Making the news programs this year was professor Jack Zhang and the members of the KU Trade War Lab, and Professor Donald Haider-Markel was interviewed about state redistricting efforts. Dr. Mike Wuthrich was the 28th recipient of the Woodyard International Educator Award.

Among travels this year,  Prof.  Rohrschneider was in Brussels discussing Populist attitudes about Curbing Constitutional Courts in Germany, Israel, and the United States. Interns worked in various places, some students attended conferences, and Dr. Zhang and grad students visited universities in Korea and Japan.. Timothy Cichanowicz, who earned his masters degree in Spring 2023 and is a doctoral candidate, conducted research at Yamamashi Prefectural University and the University of Tokyo.  He also attended the International Politics Conference at Waseda University.  " I have become a more well-rounded scholar through these recent experiences.." Tim said, 

Before graduating in the Spring of 2025 with his PhD, Gabriel Castro traveled to Brazil twice and interviewed 73 members of Brazil's Chamber of Deputies.  This assisted him in his dissertation and was made possible by a Tinker grant and a KU Doctoral Student Research Fund Award.

KU Political Science also had a strong showing at ISA Midwest in Saint Louis, with Dr. Clay Webb, and undergrad and grad students presenting.  Also noteworthy, KU PhD alum (2011), Baris Kesgin (Elon University) received the Quincy Wright Distinguished Scholar Award at that ISA conference.  Rock Chalk!

Another of our PhD alums, Dr. Linsey Moddelmog,  participated in a debate type discussion at the Dole Institute of Politics "Should the Electoral College Be Abolished?"  Linsey is a professor of Political Science at Washburn University, where she has taught since 2009.  We continue to appreciate the Dole Institute of Politics with many of our students active in events there, as well as faculty and alumni brought in to add their knowledge and input at the discussion groups there.

Visiting speakers. Thanks to Dr. Andres Gannon, from Vanderbilt University, for his recent visit and talk here "Ties That Talk: A Text-as-Data Approach to the Strategic Performance of Interstate Relations in National Security Strategies (NSS).  The graduate students also appreciated some time to meet with him over a pizza lunch.  They also were able to meet with Dr. Patrick James, from the University of Sourthern California when he visited back in April.  He also did Visual International Relations Project Workshops with the students! 

In April, the KU ICCAE had many visit and attend another successful KU Security Conference. The KU Political Science Department also co-sponsored many events with other departments at the university this year.

You can see some of the latest publications from the department on our website.

My name is Isabel De Bourg Rapp, and I am a junior at the University of Kansas. I am pursing a dual degree in political science and criminal justice on the pre-law track. This past summer, I had the honor of interning for the Federal Public Defenders Office for the Eastern District of Missouri. During my time as a legal intern, I assisted attorneys in a variety of tasks, including conducting research, reviewing discovery files, observing court proceedings, developing case arguments, and aiding in client meetings. I had the extraordinary privilege of contributing to their efforts to ensure every individual is treated with dignity and receives fair treatment throughout their time in the criminal justice system. My favorite part of the internship was working alongside incredibly intelligent and kind individuals, as well as contributing to the advocacy of defendants’ rights. My experience as a legal intern deepened my passion for law and the improvement of the criminal justice system. Internships are a perfect place to meet potential role models, learn new skills, and get firsthand experience in the fields you’re passionate about. I believe it is extremely valuable if given the opportunity, each student should participate in an internship. 

My name is Sydney Lieberman, and I am a senior majoring in Political Science with minors in Intelligence and National Security Studies and Journalism; I am also a KU ICCAE Scholar. For the past year and a half, I have been participating in a remote internship with the U.S. Department of Defense at United States Central Command (CENTCOM).
I work with a team of college students to produce a daily intelligence product covering current events across CENTCOM’s area of responsibility; this product is read by more than 200 analysts and partners each day. My responsibilities include conducting open-source intelligence research through foreign media sources focused on Egypt, Israel, and Kazakhstan. I have also had the opportunity to brief senior leadership and author analytical reports.
This internship has taught me invaluable lessons about research, analysis, foreign media, and the operations of the U.S. intelligence community. Having the opportunity to intern during college has brought my classroom studies to life, given me real-world experience in a highly competitive field, and made me far more confident as I prepare to enter the job market. I will be graduating this December and hope to pursue a career in security and intelligence after graduation!   Photo is from the ICCAE study abroad in South Korea last summer!

KU Political Science
KU IC CAE
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