History

History

Established in 1914, the Department of Political Science at Indiana University Bloomington is one of the oldest in the country. Our faculty analyze problems of vital interest to the nation and world.

  1. 1820

    Founding of Indiana University.

  2. 1885

    Political Science’s presence as an academic discipline acknowledged as IU’s Department of History became the Department of History and Political Science.

  3. 1914

    Department of Political Science established with Amos Shartle Hershey, who joined the Department of American History and Politics in 1895, as its first chairperson. Hershey was the nucleus around which Political Science at Indiana University evolved into a separate department.

  4. 1934

    Department name changed to Government.

  5. 1961-62

    Professor Charles Hyneman serves as president of the American Political Science Association. Prior to returning to Bloomington as a faculty member, Hyneman earned his B.A. and M.A. degrees at IU and was among the department’s earliest graduate students.

  6. 1969

    Department name changed back to Political Science.

  7. 1973

    Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis founded.

  8. 1996-97

    Professor Elinor Ostrom serves as president of the American Political Science Association.

  9. 2009

    Political Science Professor Elinor Ostrom awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics.

  10. 2014

    Department celebrates 100 years.