Plan of Study – Political Science
Note: A Semester Hour (s.h.) is a unit of academic credit representing an hour of class (such as lecture class) or three hours of laboratory work each week for an academic semester. Most courses are two, three or four semester hours.
Political Science: Bach Arts |
American Politics (Concentration Choice) |
Comparative Politics and Area Studies (Concentration Choice) |
International Politics (Concentration Choice) |
Pre-Law (Concentration Choice) Major Courses (Minimum of 30 semester hours required.)
American political structure to include the organization, powers, functions and services of national, state and local government and their interdependence in seeking solutions to contemporary social, economic, and political issues.
PSC 3030/3410 Option (Choose from: PSC 3030* or PSC 3410**. *Students choosing the Comparative Politics and Area Studies Concentration must take PSC 3030 as a major requirement. **Students choosing the International Politics Concentration must take PSC 3410 as a major requirement.)
Analysis of world politics, sources of foreign policy, dynamics of the existing international system, systematic theorizing about future developments.
Comparative analysis of political phenomena, emphasizing the dynamics of power, governmental institutions, social-economic-cultural configurations, and patterns of values and ideologies among various countries.
Examination of the historical, theoretical, and qualitative explanations for basic concepts in the formation of government such as justice, liberty, political authority, and the public good. Through careful readings of primary texts, students are introduced to the body of philosophical thought on politics and governing that has developed over 2500 years.
An internship that synthesizes course knowledge and applies it in an authentic workplace. Students work a minimum of 240 hours during the semester in an approved governmental, non-profit, or criminal justice position under the guidance of an on-site supervisor. Students write weekly journal entries that demonstrate integrated knowledge of the practical (in the field) experience and connections to course material covered. Students meet with a political science professor during the semester to discuss journal entries and progress toward course objectives. Students are evaluated on performance by the site supervisor upon conclusion of the internship hours.
Theoretical and philosophical foundations of social sciences, including a paper reflecting research skills and ability to synthesize discipline-specific content. Prerequisite: Senior standing in the major.
Prepares students to become educated consumers of evidence-based social science research. Provides an understanding of how sociologists, political scientists, and other social scientists in related disciplines use quantitative and qualitative research to analyze, interpret, and make sense of the social world. Emphasizes importance of understanding ethical considerations when conducting research with human subjects. Prerequisite: SOC 2020 or PSC 1510.
Concentration Option (Minimum of 12 semester hours required. Choose from: American Politics, Comparative Politics and Area Studies, International Politics and Pre-Law.)
Concentration Courses (Minimum of 12 semester hours required.)
Influence of foreign policy on past and present life of the United States; emphasis on the nation as a world power, taking into account the viewpoints of the international community of nations.
Development of the United States as a world power and its impact on the social, economic, cultural, and political changes in the contemporary era.
Analysis of state and local governments, local forces, trends in metropolitan and suburban politics, problems in planning in an age of urbanization and governmental relations.
Examination of United States political parties and elections and their roles in the American system of government with a focus on the debates, controversies, and paradoxes implicit to political parties and elections.
Concentration Courses (Minimum of 12 semester hours required. Students choosing this option must take PSC 3030 as a major requirement.)
Introduction to the basic concepts, terms, and methods of geography, as well as to the physical and cultural regions of the world, the United States, and the State oif Michigan. the course covers the relationship between the diversity of human societies and the physical environment.
Study of selected historical and political problems and themes related to modern Latin America, with attention to regional and global relationships.
Comparison of at least two of the following world religions: Africa, East Asia, Europs, Latin America, Middle East, South Asia, in terms of selected historical and political problems and themes. The course will focus on the modern period, as well as the origins of modern patterns, and the different paths to modernity in the regions chosen.
Comparative analysis of political phenomena, emphasizing the dynamics of power, governmental institutions, social-economic-cultural configurations, and patterns of values and ideologies among various countries.
Concentration Courses (Minimum of 12 semester hours required. Students choosing this option must take PSC 3410 as a major requirement.)
Analysis of world politics, sources of foreign policy, dynamics of the existing international system, systematic theorizing about future developments.
Influence of foreign policy on past and present life of the United States; emphasis on the nation as a world power, taking into account the viewpoints of the international community of nations.
World history in the period of European global expansion from the formation of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires in the Sixteenth Century to the end of the Napoleonic Wars, including a study of politics, culture, ideas, and religion of Europe and the World.
World history from 1789 C.E. to the present, including a study of modern global culture realms. Special attention is given to global crises and achievements, the Cold War and its aftermath, and global, political, and economic development.
Concentration Courses (Minimum of 12 semester hours required.)
An introduction to the law library and the use of legal references; the techniques of legal research as used in writing letters, instruments, pleadings, briefs, and memoranda. Emphasis on State law. Prerequisite: WRT 1020.
This core curriculum law course examines the social, political, and historical contexts of law as a social institution. Students will examine historical, political, and societal perspectives on why law is made, how it is made in legislatures and the courts, and how it shapes what individuals do on an everyday basis. Students focus on legal institutions and resolution processes including historical and recent case law, institutional political science, resultant social policy, and its impact on society through mixed media and an examination of case studies. This is not a legal specialty course and permission to use it for major credit must be obtained from the Program Director prior to enrolling in the course.
Analysis of the American state and federal court systems; history, traditions, and philosophy underlying the American system of justice; legal systems and law; court structures and roles: judges, prosecutors, attorneys, litigants; and the adjudication process: arrest to arraignment, trials, juries, and sentencing.
Introduction to constitutional law, political theory. Historical examination of the major Supreme Court decisions which have contributed to contemporary judicial interpretations of the Constitution.
