Cross-Cutting Research and Collaborative Research Culture

The complex and challenging issues of our times require broad and bold approaches. Thus, the Department of Political Science encourages and supports research that transcends traditional field and discipline boundaries.

Nested in a dynamic, innovative university environment, Purdue political scientists have many opportunities to collaborate in transformative, policy-relevant research teams across campus and to participate in interdisciplinary centers housed in Purdue’s Discovery Park. The department's faculty and graduate students are active in the cross-college initiative, Advance Methods at Purdue (AMAP), exploring new frontiers in research methodology. We value diversity and openness to new ideas, and the department fosters a culture of discovery.

Scholars in political science use methods of scientific inquiry to address fundamental questions about political institutions, policy processes, civic culture, political beliefs, identities, attitudes, and behavior. They seek to understand how those questions shape governance, accountability, policy outcomes, domestic and international conflict, human and environmental security, and other important societal outcomes.