Student Opportunities

Political science majors may elect to take up to 3 credit hours in the major, by enrolling in the internship course (POLS 4398-Applied Experience). If it fits into their degree plan, majors may additionally enroll for up to 3 credit hours of general elective credits and continue with an internship in CRIJ 4398-Applied Experience. Political science majors have interned with a variety of public and private organizations, such as: the Nueces County District Attorney, the City of Corpus Christi, Chamber of Commerce, federal and state elected officials, political campaigns, attorneys, and various non-profit organizations. For more information contact:

Dr. Jeff Dillard: Jeff.Dillard@tamucc.edu

At the sole discretion of various faculty in the department, students may be given the opportunity to undertake independent research and learning activities through a special topics course arrangement in the individual faculty member’s area of expertise (POLS-4390). For more information, please contact faculty directly.

College Republicans
Contact, Dr. Kevin Kearns: kevin.kearns@tamucc.edu

Texas College Democrats
Contact, TBA:

College Libertarians
The purpose of the College Libertarians is to educate the university, as well as the broader coastal bend community, about libertarian ideas and values. These values include individual rights, as well as an adherence to the principles of limited government. Furthermore, the College Libertarians will promote the election of libertarian-minded individuals to public office. 

Contact, Dr. Jeff Dillard: Jeff.Dillard@tamucc.edu

Political Science Club

The Political Science Club is a non-partisan organization that organizes events to increase political awareness and encourage civic participation among students. To better understand government and politics, we organize discussions and debates with invited speakers. We host watch parties for current events, such as the State of the Union, and movies related to contemporary politics. We promote civic participation by helping with voter registration and providing information about elections on campus. 

For its efforts, the club won the TAMU-CC UCSO Organization of the Year Award in 2021.

Join Political Science Club on iEngage! 

Contact: Dr. Sanne Rijkhoff: sanne.rijkhoff@tamucc.edu

 

Each semester some faculty receive funding to pay for student assistants to help with classroom assignments. Faculty may additionally have funds set aside for student assistants through grant funded research. For more information please contact individual faculty directly.

ISLANDERS VOTE: Democracy Fellowships

The Islanders Vote (I-VOTE) and Civic Opportunities and Voter Engagement (COVE) programs at Texas A&M University – Campus Christi are seeking students who are passionate about democratic engagement, politically interested and are self-starters to help peers register and vote and engage them in dialogue around democracy through a fellowship.

Fellowships are provided by the Campus Vote Project which is dedicated to helping students gain access to the ballot and increasing youth voter turnout. Fellows are an integral part of carrying out voter engagement and empowerment at institutions of higher education across the country.

• Two Fellowships are available for the Fall 2023 and following semesters.
• All New Democracy Fellows will receive a $700 stipend at the end of their first semester with Campus Vote Project.
• All Returning Democracy Fellows will receive a $900 stipend at the end of each subsequent semester with Campus Vote Project.
• Fellows are invited to join the biannual Texas Voting Summit.
• Islanders Vote and the Fellowships and strictly non-partisan.

The campus coordinator at TAMU-CC is Dr. Rijkhoff who has mentored the Democracy Fellows since the Fall 2020 semester. If you are interested in learning more, or would like to apply for the 2023 fellowship program, see the full Fellowship description or contact the Islanders Vote coordinator Sanne.Rijkhoff@tamucc.edu.

College Debates and Discourse Alliance: 2024 Civil Discourse Fellowship

• Are you worried about increasing polarization and do you desire to bridge the political divide?
• Are you passionate about the free exchange of thoughts and do you like to have open, honest, and respectful discussions on topics that are often avoided?
• Are you looking for an opportunity to organize structured discussions on campus as part of a fellowship that comes with a stipend of $1,000 per semester?

If this sounds like you then you should apply to become a Civil Discourse Fellow! The Political Science Program at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi in collaboration with Braver Angels, hosts non-partisan debates on our campus. Everyone, TAMU-CC students, faculty, and community members, is invited to join these respectful conversations touching all sides of a challenging issue. Dr. Rijkhoff (sanne.rijkhoff@tamucc.edu) coordinates these debates on campus.

These civil discussions and debates are not competitive or performative events separating speakers and audiences. Instead, they are immersive and highly participatory, inviting everyone in the room to express themselves freely in a collective search for truth. Since the Fall 2021 semester there have been five campuswide discussions at TAMU-CC covering topics such as abortion, gun rights, and free speech.

Funded by a $1.26 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation (JTF Grant 62358), the College Debates and Discourse (CD&D) program of Braver Angels is conducting a two-year research project between January 2023 and December 2024. Ten college institutions, including Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi have been designated for the project. Each campus includes one Faculty Fellow and two Student Fellows per semester. The Faculty Fellow of the Braver Angels Community of Practice at TAMU-CC is Dr. Sanne Rijkhoff, sanne.rijkhoff@tamucc.edu.

Fellowships of $1,000 per semester for the Spring and Fall 2024 semesters are still available. Fellowships are provided by the College Debates and Discourse Alliance and their debates program that teaches students to honor ideological diversity, foster civil discourse on college campuses, and cultivate student and faculty leaders. For more information contact the Faculty Fellow of the Braver Angels Community of Practice Dr. Sanne Rijkhoff, sanne.rijkhoff@tamucc.edu.

Our current Fall 2023 semester student fellows are Lucas Rice (senior, Political Science Major & Communication Studies Major) and Lilian Crane (first year, Psychology Major & Communication Studies Major).