Curriculum
Political Science is a 33-credit major encompassing foundational, focal, and specialized courses and a research and capstone seminar covering four subfields: American Government, International Relations, Comparative Politics and Political Theory.
Course numbers help you identify the course category and subfield.
- The first digit identifies the course category:
o Foundational courses begin with a 1
o Focal courses begin with a 2
o Specialized courses begin with a 3
o Topics courses (nonpermanent specialized courses) begin with a 4
o Independent study courses begin with a 5
o Senior seminars, off-campus programs, and internships begin with a 6
o Graduate courses begin with a 7, 8 or 9
- The second digit identifies the course subfield:
o The second digit of American Government courses is a 1
o The second digit of International Relations courses is a 2
o The second digit of Comparative Politics courses is a 3
o The second digit of Political Theory courses is a 4
o The second digit of research and senior seminars is a 9
For an explanation of foundational, focal and specialized courses, see Major Requirements. For course descriptions, see Courses.
Foundational Courses
PSC 1100 American Government
PSC 1200 International Relations
PSC 1300 Comparative Politics
PSC 1400 Political Theory
PSC 1900 Research Seminar
Focal Courses
American Government
PSC 2110 U.S. State and Local Government
PSC 2120 U.S. Congress
PSC 2125 U.S. Presidency
PSC 2130 U.S. Judiciary
PSC 2140 U.S. Constitutional Law I: Powers and Structures
PSC 2145 U.S. Constitutional Law II: Rights and Liberties
PSC 2150 U.S. National Parties and Elections
PSC 2180 U.S. National Security Policy
PSC 2190 U.S. Public Opinion and Political Behavior
International Relations
PSC 2210 Globalization
PSC 2220 International Law
PSC 2230 International Organization
PSC 2240 International Political Economy
PSC 2260 War and Conflict
Comparative Politics
PSC 2310 Nationalism
PSC 2320 Russian Politics
PSC 2330 East Asian Politics
PSC 2340 Politics of the Arab World
PSC 2350 African Politics
PSC 2360 Latin American Politics
PSC 2370 Third World Politics
PSC 2380 European Politics
PSC 2390 Indian and South Asian Politics
Political Theory
PSC 2410 Early Political Theories
PSC 2420 Modern Political Theories
Specialized Courses
American Government
PSC 3110 Politics of Immigration in the U.S.
PSC 3120 Political Communication in the U.S.
PSC 3130 Women and Politics in the U.S.
PSC 3140 Race, Ethnicity, and Politics in the U.S.
PSC 3150 Political Psychology
International Relations
PSC 3210 American Foreign Policy
PSC 3220 Middle East International Relations
PSC 3230 Development and Aid
PSC 3240 East Asia Political Economy
PSC 3250 Genocide and Mass Killing
Political Theory
PSC 3410 Theories of War and Peace
PSC 3420 American Political Thought
PSC 3440 Politics and Religion
Topics Courses
PSC 4175 Topics in American Government and Politics
PSC 4275 Topics in International Relations
PSC 4375 Topics in Comparative Politics
PSC 4475 Topics in Political Theory
Independent Study Courses
PSC 5110 Independent Study in American Government and Politics
PSC 5210 Independent Study in International Relations
PSC 5310 Independent Study in Comparative Politics
PSC 5410 Independent Study in Political Theory
Off-campus Study Programs
PSC 6160 Washington Minimester
Internship Courses
PSC 6503 Internship Elective (3 credits)
Senior Seminars
PSC 6900 Senior Seminars