Politics Major

Explore the complex world of politics, investigating the ideas and institutions that affect our daily lives, society and global relations.

Major or minor in this provocative topic to explore fundamental issues that we face as human beings, from questions about our own roles as individual political actors to questions about political laws and institutions around the world to broad questions about power, values and public life.

Majors take eight general courses, including one course from each of the four subfields (political theory, American politics, comparative politics, international relations). Seniors complete a senior seminar and oral exam. Those who desire a greater depth in a particular area may opt for a subfield specialization and/or a year-long, two-course independent project resulting in a thesis.

Our close-knit Politics Department is active, often hosting speakers and gatherings for informal talks and lunches.

Professor David Menifee-Libey and a student on the Carnegie Hall steps
Professor David Menefee-Libey and student on the Carnegie Hall steps
In class with Professor Pierre Englebert
In class with Professor Pierre Englebert
In class with professors Susan McWilliams and John Seery
In class with professors Susan McWilliams and John Seery
In class with Professor Heather Williams
In class with Professor Heather Williams

What You’ll Study

    • Classical and modern political theory
    • U.S. government and the Constitution
    •  U.S. foreign policy
    • Gender, race, class, power, justice, and human rights
    • Regional politics across the globe and comparative politics
121
The number of politics courses available at The Claremont Colleges.

Learning at Pomona

Zena Meyer

A Growing Logistics Industry

Zena Meyer '21 conducted research on the legal and environmental battles around a warehouse in Moreno Valley, and showed how these debates reflected issues of environmental justice, campaign spending and the growing logistics industry.

Ryan Collins ’22

Urban Riots and Police Brutality: From Ferguson to Cleveland

Ryan Collins ’22 investigated why some instances of political action lead to riots, through melding key theories related to political violence with a thorough discussion of race relations within the United States.

Naomi Tilles

Equality Legislation in Northern Ireland

Naomi Tilles '22 used primary sources gathered at the Linen Hall Library in Belfast to explore the development of equality legislation in Northern Ireland.

Kelsey Braford ’22

The Case for Single-Payer: An Evaluation of Foreign and Domestic Healthcare

Kelsey Braford ’22 analyzed the efficacy of the existing healthcare system in America, comparing it against the systems of other countries who see better outcomes in healthcare.

Image
Ezra Adasiak
Ezra Adasiak ’25

I’ve had the opportunity to deepen my knowledge of things like political economy and queer politics and to develop new areas of interest like labor justice and social movements. The lessons I’ve learned in politics have proved invaluable in my classes across disciplines, and in life.

Faculty & Teaching

Our Politics faculty hails from all over the world. They research and publish on areas that range from international human rights courts to green architecture to global democratization to education and civil society in Los Angeles.

Professor Heather Williams

The Politics major at Pomona College invites one to think about the very arrangements that make us who we are. Why do we want what we want? Why do we condemn what we condemn? Politics is about the ongoing human struggle over law, philosophy, geopolitics and social organization. If one fails in one’s lifetime to give thought to these issues, the world makes little sense.