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PSCI - Political Science Major

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Program Title

Political Science

Program Type

Major

Degree Designation

BA

Department(s)

Program Description

Major effective prior to 2011

Modifications Made to Curriculum: Fall 2020, Fall 2023, Fall 2024

Focuses on how these questions and contending values are reflected in diverse political arenas. Basic courses in political theory, American politics, comparative politics, and international relations provide knowledge and analytic tools students need to be informed citizens of their communities, nations, and the world. Advanced courses enrich and deepen this knowledge.

Includes opportunities for on-site study through the following specialized programs: The Semester on the United Nations, the Semester in Washington, and the London Semester. Additionally, the John H. Ewing Center for Public Service and Public Affairs each semester provides a program of activities and financial support for students engaging in off-campus research and internships in the public sector. The Kean Summer Fellowship program provides a financial stipend for students to do internships related to politics and public service.

Advanced Placement (AP) Examinations

A 4-credit exemption from course  - American Government and Politics will be given for a score of 4 or 5 on the AP American Government and Politics exam. An exemption will not be given for AP Comparative Politics, nor may students apply AP credits in Comparative Politics to the general education breadth requirements.

Off-Campus Programs

Requisites

Requirements for the Major (44 credits)


I. Required Foundation Courses (16 credits)

Complete all of the following:

  • course - Comparative Political Systems

  • course - American Government and Politics

  • course - International Relations

  • course - Introduction to Political Theory

II. Intermediate and Upper-Level Electives (28 credits)

In addition to the required foundation courses, students must complete 28 credits (total) in intermediate (200) and upper (300) level courses and they must be distributed across at least three of the four subfields in the discipline. At least three of these courses (12 credits) must be at the upper-level. A minimum of 12 of these intermediate and upper-level credits must be taken on campus. A maximum of 8 departmental internship course credits may be counted towards the Major.

A. American Politics, Government, and Policy

  • course - Internship in Political Science

  • course - Law, Justice, and Society

  • course - Congress

  • course - The American Presidency

  • course - Political Participation in the United States

  • course - State and Local Politics

  • course - Business and Government in the U.S.

  • course - Latino Politics

  • course - Selected Topics: American Government

  • course - Internship Project in Washington

  • course - Applied Analysis of Social Entrepreneurship

  • course - Constitutional Law and Civil Rights

  • course - Gender and US Politics

  • course - American Political Economy

  • course - Social Policy and Inequality in America

  • course - Education Policy and Politics

  • course - Race and Politics

  • course - Environmental Policy and Politics

  • course- Public Opinion and Survey Research

  • course - Social Movements

  • course - Elections and Policy Making in Washington

  • course - Research Practicum in Washington

B. Comparative Politics and Government

  • course - European Politics

  • course - Chinese Politics

  • course - Middle East Politics

  • course - East Asian Politics

  • course - Selected Topics: Comparative Politics

  • course - Selected Topics: Comparative Politics

  • course - Comparative Political Economy

  • course - Authoritarian Politics

  • course - Global Health

  • course - Health Policy

  • course - On Democracy

  • course - London Semester Interdisciplinary Colloquium

  • course - Contemporary British Politics

  • course - The History of Modern Britain

C. International Relations

  • course - United States Foreign Policy

  • course - Transnational Feminisms

  • course - Terrorism

  • course - International Security

  • course - Special Topics in Human Rights

  • course - Refugees and Migrants: The Global Crisis of Immigration

  • course - Muslims and the West

  • course - Selected Topics: International Relations

  • course - UN Community Internship

  • course - International Environmental Policy and Politics

  • course - Principles of International Law

  • course - International Human Rights

  • course - Torture: Pain, Body, and Truth

  • course - Comparative Political Economy

  • course - Political Economy of War and Peace OR course

  • course - Global Discourse on Human Rights OR course

  • course - Comparative Foreign Policy

  • course - Selected Studies in International Politics

  • course - International Political Economy

  • course - Peacemaking and Peacekeeping in the 21st Century

  • course - The United Nations System and the International Community

  • course - Research Seminar on the United Nations

  • course - Social Entrepreneurship: Theorizing Global Trends

D. Political Theory

  • course - Selected Topics: Political Theory

  • course - Policing and the Rule of Law: Gender, Race, and Citizenship

  • course - Political Sociology OR course

  • course - Research Methods in Political Science

  • course - Advanced Topics in Political Theory

  • course - International Human Rights

  • course - Cultural Diversity and the Law

  • course - Torture: Pain, Body, and Truth

Notes

Students planning to attend graduate school in Political Science, Public Policy, Public Administration, or a related field, and students planning to write an honors thesis or enroll in upper-level research seminars, are encouraged to take course. Additional highly recommended courses are course and course.

course - Independent Study in Political Science may satisfy a requirement with department approval.