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Political Science Major

Basic Structure of the Degree

The International Studies degree at Southern Polytechnic has three major components:

  • The Core Curriculum--these general education requirements give every student the basic skills and knowledge to be a life-long learner, ready to adapt to and succeed in a world of changing opportunities
  • The Political Science Curriculum--extending the Core (Area F) with foundational courses in methodological skills and political science concepts and building on that foundation to develop advanced skills and an understanding of the political process at local, state, national and international levels.
  • The Directed International Electives--courses specific to thriving in a global environment.

General Core: Opportunities to satisfy all requirements offered fall, spring, and summer terms.

Core Area
 Course Title Credit Hours
A ENGL 1101 English Composition I 3
 A ENGL 1102 English Composition 11 3
 A MATH 1111 College Algebra 3
 B COMM 2401 Public Speaking 2
 B STS 2400 Science, Technology, and Society--any topic
(satisfies critical thinking requirement)		 2
C ENGL 2XXX Any Literature Course 3
C

CHOOSE 1: Language strongly recommended for Political Science Majors

ARTS 2001 Art Appreciation
ARTS 2002 Drama Appreciation
ARTS 2003 Music Appreciation
ARTS 2004 History of Contemporary American Music
FREN 1002, 2001, or 2002 Elementary or Intermediate French (NOT FREN 1001)
SPAN 1002, 2001, or 2002 Elementary or Intermediate Spanish (NOT SPAN 1001)

3
D

CHOOSE 2:

ASTR 1000K Introduction to the Universe
BIOL 2107K Biological Principles I
BIOL 2108K Biological Principles II
CHEM 1211K Principles of Chemistry I
CHEM 1212K Principles of Chemistry II
ENVS 2202K Environmental Science (NOT ENVS 2202--3 hrs)
PHYS 1111K Introductory Physics I
PHYS 1112K Introductory Physics II
PHYS 2211K Principles of Physics I
PHYS 2212K Principles of Physics II 		4 x 2 = 8
D MATH 1113 Pre-calculus 4
E-1

CHOOSE 1: (satisfies American Perspectives requirement and Georgia Legislative Requirement IF taken at SPSU; if satisfied with transfer credit, consult your adviser)

HIST 2111 US History to 1877
HIST 2112 US History since 1877 		3
E-2

CHOOSE 1:

HIST 1111 Survey of World Civilization to 1500
HIST 1112 Survey of World Civilization since 1500

3
E-3

CHOOSE 1:

ECON 1101 Introduction to Economics
SOCI 1101 Introduction to Sociology
PSYC 1101 Introduction to General Psychology

3
E-4

CHOOSE 1: (satisfies Global Perspectives requirement)

ANTH 1102 Introduction to Anthropology
ES 1100 Ethnic Studies
GEOG 1101 Introduction to Human Geography
RELG 1200 World Religions

3

Political Science Core: All courses offered fall, spring, and summer terms unless otherwise noted.

Core Area
 Course Title Credit Hours
F Language at the 2001-2002 level
2001--Fall only; 2002--Spring only 		5
F POLS 1101 American Government 3
F ECON 1101 Introduction to Economics 3
F POLS 2100 Introduction to Research Methods
Spring only 		3
 F POLS 2401 Global Issues 3

Total Hours in Core A-F: 60 hours

Political Science Required Courses: 36 hours plus SPSU 1001
(must be passed with grade of C or better)

Course Title Credit Hours
SPSU 1001 Orientation to SPSU 1
IS 400X Regional Studies (any region) 3
POLS 3001 Comparative Politics 3
POLS 3100 Research Design 3
POLS 3209 Constitutional Law 3
POLS 3301 Modern Political Theory 3
POLS 3601 Contemporary World Politics 3
POLS 3701 American Institutions 3
POLS 3801 Political Behavior 3
POLS 4100 Applied Methodology 3
POLS 4201 International Relations of the Americas OR
GEOG 4101 Geographic Information Systems 		3
POLS 4301 International Political Economy 3
POLS 4801 Capstone: Political Science Practicum 3

Directed International Electives: Choose Any 12 hours
(must be passed with grade of C or better)

Course Title Credit Hours

GEOG 3101 World Regional Geography (3)

HIST 3200 History of Science Survey (3)

HIST 3301 Diplomatic and Military History since 1815 (3)

HIST 3401 Social and Cultural History of the 20th Century (3)

HIST 3501 Colonization & Rebellion in the Trans-Atlantic World (3)

HIST 3601 History of the Pacific Rim (3)

HIST 3801 World History since 1945 (3)

IS 3600 Comparative Culture (3)

IS 400X Regional Studies (up to six additional hours) (3)

IS 4800 International Studies Capstone (3)

Language at the 3000-level

POLS 2903 Special Topics (3)

POLS 3009 Fundamentals of Public Policy (3)

POLS 3401 Environmental Law and Policy (3)

POLS 3501 Intellectual Property Issues (3)

POLS 4009 Comparative Public Policy Analysis (3)

POLS 4063 Political Issues in Electronic Government (3)

POLS 4101 Political Economy of Post-Communist Transformation (3)

POLS 4201 International Relations of the Americas (3)

POLS 4903 Special Topics (3)

PSYC 3101 International Social Psychology (3)

PSYC 4000 International Psychology (3)

PSYC 4600 Conflict Resolution (3)

STS 4000 International Issues in Science and Technology (3)

STS 4400 Topical Studies in Science and Technology (3)

 12

 Free Electives: 12 hours

 

Additional Information

Minors offered in the SIS department--listed in the navigation bar on the left of this page.

Planning Schedule for the Political Science Curriculum

Example 4-year Plan

Language Policy for Political Science majors who are international students

Questions? Want more information? Contact the Political Science Coordinator: Dr. Tom Rotnem