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U.S. Domestic and Regional Political Science Associations

Great Plains Political Science Association

The Great Plains Political Science Association was created in 1997 to promote the study of political science and public affairs. The association has been particularly interested in supporting academic study of these topics and does so through its annual conference that serves as a forum for both faculty and student presentations, faculty development and public affairs workshops.

The association holds its annual conference in the spring of each year and invites papers on a broad range of political science research.

Midwest Political Science Association

Website: http://www.mpsanet.org

The Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA) is a national organization of over three thousand political science faculty, students, and public administrators. Founded in 1939, the MPSA is dedicated to the advancement of scholarship in all areas of political science.

The purposes of the MPSA are to promote the professional study and teaching of political science, to facilitate communications between those engaged in such study, and to develop standards for and encourage research in theoretical and practical political problems. As such, MPSA is a nonpartisan association. It does not support political parties or candidates.

The National Capital Area Political Science Association

National Conference of Black Political Scientists

Website: www.ncobps.org

The National Conference of Black Political Scientists (NCOBPS) is a professional organization that was organized in 1969 at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to study, enhance, and promote the political aspirations of people of African descent, in the United States and through-out the world. It aims to contribute to the resolution of the many challenges that black people confront. Our organization promotes research in and critical analysis of topics usually overlooked and/or marginalized in political science scholarship. We believe that our scholarship must address wide-ranging “real world” issues and not the narrow, and often manufactured, concerns of the discipline.

NCOBPS has a broad membership of political science faculty, students, elected politicians, and policy analysts. Its members are committed to the study and practice of black politics, both here and abroad. The scholarly interests of NCOBPS members span the range of political science sub-fields – political theory, international relations, comparative politics, methods, public policy, and American politics. The professional pursuits of NCOBPS members are similarly varied, ranging from public policy analysis to international consultancies to elected office.

Please visit our website for more information about the Annual Meetings, Annual Awards and Graduate Assistantship Program, Inc. (GAP) scholarships guidelines and deadlines.

New England Political Science Association

Website: http://www.nepsanet.org/

Within the New England region, the Association seeks to facilitate the exchange of knowledge among persons interested in political science; to encourage research on political matters; to improve the teaching of political science; and to advance generally the practices and art of politics and governance.

Northeastern Political Science Association

Website: www.northeasternpsa.com

The Northeastern Political Science Association is one of the leading regional professional organizations in the United States for the study of politics. Every year, at its annual conference, the NPSA brings together hundreds of political scientists from all fields of study and from all parts of the United States and the world for the purpose of enhancing and expanding their knowledge of politics.

Pacific Northwest Political Science Association

Southern Political Science Association

Website: www.spsa.net/

The Southern Political Science Association (SPSA) is a non-partisan professional organization composed of over one thousand members drawn from throughout the United States and the international community who are devoted to the study and teaching of political science.

Founded in 1929, it seeks to promote interest and research in theoretical and practical political problems and to encourage communication and respect between persons engaged in the professional study and practice of government and politics. The association recognizes excellence in scholarship and public service through:

  • publishing the Journal of Politics,
  • hosting an annual conference, and
  • presenting awards for outstanding academic contributions.

You must be a member of the Association in order to register for and participate in the upcoming conference. For additional information about the SPSA and its annual conference you can access its homepage: www.spsa.net This homepage will link you to procedures for joining the association, submitting conference proposals and making hotel reservations.

Southwestern Political Science Association

Website: www.swpsa.org/

The Southwestern Political Science Association (SWPSA) is an affiliate of the Southwestern Social Science Association, which also has affiliates in economics, history, international affairs, sociology, social work, and a women's caucus. The SSSA is the largest interdisciplinary professional organization in the social sciences, and accordingly has national stature and a national reputation. While the annual meeting was originally attended by individuals almost exclusively from the southwestern United States, recent years have witnessed a growth in attendance from other areas of the country and internationally.  Political Science is the largest of the affiliates in the SSSA, and also one of the most professional and progressive. Members of the SWPSA/SSSA receive a subscription to the Social Science Quarterly.

Western Political Science Association

Website: http://wpsa.research.pdx.edu/

Founded in 1948, the Western Political Science Association is an association of more than 1000 political scientists. The WPSA is headquartered at California State University at Sacramento. The purpose of the association is to promote the study and teaching of government and politics, to foster research and to facilitate the discussion of public affairs.

The official region of the WPSA includes both the western states of the United States and the western provinces of Canada: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan. WPSA members reside primarily in the western region, but approximately one-third of our members come from outside the region. The WPSA conducts an annual conference at sites which rotate throughout the region. Approximately 700 to 900 political scientists participate in these meetings which feature 150 to 175 panels and other special sessions on politics. The journal of the WPSA is Political Research Quarterly, owned and published by the University of Utah. WPSA also publishes Politics, Groups, and Identities, available online.

Western Social Science Association

Website: http://wssa.asu.edu/

The Western Social Science Association (WSSA) is committed to multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary scholarship, service, and collegiality. The WSSA advances scholarship, teaching, service and professional exchange across the social science disciplines.

The association’s mission is to foster professional study, to advance research, and to promote the teaching of social science. Founded in 1958 as the Rocky Mountain Social Science Association, WSSA draws on scholars and others in some 30 disciplines, or “sections,” from across the United States, Canada, and Mexico; convenes an annual conference; conducts research competitions for faculty and students; and publishes The Social Science Journal, a juried, quarterly research journal, and WSSA News, the association’s newsletter, three times a year.