SCHOOLS AND ACADEMIC PROGRAMS: COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES: POLITICAL SCIENCE


UNDERGRADUATE BULLETIN 1999 - 2002	[ Previous Page \| Table of Contents \| Next Page ]

SCHOOLS AND ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

POLITICAL SCIENCE

A major in political science is designed to prepare students to be sophisticated citizens, ready to analyze and appreciate political life in the United States and around the world. Political science is the study of power and influence in society, especially as these concepts relate to issues of governance and behavior. Classes cover a wide variety of topics, including political parties and interest groups, voting behavior, political change and development, comparative political systems, international conflict and law, national security, public policy, constitutional law, and political philosophy. Students will also gain experience with a variety of techniques for analyzing data which stand them in good stead for a variety of careers. Majors tend to seek employment in government service, education, business, journalism, or law. For more information on the Department of Political Science and its programs, see http://www.pitt.edu/~polisci/home.html.

Major Requirements
The courses in political science are grouped into four fields: American government; comparative government; international relations and law; and political thought. A political science major must complete a minimum of 24 credits in political science, distributed as follows:
- Core Requirement: At least two courses chosen from among:
  - PS 0200 (American Political Process)
  - PS 0300 (Comparative Politics)
  - PS 0500 (World Politics)
  - PS 0600 (Political Theory and Analysis)
- Field Requirement: One 1000-level course in each of the four fields of political science, as set out above, and such additional 1000-level courses in one or more of the fields as necessary to complete the minimum number of credits. This distribution of courses permits students to develop broad competence in political science and in-depth competence in one of the fields of the discipline.
- Students majoring in political science must also adhere to these rules and requirements:
  - Students must complete the political science curriculum with at least a 2.00 QPA in departmental courses. The S/N option may not be used for major courses.
  - Credit by examination may only be given for PS 0200 (American Political Process), 0300 (Comparative Politics), 0500 (World Politics) and 0600 (Political Theory and Analysis).
  - Students must complete a minimum of 12 credits in a CAS-related area such as anthropology, economics, history, or sociology, and 12 credits in a focused area of study approved by the department, such as Latin American studies, West European studies, etc.
  - The department does not require a foreign language beyond the CAS requirements. However, students planning on graduate school in political science should check the requirements of the schools they are interested in.

Requirements for Focus in Government and Public Service
A focus in government and public service is also offered, and students may elect to pursue this option within the major; this focus is designed to prepare students to enter careers in public service following graduation. The required courses offer practical information and experience in addition to the more theoretical and analytical course work of the regular major. Students considering graduate study in public administration, planning and city management will also find this focus useful. To complete the focus, students must take 12 credits in addition to those required for the major. Interested students should pick up further information in the departmental office. The following courses are normally counted toward the focus:
- Political science (PS) courses:
  - 1204 (Women in Politics)
  - 1241 (Public Administrations and Political Systems)
  - 1242 (Intergovernmental Relations)
  - 1251 (Urban Government)
  - 1252 (State Government)
  - 1261 (American Public Policy)
  - 1262 (Health Policy in the United States)
  - 1264 (Problems in Public Management)
  - 1265 (Public Policy Implementation)
  - 1532 (United States National Security)
  - 1632 (Analysis of Political Variables)
- Public administration courses:
  - PA 0030 (Introduction to Public Policy Analysis)
  - PA 0070 (Introduction to Public Administration)
  - PA 1140 (Public Personnel Management)
  - PA 1145 (Administrative Behavior).
- Economics courses:
  - ECON 0230 (Public Finance 1)
  - ECON 0280 (Introduction to Money and Banking)
  - ECON 1230 (Intermediate Public Finance)
- Sociology course:
  - SOC 1476 (Urban Policy and Planning)

Minor Requirements
The Department of Political Science recognizes four possible sequences of study as constituting the minor in political science. Each sequence includes one lower-division course and four upper-division courses (for a total of 15 credits) selected from among several options:
- American Government
  Students selecting this option must complete the following courses for the political science minor:
  - PS 0200 (American Political Process)
  - Four upper-division courses selected from the following list:
    - PS 1201 (Constitution and Civil Liberties)
    - PS 1202 (American Constitutional Law)
    - PS 1203 (Judicial Politics)
    - PS 1204 (Women in Politics)
    - PS 1211 (Legislative Politics)
    - PS 1212 (American Presidency)
    - PS 1213 (Law and Politics)
    - PS 1230 (Interest Group Politics)
    - PS 1231 (Political Parties and Elections)
    - PS 1232 (Political Attitude and Public Opinion)
    - PS 1234 (Electoral Behavior and Democratic Process)
    - PS 1241 (Public Administration and Political System)
    - PS 1251 (Urban Government)
    - PS 1252 (State Government)
    - PS 1261 (American Public Policy)
    - PS 1262 (Health Policy in the U.S.)
    - PS 1264 (Problems in Public Management)
- Comparative Government (Non-U.S. countries)
  Students selecting this option must complete the following courses for the political science minor:
  - PS 0300 (Comparative Politics)
  - Four upper-division courses selected from the following list:
    - PS 1301 (Theories and Concepts in Comparative Governments)
    - PS 1302 (Political Development)
    - PS 1311 (Western European Government and Politics)
    - PS 1312 (British Government and Politics)
    - PS 1313 (French Government and Politics)
    - PS 1315 (Italian Government and Politics)
    - PS 1317 (Politics of the European Community)
    - PS 1321 (Latin American Politics)
    - PS 1322 (Latin American Political Development)
    - PS 1326 (The Politics of Revolution)
    - PS 1331 (Government and Politics of Southeast Asia)
    - PS 1332 (Government and Politics of Contemporary China)
    - PS 1333 (Government and Politics of Japan)
    - PS 1335 (The Political Economy of Japan: Government, Business, and Trade)
    - PS 1341 (Government and Politics of the USSR and the Russian Federation)
    - PS 1342 (Government and Politics of East Europe)
    - PS 1343 (Comparative Socialist Political Systems)
    - PS 1346 (Political East Europe)
    - PS 1351 (Government and Politics of the Middle East)
    - PS 1353 (African Liberation Movements)
    - PS 1372 (European Environmental Policy Making)
    - PS 1373 (Welfare State in Comparative Perspective)
    - PS 1374 (Political Economy of Development)
    - PS 1376 (Religion and Politics in the Middle East)
- International Relations (International Studies)
  Students selecting this option must complete the following courses for the political science minor:
  - PS 0500 (World Politics)
  - Four upper-division courses selected from the following list:
    - PS 1501 (Theory of International Relations)
    - PS 1502 (International Law and Problems of World Order)
    - PS 1503 (International Organization)
    - PS 1504 (Nationalism)
    - PS 1509 (Conflict and War Theory)
    - PS 1511 (American Foreign Policy)
    - PS 1512 (Europe after the Cold War: Cooperation and Conflict)
    - PS 1513 (Foreign Policies in a Changing World)
    - PS 1514 (Political Strategy in International Relations)
    - PS 1521 (Eastern Europe in World Politics)
    - PS 1522 (Latin America in World Politics)
    - PS 1523 (East Asia in World Politics)
    - PS 1531 (National Security Policy)
    - PS 1532 (United States National Security)
    - PS 1533 (Political Violence and Revolution)
    - PS 1541 (Politics of Global Economic Relations)
    - PS 1542 (Global Environmental Politics)
    - PS 1544 (The Political Economy of American Trade Policy)
    - PS 1551 (Cognitive Psychology and International Relations)
- Political Thought
  Students selecting this option must complete the following courses for the political science minor:
  - PS 0600 (Political Theory and Analysis)
  - Three upper-division courses selected from the following:
    - PS 1601 (Political Theory: Plato to Machiavelli)
    - PS 1602 (Political Theory: Machiavelli to Rousseau)
    - PS 1603 (Contemporary Political Thought)
    - PS 1604 (European Social Thought and Political Practice)
    - PS 1605 (Modern Political Ideologies)
    - PS 1610 (American Political Theory)
    - PS 1377 (American Political Thought)
    - PS 1611 (Liberalism and Democracy)
    - PS 1612 (Marxism)
    - PS 1614 (Theories of Justice)
    - PS 1623 (Psychology and Politics)
    - PS 1629 (Topics in Political Theory)
    - PS 1682 (Politics and Economics of Public Policy)
  - One additional upper-division course from any of the other three fields of study toward the political science minor.

UNDERGRADUATE BULLETIN 1999 - 2002 [ Previous Page | Table of Contents | Next Page ]