Political Science, B.A.

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Political scientists study the formal and informal political processes that shape public policy. As a discipline, political science combines both humanistic and scientific perspectives in order to understand the behavior of individuals, groups, nations, and international organizations. The Department offers courses in all of the major fields of the discipline (American Government and Politics, Comparative Politics, Constitutional Law, International Relations, Political Theory, Quantitative Methods, Public Administration, and Public Policy.)

The major is designed to provide a firm foundation in all sub-fields and to provide sufficient flexibility for students to pursue their own intellectual interests with both breadth and depth. It provides a basis for informed participation in community organizations, electoral politics, national and world affairs, and public policy. Students receive a solid foundation for graduate study, including law, as well as for a wide variety of careers in both the public and private sector. Students often explore these possibilities through internships with government agencies, parties and groups, law firms, and selected businesses and non-profits.

Requirements for Graduation:

To be eligible for graduation, students majoring in Political Science must complete a minimum of 120 credits, achieve a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or higher, satisfy the College’s residency requirements, and complete the General Education Requirements of the College. A minimum grade of 2.0 is required for First Year Seminar and all courses taken as part of Foundations. Courses used to complete General Education Requirements may not be taken on a pass/fail basis.

The General Education Requirements of the college require students to successfully complete a First Year Seminar, Foundations (FCO 103 will be a required co-requisite with FCO 105 for students who have a high school GPA below 3.20), Disciplinary Perspectives, and a Constellation. Students who enter the college with 30 credit hours completed will not take a First Year Seminar and therefore must take an additional 3 credits for graduation. Transfer students that are awarded 60 or more credits upon acceptance to York College will not be required to complete a Constellation.

In addition, students majoring in Political Science must maintain a 2.0 grade point average in the course requirements of the major and earn a grade of 2.0 or higher in all Political Science courses.

General Education Requirement

First Year Seminar

FYS 100 First-Year Seminar 3 credit hours
FYS 102 Common Hour 0 credit hours

Foundations Requirements

Communication course:
FCO 105 Rhetorical Communication 3 credit hours
Choose 3 credits of the following Advanced Communication courses:
FCO 210 Communication in Professional Cultures 3 credit hours
FCO 215 Technical and Scientific Communication 3 credit hours
FCO 225 Interdisciplinary Communication 3 credit hours
Choose 3 credits of the following Quantitative Fluency courses:
MAT 111 Critical Thinking and Problem Solving in Mathematics 3 credit hours
PHL 220 Principles of Scientific Reasoning 3 credit hours
PHL 222 Critical Thinking 3 credit hours
PHL 231 Logic 3 credit hours
Choose 3 credits of the following American Citizenship courses:
ECO 201 Principles of Economics (Micro) 3 credit hours
HIS 111 American History from Colonization to Civil War 3 credit hours
HIS 112 American History from Civil War to Global Power 3 credit hours
Choose 3 credits of the following Global Citizenship courses or students have the option to complete this requirement by successfully completing 6 credits of the same foreign language:
ECO 200 Principles of Economics (Macro) 3 credit hours
G 100 World Regional Geography 3 credit hours
HIS 102 The West in the World 3 credit hours
PS 102 Contemporary Global Issues 3 credit hours

Disciplinary Perspectives Requirement

Choose 3 credits of the following Humanities courses:
FLM 216 Introduction to Film 3 credit hours
HIS 101 The Foundation of the West 3 credit hours
LIT 200 Introduction to Literary and Textual Studies 3 credit hours
PHL 221 Introduction to Philosophy 3 credit hours
PHL 238 Race, Gender, and Sexuality 3 credit hours crosslisted as WGS 238 Race, Gender, and Sexuality 3 credit hours
Choose 3 credits of the following Arts courses:
ART 101 Art and Visual Culture 3 credit hours
CRW 272 Introduction to Creative Writing 3 credit hours
MUS 186 Listening to Music 3 credit hours
THE 154 Introduction to Theatre 3 credit hours
Choose 3 credits of the following Social and Behavioral Sciences courses:
ECO 205 Economic Perspectives 3 credit hours
ENT 150 Introduction to Entrepreneurship 3 credit hours
MKT 100 Principles of Marketing 3 credit hours
PSY 100 General Psychology 3 credit hours
REC 101 Recreation and Leisure in Modern Society 3 credit hours
SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology 3 credit hours
Choose 3 credits of the following Natural and Physical Sciences courses:
BIO 204 Exploring Biology 3 credit hours
CHM 240 Perspectives on the Molecular World 3 credit hours
CHM 241 Perspectives on the Molecular World Lab 0 credit hours
G 151 Introduction to Physical Geography 3 credit hours
G 152 Introduction to Physical Geography Lab 0 credit hours
PHY 252 Science and Sustainability 3 credit hours

Constellation Requirement

The Constellation requirement is met when a student completes four courses from a minimum of three disciplines within the Constellation requirements. Transfer students that are awarded 60 or more credits upon acceptance to York College will not be required to complete a Constellation except for Education majors.