In addition to meeting General Education requirements and other degree requirements, all political science majors must complete a minimum of nine courses with a grade of C or higher, plus a two-semester senior seminar and an 8-credit senior project (40–45 credits total) as follows:

  1. POL 1570/Introduction to U.S. Politics (3 credits; freshman  or sophomore year)
  2. POL2110/Introduction to Political Theory (4 credits)
  3. An economics course (4 credits)*
    *One of the following is strongly recommended:
    – ECO 1500/Macroeconomic Theory I
    – ECO 2280/Environmental Economics
    – ECO 3080/Game Theory
  4. Two courses in U.S. politics and law, 2000-level or above (6–8 credits)
  5. Three courses in comparative politics and international relations, 2000-level or above (9–12 credits)
  6. POL 3880/Junior Seminar in Political Science (4 credits)
  7. POL 4885Political Science Senior Seminar I (1 credit)
  8. POL 4890/Political Science Senior Seminar II (1 credit)
  9. SPJ 4990/Senior Project I (4 credits)
  10. SPJ 4991/Senior Project II (4 credits)

Refer to The Senior Project for additional information.

Note: In addition, students are expected to take courses appropriate to their specific interests in political science in order to fulfill degree requirements for upper-level coursework.

Optional Concentrations

New and reinstated courses may be added to the lists in the following concentrations. Students should consult their advisor to determine whether a new or reinstated course counts toward a specific concentration.

Concentration 1: Islam and the Middle East (42–47 credits)

Political science majors who declare a concentration in Islam and the Middle East must fulfill requirements 1 through 10 listed above. In meeting requirement 5, students in this concentration select four courses from the following list:

POL 2105/Citizens Living Under Islamic Laws
POL 2115/Islam: Culture and Politics
POL 2350/Free Speech, Heresy, and Gender in Islamic Societies
POL 3255/Islamic State, Gender, and Sexuality
POL 3430/Politics of South Asia
POL 3740/The Middle East

Concentration 2: Human Rights (42–47 credits)

Political science majors who declare a concentration in human rights must fulfill requirements 1 through 10 listed above. In meeting requirements 4 and 5, students in this concentration select four courses from the following list: 

POL 2080/Environmental Justice
POL 3075/Women and Politics in Global Perspective
POL 3235/Globalization, Development, and Poverty
POL 3245/Gender and Health: International Issues
POL 3307/Politics and Memoir
POL 3315/Constitutions and Rights: U.S. and China
POL 3361/Cuba, Latin America, and the U.S.
POL 3570/Human Rights
POL 3573/Human Rights and Literature