Our department combines world-class research with an innovative and intensive approach to teaching undergraduates and PhD students. Founded in 1974, we are by far the youngest of the globe’s top departments. UC San Diego Department of Political Science took its place among our ivy-covered peers not by following their traditions but carving out our own paths, helping to change the way that our discipline approaches the study of the political world. We bring the same passion for non-tradition into our classrooms, where we try to provide our students with courses on subjects they never knew existed, assignments that challenge them to perform professional-level work, and research tools they can use to explore their own questions.