American Politics Minor
Requirements for Political Science Minors
A general minor in political science can be arranged, as well as specialized minors in eight different subfields of the discipline. Interested students should see a faculty adviser to plan a coherent program of study as a minor field.
Students must achieve a cumulative 2.0 GPA in the political science courses chosen to qualify for the minor. Students may count no more than 3 hours in political science taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis toward the minor. Students taking an internship POL SCI 3940 may count no more than three hours of the internship toward the minor.
American Politics
Designed for those students interested in careers in communications, education, business, social work, political consulting, and other fields requiring knowledge of American urban, state, and national politics and institutions. Education majors planning to teach in the social studies field, communications majors planning on a career in journalism, or business majors thinking about working in corporate relations may especially wish to consider a double major in political science with a focus in this area. In addition to the core curriculum and common requirements for all majors, students are advised to take:
| Required Course | ||
| POL SCI 1100 | Introduction to American Politics (MOTR POSC 101) | 3 |
| Select at least four of the following: | 12 | |
| Labor, Work, Society, and Politics | ||
| Judicial Politics | ||
| State Politics | ||
| African Americans and the Political System | ||
| The American Presidency | ||
| Congressional Politics | ||
| Introduction to Urban Politics | ||
| The Politics of Identity and Social Justice | ||
| The Politics of Gender in the United States | ||
| Introduction to Public Policy | ||
| United States Foreign Policy | ||
| Studies in Political Science (when appropriate) | ||
| Constitutional Law | ||
| Public Opinion and Political Participation | ||
| Political Parties and Elections | ||
| Studies in American Politics | ||
| Environmental Policy | ||
| Special Readings (when appropriate) | ||
| Public Affairs Internship (when appropriate) | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |
In addition, students may wish to choose other political science courses listed below under the public policy and administration program of study. Given the growing reality of international interdependence, students should not restrict their studies completely to American politics but should take some course work in comparative and international politics as well. Depending on their specific career interest, students may wish to round out their program with course work in other social science departments such as criminal justice, communications, economics, or social work.