Comments and suggestions to: Michael Walsh
walsh@hawkmail.monmouth.edu
The capstone senior course is PS401, Seminar in Political Science. This course is only open to seniors with 24 credits of political science and satisfaction of the writing proficiency requirement. This is the culminating assessment of their learning. They must apply their scholarly research, writing experience, and training to write their senior paper. They must also verbally critique and evaluate the work of their fellow students.
The Political Science Department offers Special Topics in Political Science, PS298. This course enables a professor, with the approval of the Department, to program in a one semester course an intensive study of a particular subject or problem. Examples of special topics courses are: Black Politics and Political Leadership.
The Department also offers PS499, Readings and Research in Political Science, to enable a student to pursue guided study of a topic in political science not substantially treated in a regular course under the direction of a member of political science faculty. Extensive reading and at least one written report are required.
In addition to our required courses, we encourage our students to engage in experiential learning by participating in the Internship and the Cooperative Education Program. Semester long assignments have been made for students to work in political offices and administrative agencies as paid interns and apprentices. We believe that our student assessments must be based not only on their grades but their success in the professional and business world--their ability to deal well with others and assume employment responsibilities.
Requirements Outside the Major - In 1984, the Political Science Department reduced its major requirements from 39 to 30 credits to provide more flexibility. This was particularly important since the core and distribution requirements were later increased to 47. We have encouraged our students to consider double majoring or minoring in one or more other fields. Our new requirement, introduced in 1994, outside the major goes even further. All our students must take 9 credits in guided electives in any one discipline. We also require our students to take a course in two of the three areas we consider particularly important to all our majors: philosophy, geography, and policy studies/statistics. This leaves 36 credits in free electives to complete the 128 credits for the Political Science major.
The ultimate goals of Political Science students vary significantly, including: law, college teaching, government work, foreign service, newswriting/journalism, public relations, campaign management and urban planning. We have attempted to encourage our students to take courses in other majors that coincide with their individual interests and ambitions. This interdisciplinary approach is also an important learning objective.
Political Science courses strongly deal with the decision-making process: efforts to influence the attitudes and behavior of people, and their responding demands for change or support for the status quo. We study the institutional, environmental, and sociological forces influencing decisions as well as their impact and feedback. Political Science courses cover, in varying degree, almost all Monmouth College learning goals including: writing, research, historical perspective, ethics, cross cultural, diversity, global, critical reasoning, problem solving, and systems thinking. These learning objectives are essential to Political Science career prospects.
The Department does not offer a Masters Degree in Political Science, but members of the department are working toward a masters program. Currently, the following undergraduate courses are listed in the catalogue with an asterisk indicating that they are available for graduate credit. More intensive and rigorous requirements are designed by the professor on an individual basis for the graduate students in these courses: PS305* (The American Congress), PS306* (The American Presidency), PS315* (Urban Politics), PS351* (Public Administration), PS352* (Public Personnel Administration), PS355* (Administrative Law and Regulation), PS373* (Comparative Politics of Asia), PS374* (Comparative Politics of Africa), PS375* Comparative Politics of Latin America), PS376* (Comparative Politics of the Middle East, PS391* (Chinese Foreign Policy).
The Political Science Department follows the Monmouth College Core and Distribution requirements of core credits as follows:
3 credits Computer Literacy
6 credits College English
6 credits World Masterpieces of Literature
6 credits Western Civilization
1 credit Pathways to Fitness
1 credit Lifetime Sports
The distribution requirements are included in the Political Science curriculum as follows:
Science and Mathematics: 6 credits are required in at least two of the following disciplines: Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics. Social Sciences: 6 credits in at least two of the following: Anthropology, Economics or Geography, Psychology and Sociology. Global Studies: A. Three credits in Studies of Non-Western Society and three credits in Studies of World Culture or B. Six credits in studies of Non-Western Society or C. Six credits in the same foreign language. Perspectives: one Perspective course outside each student’s major area.
The 30 credits requirement in the major includes PS 101, Introduction to Political Science; PS 103, American National Government; 12 credits in 4 of 5 areas including Comparative Government, Constitutional Law, International Relations, Political Theory, and Public Administration; 9 credits in 300-level Political Science; and Seminar in Political Science.
Requirements Outside Major: 15 credits A. Any two of the following: 6 credits. 1. Philosophy: PL 101, Introduction to Philosophy or PL 106, Logic. 2. Geography: GO 101, Principles of Human Geography or GO 212, Political Geography. 3. Social Science: SS 210, Introduction to Policy Studies or SS 211, Introduction to Statistics. B. Nine (9) credits in guided electives in any one discipline. 4. 36 credits free electives.