Political Science BA

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Undergraduate students must declare their intention to major in political science by the time they have completed 60 semester hours, and must complete a minimum of 36 semester hours in political science, of which at least 21 must be upper-division courses. Fifteen of the 36 hours must be taken from Downtown Campus faculty. Courses are distributed among the primary fields as listed in this section, i.e., American politics, comparative politics, international relations, political theory and public policy and administration. To count for the major, all course work must be completed with a grade of C (2.0) or better. Two cognate courses (which don’t count toward the 36 hours) from the list below must also be completed.

Required Political Science Courses

Required Core

P SC 1001 - Introduction to Political Science: The Quest for Freedom and Justice: SS1. Semester Hours: 3
P SC 1101 - American Political System: SS1. Semester Hours: 3
P SC 3011 - Research Methods. Semester Hours: 3
-OR-
P SC 4011 - GIS in Political Science. Semester Hours: 3

Total: 9 Hours

Choose two:

P SC 4207 - Theories of Social and Political Change. Semester Hours: 3
P SC 4407 - Early Political Thought. Semester Hours: 3
P SC 4417 - Modern Political Thought. Semester Hours: 3
P SC 4427 - Law, Politics and Justice. Semester Hours: 3
P SC 4437 - Coercion and the State. Semester Hours: 3
P SC 4457 - American Political Thought. Semester Hours: 3

Total: 6 Hours

One 4000-level course in each of three fields:

American politics, comparative politics, and international relations

Total: 9 Hours

Experiential-Learning Requirement

Choose one:

P SC 3914 - The Urban Citizen. Semester Hours: 3
P SC 3939 - Internship/Cooperative Education. Semester Hours: 1 to 3
P SC 4934 - CU at the Capitol. Semester Hours: 3
Experiential learning project in any P SC class: 3 semester hours

Total: 3 Hours

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Electives

Three political science elective courses

Total: 9 Hours

Political Science Total: 36 Hours

Required Cognate Courses

In addition to the 36 hours above, choose two of the following cognate courses:

ECON 2012 - Principles of Economics: Macroeconomics: SS1. Semester Hours: 3
ECON 2022 - Principles of Economics: Microeconomics: SS1. Semester Hours: 3
HIST 1016 - World History to 1500. Semester Hours: 3
HIST 1026 - World History Since 1500. Semester Hours: 3
HIST 1211 - Western Civilization I. Semester Hours: 3
HIST 1212 - Western Civilization II. Semester Hours: 3
HIST 1361 - U.S. History to 1876: HI1. Semester Hours: 3
HIST 1362 - U.S. History Since 1876: HI1. Semester Hours: 3

Total: 6 Hours

Major Total: 42 Hours

Public Policy Option

This option was designed for students who specifically desire to pursue careers in public policy and/or public administration in the public or nonprofit sectors. Grounded in basic political science theory and familiarity with American, comparative and international politics, this BA track emphasizes the specifically political aspects of public policy processes and settings. Cases will emphasize key policy issues confronting U.S. local, state and national decision makers and citizens. A focus on politics and the policy making process will prepare students conceptually and methodologically to move beyond partisan politics to address how leaders can best mobilize resources to achieve constituent goals consistent with the public interest. The course requirements for this concentration are on the department’s Web site: http://thunder1.cudenver.edu/clas/polisci/major.html#publicPolicy.

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