Political Science
Faculty: Giancarlo Panagia, Marie Paxton, Michael Zarkin
Program Goals
- To develop effective verbal and written communication skills
- To develop the ability to critique and conduct research
- To demonstrate collaborative problem solving skills
- To develop critical thinking skills
- To develop practices of global responsibility
Objectives
Political Science offers an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts academic major. With political science as its core focus, the major includes relevant courses from a number of disciplines. The curriculum stresses student mastery of a variety of allied subjects to enhance understanding of the global and domestic contexts of politics. The major prepares students for further study in law or graduate school; to enter public service careers in government or international organizations; to work in nongovernmental organizations; to work in the private sector, the policy arena, the political/legislative process; to work in domestic, transnational, or international/global civil society organizations, movements, or activism; or to conduct research.
The Political Science minor offers non-majors a flexible academic program for exploring politics in both the domestic and global contexts. The curriculum can be designed to fit the needs of students pursuing a variety of careers including public service, civil society organizations, law, global affairs, business, education and mass communication. Students should work with their minor advisor to choose appropriate coursework.
Program Requirements
Students must maintain a cumulative 2.5 GPA in courses required to complete the major. Additional recommended coursework may be taken in a number of disciplines, depending upon approved student interests. Students choosing a double major or minor in any of the fields included within the political science major may not apply a course to more than one major or minor. It is strongly recommended that students take DATA 220 (Introduction to Statistics). Moreover, while the Political Science major requires only 8 credit hours of a world language, students are strongly advised to take up to 16 hours (two full years, four semesters, or equivalent preparation) of a world language.
Students must meet the college-wide graduation requirements in addition to the Political Science major:
- 124 total hours
- 30 upper division hours
- WCore or Honors requirements
Political Science Major
Requirement Description | Credit Hours | Prerequisites |
I. World Language Requirement | 8 | |
Political Studies majors must complete eight credit hours in a single world language. | ||
II. Lower Division Courses | 7 | |
PLSC 106 Explorations in Politics (4) | ||
PLSC 203 Courts, Law, and Social Justice (3) | ||
III. Upper Division Courses | 28 | |
The following three classes are required (12):
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Take two of the following courses (8):
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Take two of the following courses (8):
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IV. Electives | 15-16 | |
COMM 336 Public Relations Principles (4) | ||
DATA 150 Data and Society (4) | ||
ECON 253 Elementary Macroeconomics (3) | MATH 101 or above | |
ECON 263 Elementary Microeconomics (3) | MATH 101 or above | |
ENVI 351 The Global Environment (4) | ENVI 101 | |
JUST 310 Law and Society (4) | ||
JUST 350 Criminal Law (4) | ||
PHIL 102 Critical Thinking (4) | ||
PHIL 303 Formal Logic (4) | PHIL 102 | |
PHIL 312 Applied Ethics (4) | PHIL 102 | |
PLSC 300 Special Topics in Political Science (1-4) | ||
PLSC 327 Environmental Politics and Policy (4) | ||
PLSC 401 Directed Studies (1-4) | ||
PLSC 440 Internship (1-8) | ||
PUBH 250 Global Health (4) | ||
SOC 205 Social Problems (4) | ||
SOC 372 Race, Ethnicity, and Class (4) | ||
TOTAL HOURS FOR POLITICAL SCIENCE MAJOR | 58-59 |
Recommended Plan of Study for Political Science Major
Fall Semester | Spring Semester | |
Freshman Year | PLSC 106 Language I WCore classes |
Language II WCore classes |
Sophomore Year | PLSC 203 PLSC 367 WCore classes |
PLSC upper division Major elective |
Junior Year | PLSC upper division Major elective |
PLSC upper division Major elective |
Senior Year | PLSC 390 PLSC upper division |
PLSC 490 Major elective |
Political Science Minor
Students must maintain a cumulative 2.5 GPA in courses required for the political science minor. Students choosing a double major or minor may not apply a class to more than one major or minor except in the case of core requirements.For course prerequisites, please refer to the course description.
Requirement Description | Credit Hours | Prerequisites |
I. Required Courses | 12 | |
PLSC 106 Explorations in Politics (4)PLSC 315 Theories of Global Politics (4)PLSC 355 Constitutional Law: Civil Liberties (4) | ||
II. Elective Courses | 8 | |
Eight additional hours of 300 or 400-level PLSC courses | ||
TOTAL HOURS FOR POLITICAL SCIENCE MINOR | 20 |
Recommended Plan of Study for Political Science Minor
Fall Semester | Spring Semester | |
Freshman Year | PLSC 106 | |
Sophomore Year | Four (4) hours upper division PLSC coursework | . |
Junior Year | Four (4) hours upper division PLSC coursework | Four (4) hours upper division PLSC coursework |
Senior Year | Four (4) hours upper division PLSC coursework | . |