Political Science Major
Department Advanced Placement Policy
Students with AP courses with a score of 4 or 5 in American Politics and Government and/or Comparative Politics and Government may earn placement in the curriculum, but not progress toward the minimum number of courses required by the major. If they are majors, students may skip POLS 100 or 102, but must substitute them with another more advanced course in order to complete at least ten courses in the major. Students with AP credit in American Politics and Government and/or Comparative Politics and Government may receive credit toward the social science common area requirement. Students who choose to enroll in POLS 100 or 102 will forfeit their AP credit for the major. We strongly encourage students to discuss these possibilities with their advisors before making a decision.
Requirements
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| Required introductory courses: | |
| Principles of American Government | |
| Introduction to Political Philosophy | |
| Introduction To Comparative Politics | |
| Introduction to International Relations | |
| Select six upper division courses, at least one of which must be in each of the following areas: | |
| American Government: | |
| Constitutional Law: National Powers | |
| Constitutional Law: Rights & Liberties | |
| Public Policy | |
| American Presidency | |
| National Security Enterprise | |
| The Policymaking Process | |
| Presidential Selection | |
| The Constitution in Wartime | |
| Capitalism in Crisis | |
| Law, Politics & Society | |
| Politics and Technology | |
| Political Philosophy: | |
| Politics and Literature | |
| Machiavelli's Politics | |
| American Political Thought 1 | |
| American Political Thought 2 | |
| Islamic Political Thought | |
| Feminist Political Theory | |
| Nietzsche and Modernity | |
| International Relations or Comparative Politics: | |
| Latin American Politics | |
| Politics of Development | |
| European Politics | |
| African Politics | |
| Politics of the Middle East | |
| International Political Economy | |
| South Asian Politics | |
| East Asia in World Politics | |
| Global Governance | |
| American Foreign Policy | |
| Human Rights | |
| Humanitarianism | |
| Politics of Globalization | |
| International Law | |
| National Security Policy | |
| Democratization and Women's Rights | |
| Political Violence | |
| Ethics and International Relations | |
| Women, War, and Violence | |
Students majoring in political science are required to take the department’s introductory course in each of the four sub-fields. We strongly encourage students to complete all four introductory courses by the end of the sophomore year. In addition to these introductory courses, political science majors must take at least six upper-division courses for a minimum total of 10 courses and a maximum of 14 to complete the major. Of the six upper-division courses, (courses numbered above 110 level) at least one must be in American government, one in political philosophy, and one in either international relations or comparative politics. For outstanding students, there is the possibility of undertaking a two-semester honors thesis in the senior year.
Only one honors thesis credit (one semester) may count toward the POLS major. Students writing an honors thesis must complete a minimum of 11 POLS courses, including the one-semester thesis credit.