© The contents of this finding aid are the copyright of the University of Chicago Library
© 2008 University of Chicago Library
The material in Box 4 includes transcripts, grades and other protected student information. This material is restricted for 80 years.
The remainder of the collection is open for research, with no restrictions.
When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: University of Chicago. Department of Political Science. Records, [Box #, Folder #], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library
The Department of Political Science originated with the opening of the University of Chicago in 1892. In the early twentieth century, the department set out to "blaze a new trail in the field of the technical study of political relations," stressing interdisciplinary approaches and closer integration with other science fields. In the early and mid-twentieth century, important faculty in the department included Leo Strauss, Leonard D. White, Herbert G. Storing, Quincy Wright, Charles Merriam, Harold Lasswell and Harold Gosnell. Influential political scientists such as Herbert A. Simon, V.O. Key, Jr. and Gabriel A. Almond were graduates of the department.
This collection documents administrative and teaching activities in the Department of Political Science from the late 1920s through the early 1960s, with a concentration of material in the 1940s-1950s. Many of the files in the collection originated with the department chairman. Material in this collection includes meeting minutes, administrative correspondence, announcements, annual reports, and appointments and budgets with related preparatory material.
While much of the content relates to internal administrative matters, there are also several letters related to academic freedom issues faced by faculty and alumni of the department.
The following related resources are located in the Department of Special Collections: