UMass Amherst

Vincent G. Moscardelli

Political Science

Ph.D., Emory University


Professor Vincent Moscardelli didn't always imagine himself becoming a political scientist. At 19, an internship in Washington, D.C., with a member of Congress sparked his interest in politics. The experience on Capitol Hill and the encouragement of his professors led him to pursue a career in Political Science. "It's about asking difficult questions and searching for systematic elements in something that appears to be random."

Last year, he returned to Washington on a prestigious Congressional Fellowship from the American Political Science Association, serving on the staff of Senator Richard Durbin, the Democratic Whip. He is currently "investigating the ways legislative leaders use institutional changes to pursue their policy goals."

Professor Moscardelli encourages his students to think analytically and evaluate the political system objectively. "Students get a lot of exposure to the negative stories about how the political system operates. It doesn't work perfectly but I want them to evaluate the system critically and honestly."

He does this through his honors colloquia, seminars and learning community courses in American government and politics, as well as involving students in his research. Recently, a sophomore, through an honors research fellowship, helped him "collect data on how the organization of Senate committees reflects the goals of the committee chairmen," while seniors have taken his graduate seminar on legislative politics as part of their honors thesis research. "It's rewarding to see students develop over the course of four years."