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School of Social and Political Sciences

The School of Social and Political Sciences (SSPS), created in 2008, is the fastest growing and most dynamic centre of its kind in Australasia. In its first year of operation SSPS hired some 20 new academic staff including renowned Chairs in Chinese Politics (David Goodman), Migration Studies (Stephen Castles), and Democratic Theory (John Keane). Simon Tormey, an authority on contemporary political thought, was appointed the first Head of School in February 2009.

SSPS will be expanding further in 2011 with the appointment of full professors in Government and IR, and Sociology and Social Policy, and lectureships across the School in fields including International Relations, Public Policy, Development Studies, Political Economy and Human Rights. By the end of this period the new School will have been bolstered by the appointment of some forty world-class academic members of staff, representing a major investment in the social sciences at Sydney.

SSPS is renowned for the quality of its teaching and research in politics, sociology, anthropology, political economy and social policy. We enjoy close relations with cognate parts of the University of Sydney including, China Studies Centre, the United States Studies Centre, the Faculty of Education and Social Work and the Faculty of Law.

SSPS is home to a number of collaborative networks and research initiatives. These include the Markets and Society Research Network, the Biopolitics of Science Research Network and the ARC funded Social Transformation and International Migration project, led by Professor Stephen Castles. It is also home to the EU funded Human Rights and Democratisation initiative that works with regional partners in Indonesia, Thailand, Nepal and Sri Lanka to offer innovative training opportunities to students across the region.

Whether you are a student looking for an exciting and expansive range of courses or an academic keen to join us for employment or research purposes, you will be joining the most vibrant and outward-looking community of social scientists in Australia.

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