Political Science, Minor

Location(s): On Campus

The political science minor introduces students to the primary subfields in political science, along with a variety of methodological approaches. Courses approach the study of politics from a variety of perspectives, with focuses ranging from individual political behavior to the interactions of large institutions in the international arena. In addition to becoming acquainted with the empirical findings of contemporary political science, students also examine the methods by which those findings are reached, thus strengthening their critical thinking skills and gaining a deeper understanding of the nature of knowledge itself. Students also examine the fundamental normative questions of politics.

A minor in political science consists of 18 semester hours as follows:

1. Required (9 hours)

POL 332: Research Methods in Political Science Credit: 3

Two of the following (6 hours)

POL 115: American Politics Credit: 3
POL 222: Comparative Politics Credit: 3
POL 230: International Relations Credit: 3
POL 240: Introduction to Political Thought Credit: 3

2. Electives (9 hours)

Three additional 300-level POL courses. HPGA majors cannot use their major coursework to fulfill this part of the minor requirement.