A major in Political Science is designed to prepare students to be sophisticated citizens, ready to analyze and appreciate political life in the United States and around the world. Political Science is the study of power and influence in society, especially as these concepts relate to issues of governance and behavior. Classes cover a wide variety of topics, including political parties and interest groups, voting behavior, apolitical change and development, comparative political systems, international conflict and law, national security, public policy, constitutional law, and political philosophy. Students will also gain experience with a variety of techniques for analyzing data, which will stand them in good stead for a variety of careers.
Majors tend to seek employment in government service, education, business, journalism or law.
The department offers many courses which satisfy the foreign culture and public policy requirements of the core College of Arts and Sciences curriculum. In addition, we service the undergraduate certificate programs directed from the Title VI centers of University Center for International Studies. We offer regular cycles of courses for our departmental honors program and we service the University Honors College with key courses for the Politics and Philosophy degree. For undergraduates who choose to major in Political Science, we provide a comprehensive core curriculum designed to cover the breadth of the discipline. We also provide an array of electives for those planning to pursue advanced degrees in law, political science, journalism, public administration, public policy analysis, business, and philosophy.