Political Science BA

College of Arts and Sciences
Degree BA, Political Science (formerly Government, Law and National Security)
Department Chair and Program Director Christopher Stevens, PhD

Faculty

Roblyn Rawlins, Visiting Assistant Professor of Criminology, B.S. Georgia State University; M.A., Ph.D. Stony Brook University

Christopher A. Stevens, Associate Professor of History and Government, BA University of Massachusetts-Amherst; MA University of Delaware; PhD Brandeis University

Matthew P. Thornburg, Associate Professor of Government, Law, and National Security, BA Johns Hopkins University; PhD George Mason University

The Political Science program prepares students to enter government service and the private sector performing jobs related to campaigns and elections, the law, public administration, public policy, and security.  Students will achieve an integrated knowledge of political science, legal studies, and public administration.  Courses examine and evaluate the means to address domestic and international threats to public safety, engage the policy making process, provide efficient administration of public resources, and render a legal system that upholds public safety and sound public administration.  Courses equip graduates with a solid academic foundation for entry level career employment and mid-level career mobility opportunities in broad areas of criminal justice, homeland and national security, government service, the law and legal services, campaigns and elections, journalism, non-profit administration and management, and political affairs/communication in the private sector.  In addition, the Political Science program will prepare students for graduate study in law, government, non-profit administration and public policy, political science, and national security studies.

Program and Student Learning Outcomes

1. Develop knowledge of politics and political science

   1. Explain significant economic, legal, and political systems and their constituent parts in the United States, foreign countries, or at the international level.
   2. Explain significant economic, legal, and political issues and policies in the United States, foreign countries, or international relations.
   3. Define important theories and concepts of the subfields of political science (American, International Relations, Public Administration, and Public Law)

2. Evaluate and employ concepts, theories, and legal perspectives

   1. Apply concepts, theories, and legal perspectives to field-relevant case studies andsupport the application with appropriate evidence.
   2. Evaluate the merits of multiple policies, theories, concepts, or legal perspectives within a subfield of political science.

3. Develop communication (written and oral) and vocational skills

   1. Develop well structured, well sourced, convincing and coherent arguments
   2. Identify political science-related career, graduate school, and law school opportunities and assess pathways to job placement or admission to graduate or law school.
   3. Prepare and revise necessary career documents and interview skills for jobs related to political science.