Major in Political Science
The specific curricular requirements of the BA in Political Science are:
Lower Division—6 units required
- PSCI 1201 / American Government (3 units)
- PSCI 2000 / Introduction to Political Science (3 units) or PSCI 2030 / Global Politics (3 units)
- MATH 1600 / Statistics (4 units) (strongly recommended)
Upper Division—34 units required
- PSCI 3000/ Ancient & Medieval Political Thought (3 units) or PSCI 3010 / Modern Political Thought (3 units) (WP); and one additional upper division course in Political Theory (6-7 units)
- 2 upper division courses in American Politics (6-8 units)
- 1 upper division course in Comparative Politics (3-4 units)
- 1 upper division course in International Relations (3-4 units)
- 16 units of upper division electives in Political Science
Fields and Courses
Political Theory
- PSCI 3000 - Ancient & Medieval Political Thought
- PSCI 3010 - Modern Political Thought (WP)
- PSCI 3011 – Political Thought in the Modern World
- PSCI 3030 - American Political Thought
- PSCI 3055 - Marx on the Human Condition
- PSCI 4050 - Political Ideologies
- PSCI 4055 - Money and Power
- PSCI 4060 - Globalization and Democracy: Ideals and Institutions
American Politics
- PSCI 3210 - Legislative Process
- PSCI 3220 - Constitutional Law
- PSCI 3225 - Civil Liberties
- PSCI 3230 - Political Parties and Interest Groups
- PSCI 3235 - Political Campaigns and Elections
- PSCI 3240 - Media and Politics
- PSCI 3250 - Public Opinions and Voting Behavior
- PSCI 3304 - Introduction to Public Administration (WP)
- PSCI 3314 - Corruption in Government
- PSCI 3320 - Executive Legislative Relations
- PSCI 3330 - California Politics
- PSCI 3810 - Multicultural Community Building and Conflict Resolution
- PSCI 4214 - The Judicial Process
- PSCI 4220 - Simulation—Supreme Court Decision-Making
- PSCI 4230 - The Presidency (WP)
- PSCI 4300 - Organization Theory
- PSCI 4305 - Gender Politics at Work
- PSCI 4310 - Ethnic and Gender Politics
- PSCI 4311 - Women in American Law
- PSCI 4314 - Ethics in Government
- PSCI 4315 - Public Policy-Making
- PSCI 4318 - Environmental Policy and Politics
- PSCI 4320 - Immigration and Refugee Policy
- PSCI 4325 - Land Use Planning
- PSCI 4326 - Planning Issues and Agriculture
- PSCI 4330 - Urban Politics
- PSCI 4940 - Public Administration Internship
Comparative Politics
- PSCI 3400 - Introduction to Comparative Politics
- PSCI 3410 - Comparative Politics: Latin America
- PSCI 3430 - Comparative Politics: Middle East
- PSCI 3444 - Gender and Sexuality in the Middle East
International Relations
- PSCI 3600 - International Relations
- PSCI 4640 - Foreign Policy Issues
- PSCI 4650 - International Relations: Model United Nations and Arab League
- PSCI 4654 - Politics of the Arab-Israeli Conflict
Specialized Courses
- PSCI 2950 - Selected Topics in Political Science
- PSCI 4950 - Selected Topics in Political Science and Public Administration
- PSCI 4980 - Individual Study
Interdisciplinary
- PSCI 4316 - Teaching Democracy in the Classroom
- PSCI 4700 - The Political Novel
- PSCI 4710 – Politics and Film
Minor in Political Science
The Minor in Political Science constitutes an excellent and broadening complement to a number of other majors on campus in the rounding out of a student’s undergraduate course of study.
The specific curricular requirements for the Minor in Political Science are:
Lower Division—6 units required
- PSCI 1201 / American Government (3 units)
- PSCI 2000 / Introduction to Political Science (3 units) or PSCI 2030 / Global Politics (3 units)
Upper Division—13 units required
- 13 units of upper division Political Science coursework as approved by Minor Advisor in the Department.
Total for Minor—19 units required with lower division and upper division units combined
Updated: July 23, 2024