POLS 550 - Comparative Politics

Founded in 1903, the American Political Science Association is the leading professional organization for the study of political science and serves more than 12,000 members in more than 80 countries. With a range of programs and services for individuals, departments, and institutions, APSA brings together political scientists from all fields of inquiry, regions, and occupational endeavors within and outside academe to deepen our understanding of politics, democracy, and citizenship throughout the world.

The International Association for Political Science Students (IAPSS) is a platform for political science students and students interested in political science issues. The association is international, politically independent, non-profit and student-run, and aims to have global impact in the political science sphere. IAPSS seeks to strengthen the academic profile and skills of all members by offering various opportunities for development.

IPSA was founded in Paris in 1949 under the aegis of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). The special mandate of IPSA, expressed in its Constitution, is to support the development of political science in all parts of the world, building academic networks linking East and West, North and South. Its aim is to create an inclusive and global political science community in which all can participate. It seeks to promote collaboration between scholars in emerging and established democracies and to support the academic freedoms needed for the social sciences to flourish.

The International Studies Association is one of the oldest interdisciplinary associations dedicated to understanding international, transnational and global affairs.

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.