Political science is the study of government, politics and the socio-economic forces that shape the present and future. Through your studies, which will include a combination of lecture and class discussion, you will gain a depth of knowledge in domestic and international governing bodies, current political issues, the formation of public policy and political theory. The goal of the department is to fully prepare you to be a responsible citizen and use your knowledge to seek improvement within society.
Political science is an excellent major for careers in government, teaching, law, political journalism, social service, non-governmental organizations, international affairs and in governmental relations in business. The political science major emphasizes critical thinking, research and writing skills, making it a valuable major for students with varied career goals.
As a political science major at St. Kate’s, you will develop a foundation in factual and conceptual knowledge through the following introductory courses: Introduction to Political Science, American Government and Politics, Introduction to Comparative Government and Introduction to World Politics. You choose five additional courses to complete the major. This enables you to focus your studies on American politics, international politics or political theory.
You will be encouraged to pursue internships at local, state, national and international levels, which will enable you to explore prospective careers, gain valuable hands-on experience and develop personal contacts within your field.
Recent students have interned with Minnesota House of Representatives and Senate, Republican Party of Minnesota, Minnesota Association of Women Lawyers, Center for Victims of Torture, Jane Addams School for Democracy, International Center for Research on Women, Rethinking Tourism Project and Sustainable Northern Ireland.
Political science majors also have participated in semester programs with Public Leadership Education Network’s short-term courses in Foreign Policy, Science and Technology Policy, and Congress; Metro-Urban Semester study; and Washington, D.C. Semester through American University.
You are encouraged to take advantage of opportunities to travel and study abroad. Political science majors have studied abroad in France, Bolivia, Namibia, the United Kingdom, China, Bangladesh, Ecuador, Germany, Czech Republic and Japan.
The Centers of Excellence are a wonderful resource for political science majors. The Center of Excellence for Women, Economic Justice and Public Policy educates students to understand the depth and complexity of justice issues and prepares them to serve as engaged leaders in their communities and professions. The Center empowers women by promoting community collaboration and active learning to advance the creation of just economic policies and systemic change. The Center for Women and Spirituality seeks to develop and strengthen scholarship and programs for the study and understanding of spirituality in women’s lives, and to serve as a resource for scholars and others in the United States and around the world who are interested in women’s spirituality. The Center invites and encourages student involvement and supports a number of projects.
St. Kate’s political science faculty have diverse specializations, including the politics of developing countries, especially within Latin America, Campaigns and Elections, Women in Public Policy, the judicial process and Constitutional law, and American politics and public policy.
See also: International Relations.
POSC 1710 Introduction to Political Science
POSC 2010 American Government and Politics
POSC 2200 Introduction to Comparative Government
POSC 2250 Introduction to World Politics
Five additional political science courses to be determined by you and your advisor
You are encouraged to take advantage of internships available at the local, state and national government levels (for which up to a maximum of eight credits may be granted).
Independent study also may be arranged. If you wish to take independent study or an internship, you must have taken at least one related political science course prior to taking either.
Recommended supporting work:
If you are interested in political science or international relations as a major or minor you are encouraged to take ECON 2200 Statistical Analysis for the Social Sciences to fulfill the mathematics/statistics core requirement.
Two history courses:
HIST 1300 Introduction to U.S. Historiography or HIST 1200 Survey of U.S. Political History
HIST 1050 Birth of Europe and the European States or HIST 1060 Modern Europe
One other economics course:
ECON 2620 Principles of Macroeconomics
Political science majors satisfy the Writing Requirement for Majors by completing POSC 1710 and POSC 2200. You complete the Liberal Arts and Sciences Core Writing Requirement with two other writing-intensive courses (CORE 1000 and CORE 3990).