Political Science (B.A.)
BA-NS PSC
Political Science Department
Bachelor of Arts (HEGIS 2207)
Classroom Building B218
(716) 878-6116
Political science is the study of government and politics. The major is divided into five areas: American government and politics, international politics, comparative politics, political theory, and public law. The program offers a variety of courses in each of these areas. Minors are offered in public administration, political science, legal studies and international relations.
Students gain an understanding of government and politics through a combination of directed research and experiential learning; e.g. participation in scholarly conferences and/or internships at the national, state or local level. Students may prepare for an array of career options in both the public and private sectors.
The Bachelor of Arts program in Political Science enables students to concentrate their studies either in Public Legal Studies or Urban Civic Engagement, , or to develop a more individualized program under the general political science concentration.
Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Intellectual Foundations Requirements | ||
| 30-33 credit hours | 30-33 | |
| Political Science Major Requirements (39 credit hours) | ||
| Students will select one of the following concentrations: | 39 | |
| All College Electives | ||
| 48-51 credit hours | 48-51 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
General Political Science Concentration
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses (18 credit hours) | ||
| PSC 101 | INTRODUCTION TO GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS | 3 |
| PSC 102 | INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS | 3 |
| PSC 203 | POLITICAL ANALYSIS | 3 |
| PSC 204 | POLITICAL STATISTICS | 3 |
| PSC 399 | RESEARCH SKILLS | 3 |
| PSC 470 | SENIOR SEMINAR | 3 |
| or PSC 488 | INTERNSHIP | |
| Political Science Distribution Requirements (12 credit hours) | ||
| Students choose one course from four of five of the distribution areas (American Government, International Relations, Comparative Government, Political Theory, Philosophy and Public Law) | ||
| American Government and Politics (3 credit hours) | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY | ||
| AFRICAN AMERICAN POLITICAL CULTURE | ||
| WOMEN IN AMERICAN POLITICS | ||
| AMERICAN POLITICAL PARTIES | ||
| INTEREST GROUPS | ||
| LEGISLATIVE PROCESS | ||
| STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS | ||
| POLITICS AND MEDIA | ||
| POLITICAL BEHAVIOR AND PUBLIC OPINION | ||
| International Relations (3 credit hours) | ||
| Select one from the following: | 3 | |
| INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS | ||
| INTERNATIONAL CONFLICT AND PEACEFUL RESOLUTION | ||
| ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY | ||
| INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND INTERNATIONAL LAW | ||
| INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY | ||
| AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY | ||
| AFRICAN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS | ||
| INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS OF THE MIDDLE EAST | ||
| LATIN AMERICA IN WORLD POLITICS | ||
| POLITICS OF GLOBALIZATION | ||
| POLITICS AND HISTORY OF MODERN TERRORISM I | ||
| POLITICS AND HISTORY OF MODERN TERRORISM II | ||
| Comparative Government (3 credit hours) | ||
| Select one from the following: | 3 | |
| EUROPEAN POLITICAL SYSTEMS | ||
| POLITICS OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES | ||
| GOVERNMENT, POLITICS, AND POLICIES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION | ||
| RUSSIAN POLITICS | ||
| COMPARATIVE DEMOCRACY | ||
| POLITICS AND HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE EAST | ||
| Political Theory and Philosophy (3 credit hours) | ||
| Select one from the following: | 3 | |
| HISTORY OF POLITICAL THOUGHT I | ||
| HISTORY OF POLITICAL THOUGHT II | ||
| AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT | ||
| RACE, SEX, AND POLITICS OF MYTH AND STORY | ||
| CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL THOUGHT | ||
| Public Law (3 credit hours) | ||
| Select one from the following: | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO LAW | ||
| U.S. CONSTITUTIONAL LAW | ||
| U.S. CIVIL LIBERTIES | ||
| CIVIL PROCEDURE | ||
| CONTEMPORARY CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES | ||
| DISCRIMINATION AND THE U.S. CONSTITUTION | ||
| MOCK TRIAL | ||
| General Electives in Political Science (9 credit hours) | ||
| Courses NOT used to fulfill Political Distribution Requirements may also be used as Political Science electives. | 9 | |
| GREAT POLITICAL ISSUES | ||
| URBAN GOVERNMENT | ||
| POLITICS OF ENERGY | ||
| CIVIC ENGAGEMENT | ||
| URBAN ETHNIC POLITICS | ||
| DEMOCRACY AND PEACE: PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES IN THE URBAN EXPERIENCE | ||
| GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER, QUESTIONING POLITICS | ||
| POLITICS OF WELFARE | ||
| PRACTICAL POLITICS | ||
| PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION | ||
| AMERICAN PUBLIC POLICY | ||
| COMPARATIVE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION | ||
| CANADIAN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION | ||
| TOPICS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE | ||
| THE ITALIAN-AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: POLITICS, SOCIETY, & IDENTITY | ||
| URBAN PUBLIC POLICY | ||
| SPECIAL PROJECT (1-3) | ||
| WASHINGTON SEMESTER (1-16) | ||
| INDEPENDENT STUDY (3-12) | ||
Urban Civic Engagement Concentration
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses (24 credit hours) | ||
| PSC 101 | INTRODUCTION TO GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS | 3 |
| PSC 102 | INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS | 3 |
| PSC 203 | POLITICAL ANALYSIS | 3 |
| PSC 204 | POLITICAL STATISTICS | 3 |
| PSC 215 | URBAN GOVERNMENT | 3 |
| PSC 313 | CIVIC ENGAGEMENT | 3 |
| PSC 399 | RESEARCH SKILLS | 3 |
| PSC 470 | SENIOR SEMINAR | 3 |
| or PSC 488 | INTERNSHIP | |
| Political Science Distribution Requirements (9 credit hours) | ||
| American Government and Politics (3 credit hours) | ||
| Must take one of the following: | 3 | |
| STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS | ||
| POLITICAL BEHAVIOR AND PUBLIC OPINION | ||
| International Relations/Comparative Government (3 credit hours) | ||
| Must take one of the following: | 3 | |
| INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY | ||
| POLITICS OF GLOBALIZATION | ||
| POLITICS OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES | ||
| Political Theory and Philosophy (3 credit hours) | ||
| Must take one of the following: | 3 | |
| AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT | ||
| RACE, SEX, AND POLITICS OF MYTH AND STORY | ||
| Electives: Urban Civic Engagement Concentration (6 credit hours) | ||
| Select two from the following: | 6 | |
| ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY | ||
| POLITICS OF ENERGY | ||
| INTEREST GROUPS | ||
| U.S. CONSTITUTIONAL LAW | ||
| DEMOCRACY AND PEACE: PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES IN THE URBAN EXPERIENCE | ||
| U.S. CIVIL LIBERTIES | ||
| POLITICS OF WELFARE | ||
| POLITICS AND MEDIA | ||
| PRACTICAL POLITICS | ||
| PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION | ||
| AMERICAN PUBLIC POLICY | ||
| URBAN PUBLIC POLICY | ||
| CONTEMPORARY CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES | ||
| DISCRIMINATION AND THE U.S. CONSTITUTION | ||
| CULTURAL PROFICIENCY AND PUBLIC ACHIEVEMENT | ||
| POVERTY AND PUBLIC POLICY | ||
Public Legal Studies Concentration
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses (27 credit hours) | ||
| PSC 101 | INTRODUCTION TO GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS | 3 |
| PSC 102 | INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS | 3 |
| PSC 203 | POLITICAL ANALYSIS | 3 |
| PSC 204 | POLITICAL STATISTICS | 3 |
| PSC 250 | INTRODUCTION TO LAW | 3 |
| PSC 317 | U.S. CONSTITUTIONAL LAW | 3 |
| or PSC 320 | U.S. CIVIL LIBERTIES | |
| PSC 398 | LEGAL RESEARCH AND WRITING | 3 |
| PSC 399 | RESEARCH SKILLS | 3 |
| PSC 470 | SENIOR SEMINAR | 3 |
| or PSC 488 | INTERNSHIP | |
| Political Science Distribution Requirements (12 credit hours) | ||
| American Government and Politics (6 credit hours) | ||
| Must take one of the following: | 6 | |
| THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY | ||
| LEGISLATIVE PROCESS | ||
| CIVIL PROCEDURE | ||
| CONTEMPORARY CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES | ||
| DISCRIMINATION AND THE U.S. CONSTITUTION | ||
| MOCK TRIAL | ||
| International Relations/Comparative Government (3 credit hours) | ||
| Must take one of the following: | 3 | |
| INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND INTERNATIONAL LAW | ||
| INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY | ||
| COMPARATIVE DEMOCRACY | ||
| Political Theory and Philosophy (3 credit hours) | ||
| Must take one of the following: | 3 | |
| HISTORY OF POLITICAL THOUGHT I | ||
| AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT | ||
| CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL THOUGHT | ||