Political theory is the study of the concepts and principles that people use to describe, explain, and evaluate political events and institutions. Major areas of research bringing together clusters of NYU political theorists include democratic theory, Marxist thought, and nineteenth century political thought. M.A. students specializing in Political Theory at NYU can expect to be exposed to a wide variety of subject matters and theoretical approaches.  An atmosphere of robust pluralism prevails within the political theory concentration.

Some of the current political theory faculty research topics include: the liberal tradition, Marxist thought, critical theory, dialectical analysis, justice, nationalism, the state, the rights and democratic theories, among other topics.

In addition to our faculty, the NYU’s regional centers and institutes are a vital source of interdisciplinary engagement for students who aim to obtain an in-depth knowledge of a given area. For a list of NYU Institutes and Centers click here.

For a list of faculty teaching in the area of Political Theory, click here.