Political Science, BA or BS

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Requirements for the Major

Students pursuing a major in political science must meet the following requirements:

1.

Fulfill baccalaureate degree requirements.

2.

Maintain a minimum cumulative 2.5 GPA in all courses required for the major.

3.

All students must complete an approved college level statistics course such as MTH 243 or other statistics course offered by another program (e.g., Sociology, Economics, etc.). Students opting for the Political Philosophy concentration will complete PHL 203 (Introduction to Logic) as an alternative to a statistics course.

Political Science Core Courses (32 credits)

PS 201 - Power and Politics 4 credits
PS 202 - Introduction to American Government and Politics 4 credits
PS 311 - Public Opinion and Survey Research 4 credits
PS 313 - American Politics 4 credits
PS 350 - World Politics 4 credits
PS 355 - Comparative Politics 4 credits
PS 371 - Topics in Political Philosophy 4 credits
PS 498 - Senior Seminar 4 credits

American National (12 credits)

Select three from the following:

PS 312 - Health Care Policy 4 credits
PS 317 - American Collective Action 4 credits
PS 324 - Political Campaigns 4 credits
PS 325 - Elections, Money, and Democracy in America 4 credits
PS 329 - American Legal History 4 credits
PS 332 - Money and Power in the United States since 1929 4 credits
PS 340 - Law, Science, and the Environment 4 credits
PS 341 - The Constitution and the Supreme Court 4 credits
PS 343 - The U.S. Presidency 4 credits
PS 344 - Congressional Politics 4 credits

Comparative/International/Transnational

Select three from the following:

PS 320 - International Law 4 credits
PS 358 - Terrorism 4 credits
PS 364 - Empire & Decolonization 4 credits
PS 372 - Twentieth-Century Revolutions 4 credits
PS 382 - Vietnam War and Film 4 credits
PS 393 - Oil, Politics, and the Environment 4 credits
PS 452 - United States Foreign Relations through 1945 4 credits
PS 453 - The Cold War 4 credits
PS 454 - U.S.-Latin American Relations 4 credits
PS 460 - Grand Strategy 4 credits
PS 461 - U.S. Foreign Relations Since 1991 4 credits

History and Political Science Honors Program

1. Requirements for Admission and Continuation in the History and Political Science Honors Program:

a. Newly admitted students must satisfy one of the following conditions:

A minimum high school GPA of 3.6
A minimum combined total of 1200 from the critical reading and mathematics SAT sections with a minimum score of 500 in each section
A minimum combined ACT score of 27 with a minimum score of 22 in both math and English
A minimum transfer GPA of 3.6 (based on at least 36 quarter credits)

b. Continuing students must satisfy each of the following conditions:

A minimum GPA of 3.3 in all classes taken at SOU
A minimum GPA in the major of 3.5
A member of the permanent faculty must agree to serve as advisor

c. To continue in the departmental honors program and graduate with departmental honors, students must maintain the levels of achievement outlined in requirement 1b.

2. Requirements to Complete the History and Political Science Honors Program:

a. Students pursuing honors in the History or Political Science major

Students pursuing honors in the History or Political Science major are required to produce an honors thesis based on original research. The honors thesis will constitute the student’s capstone project. Specific guidelines will be provided by the faculty advisor.

It is expected that the focused student research with faculty direction over the course of 3 to 6 terms will generate a superior final product which demonstrates independence of mind and judgment; capacity to design and execute a complex project; advanced research skills; and skills of analysis, synthesis, and clear written and oral communication.

b. To achieve departmental honors, students will:

Ask a permanent faculty member in History or Political Science to serve as their mentor. Once a permanent faculty member accepts, the student and faculty mentor will work together to develop a research and writing plan.
Complete additional work in an appropriate upper-division course taught by the faculty mentor designed to advance the research project. Examples of possible assignments include, but are not limited to, completion of an annotated bibliography; completion of a bibliographic or historiographic essay; and/or completion of an oral presentation.
Complete HST401H or PS 403 (Thesis) where most of the research will be completed for the Honors Thesis. The work completed in this course will be the basis for a thesis to be completed in either HST 415H or PS 498H.
Write the Honors thesis while enrolled in HST 415H (Capstone) or PS 498H (Senior Seminar), under the direction of the faculty advisor.

c. Presentation of honors thesis

Honors students are expected to present their honors theses at the annual Southern Oregon Arts and Research (SOAR) program in the spring and in a departmental venue (such as the capstone or senior seminar).