Political Science and
Criminal Justice Majors

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The Department offers academic majors in political science and in criminal justice.

Each major affords students an opportunity to obtain a broad liberal arts education that enriches their lives and acquaints them with the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. The course of study for students majoring in either political science or criminal justice begins with a set of core courses to introduce the student to the discipline. Students then have the opportunity to select from a list of specialized electives in their area of concentration and to increase their understanding of their field by taking courses in the related disciplines of anthropology, economics, history, psychology, and sociology as well as General Electives from other departments. As the central element of a general education, both political science and criminal justice provide preparation for graduate education and for useful and satisfying careers.

Political Science Major: The course of study for students majoring in political science prescribes a set of core courses to introduce the student to the discipline. In addition, each major must select one of the following departmental subfields for specialization in the junior and senior years.

A.   American Government and Politics.
B.   International Politics and Military Affairs.
C.   Pre-Law and Legal Studies.

The discipline of political science seeks to describe and to explain political phenomena, including both foreign and domestic political institutions, the political process, political behavior, and contemporary political issues. Political science also studies the relationships of individuals with their governments, including the rights and responsibilities of citizens. The major has especially strong appeal for those who anticipate careers in law and government, particularly in the Foreign Service and Department of State, intelligence agencies, and the military services of the US Army, US Navy, US Air Force, and US Coast Guard.

Criminal Justice Major: The course of study for students majoring in Criminal Justice prescribes a set of core courses to introduce the student to the discipline. In addition, students have the opportunity to select from three clusters of courses including advanced criminal justice course work, courses in American government and politics, and courses which provide a broader liberal arts perspective. The major is designed to offer opportunities for criminal justice education at the college level which will provide capable personnel to meet the needs of the professionalization movement in this region and in the country. This is not a training or police academy program, but a liberal arts approach which emphasizes social and natural sciences as well as humanities and professional activities. Students who major in criminal justice anticipate careers at the local, state, and national levels in such areas as law enforcement, juvenile justice, corrections, and probation and parole.

Major Requirements: B.A. in Political Science

The political science major consists of fourteen courses (42 credit hours) within the department. In addition, the major establishes certain distributional requirements outside the department, and it provides for six elective courses which students may use as they choose. The complete course of study is presented in the Courses of Study section of this catalog.

The fourteen courses required for a major in political science are distributed as follows: six core courses, five subfield courses, and three political science departmental electives.

First, each student is required to complete a specified core of six courses:

Second, no later than the beginning of the fall semester of the junior year, each political science major must select one of the subfields for course concentration during the junior and senior years. The three subfields are Subfield A: American Government and Politics, Subfield B: International Politics and Military Affairs, and Subfield C: Law and Legal Studies. Majors must complete selected courses within one subfield of their choice. Three of these courses are specifically required; the remaining courses must be selected from the list of subfield electives as indicated below.

Third, to complete the required fourteen courses for the political science major, each student must also complete three additional political science courses (PSCI), two of which must be chosen from the American government and politics subfield (PSCI 301, PSCI 302, PSCI 303, PSCI 304, PSCI 305, PSCI 306, PSCI 307, PSCI 308, PSCI 309, PSCI 393, PSCI 396, PSCI 401, PSCI 402, PSCI 403, PSCI 499). The third must be an additional political science elective (any course with a PSCI prefix).

All courses within a subfield are open both to majors in other departments and to political science majors who are concentrating in one of the other two subfields. Subfield requirements and electives are listed below.

Subfield A: American Government and Politics

JUNIOR YEAR

SENIOR YEAR

Required:

Subfield B: International Politics and Military Affairs

JUNIOR YEAR

SENIOR YEAR

Required:

Subfield C: Law and Legal Studies

JUNIOR YEAR

SENIOR YEAR

Required:

Major Requirements: B.A. in Criminal Justice

(Effective Fall 1998)

The criminal justice major consists of fifteen courses (45 credit hours) within the department. In addition, the major establishes certain distributional requirements outside the department, and it provides for six elective courses which students may use as they choose. The complete course of study is presented in the Courses of Study section of this catalog.

The criminal justice core curriculum will consist of four courses (12 credit hours) to broadly introduce the student to the field. These core courses for the major are as follows: