Political Science

Faculty

Shelley L. Tomkin, Professor of Political Science (Program Chair)
Kathleen McGinnis, Professor of Political Science

Description

The Political Science Program emphasizes both the study of political science as a discipline and the active, practical participation of students in the political process. In addition to course work, students participate in a wide variety of internships and fieldwork classes in Washington, D.C., to learn politics through direct observation and involvement.

The major in political science is designed to help students effectively fulfill their expanding roles in public life. Knowledge of governmental affairs in combination with communication and research skills can open a wide vista of challenging opportunities. Trinity looks to its political science majors to provide the much-needed dedication and leadership qualities aimed at achieving an enriched and more just society.

Political science provides students with grounding in several fields including American government, comparative political systems, international relations, political theory, and field experience afforded by Trinity's location in the nation's capital. This resource serves students in two ways: first, through utilization of the city's political and governmental institutions as learning laboratories and second, by providing students with professional contacts and networking opportunities well before they graduate. In addition, political science majors can combine a thorough grounding in political science theory and methodology with a self-directed focus on selected public policy topics and/or with multidisciplinary course selections through the general education curriculum and complementary courses in other disciplines.

An analysis of the many aspects of leadership as well as the concept itself is woven into every political science course. The Political Science Program is also sensitive to the needs of women not only through gender-specific courses but also through many other courses that address issues and processes of special significance to women. The comparative politics sequence and international relations courses in particular provide an essential resource for the development of multicultural awareness.

Courses in the Political Science Program fall into the following categories: international relations (IR), comparative politics (COMP), political theory (PT), American politics (AMER), field experience/internship (FD), and advanced seminars (SEM). Each course taken may be counted to fulfill only one distribution requirement for the major, even if the course falls into two categories.

The Political Science Program supports a major and minor in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Requirements

Major Requirements (39-40 credits)

ONE introductory course chosen from:

POLS 101 Politics, Power, and You: Democracy at the Crossroads

Introduces students to U.S. political and public policy issues and processes to advance their ability to analyze and understand current topics in the news. Newspaper analysis, videos and journalistic accounts of current events will be featured. Formerly PSC 120 Politics, Power, and You: Democracy at the Crossroads.

3 credits

General Education Curriculum: Applications Area


POLS 103 The American Political Process

TWO courses in international relations (IR)
TWO courses in comparative politics (COMP)
TWO courses in political theory (PT)
TWO courses in American politics (AMER)
TWO courses in internships or field work (FD)*
ONE approved research methods course such as MATH 110 Introduction to Statistics

Presents the basic principles of statistics with applications to the social sciences. Topics include descriptive statistics, probability theory, normal and binomial distributions, and central limit theorem, with an introduction to the use of statistical software. Formerly MAT 110 Introduction to Statistics.

3 credits

General Education: Knowledge and Inquiry Area

Prerequisites: MATH 108, MATH 109 or higher level mathematics course

or additional field work in political science
TWO advanced seminars (SEM)

* Students may take either one field work course and one internship, two internships, or two fieldwork courses.

Minor Requirements (18 credits)

Students pursuing the minor should complete 18 credits of political science courses. Internships cannot be counted toward the minor.

Program Policies

Advanced Placement:
Advanced Placement credit will be accepted by the Political Science Program in American government and comparative politics at the 4 or 5 level.

CLEP Policy:
Students wishing to receive credit for CLEP examinations should consult the Program Chair.

Grades in Major Courses:
Students are required to earn a grade of "C-" (1.7) or better in all courses counted to fulfill requirements for the major.

Pass/No Pass:
Courses fulfilling the major requirement may not be taken pass/no pass, except for POLS 491 Internship

By special permission of the program faculty and under the supervision of a faculty member during fall or spring semester only. Projects must be agreed upon in advance in writing. Formerly PSC 384 Internship.

2-12 credits

Internship.

Senior Assessment:
Students must achieve a passing grade on the senior comprehensive examination in order to graduate with a major in political science.

TELL Policy:
Students may receive no more than 12 political science elective credits through the TELL Program.

Transfer Credits:
No more than 15 credits in courses equivalent to those required for the major may be accepted toward the major in political science. No more than nine credits may be accepted toward the minor in political science.

Course Descriptions

 POLS 101 Politics, Power, and You: Democracy at the Crossroads POLS 102 Politics and Citizenship POLS 103 The American Political Process POLS 201 Civil Rights and Liberties POLS 211 Women and the Law POLS 231 Introduction to Comparative Politics POLS 241 Introduction to International Relations POLS 243 The Politics of Globalization POLS 250 Politics, Literature, and Film POLS 274 Politics, Literature, and Film POLS 275 Politics and Fiction POLS 277 Personality and Political Leadership POLS 299 Honors Seminar: The Political Lives of Women POLS 301 Congress and Policy Making POLS 305 Public Policy POLS 311 Constitutional Law POLS 313 Religion, Law and Politics in the United States POLS 337 Comparative Politics: Africa POLS 341 International Law and Organizations POLS 343 United States Foreign Policy I POLS 351 Political Thought: Plato to Rousseau POLS 353 Modern Political Thought POLS 363 US Intelligence and World Affairs POLS 363A Field Work: Legislative Tracking POLS 365 Field Work: Political Parties, Campaigns, and Elections POLS 367 Field Work: Public Opinion Polling POLS 369 Field Work: Political Advocacy POLS 403 Political Power: Interest Groups, Lobbying, and Public Policy POLS 405 Seminar in Public Policy: Children POLS 431 Seminar in Comparative Politics and International Relations POLS 443 Seminar on Conflict Theory and Management POLS 471 Politics and The Media POLS 491 Internship POLS 498 Independent Study

Trinity reserves the right to change, without prior notice, any policy or procedure, tuition or fee, curricular requirements, or any other information found on this web site or in its printed materials.

Questions may be directed to Virginia Broaddus, Ph.D., Provost at BroaddusV@trinitydc.edu