Political Science Professor Reflects On 50 Years of Political Science

In late April, the Davidson College chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, a political science honors fraternity, inducted 40 new members. Ron Schmidt, adjunct professor of political science and longtime Pi Sigma Alpha member, welcomed the new class with a reflection on more than 50 years of teaching and studying political science.

Prof. Schmidt cast their field of study as an examination of the forces that bind us to one another.

"Politics, I believe, is nothing more or less than the effort, the work, in which we engage to try to live together as well as we can under conditions of interdependence, difference and conflict."

And understanding how we are connected is essential for civilization to keep improving.

"There is no way to advance our lives together to realize and experience well-being and excellence without coming to a better understanding of the political nature of human existence."

Finally, Schmidt asked the members of the Alpha Iota Upsilon chapter to focus their study on positive change:

"I hope you will do what you can to help bring people together to make something good happen, again and again and again. And I hope that you don't ever give up, that you don't ever despair, because while we can't know in advance the good that can be done when we work together, we do know that no good will come of not trying."