Political Science Major
Department: Political Science and Law
A major in political science consists of a minimum of ten political science courses and satisfaction of the requirements for either the B.A. or B.S. degree.
Political Science Course Requirements
The political science requirements are:
- A core of four courses to provide a grounding in the traditional sub-fields of the discipline: PLS 105 Introduction to American Government, American politics; PLS 205 Governments Around the Globe, comparative politics; PLS 207 Introduction to Political Thought, political theory; and PLS 208 Fundamentals of International Relations, international relations;
- PLS 209 Scope and Methods of Political Science
- four upper-level (300-400) courses from the following list of courses, with a minimum of one course in three separate sub-fields; and
- a senior seminar (PLS 491 Seminar in Comparative Politics, PLS 492 Seminar in International Relations, PLS 493 Seminar in Political Theory, or PLS 494 Seminar in American Politics) designed to be a culminating experience. Upper-division sub-field course work is distributed in the table below.
Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| PLS 105 | Introduction to American Government | 3.0 |
| PLS 205 | Governments Around the Globe | 3.0 |
| PLS 207 | Introduction to Political Thought | 3.0 |
| PLS 208 | Fundamentals of International Relations | 3.0 |
| PLS 209 | Scope and Methods of Political Science | 3.0 |
| Elective Courses | ||
| In addition to the above required courses, students must take four courses from the following list of elective courses, with a minimum of one course in each of three separate sub-fields: | 12.0 | |
American Politics | ||
| Topics in American Politics | ||
| Political Behavior | ||
| Political Parties | ||
| State and Local Politics | ||
| Identity Politics | ||
| The U.S. Congress | ||
| The U.S. Presidency | ||
| Judicial Politics | ||
| Introduction to Public Administration | ||
PLS 420 | ||
PLS 421 | ||
PLS 422 | ||
| Constitutional Law: Institutional Powers and Constraints | ||
| Constitutional Law: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties | ||
| Seminar in American Politics | ||
Comparative Politics | ||
| Sub-Saharan African Politics | ||
| Politics of Europe | ||
| Topics in Comparative Government | ||
| Intelligence in International Affairs | ||
| Seminar in Comparative Politics | ||
International Relations | ||
| Topics in International Relations | ||
| International Law | ||
| International Organization | ||
| International Political Economy | ||
| American Foreign Policy | ||
| Globalization in World Affairs | ||
| Seminar in International Relations | ||
Political Theory | ||
| Topics in Political Thought | ||
| Classical Political Philosophy | ||
| Modern Political Philosophy | ||
| Gender and Sexuality in Political Thought | ||
| American Political Thought | ||
| Seminar in Political Theory | ||
| Capstone | ||
| Finally, students are required to take one senior seminar designed to be a capstone experience: | 3.0 | |
| Seminar in Comparative Politics | ||
| Seminar in International Relations | ||
| Seminar in Political Theory | ||
| Seminar in American Politics | ||
| Total Hours | 30 | |
The Political Science Department maintains a policy of close supervision of its majors and urges them to consult regularly with their faculty advisor. In planning their academic program, students intending to major in political science are encouraged to complete the core courses (PLS 105 Introduction to American Government, PLS 205 Governments Around the Globe, PLS 207 Introduction to Political Thought, PLS 208 Fundamentals of International Relations) as early as practicable. Students should complete PLS 209 Scope and Methods of Political Science prior to enrolling in a senior seminar.
Bachelor of Arts Degree Requirements
Three semesters of college-level foreign language study or its equivalent (this means that a student must complete 201 or higher, a three-semester sequence (101-102-201) in one language, or 102 in one language plus 101 in another language).
Bachelor of Science Degree Requirements
Students must complete the university requirement of fifteen hours of mathematics, science, and computer science courses. When selecting courses to satisfy the B. S. requirements, students are strongly encouraged to select from statistics, computer science, or quantitative methods.