Department of Politics

Biweekly Thursdays (February 5, March 5, March 19, April 16, and April 30)
3:00–5:00 PM | Olin-Sang 204 – Graduate Student Lounge

Politics and Cookies is a casual gathering hosted by the Department of Politics that brings together students and faculty for informal conversation and community building. Held several times throughout the semester, this event offers a welcoming space where participants can drop in, enjoy cookies, and engage in thoughtful discussion about politics, current events, and academic interests.

What to Expect

Unlike traditional academic events, Politics and Cookies has no formal agenda or preparation required. Students are welcome to stay for a few minutes or the entire session while connecting with peers, meeting faculty members, and participating in relaxed conversations about politics and public affairs. The event is designed to foster community within the department and provide an accessible environment for dialogue across perspectives.

February 26, 2026

Thursday, February 26, 2026
2:30–3:45 PM | Mandel Atrium, Mandel Center for the Humanities

Event Overview

The Department of Politics and the Crown Center for Middle East Studies hosted a lecture examining the evolving political landscape of Syria and the global forces shaping the region today. The talk explored how domestic political dynamics, international actors, and shifting geopolitical interests influence Syria’s future.

About the Speaker

The lecture was delivered by Dr. Aaron Y. Zelin, Gloria and Ken Levy Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and Visiting Research Scholar in the Department of Politics at Brandeis University.

Dr. Zelin’s research focuses on Middle Eastern politics, security issues, and Islamist movements. Drawing on his extensive scholarship, he examined the interplay between domestic contestation within Syria and broader global political dynamics affecting the region.

Program Details

The lecture provided students and faculty with an opportunity to engage with contemporary scholarship on conflict, governance, and international politics in the Middle East while considering the broader implications for regional stability and global policy.

February 10, 2026

Tuesday, February 10, 2026
6:00–8:00 PM | Rapaporte Treasure Hall

Event Overview

The Department of Politics hosted an alumni panel focused on career pathways in local government. The event brought together graduates working across public service roles to share insights about their professional journeys and offer advice to students interested in careers in politics and public policy.

About the Panelists

The panel featured distinguished alumni currently working in public service throughout the region:

• Ben Weber ’96, Boston City Councilor representing District 6
• Lexi Kriss ’11, Assistant State Court Administrator at the Rhode Island Supreme Court and former Deputy Director of Communications for Governor Dan McKee
• Nadia Romanazzi ’23, Director of Legal Education and Policy at the Massachusetts Appleseed Center for Law and Justice

Discussion and Networking

Moderated by Professor Zachary Albert, assistant professor of politics and director of undergraduate studies, the discussion explored career paths in government, the skills needed to succeed in public service, and how students can begin building careers in policy and local government. Following the panel discussion, students had the opportunity to network with the speakers and ask additional questions about careers in public service.

January 30, 2026

Friday, January 30, 2026
12:45–2:05 PM | Rapaporte Treasure Hall (Goldfarb Library) 

Event Overview

The Department of Politics and the Center for German and European Studies (CGES) hosted a panel discussion examining the strategic importance of Greenland and the Arctic region in contemporary global politics.

Topics of Discussion

Panelists discussed how growing international interest in the Arctic has intensified debates about geopolitical influence, natural resources, and security alliances. The conversation explored Greenland’s political relationship with Denmark, the interests of the European Union and NATO in the Arctic region, and the broader implications of great-power competition in this strategically important area.

Broader Context

The discussion encouraged students to consider how evolving geopolitical tensions, access to fossil fuels and critical minerals, and changing climate dynamics are reshaping transatlantic relations and the global political landscape.

January 29, 2026

Thursday, January 29, 2026
12:15–1:45 PM | Rapaporte Treasure Hall 

Event Overview

The Department of Politics hosted a lecture examining how social identities influence political behavior and polarization in the United States.

About the Speaker

The talk was delivered by Dr. Brian Schaffner, Newhouse Professor of Civic Studies at Tufts University and Co-Director of the Cooperative Election Study. Dr. Schaffner’s research focuses on American political behavior, elections, and public opinion.

Topics of Discussion

Drawing on his research, Dr. Schaffner explored how social identities—including race, religion, education, and geography—shape partisan alignment and political attitudes in contemporary American politics. The lecture examined how these identities increasingly influence voting behavior and what these trends may suggest about the future trajectory of political polarization in the United States.

January 22, 2026

January 22, February 5, and February 26, 2026
5:30–6:45 PM | Olin-Sang 207 

Program Overview

The Politics and Public Service Internship Program (PPSIP) is a three-part workshop series designed to help Brandeis students explore, prepare for, and secure internships in politics, government, and public service. Through interactive sessions led by faculty in the Department of Politics, students gain practical guidance on navigating internship opportunities and developing strong professional application materials.

Workshop Topics

Each workshop in the series focuses on a different stage of the internship process:

• Finding Internships: Identifying opportunities in politics, government, and public service fields
• Resumes and Cover Letters: Strengthening application materials to improve competitiveness
• Professional Communication: Developing networking strategies, outreach skills, and interview preparation

Additional Opportunities

Students who participate in the full workshop series may also be eligible to apply for the Bertram J. Levine Fellowship, which provides funding to support unpaid summer internships in politics, public policy, and related fields.

March 24, 2025

4-5:30pm | Mandel G03, Mandel Center for Humanities

Kristen Kao, Associate Professor University of Gothenburg, Sweden will discuss a study that explores refugee inclusion at the neighborhood level in Turkey. The study employs a conjoint survey experiment (n=5,000) examining simultaneous migrant and host community preferences for residential segregation. It considers this topic in the context of Turkey, a country that has experienced massive in-migration of refugees from the Syrian civil war.

About the Speaker:

Kristen Kao [kristenkao.com] is an Associate Professor with the Department of Political Science at the University of Gothenburg. She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles. Kristen is an expert in large-n survey methods and experimental design informed by fieldwork and in-depth interviewing. She has been conducting fieldwork-based studies since 2006 across countries as varied as Jordan, Syria, Kuwait, Lebanon, Tunisia, Oman, Iraq, Turkey, Malawi, Kenya, Zambia, and Egypt. She has served as an advisor to the Carter Center, the National Democratic Institute, and the World Bank, and is a country expert for the Freedom House and the Varieties of Democracy Institute. Kristen is a former Fulbright Scholar to Egypt and Boren Fellow to Jordan and Kuwait.

January 23, 2025

The School of Arts and Sciences and Department of Politics welcomed Yanna Krupnikov to Brandeis campus on Thursday, January 23, 2025. Using survey data collected just before and after the 2024 election, Prof. Krupnikov's talk, "How We See Each Other: Perceptions Across the Political Divide," considered how partisan divisions shape what people expect from others.

Krupnikov is a Professor of Communication and Media at the University of Michigan. Her work focuses on attention to political news and political expression in the context of polarization. She is the co-author of books Partisan Hostility and American Democracy (2024), The Other Divide (2022) and Independent Politics (2016).

April 3, 2022

Please join us for a virtual half-day nonpartisan training for women and non-binary students on how to run for student government and political office. Participants will consider their own candidacy, discuss the importance of women running for political office, examine the issues they care about, map out their support networks, craft and deliver elevator speeches, learn more about campaign strategy, hear from incredible speakers who have run for office, and more. 

Co-sponsored by the Gordon Center for American Public Policy, AAAS, Sociology, and WGS. Financial support from the School of Arts & Sciences.

June 12, 2020

Virtual Panel Discussion:

• Chad Williams, the Samuel J. and Augusta Spector Chair in History and the Chair of the African and African American Studies department (Moderator)
• Anita Hill, University Professor
• Daniel Kryder, the Louis Stulberg Chair in Law and Politics/li>
• Leah Wright Rigueur, the Harry Truman Associate Professor of History

America is in the midst of reckoning with the legacies of racism, racial violence, and systemic injustice against black people. The current national uprising, sparked by the recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, have exposed the complex intersections of history, politics, and the law in how race, white supremacy, and anti-blackness function in American society. Join us for a conversation with leading Brandeis faculty about these issues and how we can chart a new future for black lives.

March 10, 2020

Professor Peter Dreier, E.P. Clapp Distinguished Professor of Politics at Occidental College, will be visiting Brandeis to speak about his newest book, "We Own the Future: Democratic Socialism – American Style." Hosted by the Department of Politics and sponsored by Jules Bernstein ’57. 

March 5, 2020

Come enjoy breakfast for lunch with your politics professors and discuss the results of Super Tuesday and the direction that the electoral politics are taking in the U.S.

January 30, 2020

It took 72 years for us to win the right to vote. Learn about the mobilization from 1848 at Seneca Falls to 1920, and passage of the 19th Amendment. Presenters: Professors Joyce Antler, Jill Greenlee with Theo Tyson, Anja Parish and others.

Co-sponsored by Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies, Department of Politics, Hadassah Brandeis Institute.

April 15, 2019

Greenberg Scholars, Tamar Lieberman, Tal Richtman, and Julianna Scionti, will present their research projects. Support of their research was made possible by a generous donation from the Joshua Greenberg Memorial Fund. Joshua Greenberg (1970-98) graduated from Brandeis, '92, with a major in Politics. The Joshua Greenberg Memorial Fund was established by Joshua's family and friends to honor his life and preserve his memory.

February 27, 2019

Panelists:

• Farah Pandith, Adjunct Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations

• Paul Turner, Director and Senior Advisor for CVE, Creative Associates

• Saida Abdi, Director of Community Relations, Boston Children's Hospital Refugee Trauma and Relilience Center

February 14, 2019

January 25, 2017

Panelists:

• Robert Art

• Christian A. Herter Professor of International Relations

• Shai Feldman, Judy and Sidney Swartz Director's Chair of the Crown Center for Middle East Studies and Professor of Politics

• Lucy Goodhart, Lecturer in International & Global Studies and Politics

• Jill Greenlee (Moderator), Associate Professor of Politics

• Jeffrey Lenowitz, Assistant Professor of Politics

November 29, 2016

Panelists:

• Charles Stewart III, Distinguished Professor of Political Science at MIT

• Kay Lehman Schlozman, J. Joseph Moakey Professor of Political Science at Boston College

• David A. Hopkins, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Boston College

September 29, 2016

Interdepartmental Forum: History, Politics and Economics

Panelists:

• George J. Hall (presenting)

• David Hackett Fischer

• Steven L. Burg

• Paul Jankowski

May 4, 2016

"2016: The Constitution at a Crossroads"

May 3, 2016

A Panel Discussion

May 3, 2016

March 22, 2016

A special Primary Season screening of Elia Kazan's classic film, "A Face in the Crowd," with commentary by Prof. Bernie Yack

February 2, 2016

A talk by Colin Kahl, National Security Advisor to Vice President Biden