Students will engage in mature independent thought and express those thoughts by virtue of oral communication in class and through the use of examinations. Students will study and come to understand the critical and scientific methodologies that scientists employ in the study of American government and politics. This would include, but are not limited to, systems theory, pluralist theory, and rational choice models. Understand the nature of responsible citizenship by learning how to participate in government both formally through voting and informally through campaigning. Apply sound standards of analysis and evaluation to reach logical decisions based on the theories examined in the classroom.
Rational choice is one such theory as how decisions are made.
However, researchers have developed a plethora of other techniques and models that seek to address issues in new and innovative ways. As the years pass, we see a turning of the tide in government. Republicans have slowly secured majorities in Congress, state legislatures and Governor's offices. As these things occur, the field of Political Science opens up to a variety of new innovative research techniques. Further, the proliferation of computers and vast search engines capable of downloading information on any particular subject have also aided this process.