Political Science, BA/BS
Program Description
Political science is the systematic study of government, politics and public policy. It is one of a number of liberal arts majors that prepare students for a broad range of career opportunities.
Political science majors choose one of four tracks or concentrations: general political science, pre-law, public administration or historical and comparative politics. Each concentration provides a combination of knowledge and skills especially appropriate for those with particular career goals. However, choosing one concentration over the others does not limit you to a particular career path — each of the tracks provides a solid grounding in political science and a broad liberal arts background.
General education requirements and sufficient elective credits must be completed so that at least 124 semester credits have been earned.
Other Qualifications — Graduate degrees are required for some positions; thus, a law degree is required for work as an attorney and a Ph.D. is required for appointment to permanent teaching and research positions in colleges and universities.
Program Learning Outcomes
- Critical Thinking: Students will demonstrate the ability to think critically and analytically about politics.
- Communication: Students will communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, about political issues and theories.
- World View: Students will discuss and analyze the world and contemporary political issues from perspectives other than their own.
- Think Globally: Students will demonstrate the ability to think globally.
- Analysis: Students will analyze domestic and international political events and behaviors through the use of political theories and concepts.
Bachelor of Arts/Science Political Science–General
The general political science concentration is designed to provide a broad education in political science. It is most appropriate for students who plan to attend graduate school in political science and for those with an interest in government and politics who wish to get a broad, liberal education. Students who continue their education in graduate school most often pursue careers as professors, researchers, consultants or government officials. Students who do not pursue graduate study choose from a wide variety of career options in government, politics, teaching, journalism and business.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Political Science Courses | ||
| POLI 101 | Freshman Seminar | 2 |
| POLI 110 | Intro American Govt/Politics | 3-4 |
| or POLI 160 | Intro Canadian Govt Politics | |
| POLI 202 | Soph Sem Political Res & Stats | 3 |
| POLI 303 | Junior Seminar | 4 |
| POLI 351 | Political Philosophy | 3 |
| POLI 404 | Senior Seminar I | 2 |
| POLI 405 | Senior Seminar II | 2 |
| Select a minimum of one course in each of three political science fields, and two courses in one of the fields: | ||
| American Politics | 3-4 | |
| Policy Analysis and Evaluation | ||
| Politics and Media | ||
| Congress and the Presidency | ||
| Constitutional Law/Civil Lib | ||
| Comparative Politics | 3-4 | |
| Women & Politics Around World | ||
| Comparative Politics of Europe | ||
| Middle East Politics | ||
| International Relations | 3-4 | |
| Intro International Relations | ||
| United Nations/World Politics | ||
| Internatl Environmental Policy | ||
| US Foreign Policy | ||
| The International Legal Order | ||
| Politics of the World Economy | ||
| Political Science Electives | ||
| General Political Science Cognates | ||
| COMM 302 | Argumentation & Advocacy | 3-4 |
| or COMM 320 | Public Relations | |
| ECON 201 | Principles Macroeconomics | 3 |
| ENGL 306 | Technical Writing | 3 |
| or ENGL 221 | Intro to Creative Writing | |
| HIST 101 & HIST 102 | History World Civilization I and History World Civilization II | 8 |
| or HIST 131 & HIST 132 | United States History I and United States History II | |
| PHIL 205 | Logic | 3 |
| Total Hours | 48-53 | |
A minimum of 21 credits must be at the 300/400 level, with at least nine of these at the 400 level.
General Education: All LSSU bachelor’s degree candidates must complete the LSSU General Education Requirements.
Bachelor of Arts Cognates (8 credits): One year of a modern language other than English. If taken at LSSU, this would be OJIB 130 Ojibwe Lang I Anishinaabemowin-OJIB 131 Ojibwe Lng II Anishinaabemowin or SPAN 161 First Year Spanish I-SPAN 162 First Year Spanish II. One-half year of two different languages will not meet this requirement.
A minimum of 124 credits (at the 100 level or higher) must be earned for graduation with a cumulative gpa of 2.00 or higher. A gpa of 2.00 or higher is also required in your Major, as well as in your General Education Requirements.
Bachelor of Arts/Science Political Science–Pre-Law
The pre-law concentration is designed to provide students interested in legal careers with a planned curriculum that prepares them especially well for law school and for careers in law. Students who choose this option are often interested in careers as attorneys, prosecutors or judges. It should be noted that this is not a mandatory pre-law curriculum; it is a curriculum for pre-law students who have a special interest in government and politics.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Political Science Courses | ||
| POLI 101 | Freshman Seminar | 2 |
| POLI 110 | Intro American Govt/Politics | 3-4 |
| or POLI 160 | Intro Canadian Govt Politics | |
| POLI 120 | Introduction Legal Processes | 3 |
| POLI 130 | Intro State/Local Government | 4 |
| POLI 202 | Soph Sem Political Res & Stats | 3 |
| POLI 222 | Intro to the Legal Profession | 3 |
| POLI 303 | Junior Seminar | 4 |
| POLI 351 | Political Philosophy | 3 |
| POLI 404 | Senior Seminar I | 2 |
| POLI 405 | Senior Seminar II | 2 |
| POLI 467 | Constitutional Law/Civil Lib | 4 |
| Select a minimum of one course in each of two political science fields: | ||
| Comparative Politics | 3-4 | |
| Women & Politics Around World | ||
| Comparative Politics of Europe | ||
| Middle East Politics | ||
| International Relations | 3-4 | |
| Intro International Relations | ||
| United Nations/World Politics | ||
| Internatl Environmental Policy | ||
| US Foreign Policy | ||
| The International Legal Order | ||
| Politics of the World Economy | ||
| Political Science Electives | ||
| Pre-Law Cognates | ||
| ACTG 132 | Principles of Accounting I | 4 |
| COMM 302 | Argumentation & Advocacy | 3 |
| ENGL 306 | Technical Writing | 3 |
| or ENGL 221 | Intro to Creative Writing | |
| HIST 101 & HIST 102 | History World Civilization I and History World Civilization II | 8 |
| or HIST 131 & HIST 132 | United States History I and United States History II | |
| LAWS 102 | Legal Research/Case Analysis | 3 |
| LAWS 202 | Legal Writing and Analysis | 3 |
| PHIL 205 | Logic | 3 |
| Select two law courses in different disciplines from the following: | ||
| Business Law I | ||
| Business Law II | ||
| Correctional Law | ||
| Substantive Criminal Law | ||
| Procedural Criminal Law | ||
| Environmental Law | ||
| International Business Law | ||
| Labor Law | ||
| Policy Analysis and Evaluation | ||
| Internatl Environmental Policy | ||
| Pol Sci/Pub Admin Internship | ||
| Total Hours | 66-69 | |
A minimum of 21 credits must be at the 300/400 level. (At least nine of these credits must be at the 400 level).
General Education: All LSSU bachelor’s degree candidates must complete the LSSU General Education Requirements.
Bachelor of Arts Cognates (8 credits): One year of a modern language other than English. If taken at LSSU, this would be OJIB 130 Ojibwe Lang I Anishinaabemowin-OJIB 131 Ojibwe Lng II Anishinaabemowin or SPAN 161 First Year Spanish I-SPAN 162 First Year Spanish II. One-half year of two different languages will not meet this requirement.
A minimum of 124 credits (at the 100 level or higher) must be earned for graduation with a cumulative gpa of 2.00 or higher. A gpa of 2.00 or higher is also required in your Major, as well as in your General Education Requirements.
Bachelor of Science Political Science–Public Administration
The public administration concentration is most appropriate for students who plan to work in an administrative capacity in public agencies or nonprofit organizations with public missions. Students who choose this option are preparing for careers of public service. Such careers may be pursued through positions in government agencies at the local, state or provincial, and national levels. Other positions may be found in nonprofit organizations involved in public concerns, such as Common Cause, the Environmental Defense Fund, and the Michigan Health Council. Some of these careers of public service may be pursued with only a bachelor’s degree. Others may require completion of a master’s degree in public administration or a related field.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Political Science Courses | ||
| POLI 101 | Freshman Seminar | 2 |
| POLI 110 | Intro American Govt/Politics | 3-4 |
| or POLI 160 | Intro Canadian Govt Politics | |
| POLI 130 | Intro State/Local Government | 4 |
| POLI 201 | Intro to Public Administration | 3 |
| POLI 202 | Soph Sem Political Res & Stats | 3 |
| POLI 301 | Policy Analysis and Evaluation | 3 |
| POLI 303 | Junior Seminar | 4 |
| POLI 351 | Political Philosophy | 3 |
| POLI 401 | Princ of Public Administration | 3 |
| POLI 404 | Senior Seminar I | 2 |
| POLI 405 | Senior Seminar II | 2 |
| POLI 499 | Pol Sci/Pub Admin Internship | 3 |
| Select a minimum of one course in each of two political science fields: | ||
| Comparative Politics | 3-4 | |
| Women & Politics Around World | ||
| Comparative Politics of Europe | ||
| Middle East Politics | ||
| International Relations | 3-4 | |
| Intro International Relations | ||
| United Nations/World Politics | ||
| Internatl Environmental Policy | ||
| US Foreign Policy | ||
| The International Legal Order | ||
| Politics of the World Economy | ||
| Public Administration Cognates | ||
| ACTG 132 | Principles of Accounting I | 4 |
| COMM 302 | Argumentation & Advocacy | 3-4 |
| or COMM 320 | Public Relations | |
| ECON 201 | Principles Macroeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 305 | Public Finance | 3 |
| ENGL 306 | Technical Writing | 3 |
| or ENGL 221 | Intro to Creative Writing | |
| HIST 101 & HIST 102 | History World Civilization I and History World Civilization II | 8 |
| or HIST 131 & HIST 132 | United States History I and United States History II | |
| MGMT 360 | Management Concepts & Apps | 3 |
| MGMT 365 | Human Resource Management | 3 |
| Total Hours | 71-75 | |
General Education: All LSSU bachelor’s degree candidates must complete the LSSU General Education Requirements.
A minimum of 124 credits (at the 100 level or higher) must be earned for graduation with a cumulative gpa of 2.00 or higher. A gpa of 2.00 or higher is also required in your Major, as well as in your General Education Requirements.
Bachelor of Arts/Science Political Science–Historical and Comparative Politics
The historical and comparative politics concentration is designed to provide a broad education in these areas of political science. It is most appropriate for students who plan to attend graduate school in political science or history and for those with an interest in working in the international community. Students who continue their education in graduate school most often pursue careers as professors, researchers, consultants or government officials. Students who do not pursue graduate study choose from a wide variety of career options in government, politics, teaching, journalism and business.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Political Science and History Courses | ||
| POLI 101 | Freshman Seminar | 2 |
| POLI 110 | Intro American Govt/Politics | 3-4 |
| or POLI 160 | Intro Canadian Govt Politics | |
| POLI 202 | Soph Sem Political Res & Stats | 3 |
| POLI 303 | Junior Seminar | 4 |
| POLI 351 | Political Philosophy | 3 |
| POLI 404 | Senior Seminar I | 2 |
| POLI 405 | Senior Seminar II | 2 |
| HIST 101 | History World Civilization I | 4 |
| HIST 102 | History World Civilization II | 4 |
| Area Studies-Europe | ||
| HIST 315 | Europe Napoleon World War I | 4 |
| or HIST 316 | Europe in the 20th Century | |
| POLI 331 | Comparative Politics of Europe | 3 |
| Issue Studies-International Relations | ||
| HIST 250 | The Atlantic World | 3 |
| POLI 241 | Intro International Relations | 4 |
| Issue Studies-US Foreign Policy | ||
| HIST 441 | Hist Am Foreign Pol 1776-1950 | 3 |
| POLI 411 | US Foreign Policy | 3 |
| Political Science or History Electives 1 | ||
| General Political Science Cognates | ||
| COMM 302 | Argumentation & Advocacy | 3-4 |
| or COMM 320 | Public Relations | |
| ECON 201 | Principles Macroeconomics | 3 |
| ENGL 306 | Technical Writing | 3 |
| or ENGL 221 | Intro to Creative Writing | |
| PHIL 205 | Logic | 3 |
| Total Hours | 59-61 | |
- 1
Additional political science or history electives to reach 40 credits. A minimum of 21 credits must be at the 300/400 level, with at least nine of these at the 400 level.
A minimum of 21 credits must be at the 300/400 level, with at least nine of these at the 400 level.
General Education: All LSSU bachelor’s degree candidates must complete the LSSU General Education Requirements.
Bachelor of Arts Cognates (8 credits): One year of a modern language other than English. If taken at LSSU, this would be OJIB 130 Ojibwe Lang I Anishinaabemowin-OJIB 131 Ojibwe Lng II Anishinaabemowin or SPAN 161 First Year Spanish I-SPAN 162 First Year Spanish II. One-half year of two different languages will not meet this requirement.
A minimum of 124 credits (at the 100 level or higher) must be earned for graduation with a cumulative gpa of 2.00 or higher. A gpa of 2.00 or higher is also required in your Major, as well as in your General Education Requirements.
Prelaw (Non-degree)
Program Description
There is essentially a three-step process in becoming a licensed attorney. First, an individual must complete an undergraduate degree at a college or university. Second, one must then go on to law school to obtain a juris doctorate degree. Finally, successful completion of the state bar exam is required for licensure. In being admitted into law school, the two most important factors that are evaluated by most law schools are undergraduate grades and Law School Admission Test (LSAT) scores — an entrance exam required of nearly all law schools in the United States and some in Canada.
The American Bar Association and most law schools do not recommend any particular undergraduate major before going on to law school. Consequently, a student should choose a major in which he/she has both interest and aptitude. Yet, there are important skills, values, and certain knowledge that can be acquired prior to law school which will assist a student in being successful at law school. Such values and knowledge include: analytical and problem-solving skills, critical reading abilities, writing skills, oral communication and listening abilities, research skills, task organization and management skills, ethical values, and, of course, knowledge of the law. In fact, a prelaw minor is available at LSSU which consists of courses that will assist a prelaw student in further developing these skills, values and knowledge.
Since there is no required prelaw major, the American Bar Association and law schools strongly recommend that law school bound students contact the Prelaw Advisor at their university as early in the educational process as possible. At LSSU, our approach to advising prelaw students is very individualized. We want to help each student fulfill their goals and to be successful at law school and beyond.
The Prelaw Advisor at LSSU can provide individualized guidance with regard to selecting an undergraduate curriculum (both a major and a minor); recommending particular courses that will enhance necessary skills, values and knowledge; assisting in the law school admission process; and providing relevant career and professional trend information.
Degree Requirements
Although there is no recommended or required prelaw curriculum, there are some excellent options that students may want to consider at LSSU. The following LSSU programs include key components with regard to legal knowledge as well as writing, analytical and research skills:
- Political Science—Prelaw Concentration (major)
- Prelaw (minor)
Students should seek guidance from LSSU’s Prelaw Advisor as early as possible to ensure they are individually counseled with regards to their respective interests, undergraduate curriculum choice, as well as personal and professional goals.