Department of Political Science
Vaughn May (chair), Nathan Griffith, Susan Jellissen.
Political Science
Purpose:
Political Science examines the issues, events, and texts that shape a student’s understanding and application of governments and politics. As an intellectual discipline, political science may be divided into four general areas of study: American Government, Politics, and Administration; International Relations; Comparative Politics and Government; and Political Theory and Methodology.
Goals:
Political Science students will be able to comprehend political ideas and issues and respond critically and intelligently through several means. The department seeks to cultivate these opportunities through a number of approaches.
First, the program furnishes students with a broad and diverse survey of government and politics, focusing upon the ideas, institutions, and processes that shape contemporary political studies through the examination of the various sub-fields of the discipline.
Second, it promotes an academic environment of active learning that cultivates such skills as effective written and oral communication, coherent and critical reading and independent thinking, and informed ethical understanding and development.
Third, the department provides a student-centered program that focuses upon individual-oriented advising and attention to satisfy the unique needs of each student in an academically challenging program.
| Major in Political Science (B.A. or B.S.) | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Core Requirements | 56-58 | |
| Technical Requirement (taken as part of the General Education core) | ||
| PSC 1210, American Government | 3 | |
| Technical Requirement | 3 | |
| ECO 1110, Economic Inquiry | 3 | |
| Major Requirements | 31 | |
| PSC 2200, American Political Institutions | 3 | |
| PSC 2300, International Relations | 3 | |
| PSC 2400, Introduction to Comparative Politics | 3 | |
| PSC 2500, Political Theory | 3 | |
| PSC 2600, The Discipline of Political Science | 3 | |
| PSC 4599, Senior Thesis Preparation | 1 | |
| PSC 4600, Research Seminar in Political Science | 3 | |
| PSC 4610, Political Science Exit Seminar | 0 | |
| Political Science Electives (A maximum of 6 hours of internship credit may count as elective credit toward the major; remaining hours count toward general electives.) |
12 | |
| Minor Requirements | 18 | |
| General Electives | 24 | |
| Total | 128 | |
| Minor in Political Science | Hours | |
| Technical Requirement | 3 | |
| PSC 1210, American Government | 3 | |
| Minor Requirements | 18 | |
| Choose two courses from the following: PSC 2200, American Political Institutions PSC 2300, Introduction to International Relations PSC 2400, Introduction to Comparative Politics PSC 2500, Introduction to Political Theory |
6 | |
| Political Science Electives (A maximum of 6 hours of internship credit may count as elective credit toward the minor; remaining hours count toward general electives.) |
12 | |
| Total | 18 | |
| Political Science Endorsement | 18 | |
| Choose one of the following: PSC 2300, International Relations, or PSC 2400, Introduction to Comparative Politics |
3 | |
| Choose one of the following: PSC 2200, American Political Institutions, or PSC 2500, Political Theory |
3 | |
| Six hours from the following | 6 | |
| PSC 3240, Politics and Mass Media PSC 3250, Southern Politics PSC 3270, Electoral Politics PSC 3510, Theories of Civil Society PSC 3550, Modern Ideologies |
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| Six hours from the following | 6 | |
| PSC 3410, Politics of Africa PSC 3450, Politics of Europe PSC 3480, Politics of the Middle East PSC 3610, Analytical Methods PSC 4320, International Law |
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| Note: PSC 1210 and GEO 2300 are additional technical requirements for this endorsement. | ||