Political Science Program

Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Political Science

A student majoring in political science must take 39 credits in the discipline. Of these, 24 credits are core courses required for all majors:

This course is designed as a broadly-based introduction to the discipline of political science. It will acquaint students with the concepts, structures, trends, and belief systems that form the basis of political activity throughout the world. Those taking the course will leave with an enhanced understanding of - if not appreciation for - the multiple ideologies, institutions, issues, and actors that shape and drive politics. 3 credits.
This course provides a survey of key developments, institutions, and issues in American politics. Topics include the ideas that shaped the original American political system, the presidency; Congress and federal courts; the operation of political parties and interest groups; domestic and foreign policy debates; and contemporary issues such as civil rights and affirmative action.
This is an introduction to the study of comparative politics: the comparison of political systems in order to understand how and why these systems function differently. The course is built around three fundamental questions: What is comparative politics? What kinds of phenomena do we compare? What are the major theoretical approaches that guide our studies? We also examine distinctions between the "developing" and the "developed" worlds, and between authoritarian and democratic political regimes. Prerequisites: sophomore standing or permission of the instructor. 3 credits.
This course is designed to introduce students to the study of international relations. The course hinges on a series of questions: Who are the principal actors in the international system? What are the theoretical ways of discerning why these actors do what they do? How has the international system evolved into its present form? What are the central issues confronting the international system? Topics addressed include weapons of mass destruction, ecology, terrorism, political economy, development, and dependency. 3 credits.
Students in this course study the development of Western political thought from Classical Greece to modern times, examining the conceptual evolution of citizenship, civic obligation, and the nature of justics and exploring the connection between moral and positive law in the western tradition. Prerequisites: junior standing or permission of the instructor. Writing Process. Disciplinary Perspectives. [Cross-listed as Philosophy 345.] 3 credits.
This is an introduction to the design and evaluation of political research: formulating clear hypotheses, developing appropriate measures, and analyzing data using simple statistical methods and qualitative techniques; emphasizes clear exposition of arguments, interpretation, and findings. Prerequisite: junior standing or perimission of the instructor. 3 credits.
† indicates a required course

One of:

This course examines how individuals and firms make choices within the institutions of free- market capitalism. Individuals decide how much of their time to spend working and what to buy with the earnings of their labor. Firms decide how much to produce and in some cases what price to charge for their goods. Together these choices determine what is produced, how it is produced and for whom it is produced in our economic system. 3 credits.
This course extends the study of consumer and producer choices to discover how they affect the nation's economy. Macroeconomics deals with the economy as a whole as measured by the key variable of inflation, unemployment, and economic growth. Emphasis is on both Keynesian and classical theories and how they predict what monetary and fiscal policies can be used to affect these variables and reach national economic goals. Prerequisite: ECN 101. 3 credits.

One of:

This capstone seminar examines the historical and philosophical development of constitutional law in the United States; the seminar emphasizes the dynamic relationship between the law and moral and political philosophy. Prerequisites: junior or senior standing and completion of either PHL 215 or PSC/PHL 220. Writing process. 3 credits.
This seminar allows junior and senior political science majors to pursue a research interest within a broad topic area prescribed for each semester the seminar is given. Students will present their work at an undergraduate research conference hosted by a regional university. Prerequisites: major in political science and junior or senior standing. Writing process. 3 credits.
This seminar allows junior and senior political science majors to pursue a research interest within the context of international politics. In addition to a substantive research paper on an international subject, students will track contemporary issues of the international community through weekly presentations and discussions. Among the likely topics are terrorism; weapons of mass destruction, globalization; ecopolitics; women's rights; and political economy, among others. Students will present their papers at an undergraduate research conference hosted by a regional university. Prerequisites: major in political science and junior or senior standing and PSC 130 or permission of the instructor. Writing process. 3 credits.

Five elective courses in political science are required.


Minors in political science must earn 18 credits in the discipline. One elective course in political science. Required courses include:

This course is designed as a broadly-based introduction to the discipline of political science. It will acquaint students with the concepts, structures, trends, and belief systems that form the basis of political activity throughout the world. Those taking the course will leave with an enhanced understanding of - if not appreciation for - the multiple ideologies, institutions, issues, and actors that shape and drive politics. 3 credits.
This course provides a survey of key developments, institutions, and issues in American politics. Topics include the ideas that shaped the original American political system, the presidency; Congress and federal courts; the operation of political parties and interest groups; domestic and foreign policy debates; and contemporary issues such as civil rights and affirmative action.
This is an introduction to the study of comparative politics: the comparison of political systems in order to understand how and why these systems function differently. The course is built around three fundamental questions: What is comparative politics? What kinds of phenomena do we compare? What are the major theoretical approaches that guide our studies? We also examine distinctions between the "developing" and the "developed" worlds, and between authoritarian and democratic political regimes. Prerequisites: sophomore standing or permission of the instructor. 3 credits.
This course is designed to introduce students to the study of international relations. The course hinges on a series of questions: Who are the principal actors in the international system? What are the theoretical ways of discerning why these actors do what they do? How has the international system evolved into its present form? What are the central issues confronting the international system? Topics addressed include weapons of mass destruction, ecology, terrorism, political economy, development, and dependency. 3 credits.
Students in this course study the development of Western political thought from Classical Greece to modern times, examining the conceptual evolution of citizenship, civic obligation, and the nature of justics and exploring the connection between moral and positive law in the western tradition. Prerequisites: junior standing or permission of the instructor. Writing Process. Disciplinary Perspectives. [Cross-listed as Philosophy 345.] 3 credits.
† indicates a required course

One elective course in political science is required.