens solving global problems

At Sewanee, we pledge to offer each student an opportunity to study abroad. And at Sewanee, we keep our promises. Travel, learn, and cultivate your knowledge by communicating across cultures and acquiring a sensitivity to other ways of life. Apply social scientific methodologies to various frameworks. Learn to formulate solutions to global problems and apply those theories at home in a local context.

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