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American Politics is a large subfield within the Department. If there is a unifying theme running through our collectivity it is our shared focus on the politics of democratic procedure in the United States. Some of us focus on institutions, whether Congress, the presidency, the courts, or the process of public policy formation and implementation. Others study the historical development of American politics and the American state. And a number of us examine American political behavior.

Students who embark on graduate work at the University of Virginia will be trained to use a broad set of methodological approaches to study American politics. Quantitative and historical methods are predominant, but students are exposed to all major analytical approaches used by political scientists investigating the United States. In short, our combination of substantive range and methodological scope makes Virginia a great place to study the ideas, individuals, and institutions of American politics.