Political Science, B.A. | Academic Catalog

Political Science Student Learning Outcomes

The Political Science Department strives to help all majors:

Demonstrate a broad and deep understanding of politics and political science.
Possess the skills necessary to think critically and communicate effectively about politics.
Exhibit a commitment to active citizenship and a just society.

Major Requirements

Political Science majors are required to take one social science course from outside the major. The course may be a lower or upper level course in Economics, Geography, Psychology, Sociology, Urban Studies, or any course that satisfies the Understanding Human Behavior requirement of the University Core.

Students may not double-major in Political Science and International Relations. However, students may choose to major in Political Science, while minoring in International Relations (or vice versa). In this case, students may only double-count one of the lower division courses and none of the upper division courses towards the minor.

Students seeking to double-major in Political Science and another department/program may do so. Up to one course may double-count at the discretion of both program directors/chairs.

Course List
Code	Title	Semester Hours
Lower Division Requirements
Select two of the following:		8
POLS 1200	U.S. Politics
POLS 1400	Comparative Politics
POLS 1600	International Relations
POLS 2000 and POLS 2100	Foundations of Political Theory and Empirical Approaches	8
*Subtotal*		16
Upper Division Requirements
Select six courses, at least one of which should be a 5000 level seminar		24
POLS 5000	Political Science Senior Assessment	0
*Subtotal*		24
Total Semester Hours		40

An average grade of C (2.0) must be obtained in courses included in the major with a minimum grade of a C- in every course.

Additional Requirements and Policies

Students must take at least four 4-semester-hour courses to complete the major
Only 4 units of POLS 3980 Research Assistantship may be counted toward the major or minor.

AP Scores

Students will receive credit for POLS 1200 or POLS 1400 if they receive a 5 on the related AP exam as follows:

Comparative Government and Politics -> POLS 1400
OR
United States Government and Politics -> POLS 1200

Please note that if a student has a 5 for both exams, the department will only apply a maximum of one of those AP credits to replace one of our required lower-division major / minor requirements.

Honors in Political Science

Students who attain a GPA of 3.70 or higher, both overall and in the major, are automatically eligible to enroll in the POLS 5800 Honors Seminar in the Fall of their senior year and write a POLS 5810 Honors Thesis in the Spring of their senior year. Other students may be invited to pursue Honors by the faculty. The Honors Seminar is a prerequisite for the Honors Thesis. Students who attain a grade of A- or higher for the Honors Thesis will graduate with Honors in Political Science. Both the Honors Seminar and Honors Thesis count toward the 24 semester hours of upper division course work required of majors.

Political Science Model Four-Year Plan

The normal course load is 16 semester hours (4 classes). By following the model below, a student interested in completing the major will complete all lower division core requirements by the end of the sophomore year, as well as most major prerequisites. Note that core areas are suggested to provide a distribution of various disciplines every semester. Please be flexible implementing these suggestions, given your own interests and course availability. In four years, this plan meets all common graduation requirements.

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
Fall		Semester Hours
Select one of the following:		4
POLS 1200	U.S. Politics
POLS 1400	Comparative Politics
POLS 1600	International Relations
FFYS 1000	First Year Seminar	4
University Core		3-4
University Core		3-4
	Semester Hours	14-16
Spring
Select one of the following:		4
POLS 1200	U.S. Politics
POLS 1400	Comparative Politics
POLS 1600	International Relations
RHET 1000	Rhetorical Arts	4
University Core		3-4
Elective		3-4
	Semester Hours	14-16
Sophomore Year
Fall
POLS 2000 or POLS 2100	Foundations of Political Theory or Empirical Approaches	4
University Core		3-4
University Core		3-4
Elective		3-4
	Semester Hours	13-16
Spring
POLS 2000 or POLS 2100	Foundations of Political Theory or Empirical Approaches	4
University Core		3-4
University Core		3-4
Elective		3-4
	Semester Hours	13-16
Junior Year
Fall
POLS Upper Division		4
POLS Upper Division		4
University Core		3-4
Upper Division Elective		3-4
	Semester Hours	14-16
Spring
POLS Upper Division		4
University Core		3-4
Upper Division Elective		3-4
Upper Division Elective		3-4
	Semester Hours	13-16
Senior Year
Fall
POLS Upper Division		4
University Core		3-4
Upper Division Elective		3-4
Upper Division Elective		3-4
	Semester Hours	13-16
Spring
POLS 5000	Political Science Senior Assessment	0
POLS Upper Division		4
POLS 5000-level		4
University Core		3-4
Elective		3-4
	Semester Hours	14-16
	Minimum Semester Hours	108-128

Note:
Once a student has enrolled at LMU and declared a Political Science major or minor, only LMU course work or courses from an LMU-approved study abroad program will be accepted for the major or minor. Up to two courses from study abroad may count towards the major, in consultation with the chair.