ASPECT

Study in or across our concentrations to excel in advanced social science research, critical theoretical development, policy intervention and analysis, and empirical application in academia and beyond.

• Security, Vulnerability, and Displacement examines state and non-state security dynamics, from conventional geopolitical competition to transnational threats like forced migration and displacement, addressing human insecurity through critical, ethical, and empirically grounded theory.
• Democracy, Equity, and Political Participation explores how institutions, electoral rules, and governance shape political inclusion, equity, and public trust, with attention to inequality across race, gender, and class and the challenges of democratic backsliding.
• Political Economy and Development investigates the political and policy dimensions of economic change, from the legacies of colonialism and imperialism to emerging technologies and AI, across local, national, and global scales.
• Integral and Global Ecology and Environmental Politics addresses the historical, ethical, and political dimensions of human-nature relations, focusing on resource scarcity, environmental justice, and the governance of sustainability challenges worldwide.