Program Learning Objectives
- Subject Matter Expertise: Through their curricular and co-curricular work, students will demonstrate expertise in political science and its subfields, as well as its relationship to the broader worlds of study and practice.
- Critical Thinking: Students will demonstrate critical thinking through their coursework and/or co-curricular activities.
- Working Productively and Communicating Effectively: Through their coursework and/or co-curricular activities, students will demonstrate their ability to work productively, both alone and in groups, their knowledge of the principles of effective communication, and their ability to communicate the results of their work effectively through a variety of tools and techniques.
- Ethics, Diversity and Sustainability: In the context of coursework and/or co-curricular activities, students will demonstrate that they have the knowledge and skills necessary to make reasoned decisions, and that they can bring an understanding of the politics surrounding and the value of ethics, diversity and sustainability to bear on those decisions.
- Lifelong Learning and Positive Contribution: Through their coursework and/or co-curricular activities, students will demonstrate that they have the knowledge and skills to engage in lifelong learning aimed at making a positive contribution to society.
Degree Requirements and Curriculum
In addition to the program requirements listed on this page, students must also satisfy requirements outlined in more detail in the Minimum Requirements for Graduation section of this catalog, including:
- 60 units of upper-division courses
- Graduation Writing Requirement (GWR)
- 2.0 GPA
- U.S. Cultural Pluralism (USCP)
Note: No Major, Support or Concentration courses may be selected as credit/no credit.
| MAJOR COURSES | ||
| POLS 112 | American and California Government (D1) 1 | 4 |
| POLS 180 | Political Inquiry | 4 |
| POLS 225 | Introduction to International Relations | 4 |
| POLS 229 | Introduction to Comparative Politics | 4 |
| POLS 230 | Basic Concepts of Political Thought | 4 |
| POLS 359 | Research Design | 4 |
| POLS 361 | Data Analysis in Political Science | 4 |
| POLS 461 & POLS 462 | Senior Project I and Senior Project II | 4 |
| Political Science Electives (300-400 level) 2 | 16 | |
| Political Science Diversity and Inclusion Course, select from the following: 3 | 4 | |
| Political Violence and Conflict Resolution | ||
| The Politics of Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality (USCP) | ||
| Civil Rights in America (USCP) | ||
| Religion and Politics in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict | ||
| Feminist Legal Theory | ||
| Social Movements and Political Protest | ||
| Voting Rights and Representation (USCP) | ||
| U.S. Reproductive Politics | ||
| The Politics of Poverty | ||
| Concentration or Individualized Course of Study | 28 | |
| SUPPORT COURSES | ||
| Select from the following: | 4 | |
| Cultural Anthropology | ||
| Human Geography | ||
| Western Civilization: Ancient to Renaissance | ||
| Western Civilization: Reformation to the Present | ||
| World History, 1000-1800 | ||
| World History, 1800 - Present | ||
| Comparative Societies | ||
| STAT 217 | Introduction to Statistical Concepts and Methods (B4) 1 | 4 |
| Select any 200 or 300-level ES or WGQS course(s) | 4 | |
| GENERAL EDUCATION (GE) | ||
| (See GE program requirements below.) | 64 | |
| FREE ELECTIVES | ||
| Free Electives 4 | 24 | |
| Total units | 180 | |
| 1 | Required in Major or Support; also satisfies General Education (GE) requirement. |
| 2 | A total of 4 units of either POLS 386 or POLS 387 may count toward upper-division Political Science electives. A total of 4 units of either POLS 386 or POLS 387 may count towards the Concentration. A total of 4 units of either POLS 386 or POLS 387 may count toward Free Electives. Any combination of POLS 386 and POLS 387 may be taken for a maximum of 12 units total credit for the degree. |
| 3 | Political Science Diversity and Inclusion course cannot be double-counted from Concentration courses. |
| 4 | If a General Education (GE) course is used to satisfy a Major or Support requirement, additional units of Free Electives may be needed to complete the total units required for the degree. |
Concentrations or Individualized Course of Study (select one)
Individualized Course of Study
A minimum of 28 units of coursework are selected by the student and approved by the student's academic advisor. 20 of these must be at the 300–400 level and 16 units must carry a POLS prefix.
General Education (GE) Requirements
- 72 units required, 8 of which are specified in Major and/or Support.
- If any of the remaining 64 units is used to satisfy a Major or Support requirement, additional units of Free Electives may be needed to complete the total units required for the degree.
- See the complete GE course listing.
- A grade of C- or better is required in one course in each of the following GE Areas: A1 (Oral Communication), A2 (Written Communication), A3 (Critical Thinking), and B4 (Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning).
| Area A | English Language Communication and Critical Thinking | |
| A1 | Oral Communication | 4 |
| A2 | Written Communication | 4 |
| A3 | Critical Thinking | 4 |
| Area B | Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning | |
| B1 | Physical Science | 4 |
| B2 | Life Science | 4 |
| B3 | One lab taken with either a B1 or B2 course | |
| B4 | Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning (4 units in Support) 1 | 0 |
| Upper-Division B | 4 | |
| Area C | Arts and Humanities | |
| Lower-division courses in Area C must come from three different subject prefixes. | ||
| C1 | Arts: Arts, Cinema, Dance, Music, Theater | 4 |
| C2 | Humanities: Literature, Philosophy, Languages other than English | 4 |
| Lower-Division C Elective - Select a course from either C1 or C2 | 4 | |
| Upper-Division C | 4 | |
| Area D | Social Sciences - Select courses in Area D from at least two different prefixes | |
| D1 | American Institutions (Title 5, Section 40404 Requirement) (4 units in Major) 1 | 0 |
| D2 | Lower-Division D | 4 |
| Upper-Division D | 4 | |
| Area E | Lifelong Learning and Self-Development | |
| Lower-Division E | 4 | |
| Area F | Ethnic Studies | |
| F | Ethnic Studies | 4 |
| GE Electives in Areas B, C, and D | ||
| Select courses from two different areas; may be lower-division or upper-division courses. | ||
| GE Electives | 8 | |
| Total units | 64 | |
| 1 | Required in Major or Support; also satisfies General Education (GE) requirement. |
San Luis Obispo, California 93407