In 1969, Mae C. King was the first woman and first African-American woman to serve as a Senior Staff Associate for the Association.[6] And in 2007, Dianne Pinderhughes served as the first African-American woman president of the association.[7]
APSA administers the Centennial Center for Political Science and Public Affairs, which offers fellowships, conference, research space and grants for scholars, and administers Pi Sigma Alpha, the honor society for political science students. It also periodically sponsors seminars and other events for political scientists, policymakers, the media, and the general public.
Conferences and meetings
The association broadly aims to encourage scholarly understanding of political ideas, norms, behaviors, and institutions, and to inform public choices about government, governance, and public policy. APSA's mission is to "support excellence in scholarship and teaching and informed discourse about politics, policy and civic participation."[8] APSA conducts several annual conferences, which provide an environment for scholars and other professionals to network and present their work, along with other pertinent and useful resources. The APSA Annual Meeting is among the world's largest gatherings of political scientists. It occurs on Labor Day weekend each summer.
The APSA Teaching and Learning Conference is a smaller working group conference hosting cutting-edge approaches, techniques, and methodologies for the political science classroom. The conference provides a forum for scholars to share effective and innovative teaching and learning models and to discuss broad themes and values of political science education—especially the scholarship of teaching and learning.
With funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, APSA has organized political science workshops in various locations in Africa, APSA Africa Workshops.[9] The first workshop was convened in Dakar, Senegal in partnership with the West African Research Center from July 6–27, 2008. The annual residential workshops are led by a joint U.S. and African organizing team and aimed at mid-and junior-level scholars residing in Africa. They will enhance the capacities of political scientists and their resources in East and West Africa while also providing a forum for supporting their ongoing research. Each three week workshop brings together up to 30 scholars and cover substantive issues, methodologies, and reviews of research. See also, APSA International Programs.
Centennial Center for Political Science and Public Affairs
Through its facilities and endowed funding programs, APSA'S Centennial Center for Political Science and Public Affairs supports political science teaching, research, and public engagement. Opened in 2003, the centenary of APSA's establishment, the Centennial Center encourages individual research and writing in all fields of political science, facilitates collaboration among scholars working within the discipline and across the social and behavioral sciences and humanities, and promotes communication between scholars and the public.[10]
The Centennial Center, its facilities, and research support programs continue to be made possible in part through the donations of APSA members. It assists APSA members with the costs of research, including travel, interviews, access to archives, or costs for a research assistant. Funds can also be used to assist scholars in publishing their research. Grants can range in size from $500 to $10,000, depending upon the research fund.[10]
Congressional Fellowship Program
The APSA Congressional Fellowship Program is a nonpartisan program devoted to expanding awareness of Congress. Since 1953, it has brought political scientists, journalists, federal employees, health specialists, and other professionals to Capitol Hill to experience Congress at work through fellowship placements on congressional staffs.[11]
Publications
One key component of APSA's mission is to support political science education and the professional development of its practitioners. The APSA publications program attempts to fill the diverse needs of political scientists in academic settings as well as practitioners working outside of academia, and students at various stages of their education:[12][13]
32. Elections, Public Opinion, and Voting Behavior
33. Race, Ethnicity and Politics
34. International History and Politics
35. Comparative Democratization
36. Human Rights
37. Qualitative and Multi-method Research
38. Sexuality and Politics
39. Health Politics and Policy
40. Canadian Politics
41. Political Networks
42. Experimental Research
43. Migration and Citizenship
44. African Politics
45. Class and Inequality
46. Ideas, Knowledge and Politics
47. American Political Thought
48. International Collaboration
49. Middle East and North Africa Politics
50. Civic Engagement
51. Education Politics and Policy
52. Formal Theory
53. International Relations Theory
54. American Political Economy
55. South Asian Politics
Awards
To recognize excellence in the profession, the Association offers awards in the following categories:
Dissertation Awards
Paper and Article Awards
Book Awards
Career Awards
Teaching Award and Campus Teaching Award Recognition
These awards are presented at the Association's Annual Meeting.[14]
In addition to the APSA awards, the APSA organized sections also present over 200 awards annually to recognize important research and contributions to the profession. These awards are presented at the section's business meetings and receptions, held in conjunction with the APSA Annual Meeting.
Notes
↑The numbers in the list represent the official number for the sections. The missing sections/numbers (e.g. 12) represent sections that disbanded.
↑Willoughby-Herard, Tiffany; Harper-Shipman, T. D.; Tait, Kira; Turner, Robin L.; Jones, Tara (2025). "Transforming Political Science: Founding the Transnational Black Womxn Scholars of African Politics Research Network". In Lewis-Maddox, Angela K. (ed.). Disrupting Political Science: Black Women Reimagining the Discipline. Albany: State University of New York Press. p.128. ISBN9798855800876.
