Political Science, B.A.

Required Courses (6 units):

• POSC 100 - Introduction to American Government (3 units)
• POSC 300 - Scope and Methods of Political Science (3 units)

Concentration Requirement (18 units):

Take 18 units in one of the three areas of concentration:

1. Law, Politics, Policy
2. Political Theory
3. Global Politics

Take 3 lower-division units and 15 upper-division units in the chosen area of concentration, including the senior seminar in that area.

Law, Politics and Policy

• POSC 212 - How Democratic is the United States? (3 units)
• POSC 311 - Constitutional Law: Power (3 units)
• POSC 312 - Constitutional Law: Rights (3 units)
• POSC 314 - Environmental Law (3 units)
• POSC 317 - Queer Law (3 units)
• POSC 321 - The Media and American Politics (3 units)
• POSC 322 - Parties, Campaigns, and Elections (3 units)
• POSC 323 - Racial and Ethnic Politics - U.S. (3 units)
• POSC 326 - California Government in Comparative Perspective (3 units)
• POSC 327 - Urban Politics (3 units)
• POSC 328 - Public Policy (3 units)
• POSC 329 - Cases in Public Policy Making (3 units)
• POSC 412 - Law and Social Change (3 units)
• POSC 414 - Jurisprudence (3 units)
• POSC 417 - Legal Practices: Moot Court (3 units)
• POSC 418 - Legal/Judicial Apprenticeship (3 units)
• POSC 422 - Public Opinion and Political Behavior (3 units)
• POSC 423 - The American Presidency (3 units)
• POSC 424 - The United States Congress (3 units)
• POSC 430 - Fundamentals of Public Administration (3 units)
• POSC 431 - Public Policy Analysis (3 units)
• POSC 432 - Public Values and Public Policy (3 units)
• POSC 439 - Senior Seminar in Law, Politics, and Policy (3 units)
• POSC 447 - Public Service Internship I (3 units)
• POSC 448 - Public Service Internship II (3 units)

Political Theory

• POSC 225 - Issues in Political Theory (3 units)
• POSC 301 - Classical Political Theory (3 units)
• POSC 303 - Modern Political Theory (3 units)
• POSC 304 - Recent Political Theory (3 units)
• POSC 306 - Contemporary Political Ideologies (3 units)
• POSC 308 - American Political Theory (3 units)
• POSC 401 - Women in Political Theory (3 units)
• POSC 409 - Senior Seminar in Political Theory (3 units)

Global Politics

• POSC 218 - Global Politics (3 units)
• POSC 353 - Government and Politics of Western Europe (3 units)
• POSC 358 - Contemporary Latin American Politics (3 units)
• POSC 362 - Society and National Politics of China (3 units)
• POSC 367 - Governments and Politics of the Middle East (3 units)
• POSC 371 - Introduction to International Politics (3 units)
• POSC 376 - International Law (3 units)
• POSC 378 - Politics and Practice of the UN (3 units)
• POSC 450 - Comparative Political Movements (3 units)
• POSC 455 - Comparative Revolutionary Change (3 units)
• POSC 461 - The Politics of Development (3 units)
• POSC 463 - Nationalism and National Identities (3 units)
• POSC 479 - Senior Seminar in Global Politics (3 units)
• POSC 481 - U.S. - Latin American Relations (3 units)
• POSC 482 - American Foreign Policy (3 units)
• POSC 485 - International Political Economy (3 units)
• POSC 486 - National Security Policies (3 units)

General

• POSC 199 - Introduction to California Government (1 unit)
• POSC 300 - Scope and Methods of Political Science (3 units)
• POSC 388 - Cyberspace Citizenship (3 units)
• POSC 391 - American Government (3 units)
• POSC 395 - Politics Through Culture (3 units)
• POSC 399 - Introduction to California Government (1 unit)
• POSC 490H - Honors Seminar (3 units)
• POSC 491H - Honors Research (3 units)
• POSC 492H - Honors Thesis (3 units)
• POSC 493 - Selected Topics in Political Science (3 units)
• POSC 494 - Politics of the Future (3 units)
• POSC 496 - Washington Center Internship (3 units)
• POSC 497 - Selected Topics in Political Science (3 units)
• POSC 498 - Practicum in Politics (1-3 units)
• POSC 499 - Readings and Conference in Political Science (1-3 units)

Breadth Requirement, 15 units of which:

1. no more than 6 units may be from the student’s area of concentration;
2. no more than 3 may be lower division;
3. minimum of 3 units must be from each of the student’s two non-concentration areas, for a total of 6 units

Note: This program must include at least 3 units of a practicum.

Note: 3 units may be from one of the following courses:

• ASAM 319 - Racial and Ethnic Experience in the United States (3 units)
• ASAM 335 - Asian and Latino Immigration Since World War II (3 units)
• ASAM 350 - Environmental Justice (3 units)
• AIS 313 - American Indian Genders and Sexualities (3 units)

• (WGSS 313 may be taken instead of AIS 313)

• AIS 319 - Racial and Ethnic Experience in the United States (3 units)
• AIS 336 - Indigenous Philosophies of Sustainability (3 units)
• AIS 345 - Working with American Indian and Indigenous Families (3 units)
• AIS 485 - American Indians and the Law (3 units)
• AFRS 330 - Politics of the African American Community (3 units)
• AFRS 332 - Civil Rights and the Law (3 units)
• AFRS 354 - African American Women and the Civil Rights Movement (3 units)
• AFRS 400 - African American Social Thought (3 units)
• AFRS 454 - Africana Womanism: An Intellectual History (3 units)
• AFRS 475 - Racism and Sexism: An Analytical Approach (3 units)
• CHLS 320 - Wealth and Poverty in Latino Communities (3 units)
• CHLS 350 - The Latino Population in the United States (3 units)
• CHLS 362 - Latinas/os, Law and Public Policy (3 units)
• CHLS 400 - Chicana/o and Latina/o Politics in the U.S. (3 units)
• CHLS 430 - The Latino Transnational Experience in the Caribbean: Empire, Reform and Revolution (3 units)
• CHLS 450 - 1492 and Beyond (3 units)

Total Units: 39

Note:

• This program must include at least 3 units of a practicum.
• POSC 100 , the 200-level concentration requirement, and POSC 300  must be completed by the end of the junior year.
• POSC 100  and one 200-level POSC course must be completed with a grade of “C” or better.
• With the exception of internships, all courses used toward the POSC major must be taken for a letter grade.
• No more than 3 units (each) of POSC 378 , POSC 417 , POSC 418 , and POSC 498  may be used toward the major.
• A maximum of 6 units may be earned in POSC 418 , POSC 447 , POSC 448 , and POSC 498  combined.

Requirements

Minimum requirements for eligibility are:

1. Junior standing, completion of POSC 300 , and at least two additional upper-division courses in Political Science;
2. A minimum of two semesters remaining before graduation following the semester in which the application is submitted;
3. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3, and 3.5 in Political Science courses

Applications for fall admission are due April 15; applications for spring admission are due November 15.

Applications must include:

1. A completed application form
2. One letter of recommendation from the faculty sponsor that has agreed to oversee the applicant’s honors thesis.
3. One letter of recommendation from a second faculty member (preferably in Political Science)
4. A 5-10 page research or analytical paper written for a previously taken course in Political Science

In order to graduate with Honors in Political Science a student must:

1. Complete all regular requirements for the major in Political Science;
2. Complete 3 units of POSC 490H - Honors Seminar   
3. Complete 3 units of POSC 491H - Honors Research  
4. Complete 3 units of POSC 492H - Honors Thesis  
5. Have at the time of graduation a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3 and 3.5 in Political Science courses.