Required Courses for BA in Political Science

Required Courses for BA in Political Science
(63 units)
1. General Core Requirements (38 units)

A. Lower Division Required Courses (12 units)

		PLSI 101 American Government & Politics (5)
		MATH 140 Statistics (5) 
		or 
		PSYC 200 Introduction to Statistical Methods in Psychological Research (5)
		PLSI 290 Political Science as a Profession (2)

B. Upper Division Required Courses (21 units)

		PLSI 300 Political Inquiry (5)
		PLSI 304 International Relations (5)
		PLSI 333 Political Philosophy & Thought  (5)
		PLSI 490 Senior Seminar (6)

C. Experience/Methods (5 units – choose from one of the following)

		380 Political Science Laboratory (5)
		PLSI 496 Internship (5)  Note: A single five unit course is required to satisfy this requirement.  
		Additional internship courses may be taken for variable credit of two to five units.
		PLSI 481 Directed Research (5)

2. Program Concentrations (10 units)
	Choose one of the following concentrations:
	A. American (10 units)
		This course of study is designed to facilitate learning the basic concepts, theories, and 
		methods of institutions and behaviors of American government and to train students 
		in research, analytical, and communication skills that focus on the uses of American Government 
		and policy.
		Select two of the following courses:

		PLSI 313 Electoral Behavior and Political Parties (5)
		PLSI 316 Congress (5)
		PLSI 317 The Presidency (5)
		PLSI 335 American Political Theory (5)

	B. International Relations (10 units)
		This course of study is designed to facilitate learning the basic concepts, theories, and methods 
		of international relations and comparative politics.  Students are trained in research, analytical, 
		and communication skills that focus on the uses of comparative and international relations training.
		Select two of the following courses:

		PLSI 306  European Political Cultures (5)
		PLSI 308 Government and Politics of China (5)
		PLSI 309 Government and Politics of Latin America (5)
		PLSI 322 Government and Politics of Japan (5)
		PLSI 404 Politics of International Commerce (5)

	C. Pre-Law (10 units)
		This course of study is designed to facilitate learning the basic concepts, theories, and methods 
		of research that are important to attorneys and to others whose work requires understanding 
		of common and statutory law.
		Select two of the following courses:
		
		PLSI 314 Judicial Power and the Constitution (5)
		PLSI 315 Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (5)
		PLSI 370 Legal Reasoning (5)
		PLSI 335 American Political Theory (5)

3. Political Science Studies Courses (15 units)
	Select three courses not taken for the concentration from the list below; only one of these may be lower division.
	PLSI 208 The Politics of Change in Asian Societies (5)
	PLSI 218 Politics in the Novel and Film (5)
	PLSI 302 American Foreign Policy (5)
	PLSI 303 American Defense Policy (5)
	PLSI 306 European Political Cultures (5)
	BEHS 307 Developing Political Systems (5)
	PLSI 308 Government and Politics of China (5)
	PLSI 309 Government and Politics of Latin America (5)
	BEHS 311 Small Group Dynamics (5)
	PLSI 313 Electoral Behavior and Political Parties (5)
	PLSI 314 Judicial Power and the Constitution (5)
	PLSI 315 Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (5)
	PLSI 316 Congress (5)
	PLSI 317 The Presidency (5)
	PLSI 319 California Politics and Public Policy (5)
	PLSI 320 Social Groups and Political Power in America (5)
	BEHS 321 Community Politics (5)
	PLSI 322 Government and Politics of Japan (5)	
	PLSI 323 Government and Politics of the Middle East (5)
	PLSI 324 Politics of Mexico (5)
	PLSI 325 The Government, Politics, Economy, and Foreign Policy of Russia (5)
	PLSI 328 Media, Propaganda, and Public Opinion (5)
	PLSI 329 Latino Politics (5)
	BEHS 330 Political Psychology (5)
	BEHS 331 Political Sociology (5)
	PLSI 332 Political Geography (5)
	PLSI 334 Democratic Theory (5)
	PLSI 335 American Political Theory (5)
	PLSI 339 Women in Politics (5)
	PLSI 340 Racial & Ethnic Politics in the United States (5)
	INST 369 Environmental Politics (5)
	PLSI 370 Legal Reasoning (5)
	PLSI 371 International Organizations (5)
	PLSI 376 Terrorism, War, and the Politics of the Middle East (5)
	PLSI 379 Real Property Law (5)
	PLSI 404 Politics of International Commerce (5)
	PLSI 411 U.S. Immigration Politics and Policy (5)
	PLSI 418 Politics and Culture (5)


4. Portfolio Requirement
	Every student who completes the major in Political Science in any one of the three concentrations – 
	American, International Relations, or Pre-Law is required to prepare a portfolio that displays what 
	has been gained from the major in Political Science.  The portfolio is a collection of materials gathered 
	from work done in various classes sanctioned by the Political Science Department.  This collection addresses 
	each of the competency goals outlined by the Political Science Department, which is detailed on the 
	Department web page and is available in the Department office.

	To create a portfolio, each student will have to provide evidence of competency in the following areas: 
	political understanding, theory building, data analysis, formal presentations, research methods, 
	basic computer management, and personal career management.  Demonstrating individual competency 
	in these areas will require that each student provide evidence of his/her work and accomplishments 
	from individual classes, internships, and research projects.  Portfolios should be seen as “works in progress” 
	during your tenure here, and must be turned in to the responsible faculty member teaching Senior Seminar 
	490 when you take the Senior Seminar course.  No student will be allowed to graduate from Senior Seminar 
	with a portfolio project that receives a “B-“ or less.  Questions about the portfolio may be directed to the 
	student’s advisor, or to any Political Science faculty member.

5. The satisfactory completion of one of the three options listed below:
	a. Completion of a minor program approved by another discipline and listed in the catalog.
	b. An interdisciplinary concentration or minor listed in the catalog (see “Interdisciplinary Concentrations 
	    and Minors”). 
	c. A special minor approved by the student’s advisor and the Dean of Undergraduate Studies.

6. Honors

	The requirements to graduate with Honors in Political Science are a 3.0 overall GPA, a 3.3 GPA in the major, 
	and a Directed Research course (PLSI 481) with a minimum grade of B.