This is not a proper history of Northwestern's Political Science Department. It simply gives insights to the department 's rich history, generally unknown to its current students and to many of its faculty. Until a comprehensive narrative is written, this website provides organized access to the history of a department that has had a genuine impact on the disciplie of political science in the United States.

This is also not a committee or departmental effort. I alone am responsible for the headings and comments tucked under them. Accordingly, it reflects my judgments about important events and my biases in interpreting those events. Having served in the department for nearly half of its life (41 out of 85 years), I write from memory of many events. I also have called on the memory of Prof. Victor Rosenblum of Northwestern's Law School, who joined the political science faculty four years before me in 1957. Rosenblum left in 1968 to become president of Reed College but returned 1970 to join Northwestern's law faculty, teaching occasionally in the political science department. Together, we span over half the department's history.

Moreover, I have relied on documents in my personal files and on papers collected and maintained in the Northwestern Archives of the University Library under the care of Patrick Quinn, University Archivist, and his professional staff. Wherever possible, I have documented my statements with citations to personal files, archival documents, or published sources.

Just click on the headings to read about the topics.

 

The department's founding in 1915

Norman Dwight Harris was the first head of the department, and his father built Harris Hall to house it.

An Overview of Departmental Chairs

Stretching eighteen different people across twenty-five chairs, from 1915 to 2000.

Celebrity Professors

The department has had many scholars who were famous in their fields, but not many who had national reputations outside the discipline. Three who clearly fit were Kenneth Colegrove, William McGovern, and Harold Guetzkow.

Major grants for curriculum development and research

One thinks of outside grants as supporting research, and the department has benefited from several major research grants. But the grants that shaped the department were for curriculum development.

Leaving Harris Hall and Moving to Scott Hall

From 1915 to 1973, the department of political science was housed in Harris Hall. It did not move into Scott Hall until 1973, thanks to the vision and effort of Professor and Chair, David Minar.

How the Graduate Student Commune Got Started

Consider the Vietnam War, the 1968 Democratic National Convention, and the Kent State killings.