Political Science Major

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences – Department of Political Science

The General Education Requirements

All students must satisfy a general education requirement consisting of ten (10) courses outside of the major department. The General Education Domain III-C (Global Competency, Ethical Reasoning, and/or Human Diversity) requirement is satisfied through the completion of the Politics major.

Course Prerequisites

Courses may have specified conditions for enrollment, such as prior completion of less advanced courses, permission of the instructor, or appropriate placement test scores. Students should refer to course descriptions in the department listings for prerequisite requirements.

Requirements for Politics Major (UPOG):                              

The Political Science major consists of twelve (12) courses and one (1) required/related general education course.

Introductory Core Courses (required):

• POSC 110 Introduction to American Politics
• POSC 120 Introduction to World Politics

Required Major-Related course:

• MATH 117 Introduction to Statistics

Intermediate Courses - Select Three (3):

• POSC 200 Model United Nations
• POSC 209 The American Supreme Court
• POSC 211 Political Theory: Justice, Law, and Order
• POSC 213 Political Parties and Interest Groups
• POSC 216 Film and Politics
• POSC 220 The Politics of Globalization
• POSC 223 Bureaucratic Politics and Power
• POSC 250 American Legal Systems
• POSC 260 Comparative Political Systems
• POSC 262 Public Budgeting and Management
• POSC 269 Building Peace after Conflict
• POSC 270 Race, Politics, and the Law
• POSC 272 Gender, Politics, and the Law
• POSC 276 Technology, Politics, and the Law

Students majoring in Political Science should complete POSC 110 Introduction to American Politics and POSC 120 Introduction to World Politics during their freshman year. All above courses must be completed prior to the end of the sophomore year.

Advanced core courses (required):

• POSC 313 American Political Thought
• POSC 316 United States Constitutional Law: Civil Liberties
• POSC 337 Legislative Politics and Policy
• POSC 341 The Presidency: Politics and Administration

Advanced courses - Select Two (2):

• POSC 300 Moot Court Symposium
• POSC 315 Judicial Politics and Policy
• POSC 325 Public Management
• POSC 327 Elections and Campaign Strategy
• POSC 329 Public Policy Analysis
• POSC 342 Formation and Conduct of United States Foreign Policy
• POSC 365 Latin American Politics
• POSC 490 Independent Study in Political Science
• POSC 495 Internship in Political Science

• POSC 425 Seminar in Politics

Effective as of the 2017-2018 Undergraduate Catalog