DEPARTMENT AND PROGRAMS
COURSES OFFERED
CAREERS FOR MAJORS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE
FURTHER INFORMATION
DEPARTMENT AND PROGRAMS
With over 23 faculty members, the department offers a wide variety of courses in the diverse subfields of American politics, comparative politics, international relations, political theory and public administration. The department is known for its excellent teaching. This can be seen from number of its faculty members who have been chosen by the students as University Professors or have received other awards for excellence in teaching. The faculty members are also actively engaged in scholarly research in their fields and a number of them are widely recognize for their scholarly contributions. The breadth of topics and approaches from which a student can choose is a major source of strength in the department's course offerings. These factors, plus the commitment of the faculty to working with and advising undergraduate students, contribute to the popularity of political science as major at Ohio University.
The diversity of the faculty also reflects the commitment of Ohio University and the Department of Political Science to offering equal educational and employment opportunities and to complying with federal and state laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, creed, color, national origin, age, sex, or handicap.
MAJOR IN POLITICAL SCIENCE
The undergraduate political science curriculum at Ohio University has been designed to provide the student with a broad knowledge of political structures, processes, and issues and with the opportunity to acquire a sophisticated understanding of the functioning of political systems.
Political science majors are required to complete two courses in the department's introductory American politics sequence and at least one upper-level course of the student's choice in four of the following five subfields of study: American politics, comparative politics, international relations, political theory, and public administration. Majors must complete 45 credit hours, or approximately 11 courses, in political science as well as the general education requirements of the University and the degree requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences.
In consultation with their faculty advisors, students are encouraged to develop individualized programs of study which match their interests and career goals. For example, a student who is interested in law, foreign service, or public service at the federal, state, or local levels will find a wide range of departmental courses of particular interest which can be supplemented by other courses from throughout the University. Advisors who specialize in these areas are readily available for academic counseling and assistance.
SPECIAL PROGRAMS
Departmental Honors. This program is designed to provide a special course of study and research for political science majors who have demonstrated a high level of academic achievement in their first two years of study. The program includes participation in an honors seminar in the junior year and the completion of a senior honors thesis.
Tutorial Program. The Department of Political Science actively participates in the Ohio University Honors-Tutorial College which is a program based on the educational system at Oxford and Cambridge universities in England. Standards of admission are rigorous, intended to recognize academically and creatively gifted students who have the discipline to follow individually structured courses of study. Most tutorial courses are designed by the student in consultation with an advisor and are undertaken with a faculty tutor on an individual basis.
Prelaw and Law-Related Studies. The department offers specialized courses for students interested in legal and paralegal affairs. These courses are designed to acquaint the student with various aspects of law and society. Courses on such topics as constitutional law, civil liberties, legal theory, and criminal procedure are taught on a regular basis by the political science faculty and local attorneys. For qualified students, internships are available with local law firms and law enforcement agencies. Academic advising is available in the department for students preparing for law school and other law-related careers.
For more information about Prelaw Studies in the Department of Political Science click HERE.
Pre-Foreign Service. This program provides preparation for the foreign service and other internationally-oriented careers. Educational requirements for a career in the U.S. Department of State or in some field of foreign affairs are not specific; however, a broad, general knowledge is expected. To represent the United States abroad a person should be well versed in U.S. government, history, economics, current affairs, and American culture. The ability to write and speak effectively and an aptitude for foreign languages are also desirable skills. The department provides a wide selection of courses related to foreign affairs and many of the faculty have first-hand international experience. Ohio University also offers opportunities for study abroad.
For more information about our Foreign Service Program click HERE.
Public Administration. The department offers a special curriculum in preparation for careers in public administration. It is an interdisciplinary program designed to provide broad training on such topics as public budgeting, personnel administration, policy analysis, and intergovernmental relations. Courses are primarily in political science but also include courses in economics, management and geography. Generally students concentrating in public administration are expected to participate in the department's public affairs internship program.
Independent Studies. Credit may be earned by students on projects of their own choice. Students work on a personal basis with faculty members specializing in their area of interest. Independent research or directed readings provide a valuable supplement to the regularly scheduled offerings of the department.
Public Affairs Internships. The department offers qualified students the opportunity to receive credit for work as interns with selected attorneys and numerous national, state and local public agencies. Internships are available, for example, with the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate. The amount of credit earned depends on the time and duration of the internship.
For more Information about Public Affairs Internships offered by the Department of Political Science click HERE.
Workshop on Elections and Campaigns. Offered during the fall quarter of even-numbered years, the political workshop combines an analysis of political organizations and campaigns with field experience in campaigning. The student's time is divided between traditional classroom activities and work experience with local, state or national candidates for public office.
Women's Studies. A certificate from the interdisciplinary women's studies can be earned by taking 30 credit hours of coursework in designated courses. Over half of these hours can be earned by taking courses offered in political science.
African-American Studies. The department of Afro-American Studies offers a number of courses of interest to a student of political science, from basic political economy to a survey of African American history. Political science credit may be earned while taking selected courses through this department.
International Studies. A number of political science faculty members participate in the Center for International Studies. The center coordinates teaching and research through interdisciplinary programs focusing on the regions of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe. Students majoring in political science can fulfill the requirements for an international studies certificate at the same time they meet their degree requirements.
COURSES OFFERED
More than 75 different courses in Political Science are offered at Ohio University. They are grouped into five subfields of study. The subfields and a representative sampling of courses offered in each are:
| American Government and Politics | Political Theory | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| American Presidency | Modern Political Thought | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Amernican Political Parties | Contemporary Political Thought | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| American Constitutional Law | Legal Theory and Social Problems | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Civil Liberties | American Political Thought | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elections and Campaigns | Feminist Political Thought | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Women, Law, and Politics | Modern Political Analysis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Urban Politics | Quantitative Political Anaylsis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Comparative Politics | Public Administration | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Politics of Western Europe | Public Policy Analysis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Politics of Developing Areas | Organizational Theory and Politics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Politics in Russia and the former Soviet Union | Public Personel Admnistration | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Politics in France | Management Skills for Public Administration | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Government and Politics of Africa | Public Budgeting | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Government and Politics of Southeast Asia | Financial Management in Government | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Revolution of Latin America | Environmental and Natural Resource Policy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International Relations | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current International Problems | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Formulation of American Foreign Policy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National Security Policy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International Law | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International Organizations | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| U.S. and Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Russian Foreign Policy |
For a complete description of the department's undergraduate offerings, please consult the Ohio University Undergraduate Catalog.
CAREERS FOR MAJORS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE
The study of government and politics is a fundamental element in preparation for involvement in a democratic society. An understanding of political behavior and political institutions is indispensable to a well-educated individual.
Liberally educated young men and women with undergraduate majors in political science have a wide choice of career objectives. The following is a partial listing of special career option:
Public Service. A career in government service at the local, state, national or international level is one attractive career possibility for those with a good background in political science. The scope and variety of responsibilities undertaken by government at all levels are enormous. Students who undertake internships with public officials and agencies while in college often develop the contacts and knowledge needed to enter this field. Students who continue advanced training in such fields as public administration, urban planning, or political research and analysis are particularly well equipped to enter careers in public service.
Law and Law-Related Careers. There is a close relationship between political science and politics on the one hand and law on the other. Most students who plan to attend law schools choose political science as a major. They find political science inherently interesting, and the major also affords the opportunity of getting the broad-based foundation and skills which law schools require.
The department offers a number of courses of particular interest to prelaw students: constitutional law, civil liberties, legal theory and social problems, criminal procedure, and administrative law. Several members of the department specialize in counseling prelaw students and students seeking law-related careers in law enforcement and the criminal justice system.
Teaching. Opportunities in the field of education exist at all levels. At the secondary level, a knowledge of political science is generally required to teach social studies and increasingly schools are more interested in graduates with a strong background in the subject matter to be taught than those with only a background in teaching methods. Persons planning to teach at the college or university level need to pursue study at the master's and doctoral levels. A major in political science is a basis for advanced work in political science.
Other Career Fields. Other career areas in which students with educational preparation in political science have opportunities are: professional political activity, including political campaign management and lobbying; journalism, where many of the nations leading political commentators and reporters were undergraduate political science majors; international trade, where a knowledge of the political and economic structure of other nations is essential; library science, with emphasis on the social sciences, government documents, and United Nations publications.*
Women and Political Science. Historically, men have dominated both the study and practice of politics, but this is changing. The number of women teaching and studying political science is rising both proportionally and numerically. More women are serving in civil service positions, as a appointed officials, party workers, and lobbyists. While there are still relatively few women in elected positions at the national level, the growth in the number of women elected to office in state and local government has been substantial.
*A special pamphlet entitled Careers and the Study of Political Science prepared by the American Political Science Association is available upon request.
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