Majoring & Minoring

Programs and Requirements

The Major Program

The political science curriculum is organized around five fields: American government, comparative politics, political theory, public law, and methodology. Courses are offered in American government and comparative politics at the introductory and advanced levels. Courses in public law, political theory, and methodology are advanced courses, normally taken after students have completed introductory courses.

Political science majors can undertake independent study under individual faculty supervision, including practical applications and experiences such as internships with elected officials, interest groups, and government agencies. The department’s semester of study in Washington, D.C., one of the more distinguished programs of its kind in the country, includes class meetings with some of America’s most influential politicians and decision makers, combined with a rigorous curriculum of in-class instruction.

The political science department uses local and regional resources including visits to the Oregon state legislature in Salem and to county and city political offices in the Portland metropolitan area. Other resources include numerous governmental agencies in the Portland area, interest groups, and political movements.

The political science curriculum is organized into the following concentrations:

American Government and Institutions
103 U.S. Government: National Politics
275 Gender and Politics
302 Political Parties and Interest Groups
307 Government and the Economy
350 Congressional Politics
351 Presidential Politics
353 The National Policy Process
359 Religion and Politics
410 Law, Politics, and Society

Comparative Politics
102 Introduction to Comparative Politics
265 European Politics
322 Ethnicity and Nationalism
354 Comparative Electoral Politics
435 Topics in Comparative Politics

Political Theory
309 American Political Thought
310 Pillars of Western Political Thought: Plato to Machiavelli
311 Pillars of Western Political Thought: Hobbes to Foucault
313 International Political Theory
316 Ethics and Public Policy
402 Problems in Political Theory

Public Law
301 American Constitutional Law: Equal Protection and Due Process
305 American Constitutional Law: Civil Liberties
425 Legal Regulation of American Democracy

Methodology and Thesis
201 Research Methods in Political Science
252 Public Opinion and Survey Research
400 Senior Thesis

Major Requirements
A minimum of 44 semester credits (11 courses), distributed as follows:

• Five core departmental courses: 102, 103, 201, 301 or 305, and 310 or 311. International Affairs 200 may be substituted for 201.

• One 200-, 300-, or 400-level course in Comparative Politics or one of the following International Affairs courses: 232, 290, or 320.

• One additional 300- or 400-level theory course.

• One 300- or 400-level American Government and Institutions course.

• One 400-level course: 400, 402, 410, 425 or 435. This course may simultaneously be used to fulfill one of the categories above, in which case students must take another elective at the 300 level or higher in the department to reach 11 courses.

• International Affairs 100.

• Economics 100.

For all majors, courses in European and U.S. history, macroeconomics, and international political economy, as well as a semester in Washington, D.C., are recommended. Majors planning to attend law school should add courses in English literature, philosophy (including logic), mathematics, and history. Majors planning to attend graduate school in political science should take courses in mathematics, statistics, and other social sciences. Majors planning a career in politics, public policy, or urban planning should add courses in statistics, communication, economics, and psychology.

Minor Requirements
 A minimum of 20 semester credits (five courses), distributed as follows:

• Core departmental courses: 102, 103, and 310 or 311.

• One course in American Government and Institutions.

• One course in Public Law.

Honors and Senior Thesis
In the spring semester, juniors who have achieved a GPA of 3.0 or higher in the major and overall are invited to apply to the department for placement in Political Science 400, Senior Thesis. Students who fall below a 3.0 GPA may be granted an exception to apply on a case-by-case basis. Majors who have achieved a GPA of 3.500 or higher in the major and overall may be considered for honors. After the student completes and formally presents the thesis, the political science faculty determine whether to grant honors on graduation.

For more information, see the L&C Catalog.