Clark Merrill, Ph.D., Department Chair
Location: McAuley 315
Office: (401) 341-3188
Email: merrillc@salve.edu
Department of Political Science
Our students seek answers to some of the most interesting questions affecting our society and the world. They also examine fundamental and controversial concepts related to justice, equality, democracy and revolution.
Our department is a thriving and dynamic, yet friendly, place. We have a highly qualified, committed and approachable faculty whose aim is to offer a top-quality education. Small classes provide the opportunity for our students to form positive relations with each other and with their professors, who represent a wide range of philosophies and beliefs.
The department offers concentrations in the areas of American Government/Law and Comparative Government/ International Relations and the politics major is often combined with majors in economics, communication media, sociology, history and psychology, among others. A five-year program leading to a graduate degree in international relations is also available to highly motivated students.
If you are considering a career in the legal profession, we also offer advisory pre-law information. The relationship between law and government and the emphasis on writing and analytical skill makes the politics major a natural choice for this career.
Internship positions provide an opportunity to connect theory with practice, clarify career goals and network with professionals. A variety of experiences are available with government institutions or related organizations, such as think-tanks or interest groups.
Visit Our Government resources page.
The Model United Nations Club gives any interested Salve student the opportunity to become personally involved in world politics and foreign affairs outside the traditional classroom. Club members attend intercollegiate conferences where they represent the position of an actual country during deliberations on a wide range of political, economic, social, and environmental issues.
The department is a chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society. The society recognizes and promotes "scholarship and intelligent interest in political science."
If you decide to study politics at Salve Regina, you should expect to be taught not what to think but how to think. Our thesis courses, in particular, teach you how to gather relevant information and form logical and clear arguments; how to deepen your understanding of political phenomena; how to form independent judgments and how to effectively articulate your thought orally, while utilizing multi-media technology. These skills are invaluable in the various careers in which politics majors are sought and employed.
We believe the study of politics aims at the highest good, assisting each of us to make sense of the world around us, as we try to improve that world for ourselves and others. We hope that you join us!
With best regards from my colleagues and myself,
Clark Merrill, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Chair
