School of Public and Global Affairs

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The School of Public and Global Affairs spans academic boundaries within the university to foster interdisciplinary programs and collaborative relationships among students, staff, and faculty throughout Northern Illinois University. Membership in the school includes the Department of Economics (ECON), the Department of Political Science (POLS), Department of Public Administration (PSPA), the Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies (NNGO) (see also those individual sections in the catalog), and individual memberships, especially faculty engaged with specific interdisciplinary degree programs.

The school is focused on the interdisciplinary nature of governance problems and issues with an emphasis on public, private, and nonprofit collaborative relationships that seek to improve communities and individuals in the United States and around the world. The school fosters and supports collaboration by member units and individuals to address public affairs challenges with interdisciplinary curricula, scholarship, training, and professional and public services with a local, national, and global perspective. The school supports the degrees, minors, and certificates offered by member units.

The Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies (NNGO) is an interdisciplinary, faculty-governed center that engages in a range of activities that support leadership and development of domestic and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), with a particular focus on regional and global NGOs that are headquartered in northern Illinois. Faculty, staff, and students work with the NGO sector in research, education and training, and engagement to promote the professionalization of NGO management and to increase their capacities to provide services to their clients. Faculty from throughout the university participate in its activities.

The Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies offers both a B.A. and a B.S. degree for a major in nonprofit and NGO studies that is designed primarily for students seeking a career in public affairs in government, voluntary social agencies, and public interest groups. Each student must complete the required courses of the major along with an emphasis field. Several university departments participate in the major in community leadership and civic engagement.

Nonprofit and NGO Studies Faculty

Alicia Schatteman, Ph.D., Rutgers University, assistant professor, acting director
Laura Heideman, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, assistant professor
Mark Schuller, Ph.D., University of California, assistant professor

The Department of Political Science offers the B.A. and B.S. degree with a major in political science with emphases in politics, public law, public administration and service, and international politics.

The emphasis in politics is designed for students who want maximum flexibility within their program of study or wish to create a particular specialization within political science, such as American government, biopolitics, or political theory.

The emphasis in public law is designed for political science students interested in public law, although students seeking admission to law school need not be political science majors nor must they follow any particular course of study. Students with an interest in pre-law should see “Pre-professional Studies.”

The emphasis in public administration and service is designed primarily for students seeking a career in public affairs in federal, state, or local governments; in voluntary social agencies or public interest groups; and for careers in business emphasizing the interaction between private enterprise and government.

The emphasis in international politics is for students seeking international careers, especially in governmental agencies and business.

Internship opportunities with academic credit are available through the department.  Interested students should contact the department’s internship coordinator.

The department also offers a minor for students with an interest in politics. In addition, it participates in the interdisciplinary minors in black studies, Chinese/Japanese studies, classical studies, environmental studies, gerontology, international studies, Latino and Latin American studies, public administration, Southeast Asian studies, urban studies, and women’s studies. Non-majors can use one of several lower-division political science courses toward fulfilling the university’s general education requirements in the social sciences area.

Department Restriction

A student may take no more than 15 semester hours in 100- and 200-level political science courses to be counted toward a political science major and no more than 9 semester hours in 100- and 200-level political science courses to be counted toward a political science minor.

Course List

Many of the courses offered by the department relate to more than one of the seven fields of political science. However, as a general guide to the student, the following numbering system is used.

-00 to -09, American government
-10 to -19, Public law
-20 to -39, Public policy/public administration
-40 to -49, Empirical theory and behavior
-50 to -59, Political theory
-60 to -79, Comparative politics
-80 to -89, International relations
-90 to -99, General

Political Science Faculty

Larry E. Arnhart, Ph.D., University of Chicago, Distinguished Research Professor, adjunct professor emeritus
Bradford Bishop, Ph.D., Duke University, assistant professor
Michael Clark, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara, associate professor
Gary D. Glenn, Ph.D., University of Chicago, Distinguished Teaching Professor, adjunct professor emeritus
Kikue Hamayotsu, Ph.D., Australian National University, associate professor
Rebecca J. Hannagan, Ph.D., University of Nebraska, associate professsor
Shweta Moorthy, Ph.D., University of Illinois, assistant professor
J. Mitchell Pickerill, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, associate professor
Andrea Radasanu, Ph.D., University of Toronto, associate professor
Scot Schraufnagel, Ph.D., Florida State University, associate professor
S. Adam Seagrave, Ph.D., University of Notre Dame, assistant professor
Matthew J. Streb, Ph.D., Indiana University, professor, chair
H. Brendon Swedlow, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, associate professor 
Kheang Un, Ph.D., Northern Illinois University, assistant professor
Daniel H. Unger, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, associate professor
Artemus E. Ward, Ph.D., Syracuse University, professor
Mikel L. Wyckoff, Ph.D., University of Maryland, adjunct associate professor emeritus

Department of Public Administration (PSPA)

The mission of the Department of Public Administration is to advance excellence in public management by preparing men and women for public service careers. The department focuses principally on the dynamics of leading and managing organizations that address political, social, economic, environmental, and administrative problems in the public and non-profit sectors. The department has no undergraduate major. Rather, it provides service courses to a wide variety of majors and minors, including majors in POLS, BSAM and NNGO; and minors in black studies, urban studies, and public administration to support undergraduate students who aspire to a public service career.

Public Administration Faculty

Kurt M. Thurmaier, Ph.D., Syracuse University, Presidential Engagement Professor, chair
Li-Yin Liu, Northern Illinois University, Visiting Assistant Professor
Michael T. Peddle, Ph.D., Northwestern University, associate professor, assistant chair
Alicia M. Schatteman, Ph.D., Rutgers University, assistant professor
Eric S. Zeemering, Ph.D. Indiana University, associate professor

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