Skip to content
student ambassador stands with back to camera addressing a group of visitors to campus
Our next Open Day - 17 October 2026
Whether you're just starting to explore university options, or are an offer holder looking to narrow down choices, our Open Days are for you. Book your place and find out more about us.
Two female students consult the Essex Find Your Way app on a mobile device outside the Albert Sloman Library
Welcome and Orientation 2026-27
We can't wait to meet our new students. As we get closer to the start of the new academic year, we'll be adding lots more information about events, activities and getting started at Essex.
What's on
Image of the Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall with people walking in and out
Departmental inductions
Monday 5 October - Friday 9 October 9am - 6pm Colchester Campus
Square 3
Colchester Welcome Village
Monday 5 October 11am - 2pm Colchester Campus
Host an event at Essex
Latest news
Happy students smiling together on campus
Essex cements top 30 ranking in Complete University Guide
25 years of student science celebrated at milestone conference
Essex blog
Colchester coastline
Centre for Coastal Communities Newsletter October 2026
Dr Emily Murray
Essex Rebels womens volleyball team embrace on court mid-game at Essex Sport Arena 2025-26 season
Medals, mates and moving on
Michelle Rushbrooke
University of Essex homepage Departments Government Events
Department of Government

Our events

A close up of a microphone with a blurred crowded room in the background.

Join us

The Department of Government hosts a varied programme of exciting engagements, from open research seminars to graduate conferences. We provide a lively calendar of events, designed to pique your interest and share the very latest thinking from leading experts in the field of politics.

View our upcoming events
Students sitting in a lecture theatre
Join us for the Regius Lecture on 22 October 2026

Professor Kristian Gleditsch will deliver the annual public Regius Lecture on 22 October 2026, followed by a roundtable discussion. This year the topic under discussion is; 'Does the liberal peace remain relevant in an era of apparent democratic decline?'

Find out more

2025-2026 events

A person on a sofa using a laptop to browse online.
View our events calendar

Find out about the very latest events from the Department of Government, including workshops, seminars, conferences and public lectures Many of our regular face-to-face events are now being held online and can be accessed digitally wherever you are.

View our upcoming events

Discover our annual conferences and lectures

Annual Regius Lecture
Our annual Regius Lecture invites world-class scholars in political science to present their work to the University of Essex community.
Annual Student Conference
Organised by students, for students. Our Annual Student Conference is an excellent opportunity to share ideas and develop new skills.

Meet a selection of our external speakers

Our international research network comprises of some of the most high profile academics working in the field of politics today. Some of our most notable external speakers include:

Dr Janet Box-Steffensmeier

Dr Janet Box-Steffensmeier

Vernal Riffe Professor of Political Science and Professor of Sociology

Department of Political Science, The Ohio State University

Professor Gary King

Professor Gary King

Albert J. Weatherhead III University Professor and Director of the Institute for Quantitative Social Science

Department of Government, Harvard University

Professor Helen V. Milner

Professor Helen V. Milner

B.C. Forbes Professor of Politics and International Affairs

Princeton School of Public & International Affairs, Princeton University

Also see
Visit the Politics Society at Essex
Follow the Department of Government on Facebook
Follow the Department of Government on Twitter
Upcoming events
October Open Day
17.10.26
The Regius Lecture 2026: Does the liberal peace remain relevant in an era of apparent democratic decline?
22.10.26
November Open Day
07.11.26
Contact us
Department of Government University of Essex
Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, CO4 3SQ
Telephone: 01206 872759
Life at Essex
What it's like to live at Essex
Accommodation
Find your new home
Open Days
Come see for yourself
WE ARE
ESSEX ARE YOU?
Sign up for a prospectus Explore our courses
STUDY
Find a course
LIFE
RESEARCH
EXPLORE
CONTACT US
Contact


  • +44 (0) 1206 873333
  • University of Essex
  • Wivenhoe Park
  • Colchester CO4 3SQ

 

 

CONNECT WITH US
© 2026 University of Essex. All rights reserved
login