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Department information
Access key information and review student learning goals.The Political Science Department seeks to instill in its students a lively interest
in politics, in how political systems work and how we can make them work better, in
contemporary political issues, in international relations and foreign policy, in political
theory, and in the law. We offer a comprehensive program that reflects the broad discipline
of political science. Students take three required introductory courses followed by
intermediate and advanced courses in four areas:American government, comparative government,
international relations, and political theory. The major is designed to serve students
who wish to concentrate in a particular area, those who aspire to go on to graduate
school, and those who want merely to explore the field of politics.
Our main goal is to help students think analytically and critically about political issues. We do this by developing students' knowledge of the four subdisciplines of political science, by cultivating in them the analytical skills they need to understand political issues, and by enhancing their abilities to assess critically political situations and problems from both empirical and normative perspectives.
In terms of knowledge, we aim to provide students with the historical and contemporary information they need to understand national and international political structures, behaviors, and ideas. In terms of analytical skills, we seek to offer students the methodological and technical training they require to read texts carefully; collect, analyze, and interpret data; and communicate their conclusions effectively and elegantly. In terms of critical abilities, we teach students to examine political issues and problems from both empirical and ethical viewpoints as a first step toward developing policy recommendations that can improve political participation, processes, and outcomes.
Our main goal is to help students think analytically and critically about political issues. We do this by developing students' knowledge of the four subdisciplines of political science, by cultivating in them the analytical skills they need to understand political issues, and by enhancing their abilities to assess critically political situations and problems from both empirical and normative perspectives.
In terms of knowledge, we aim to provide students with the historical and contemporary information they need to understand national and international political structures, behaviors, and ideas. In terms of analytical skills, we seek to offer students the methodological and technical training they require to read texts carefully; collect, analyze, and interpret data; and communicate their conclusions effectively and elegantly. In terms of critical abilities, we teach students to examine political issues and problems from both empirical and ethical viewpoints as a first step toward developing policy recommendations that can improve political participation, processes, and outcomes.
Below are the departmental learning goals mapped to College-wide goals for student learning
Having completed the political science major, students will be able to:
- Think analytically and critically about political issues. (Ia; IIa, b)
- Develop competence in the four subfields of political science. (Ia, b; IIIb)
- Read sophisticated texts carefully and understand them deeply. (Ia, b; IIIa, c, IVb, d)
- Assess political situations and problems clearly and correctly from both empirical and normative perspectives. (Ic, IIa, IIIc, IVd)
- Develop sufficient familiarity with the theories, concepts, and methodologies of political science to be able to read and understand mainstream scholarship in the field. (IIIc, IVa, d)
- Conduct research in both primary and secondary sources. (IIb)
- Craft cogent, persuasive arguments in lucid, grammatical prose as per the writing requirements in the Department of Political Science. (II b, c, IVc)
Goals for "In the Major" Literacy
Information Literacy
- Students will learn to identify the extent and type of information appropriate for a specific assignment or task. (Ia, b, c)
- They will be able to distinguish various types of sources, including primary and secondary sources, historical and contemporary sources, and journalistic and opinion pieces. (Ic)
- They will appreciate the importance and relevance of information gathered from qualitative and quantitative methods employed by social scientists. (Ic)
- Students will be able to judge the veracity and the reliability of various forms of information. (IIe)
Oral Communication
- Students will gain the ability to respectfully participate in political conversations and to engage difference of opinion in a civil manner. (IIc, d; IVb)
- Students will learn to pose interesting, relevant, and probing questions that results in productive classroom discussions. (IIe)
- Students will learn to present their arguments or research in a clear and coherent manner that will foster greater understanding of the course material. They will learn to engage questions or comments in a confident, articulate manner. (IIc)
Technological Literacy
- Students will be able to locate and to access information through electronic sources. (IIa, b)
- Students will learn to use software that best conveys their research. For example, students may find it necessary to generate tables and graphs to support their research. Or, they may find that desktop publishing programs will be an effective means of presenting their work. (IIb, c)
- In addition, students will learn how technology may support oral communication and will learn to present information using programs, such as PowerPoint. (IIc)
Visual Literacy
- Students will learn about the range of visual materials relevant to the study of politics. Such material include, but are not limited to, maps, graphs, table, media images, and art. (Ia, c; IVa)
- Students will be able to determine the veracity and reliability of visual material. (IIb)
- Students will learn to interpret the meaning of these images and their effectiveness in reflecting political phenomenon. (IVa)