Major in Government and Politics
School of Arts and Sciences
(Bachelor of Arts Degree)
The government and politics major examines the principles, processes, and structures of power in the world today. Our students develop knowledge and skills that are highly valuable for the globalized world. This includes understanding authority, diversity, leadership, conflict resolution, and collective mobilization. Classes are highly interactive and designed to enhance student abilities to comprehend, analyze, and communicate. A major or minor in government and politics fits well with students who are interested in working in government, law, politics, education, global studies, non-profit organizations, non-governmental organizations, history, business, public relations, criminal justice, or journalism.
Students considering public school teaching as a career should refer to the programs in education.
Total credit hours required for degree: 120
ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS
(See also General Education Core)
| Course | Credit Hours | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| CORE | 34-55 | ||
| (Some of the following may be used to satisfy college core requirements) Note: It is recommended that majors also take PSY/SOC211Statistics for the Social Sciences and ECN141 Principles of Macroeconomics as part of core. | |||
| REQUIRED COURSES | |||
| Foundational Coursework These courses are intended to provide a solid foundation for the further study of governmental institutions, political ideologies, and international political systems. | 12 | ||
| GOV 101 Intro to Politics and American Government | 3 | ||
| GOV 203 Intro to Comparative Politics | 3 | ||
| GOV 261 International Relations | 3 | ||
| GOV 281 Political Ideas and Ideologies | 3 | ||
| Senior Seminar and Thesis Students will take a senior seminar and produce a thesis based on that course under the supervision of a thesis adviser. Upon completion of the thesis students will present their work to an appropriate audience. | 4 | ||
| Take one: GOV 435, GOV 464, other approved seminars or a special topics seminar, plus GOV 410 Research Proposal. | |||
InternshipsA professional introduction to one’s chosen field that includes the production of an academic paper. Internships for more than six credits have a significant academic component. Students can couple 6 credits of internship with six credits of independent study related to the internship topic. | 3-15 | ||
| GOV 470 Internship in Government and Politics All majors take an internship appropriate to their academic and/or career interests. Choose from administrative, campaign, judicial, legislative, or public interest internship. Note: Students must maintain an overall GPA of 2.75, have no grade less than 2.0 in required courses, and receive a favorable recommendation from their academic adviser in order to partake in an internship. Students whose grades fall below this level, or who receive unfavorable recommendations, must take at least one 3 credit course at the 300-level or higher. | |||
| ELECTIVES These courses expand the students’ breadth of study while simultaneously achieving greater specialization. They provide the depth of knowledge required when students move on to their internship experience. Students are not limited to seven elective courses. We envision students expanding their knowledge base by taking additional courses in areas of specific interest. Majors will take seven (7) elective courses, minimum of two in each of the subfields. All majors must take at least 18 credits at or above the 300-level. Subfields include: | 21 Credits | ||
American Government and Politics | |||
| GOV 212 Amer. Political Parties and Elections | 3 | ||
| GOV 215 Public Opinion and Political Behavior | 3 | ||
| GOV 221 State and Local Government | 3 | ||
| GOV 235 Civil Rights, Public Policy, and Social Change | 3 | ||
| GOV 251 Congress and the Legislative Process | 3 | ||
| GOV 313 Campaign Management | 3 | ||
| GOV 332 Public Administration | 3 | ||
| GOV 333 American Public Policy | 3 | ||
| GOV 382 American Political Concepts | 3 | ||
| GOV 435 Political Leadership and the American Presidency | 3 | ||
Law | |||
| GOV 242 Jurisprudence and the American Legal System | 3 | ||
| GOV 341 Jurisprudence of Criminal Law | 3 | ||
| GOV 345 Constitutional Law in the Government Process | 3 | ||
| GOV 346/546 Civil Liberties | 3 | ||
| GOV 364/564 International Law | 3 | ||
| GOV 366/566 International Criminal Law | 3 | ||
International and Comparative Politics | |||
| GOV 363/563 International Organizations | 3 | ||
| GOV 365W American Foreign Policy | 3 | ||
| GOV 368 International Political Economy | 3 | ||
| GOV 371† European Politics | 3 | ||
| GOV 372 Modern Russia | 3 | ||
| GOV 373 African Politics | 3 | ||
| GOV 374 Latin American Politics | 3 | ||
| GOV 375 Political Change in Developing Nations | 3 | ||
Other | |||
| GOV 300 Select Topics in Government and Politics | 3 | ||
| GOV 400 Select Topics in Government and Politics | 3 | ||
| GOV 410 Government and Politics Thesis Research Proposal | 3 | ||
| GOV 470 Internship in Government and Politics | 3 | ||
| GOV 490 Independent Study | 3 | ||
Human Rights | |||
| HRA 200 Selected Topics | 3 | ||
| GOV/HRA 211 Introduction to Human Rights | 3 | ||
| GOV/HRA 464/664 International Protection of Human Rights | 3 | ||
"UC served as my passport to graduate studies and to my subsequent professional career. I was able to participate in a political campaign while at UC and was afforded the opportunity to discover that my talents and interests were complemented by my major course work."
~
CEO and President
Coastal Communications
Brooklyn, NY
~
Ricardo Cumberbatch
'87CEO and President
Coastal Communications
Brooklyn, NY
