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Political Science Major: BA Degree Requirements

The Political Science major consists of 36 credits. Fifteen credits must be unique to the major. All other credits can be used to count for other majors, minors or the ELAC. Transfer students who wish to graduate from Eastern with a major in Political Science must complete at least 18 credits at Eastern applied to the Political Science Major. Each transfer student’s program must be approved by the student’s Political Science advisor.

All Political Science majors must maintain an overall 2.0 average in major courses and receive no more than two grades below 2.0.

Students pursuing two majors can use up to 15 credits of ELAC (Eastern Liberal Arts Core) courses to fulfill major requirements. However, no ELAC course can be used to meet requirements for more than one major.

Track I: Political Science

 

Required Courses (18 Credits)

Introduction to the field

  • PSC 100 Power, Politics, Processes – 3 credits

 Method Courses

  • PSC 201 Applied Qualitative Research Methods - 3 credits
  • PSC 202 Applied Quantitative Research Methods - 3 credits

Non-US Courses (Choose 1, other may be taken to satisfy open elective)

  • PSC 208 International Politics - 3 credits

Or

  •  PSC 217 War, Diplomacy, and International Relations – 3 credits

Theory Courses (Choose 1, other may be taken to satisfy open elective)

  •  PSC 220 Democratic Theory – 3 credits

 Or

  •  PSC 314/PHI Modern Social and Political Thought – 3 credits

Seminar in Political Science
  •  PSC 460 Seminar in Political Science - 3 credits

Internship or Study Abroad

All students must complete an internship or study abroad. That experience will be fit into the appropriate category and satisfy the requirement for one course in the category.

Choose 1, other may be taken to satisfy additional credits

  •  Political Science Internship – Minimum 3 credits

 Or

  •  Study Abroad – Minimum 3 credits

Electives


Choose six (6) elective courses (18 credits):

  •  PSC 200 State and Local Politics and Government
  • PSC 205 Public Administration
  • PSC 215 Political Parties and Elections
  • PSC 216 Interest Group Politics
  • PSC 225 Organizational Theory
  • PSC 227/WST 227 Women and Politics
  • PSC 230 Middle Eastern Politics
  • PSC 250 Asian Politics
  • PSC 275 Media and Internet in Politics
  • PSC 300 Ideological Divisions in the U.S.
  • PSC 310 European Politics
  • PSC 311 International Development  
  • PSC 315 American Social and Political Thought
  • PSC 316/PHI 316 Ancient Political Thought
  • PSC 320 American Foreign Policy    
  • PSC 323 Democratization    
  • PSC 328/LAS 328 Latin American Politics     
  • PSC 325 Politics and the Mass Media  
  • PSC 326/WST 326 Politics of Race, Class and Gender    
  • PSC 330 The Presidency    
  • PSC 333 Constructing Political Advertisements    
  • PSC 335 Legislative Politics    
  • PSC 338/GEO 338 Geopolitics    
  • PSC 339 Constitutional Law I: Powers and Processes    
  • PSC 340 Constitutional Law II: Civil Liberties    
  • PSC 341 Justice in the courts    
  • PSC 345 Electoral Politics    
  • PSC 350 Public Policy and Decision Making    
  • PSC 351 Environmental Politics and Policy    
  • PSC 353 Natural Resources Politics    
  • PSC 352 Global Environmental Politics    
  • PSC 357 Nationalism and Imperialism
  • PSC 370/PHI 370 Human Rights: Natural and Civil    
  • PSC 400 Political Inquiry
  • PSC 480 Independent Study (when topically appropriate) - 3-6 credits
  • PSC 490 Municipal Government Internship - 1-15 credits
  • PSC 491 State Government Internship - 1-15 credits
  • PSC 492 Law Internship - 1-15 credits
  • PSC 493 National Government Internship - 3-15 credits
  • PSC 495 State/Local/Law Internship - 3-15 credits
  • PSC 489 Teaching Assistantship - 1-10 credits