Mar 28, 2024  
2013-2015 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2013-2015 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Political Science Major, BA


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 Program Description

The political science program offers a comprehensive curriculum designed to provide students with broad knowledge and understanding of the political science subfields of American Government and Politics, International Relations, Comparative Politics, Political Theory, Law and Politics, and Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methodology.  The mission of the political science program is to prepare students for successful matriculation in professional school (e.g., graduate and/or law) and for public service employment at the local, state, federal, and international levels.

Student Learning Outcomes 

Political science graduates will be able to:

  • demonstrate an understanding of the major concepts, principles, and processes of American Government and Politics, International Relations, Comparative Politics, Political Theory, Law and Politics, and Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methodology.  (Content Knowledge)
  • demonstrate an understanding of the significance and impact of a global community and diversity within the United States. (Content Knowledge)
  • demonstrate an understanding and mastery of normative and empirical research in political science. (Communications, Content Knowledge, Critical Thinking)
  • demonstrate the ability to conduct political science research by completion and defense of a senior research thesis. (Communications, Content Knowledge, Critical Thinking)
  • demonstrate the ability to identify, draw reasoned inferences, devise an appropriate solution to a political problem/issue, and evaluate the feasibility of the solution. (Content Knowledge and Critical Thinking)
  • demonstrate the ability to explain contemporary political phenomena by employing an understanding of political science concepts and principles. (Content Knowledge, Critical Thinking, Communications)

Major Requirements

  • Majors, including students concentrating in Public Administration, are required to complete a minimum of 42 credit hours in political science; these hours do not include political science prerequisite courses.
  • Students planning to concentrate in Public Administration must select this option prior to the end of their sophomore year.
  • A student must earn a “C” or better in all Political Science courses.
  • Political science majors without the Public Administration concentration must complete 18 hours of elective courses. These electives may consist of political science courses.
  • Political science majors with the Public Administration concentration must complete 3 hours of electives in political science or another discipline.
  • Each student must complete at least 40 hours of upper (3000/4000) division coursework in order to meet the university’s graduation requirements. Political science courses, general education courses, and electives may be used to fulfill this requirement.
  • Majors must complete a total of 120 hours of coursework in order to graduate.

Political Science Core Course (3 semester hours) 

All majors, including those concentrating in Public Administration, must complete this core course. This course fulfills a General Education requirement. Students must earn a “C” or better in this course.

POS 2311 - American Government

Required Support Courses

Political Science majors must select the following support courses:

Speech (1 course)

Economics (ECO 2312)

Geography (1 course)

History (2 courses)

MAT 2326

Philosophy (2 courses)

All of these courses may be taken as part of General Education requirements.

 Political Science Required Courses

Students must earn at least a “C” in the required number of courses in the following Political Science subfields:

American Government and Politics (select four courses/ 12 hours)

POS 2316 – State and Local Government

POS 3321 - The Legislative Process

POS 3336 - The Judicial Process

POS 3346 - The American Presidency

POS 3366 – Introduction to Public Administration

POS 3371 - Urban Politics

POS 4361 - Political Parties and Interest Groups

POS 4384 – Organizational Development

 International Relations (select one course/ 3 hours)

POS 3341 - International Relations

POS 3313 - United States Diplomatic History

POS 4310 - Seminar in United States Foreign Policy

POS 4316 - Foreign Economic Policies and International Cooperation

 Comparative Politics (select one course/ 3 hours)

POS 3338 - Comparative Government: Major European Powers

POS 3339 - Comparative Government: Developing Areas

POS 3315 - Politics of South Africa

POS 4332 - History and Politics of East Asia

Law and Politics (select three courses/ 9 hours)

POS 3310 – Legal, Political and Economic Aspects of Aging

POS 3355 - Criminal Law

POS 4369 - Constitutional Law

POS 4383 - Administrative Law

African-American/Minority Politics (select two

courses/6 hours)

POS 3331 - Civil Rights

POS 4301 – Latin American Political Thought

POS 4356 – Black Political Thought

Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methodology (6 hours)

POS 2317 – Writing & Research in Political Science I

POS 4382 – Writing & Research in Political Science II

 Political Theory: (select one/ 3 hours)

POS 2341 – Introduction to Political Theory

POS 4378 – Western Political Thought


Political Science with Public Administration Concentration

Students who select the Public Administration concentration must complete:

Public Administration Core Course (3 hours)

This course is a prerequisite for all Public Administration courses. This course does not fulfill the requirements of the American Government and Politics subfield. Students must earn at least a “C” in this course.

  POS 3366 - Introduction to Public Administration

 Public Administration Required Courses

 POS 3326 - Public Policy 

POS 3369 - Public Management Theories and Behavior 

POS 4323 - Public Personnel 

POS 4346 - Introduction to Public Budgeting 

Elective Requirement

Three (3) hours of elective coursework in Political Science or another discipline are required. 

Political Science Courses

POS 2311 - American Government

POS 2316 - State and Local Government

POS 2317 - Writing and Research in Political Science I

POS 2341 – Introduction to Political Theory

POS 3310 - Legal, Political and Economic Aspects of Aging

POS 3313 - United States Diplomatic History

POS 3315 - The Politics of South Africa

POS 3321 - The Legislative Process

POS 3326 - Public Policy

POS 3331 - Civil Rights

POS 3336 - The Judicial Process

POS 3338 - Comparative Government: Major European Powers

POS 3339 - Comparative Government Developing Areas

POS 3341 - International Relations

POS 3346 - The American Presidency

POS 3349 - Methodological Behavior Foundations in Political Science

POS 3355 - Criminal Law

POS 3366 - Introduction to Public Administration

POS 3369 - Public Management Theories and Behavior

POS 3371 - Urban Politics

POS 4301 - Latin American Political Thought

POS 4310 - Seminar in United States Foreign Policy

POS 4316 - Foreign Economic Policies and International Cooperation

POS 4323 - Public Personnel

POS 4330 - Independent Study

POS 4332 - History and Politics of East Asia

POS 4346 - Introduction to Public Budgeting

POS 4356 - Black Political Thought

POS 4361 - Political Parties and Interest Groups

POS 4365 - Selected Readings in Political Science

POS 4369 - Constitutional Law

POS 4378 - Western Political Thought

POS 2341 - Political Theory

POS 4380 - Public Administration Research

POS 4381 - Public Administration Internship

POS 4382 - Writing & Research in Political Science II

POS 4383 - Administrative Law

POS 4384 - Organizational Development

POS 4391 - Internship in Political Science

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