Political Science (B.A.)
The Political Science major provides students with an understanding of politics and government as practiced in the United States and throughout the world, a knowledge of global political relationships, opportunities to develop skills that are useful both in the course of participating first-hand in politics and in the rigorous analysis and communication of complex information, familiarity with methods used in the study of political science, and preparation for professional careers in law, government, international affairs, and the teaching of politics and the social sciences.
Students pursuing the major in Political Science must have a GPA of 2.0 or higher in the major in order to graduate.
Our program assumes responsibility for the general education of KSC students, work in the Political Science major will contribute to all eight broad categories of skill that the Integrative Studies Program has identified as potential emphases of courses that participate in the program: reading; writing; information literacy; ethical reasoning; critical thinking; creative thinking; critical dialogue; technological fluency; and quantitative reasoning.
Integrative Studies Requirements
40 credits minimum
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Major Requirements (40 credits) | ||
| Core Courses | ||
| Select three of the following: | 12 | |
| United States Politics | ||
| International Relations | ||
| Comparative Politics | ||
| Modern Political Thought | ||
| Foundational Writing | ||
| POSC-250 | Political Writing & Research | 4 |
| Capstone Experience | ||
| POSC-410 | Adv. Topics in US Politics | 4 |
| or POSC-420 | Adv. Topics in Global Politics | |
| Program Electives | ||
| In addition to 20 credits in core courses, students must take another 20 credits in courses that the department offers as POSC or ISPOSC or IIPOSC options at the 200-level or higher, with at least 12 of those credits at the 300-400 level. | 20 | |
| Total Credits | 40 | |
Certification as a Social Studies Teacher
Political Science is an approved major for students seeking Secondary Social Studies Certification. Students will need to take the following additional certification requirements:
Dual Major in Education
- Secondary Education
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Requirements for Certification | ||
| IHHIST-161 | American Encounters to 1877 | 4 |
| IHHIST-162 | American Encounters From 1877 | 4 |
| IHHIST-111 | Ancient & Medieval World | 4 |
| IHHIST-112 | The Modern World | 4 |
| ISECON-104 | Intro to Macroeconomics | 4 |
| ISPSYC-101 | General Psychology | 4 |
| ISENST-203 | Globalization Culture & Place | 4 |
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
100- to 200-level Sociology course | ||
| Cultural Anthropology | ||
| Total Credits | 32 | |
Electives
Select courses to reach a total of 120 credits including 40 credits at the upper-level for the degree.
Degree Requirements
120 credits
40 credits at the upper-level
Upon completion of the Political Science B.A. degree, students will complete the Citizenship and Disciplinary Objective in Introductory Political Science (100- and 200-Level):
- Methods of attending to, participating in, and reasoning about the politics that affect them as individuals and as members of communities and states. We identify three sets of skills that well-educated citizens should develop.
Upon completion of the Political Science B.A. degree, students will complete the Effective Awareness Objectives, competence in monitoring political phenomena:
- Demonstrated by the ability to identify the kinds of political activity that characterize local, state, national, and international politics.
- Demonstrated by the ability to identify the sources of information that can be used to track important political behavior.
- Demonstrated by evidence that the student has personally monitored political events.
Upon completion of the Political Science B.A. degree, students will complete the Effective Participation Objectives, competence in monitoring political participation:
- Demonstrated by the ability to identify the varieties of participatory behavior that are available to individuals and to members of any given political community.
- Demonstrated by the ability to characterize the likely consequences of each kind of political participation.
- Demonstrated by evidence that the student has personally engaged in political action.
Upon completion of the Political Science B.A. degree, students will complete the Effective Reasoning Objectives, competence in political reasoning:
- Demonstrated by the ability to engage in political argument that weighs alternative positions on the objectives and methods of political action.
- Demonstrated by: the development of conclusions that are logically consistent with a specific set of objectives and methods.
- Demonstrated by: evidence that the student can evaluate and integrate personal political values and available public choices.
Upon completion of the Political Science B.A. degree, Disciplinary Objectives students will complete the in Intermediate Political Research and Analysis (200- and 300-Level):
- Gain practice in the skills identified above and receive instruction in political research that contributes to the following objectives.
Upon completion of the Political Science B.A. degree, students will complete the Effective Political Research Objectives, competence in research on political phenomena:
- Demonstrated by representativeness in the use of print and electronic resources on politics, such that students both consult and build on classic and current political analysis of the problem under consideration, following guidelines that will be provided by the individual course instructor
- Demonstrated by depth in the exploration of power relations that are fundamental to the problem under consideration, following guidelines that will be provided by the individual course instructor.
Upon completion of the Political Science B.A. degree, students will complete the Effective Political Analysis Objectives, competence in the evaluation of political behavior, data, and text:
- Demonstrated by focus, in that it defines a political problem explicitly and stays on topic.
- Demonstrated by thoroughness, in that it explores a range of political issues and politically relevant data that accurately represent the scope of the problem at hand.
- Demonstrated by fairness, in that it explicitly considers and critiques at least two of the significant competing perspectives that bear on the problem at hand.
- Demonstrated by conclusiveness, in that it offers a judgment that builds on data and perspectives treated in the course of the analysis.
Upon completion of the Political Science B.A. degree, Disciplinary Objectives students will complete the Advanced Political Science (400-Level):
- Demonstrate that they can integrate and apply the entire range of foregoing skills. The focus of this demonstration is to provide an opportunity for students to show how awareness, participation, reasoning, research, and analysis draw upon skills that can be applied synergistically to a political problem of particular interest to the student.
Upon completion of the Political Science B.A. degree, students will experience:
- The provision of political science content that students at a liberal arts college, including US politics, public administration, public policy, global politics, comparative politics, and political thought.