Faculty: Bloeser, Harward, Kirschner, Mattiace, Oliver, Wesoky, Williams

The Political Science major is a program in the Social and Behavioral Science Area of Study.

The Department of Political Science offers courses in: Law and Policy; American Politics; Comparative Politics and International Relations; and Theory and Methods. These courses are designed to help students
understand politics, political behavior, political outcomes, and political life and discourse, as well as the institutions and processes that shape the political dynamics of different political systems.

Political Science Major Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully complete a major in Political Science are expected to be able to:

• (PLO1) Identify a diversity of core values, beliefs, and experiences that constitute different understandings of democracy, power, authority, and justice.
• (PLO2) Apply disciplinary knowledge and approaches to critically analyze political phenomena and important public issues.
• (PLO3) Explain the role of political institutions and processes in shaping domestic and global politics.

The Political Science Major

The Political Science major, consisting of 44 credits, leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree. At graduation, Political Science majors must have a GPA of at least 2.0 in the major. The calculation is based on the grades of all Allegheny courses presented for the major. Only the most recent grade is considered for courses that have been repeated. Students other than transfer students may present a total of 16 semester hours toward the major on a Credit/No Credit basis from a) courses taken at other approved institutions or b) specially arranged internships. One AP course (U.S. Politics or Comparative Politics will be accepted on a Credit/No Credit basis as a substitute for the department’s introductory course. All other courses must be taken on a letter-grade basis.

All majors must present two introductory courses from POLSC 110 , POLSC 120 , POLSC 130 , and POLSC 140 ; students are strongly encouraged to complete these by the end of the sophomore year. Up to three introductory courses may count toward the major. Majors must also complete the two-credit course, POLSC 289 ; students are strongly encouraged to complete this by the end of the sophomore year as well.

All majors must present at least one course in each of the four subfields of the major (Law and Policy, American Politics, Comparative Politics/International Relations, and Political Theory/Methods). Majors must also present at least three Political Science courses at the 300- or 400-level. Students must complete one junior seminar from POLSC 580-POLSC 587. Finally, students must complete the segmented senior project (POLSC 600 , POLSC 610 ; six credits total). Both POLSC 600  and POLSC 610  must be taken on a letter-grade basis.