Undergraduate Minor

Undergraduate Minor Requirements

Students must complete at least 28 credits with at least 20 upper division hours.  No more than 4 credits of PS 401 – PS 410 can apply to the minor.  This limit includes credits for a political science internship.  Students choose between a general minor or specialization in one of three minor tracks. 

The general minor requires:

  • At least two introductory PS courses and
  • At least 20 credits of upper division PS courses (300 or 400 level).

The tracks differ from the general minor in three ways:

  • Instead of choosing any two introductory PS courses, the two courses are specified.
  • Four of the five upper division courses are selected from a list of track courses (the last one can be any upper division PS course).
  • One of the track courses can be a SOC or ECON course from the list.

 

General Political Science Minor Checklist

Course

LD Credits

UD Credits

PS 201 Introduction to United States Government

PS 204 Introduction to Comparative Politics

PS 205 Introduction to International Relations

PS 206 Introduction to Political Thought

(choose 2 of the 4)

 

 

8

 

Any Upper Division PS class

 

4

Any Upper Division PS class

 

4

Any Upper Division PS class

 

4

Any Upper Division PS class

 

4

Any Upper Division PS class

 

4

                                Sub-Totals:

8

20

Total Credits in the Minor:

 

28

Political Science Minor Track Checklist

Course

LD Credits

UD Credits

Environmental & Energy Politics: PS 201 and PS 205

International Affairs: PS 204 and PS 205

Law and Politics: PS 201 and PS 206

(choose 1 of the 3 track combinations)

 

 

8

 

Any PS class from the matching track

 

4

Any PS class from the matching track

 

4

Any PS class from the matching track

 

4

Any PS, SOC, or ECON class from the matching track

 

4

Any Upper Division PS class

 

4

                                Sub-Totals:

8

20

Total Credits in the Minor:

 

28

Political Science Minor Tracks - List of Courses

Law and Politics Track

At least 3 courses from:

  • PS 311 Congressional Politics
  • PS 312 Presidential Politics
  • PS 325 Gender and Law
  • PS 326 Judicial Process & Politics
  • PS 331 State & Local Politics
  • PS 354 International Organizations & Global Politics
  • PS 361 Classical Political Thought
  • PS 362 Modern Political Thought
  • PS 363 Gender & Race in American Political Thought
  • PS 364 Contemporary Political Theory
  • PS 365 American Political Thought
  • PS 366 Atlantis to Utopia: Politics of the Ideal State
  • PS 371 Public Policy Problems
  • PS 372 Public Administration
  • PS 375 The Civil Rights Movement and Policies
  • PS 381 Constitutional Law: Government Powers and Constraints
  • PS 382 Constitutional Law: Civil Liberties
  • PS 383 Constitutional Law: Civil Rights
  • PS 384 Constitutional Law: Rights of the Accused
  • PS 413 Ethics in Public Policy

No more than 1 course from:

  • ECON 461 Law, Economics, and Regulation
  • SOC 340 Deviant Behavior and Social Control
  • SOC 438 US Immigration Issues in 21st Century
  • SOC 440 Juvenile Delinquency
  • SOC 441 Criminology and Penology
  • SOC 442 Sociology of Drug Use and Abuse
  • SOC 448 Law and Society

International Affairs Track

At least 3 courses from:

  • PS 341 European and EU Politics
  • PS 342 The Politics of Corruption
  • PS 343 Russian Politics
  • PS 344 Latin American Politics
  • PS 345 Politics of Developing Nations
  • PS 346 Middle East Politics
  • PS 348 Chinese Politics
  • PS 350 Japanese Politics
  • PS 351 American Foreign Policy
  • PS 354 International Organizations & Global Politics
  • PS 356 International Politics of Asia Pacific
  • PS 427 Nuclear Nonproliferation and Arms Control
  • PS 428 Terrorism and Global Security
  • PS 441 Democratization
  • PS 446 East Asian Political Economy
  • PS 453 International Development Policy
  • PS 455 Politics of Climate Change
  • PS 457 U.S.–China Relations
  • PS 458 International Political Economy
  • PS 470 Global Food Politics & Policy
  • PS 474 International Energy Politics and Policy
  • PS 477 International Environmental Politics and Policy

No more than 1 course from:

  • ECON 340 International Economics
  • ECON 440 Economics of Globalization
  • ECON 441 International Finance Theory and Policy
  • ECON 455 Economic Development
  • SOC 360 Population Trends & Policy
  • SOC 460 The Sociology of Globalization

Environmental and Energy Politics Track

At least 3 courses from:

  • PS 314 Interest Group Politics
  • PS 331  State & Local Politics
  • PS 371 Public Policy Problems
  • PS 372 Public Administration
  • PS 374 Sustainable Living: Practices and Policies
  • PS 455 Politics of Climate Change
  • PS 461 Environmental Political Theory
  • PS 470 Global Food Politics and Policy
  • PS 473 U. S. Energy Policy
  • PS 474 International Energy Politics and Policy
  • PS 475 Environmental Politics and Policy
  • PS 476 Science and Politics
  • PS 477 International Environmental Politics and Policy
  • PS 478 Renewable Energy Policy

No more than 1 course from:

  • ECON 466 Energy Economics
  • SOC 381 Social Dimensions of Sustainability
  • SOC 456 Science and Technology in Social Context
  • SOC 475 Rural Sociology
  • SOC 480 Environmental Sociology
  • SOC 481 Society and Natural Resources