Political Science (POLS)

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The Department of Political Science offers the B.A. and B.S. degree with a major in political science with emphases in politics and governance, public law, public administration and service, and international politics.

The emphasis in politics and governance is designed for students who want maximum flexibility within their program of study or wish to create a particular specialization within political science, such as American government, biopolitics, or political theory.

The emphasis in public law is designed for political science students interested in public law, although students seeking admission to law school need not be political science majors nor must they follow any particular course of study. Students with an interest in pre-law should see “Pre-professional Studies.”

The emphasis in public administration and service is designed primarily for students seeking a career in public affairs in federal, state, or local governments; in voluntary social agencies or public interest groups; and for careers in business emphasizing the interaction between private enterprise and government.

The emphasis in international politics is for students seeking international careers, especially in governmental agencies and business.

Internship opportunities with academic credit are available through the department.  Interested students should contact the department’s internship coordinator.

The department also offers a minor for students with an interest in politics. In addition, it participates in the interdisciplinary minors in black studies, Chinese/Japanese studies, classical studies, environmental studies, gerontology, international studies, Latino and Latin American studies, Southeast Asian studies, and women’s and gender studies. Non-majors can use one of several lower-division political science courses toward fulfilling the university’s general education requirements in the social sciences area.

Department Restriction

A student may take no more than 15 semester hours in 100- and 200-level political science courses to be counted toward a political science major and no more than 9 semester hours in 100- and 200-level political science courses to be counted toward a political science minor.

Course List

Many of the courses offered by the department relate to more than one of the seven fields of political science. However, as a general guide to the student, the following numbering system is used.

-00 to -09, American government
-10 to -19, Public law
-20 to -39, Public policy/public administration
-40 to -49, Empirical theory and behavior
-50 to -59, Political theory
-60 to -79, Comparative politics
-80 to -89, International relations
-90 to -99, General

Political Science Faculty

J. Mitchell Pickerill, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, professor, chair
April Clark, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara, associate professor
Michael Clark, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara, associate professor
Aarie Glas, Ph.D., University of Toronto, assistant professor
Kikue Hamayotsu, Ph.D., Australian National University, associate professor
Colin Kuehl, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara, assistant professor
Alesha Porisky, assistant professor, Ph.D., University of Toronto, assistant professor
Andrea Radasanu, Ph.D., University of Toronto, associate professor
Scot Schraufnagel, Ph.D., Florida State University, professor
Matthew J. Streb, Ph.D., Indiana University, professor
H. Brendon Swedlow, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, professor 
Ches Thurber, Ph.D., Tufts University, assistant professor
Kheang Un, Ph.D., Northern Illinois University, associate professor
Artemus E. Ward, Ph.D., Syracuse University, professor 

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