This month, Betsy Sinclair begins her term as Chair of Political Science and Clarissa Hayward begins as Associate Chair. Sinclair follows outgoing Chair, Margit Tavits, who had served as Chair since 2020.
Professor Sinclair, who was the previous Associate Chair, remarked that as Chair "I'm committed to building a department grounded in both intellectual ferocity as well as radical empathy -- a department that cares a lot about ideas but also about each other." In her scholarly work, her research focuses on the social foundations of participatory democracy — the ways in which social media influences voting, donating, choosing a candidate or identifying with a particular party. Learn more about Professor Sinclair's research and path to WashU here.
Professor Clarissa Hayward comes on as Associate Chair. As a scholar, she is a contemporary political theorist whose research and teaching focus on theories of power, democratic theory, theories of identity, and American urban politics. In her role as Associate Chair, she remarked, "I’m looking forward to being part of this phenomenal team, and helping foster a supportive environment where everyone can thrive, both intellectually and personally." Learn more about Professor Hayward here.
