Political Science (BA)

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

Department majors are required to take nine courses (36 units) in political science.

At least two of the nine courses must be selected from the four 100-level core courses:

POSC 100 Theory and Practice of American Democracy Units: 4
POSC 110g Ideology and Political Conflict Units: 4
POSC 120 Comparative Politics Units: 4
POSC 130g Law, Politics and Public Policy Units: 4

In addition

At least six of the nine courses must be at the 300-level or above, including at least one course in each of the following four fields: American politics, political thought, comparative politics, and law and public policy. No more than one course (or four units) of POSC 395 or POSC 490x may be counted toward the 36 unit departmental requirements.

Students who have a double major in political science and in another department in the social sciences, may, with prior permission of the department undergraduate adviser, substitute one upper-division course from the second major for one upper-division political science course. In the development of an undergraduate program, students should consult periodically with the political science undergraduate adviser and/or with departmental faculty.

Area Specialization

While majoring in political science and fulfilling the department requirements, a student may elect to emphasize a particular regional area in the fields of comparative government, diplomacy and international politics. Regional specializations are offered in six areas: East Asia, Western Europe, Latin America, Middle East, Africa, Russia and Eastern Europe. With the approval of the faculty, a student may organize an academic program in such a way as to fulfill the general education language requirements with the language or languages of the regional area specialization. In addition, it is assumed the student will fulfill other social sciences and humanities requirements and electives with courses focusing on the history and culture of the particular area of specialization. Such a pattern of courses at the undergraduate level will strengthen a student’s qualifications for graduate-level area programs, as well as for various forms of foreign service.