Political Science A.B.
A Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Political Science requires the completion of the Elon Core Curriculum as well as the Major Requirements listed below.
Major Requirements
Required courses: 16 sh
| POL 1110 | AMERICAN GOVERNMENT | 4 sh |
| POL 1610 | COMPARATIVE POLITICS | 4 sh |
| POL 2200 | RESEARCH METHODS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE AND POLICY STUDIES | 4 sh |
| POL 4970 | SENIOR SEMINAR IN POLITICAL SCIENCE | 4 sh |
Select one course from the following: 4 sh
| POL 1200 | INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL THOUGHT | 4 sh |
| POL 3010 | POLITICAL SIMULATIONS IN AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT | 4 sh |
| POL 3020 | DEMOCRACY AND ITS CRITICS | 4 sh |
Select twenty-four additional hours in POL: 24 sh
It is strongly recommended that Political Science majors, in consultation with their advisors, select a subfield or topical concentration. Subfield and concentration courses will be chosen from among the 24 elective hours. With the approval of the student’s advisor, up to four hours from outside the political science and policy studies department may be applied toward the major to facilitate a concentration. No more than eight internship hours may be applied to the major.
Total Credit Hours: 44
Program Outcomes
Students of political science should be able to effectively communicate complex ideas through different media, which must include written, and could also include oral, electronic, and creative communication strategies.
Students in political science should demonstrate the ability to engage in systematic investigation of complex political phenomena by developing appropriate research questions and applying appropriate research methodologies in response to those questions.
Fully enlightened citizens must be able to access, understand, and evaluate various types of information currently available to them.
The faculty in the department of political science is committed to the development of a learning environment that promotes student skills in critical and analytical reasoning. Such skills are necessary for the development of cognitive frameworks that are vital for informed participation in our communities and civic life.
While recognizing that the liberal arts in general develop many common intellectual skills, there are distinctive practices and methodologies that define specific disciplines. Students that graduate with a political science degree should have strong familiarity with and have an ability to demonstrate specific frameworks that shape the methodologies and discourses in the field of political science.