The Department of Government & Politics provides students
with the critical thinking and analytical writing skills necessary
to evaluate political issues and to function effectively in a
political environment. Students will also gain an ethical
understanding of diverse political issues, and professional skills
from participating in local, national or international
internships. Our classical political theory component
emphasizes the “great thinkers,” and the program’s research methods
segment addresses the requirements of current information
literacy. International relations and comparative politics
encompass a wide array of multicultural issues and serves to expand
students’ global knowledge. Our focus on community
politics at the state and local level encourages students to serve
their communities, and our public administration courses, domestic
and international in focus, address diversity issues, ethical
dilemmas, and the accommodation of different values within an
organizational context.
The Department’s graduate curriculum offers a wide range of courses
divided into the political science discipline’s four main
subfields: (a) American Government, with an emphasis on political
institutions and public law; (b) International
Relations/Comparative Politics with an emphasis on International
Law/area studies; (c) Political Theory, with offerings in
classical, modern and contemporary thought; and (d) Public
Administration, with an emphasis on human resources management, and
comparative politics.
The program will prepare graduates to:
Understand and apply fundamental concepts of the discipline.
- Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of primary research models in
one of the four subfields of political science (major field).
- Demonstrate familiarity with one other subfield of political
science (minor field).
Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
- Interpret specific analytical exercises illustrating knowledge
of the larger context of political life
- Apply concepts to new questions or issues
- Assess the results of own research and critique that of
others
- Apply research efforts to specific practical political
matters
Conduct sound research and demonstrate proficiency in the
political science core.
- Describe specific conflicts over the “authoritative allocation
of values resources” in the subfields of political science.
- Integrate research into the larger issues of political science
discipline across the four predominantly empirical
subfields.
- Interpret the disciplinary information contained in the
research generated by the well-known scholars in the field.