Contact Information
5030 Cherry Street, 434 Cherry Hall
Kansas City, MO 64110
Phone: (816) 235-1326
Email: polisciandphil@umkc.edu
Department Chair
Rebecca Best
Department Description
Our department is home to nationally and internationally recognized faculty who engage in a variety of fields of inquiry within Political Science and Philosophy. Our faculty publishes in leading academic outlets, frequently conducts externally funded research, and has received numerous teaching awards. We are committed to the growth and success of our undergraduate students in their academic careers and professional objectives, including law school, graduate school, and employment in the public, private, and non-profit sectors.
Our programs provide students with opportunities to complete advanced coursework, engage in undergraduate research, and gain field experience through internships.
Rebecca Best1,2; associate professor of political science; B.A. (East Carolina University); M.A., Ph.D. (University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill).
Bruce Bubacz; curators' professor of philosophy and professor of law; B.A. (Ripon College); M.S., Ph.D. (University of Washington-Seattle).
Debra Leiter1,2; associate professor of political science; B.A. (University of California - San Diego); M.A., Ph.D. (University of California - Davis).
Mona Lyne; associate professor of political science; B.S. (University of California - Berkeley); M.A. (Monterey Institute of International Studies); Ph.D. (University of California - San Diego).
Clancy W. Martin; professor of philosophy; B.A. (Baylor University); Ph.D. (University of Texas at Austin).
J. Antonio Molinar; assistant teaching professor of political science; A.A. (Southwest Texas Junior College); B.A. (Brigham Young University-Hawaii); M.A. (St. John’s University); Ph.D. (University of North Texas)
E. Gwendolyn Nally; associate professor of philosophy; B.A. (James Madison University); M.A., Ph.D. (University of Virginia).
Elizabeth Vonnahme1,2; professor of political science; B.A. (Angelo State University); M.A., Ph.D. (Rice University).
Greg Vonnahme1,2; associate professor of political science; B.S. (University of Iowa); M.A., Ph.D. (Rice University).
Jennifer Wargin; assistant teaching professor; Ph.D. (Texas A&M University).
Benjamin Woodson1,2; associate professor of political science; B.S. (Indiana University); M.A., Ph.D. (Stony Brook University).
Emeriti Faculty
Robert K. Evanson; associate professor emeritus of political science; B.A. (University of Illinois-Urbana); M.A., Ph.D. (University of Wisconsin-Madison).
Robert E. Gamer; professor emeritus of political science; B.A. (Monmouth College); Ph.D. (Brown University).
Dale Allen Neuman; professor emeritus of political science; A.B. (Kenyon College); Ph.D. (Northwestern University).
Max J. Skidmore; curators' professor emeritus of political science; B.S., B.S. Ed. (Southwest Missouri State); M.Ed. (University of Missouri-Columbia); Ph.D. (University of Minnesota).
