Drury University Political Science and International Affairs Department

07/13/2026

Congratulations to Drury Political Science and Middle East Studies alumna Rachel Abdoler on completing her PhD from the University of Chicago and appointment as Assistant Dean!

06/16/2026

06/11/2026

Fantastic experiences on the History and Political Science departments' Rome Study Abroad program! A Drury shout out at the Papal Audience and visits including the UN Food and Agriculture Organization HQ. At today's visit to the lower house of parliament (Chamber of Deputies), Italy's Prime Minister Georgia Meloni spoke to the chamber during debate.

05/10/2026

Spring graduation always marks the moment between an ending and a beginning— and it’s always bittersweet. We’ll miss this group of graduates, but we’re even more excited to see where life takes them next. Congratulations to the Class of 2026!

Unfortunately, Professors Jeff VandenBerg, Crista Hogan, and Justin Leinaweaver were unable to attend graduation, but we were all able to celebrate
at the department’s year-end banquet, a couple of weeks ago. 

05/01/2026

Round two of oral arguments in Dr. Ponder's PLSC 335: Supreme Court and Constitutional Law class was another great success.

Different students, a different case, and a different set of judges—but the same result: our students did us proud once again. They delivered thoughtful, well-prepared arguments, handled tough questions with composure, and represented Drury extremely well.

This round featured Chiles v. Salazar, a First Amendment free speech case involving counseling and conversion therapy. Judges Bates (who has been part of this exercise since our very first case, Heller v. DC, back in 2008), Goodman, and Hammer pushed the students with challenging questions while also offering helpful, constructive feedback.

A great way to wrap up. We'll do it again in two years!

04/29/2026

Half the class in Dr. Dan Ponder’s PLSC 335: Supreme Court and Constitutional Law case wrapped up their Supreme Court arguments yesterday—after braving torrential rain, hail, and wind to get there—and then arguing before actual judges from the Missouri Court of Appeals. They were outstanding.

This is not an easy assignment. Students have to master a complex constitutional law case, write a full brief, and then stand up and defend their arguments under sustained questioning. Today’s case, Hamm v. Smith, raised difficult Eighth Amendment questions and even required students to grapple with statistics—thinking carefully about IQ testing, standard error, and how courts assess culpability. They handled all of it with impressive clarity and confidence!

The judges offered generous and well-earned praise, and it was great to see the students rise to the moment. MANY thanks to Chief Judge Jennifer Growcock, and Judges Becky West and Byan Nickell for putting in the time to read the students' written briefs and then listen to argument and provide feedback. Also a shoutout to Professor Crista Hogan, who showed up for moral support and provided a few candid pictures from a different angle.

Round two tomorrow (April 30): the rest of the class will argue Childers v. Salazar, a First Amendment case involving counseling and conversion therapy.

04/28/2026

A wonderful time at our spring banquet last week celebrating graduating seniors, new Pi Sigma Alpha Political Science Honorary inductees, department award recipients, and recognizing all the amazing achievements of our students this year!

04/27/2026

Congratulations to the many Political Science students who shared their research and certificate capstone projects at Fusion Day! Here's a few pics...