POLITICAL SCIENCE UNDERGRADUATE

• Undergraduate Coordinator: Dr. Hsiaofen Hemstock
• Program Descriptions
  • Bachelor of Arts in Political Science
  • Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Police Science Concentration
  • Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Public Administration Concentration
  • Bachelor of Science in Social Studies, Political Science Concentration
  • Minor in Police Science
  • Minor in Political Science
  • Minor in Public Administration
• Course Descriptions
• Current Course Offerings

Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (120 Credits)

University College Core Curriculum, 45 Credits
Program Requirements, 75 Credits

*May be completed to fulfill University College Core Curriculum requirements, thus allowing additional free electives.

*May be completed to fulfill University College Core Curriculum requirements, thus allowing additional free electives.

Minor/Electives, 18 Credits

It is recommended that political science majors pursue minors in one of the following fields: Public Administration, Police Science, Criminal Justice, Sociology, Psychology, Geography, History, French, or Spanish. See appropriate catalog section for requirements of specific minor selected.

Free Electives, 3 Credits

Other Program Requirements

1. A student must maintain a grade of C or higher in all political science courses to qualify for graduation. he/she must maintain a grade of C or higher in the courses that are used for the minor or concentration and must earn an overall grade point average of 2.0 or higher to graduate.
2. The Political Science major must complete a comprehensive examination in the senior year.

Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Police Science Concentration (120 Credits)

University College Core Curriculum, 45 Credits
Program Requirements, 75 Credits

*May be completed to fulfill University College Core Curriculum requirements, thus allowing additional hours of free electives.
**Equivalent Criminal Justice courses provided in parenthesis.

*May be completed to fulfill University College Core Curriculum requirements, thus allowing additional hours of free electives.

Other Course Requirements, 6 Credits
PSYC 331 Developmental Psychology
Choose one from the following two courses:
SPEE 310 Public Speaking
SPEE 401 Argumentation and Debate

Free Electives, 3 Credits

Other Program Requirements

1. A student must maintain a C grade or higher in all police science courses to qualify for graduation. He/she must maintain a C grade or higher in the courses that are used for the minor or concentration, and must have an overall grade point average of 2.0 or higher to graduate.
2. The Political Science/Police Science major must complete a comprehensive examination in the senior year.

Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Public Administration Concentration (120 Credits)

University College Core Curriculum, 45 Credits
Program Requirements, 75 Credits

*May be completed to fulfill University College Core Curriculum requirements, thus allowing additional free electives.
**Government Internship is required of all students, except those with prior administrative or leadership experience. These students can choose another elective in lieu of POLI 470.
***ECON 211 and ECON 212 are prerequisites for ECON 330.

Free Electives, 6 Credits

Other Program Requirements

A student must maintain a C grade or higher in all public administration courses, as well as an overall GPA of 2.0 or higher to graduate.

Bachelor of Science in Social Studies, Political Science Concentration (122 Credits)

Admission Requirement

A student must fulfill all requirements for admission to the teacher education program. See School of Education. 

University College Core Curriculum, 45 Credits.

For this degree program, the following courses are required as part of the University College Core curriculum:

NSCI 110 Comprehensive Physical Science
NSCI 120 Modern Biology

Program Requirements, 77 Credits

*May be completed to fulfill University College Core Curriculum requirements, thus allowing additional hours of free electives.

** To be taken in sophomore year.
+ These courses may not be taken until the student is approved for student teaching by the Teacher Education Committee. 

Free Elective, 3 Credits

Other Program Requirements

Students must earn a grade of C or higher in all major courses and education courses.

Minor in Police Science (18 Credits)

Minor in Political Science (18 Credits)

Minor in Public Administration (18 Credits)

Course Descriptions (click on highlighted courses for representative syllabus)

• HIPO 300 (3-3-0) Contemporary African American Politics. A study of selected issues related to African-Americans living in America, with emphasis on contemporary political organizations and activities of African-Americans.
• HIPO 310 (3-3-0) Political History of Contemporary China. A study of political development in China from the Revolution of 1911 through the consolidation of power by Mao Tse-tung in the postwar period and continued through successive leaders to the present.
• HIPO 341 (3-3-0) Constitutional Law and History. A study of basic principles of the constitutional system, with particular emphasis upon cases that deal with the framework of the American federal system. Prerequisite: POLI 210 or consent of the instructor.
• HIPO 342 (3-3-0) Civil Rights and the Constitution. A study of constitutional principles and their applications as they affect individual civil rights. Prerequisite: POLI 210 or consent of the instructor.
• HIPO 440 (3-3-0) Modern Ideologies. A study of the principal modern political ideologies: capitalism, communism, fascism, and socialism.
• POLI 200 (3-3-0) Introduction to Political Science. The study of the basic principles and concepts of political science with emphasis on the nature and function of political systems. Various approaches to the study of politics and the relationship of political science to other social sciences will be examined. Prerequisite: Political Science majors must complete POLI 200 before enrolling in POLI 210.
• POLI 210 (3-3-0) Principles of American Government. An introduction to the historical background, purposes, and functions of political institutions, especially the structures and activities of the American system - federal, state, and local. Prerequisite: POLI 200.
• POLI 220 (3-3-0) Principles of Public Administration. A study of basic concepts of administration including the following topics: the growth of administration as an art and a science; the relationship of administration to the political process; administrative organization and processes; the political power of bureaucracies; and the responsibility of public servants.
• POLI 301 (3-3-0) Organizational Theory. An analysis of organizational theories, incorporating the traditional political, environmental, behavioral, bureaucratic, and decision-making approaches and applying them to studies of modern organizations, with additional attention to current research on contemporary issues demonstrating the continuing development of organizational theory.
• POLI 311 (3-3-0) Political Parties and Pressure Groups. A study of the history, structure, and functions of American political parties and pressure groups, their relationship to democratic government, and their techniques of political action.
• POLI 312 (3-3-0) Public Leadership and Management. A course focusing on leadership styles, human motivations, and basic problems of management, including decision-making, communications, and public relations.
• POLI 320 (3-3-0) State and Local Government. An examination of the framework of state and local governments in the United States and an evaluation of their contributions to federal systems, with special attention to North Carolina's governmental structure and contributions.
• POLI 321 (3-3-0) Public Personnel Management. A study of the theory, practice, and organization of the public personnel system in the United States, including the essentials of personnel training, classification, compensation, promotion, testing, employee relations, and employee organizations.
• POLI 330 (3-3-0) Public Financial Management. A study of the practices and problems of modern fiscal management, with special emphasis on budgeting concerns and techniques, budget management for planning and control, and budget review as an analytical tool at the national, state, and local levels of government.
• POLI 331 (3-3-0) Politics and Urban Planning. A study of approaches to urban planning in the light of political realities in the nation, the state, and the community.
• POLI 332 (3-3-0) The Legislative Process. A study of the evolution, structure, functioning processes, and dynamics of American legislative institutions, with emphasis on the interrelationships among the legislative, executive, and judiciary branches and outside groups in the law-making process.
• POLI 350 (3-3-0) Government and Politics of Africa. A course examining characteristics of governments and politics in the developing nations of Africa, with attention to such concerns as colonialism, independence movements, and the problems of nation building.
• POLI 351 (3-3-0) Government and Politics of Europe. A comparative analysis of the organization, functioning, and processes of governments and politics in the Soviet Union and selected European countries.
• POLI 352 (3-3-0) Government and Politics of Asia. A course analyzing the organization, functioning, and processes of governments and politics in China, Japan, and other Asian nations.
• POLI 400 (3-3-0) Administration of Urban Government. A study of the organization and management characteristics of various types of government entities in urban areas, including municipal government, county government, and governmental structures for other special districts.
• POLI 401 (3-3-0) Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations. A course focusing on changing relationships of local, state, and federal agencies, the expanding role of regional planning boards, and recent developments in the sharing of federal tax revenue with non-national governments.
• POLI 402 (3-3-0) Public Policy Formulation. A course covering approaches to decision-making in government and administration, including policy formulation within administrative agencies and departments and within the larger context of the overall political process.
• POLI 410 (3-3-0) The American Chief Executive. A study of the origin, background, and evolution of the Office of the President of the United States, with a review of the president's powers in the areas of politics, administration, legislation, and foreign affairs. Prerequisite: POLI 210 or consent of instructor.
• POLI 411 (3-3-0) Public Opinion and Propaganda. A study of the development of attitudes and beliefs, the nature of public opinion and propaganda, the methodology of public opinion polling, and the strategies and techniques for influencing public opinion through the uses of propaganda, mass media, and communications.
• POLI 412 (3-3-0) Administrative Law. An investigation of administrative law, its powers and procedures, the liabilities of administrative agencies and officers, and governmental activities in the regulation of agriculture, industry, and labor.
• POLI 420 (3-3-0) Research Methods in Public Management. A review of basic concepts, ideas, approaches, methods, and materials used to study administrative institutions, including simulation techniques, surveys, mathematical statistics, cybernetics, content analysis, and computers.
• POLI 422 (3-3-0) American Foreign Policy. A study of American foreign policy decision-making with assessments of the effectiveness of foreign policies.
• POLI 430 (3-3-0) International Politics. A study of the interplay of political forces in the international community, with emphasis on war-time diplomacy, peace treaties, and alignments of nations in times of peace and conflict during the postwar period.
• POLI 431 (3-3-0) International Organization. A study of the basic concepts, historical backgrounds, evolution, and functioning of international governmental and administrative systems, with primary emphasis on the United Nations.
• POLI 432 (3-3-0) International Law. A review of the rules and practices governing nations in peace and war; the nature, sources, evolution, and functioning of various schools of international law; principal law-making and adjudicatory agencies; international personalities; treaties; jurisdictions over person and place; diplomatic and consular interactions; peace settlements; war and neutrality.
• POLI 440 (3-3-0) Introduction to Government Planning. A study of concepts, fundamentals, and methods of planning, focusing on the significance of planning to public administration and public policy, with special consideration of Program Planning Budgeting Systems (PPBS), Management by Objectives (MBO), Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT), Planning, Management, and Evaluation (PME), and Zero Base Budgeting (ZBB).
• POLI 441 (3-3-0) Citizen Participation in Policy Making. A study of citizens' involvement in political activities and in government policy making, with analyses of citizen initiated and government sponsored efforts to increase popular input, and assessments of the effects of citizen participation on policy making related to specific issues and to the performance of governments.
• POLI 442 (3-3-0) Public Policy Analysis. A study of the methods and techniques used in determining the effectiveness of public programs, with emphasis on the development of appropriate systems for conducting evaluations and with the use of case studies for practical exercises in policy analysis.
• POLI 450 (3-3-0) History of Political Theory I. A survey of political theories and their practical applications from the days of ancient Greece to the sixteenth-century theorist, Jean Bodin. Prerequisite: POLI 200 or consent of instructor.
• POLI 460 (3-3-0) History of Political Theory II. A continuation of the study of political theories from Thomas Hobbes to the present. Prerequisite: POLI 200 or consent o instructor.
• POLI 461 (3-3-0) American Political Ideas. A study of the political ideas of leading American political leaders and public officials, with particular attention to the influences of these ideas upon American governmental systems. Prerequisite: POLI 200 and POLI 210 or consent of instructor.
• POLI 470 (3-3-0) Government Internship. Supervised experience in the application of principles and techniques to various areas of public service, with supervision and evaluation under the direction of the instructor in cooperation with administrators of selectedpublic agencies in the state, and with requirements including one-hour a week in lectures and conferences and at least nine hours a week on assignment at public agencies.
• POLI 471 (3-3-0) Research Seminar. Practical experience in applying the research methods introduced in POLI 420 to in-depth studies of selected topics, incorporating computer technology for data gathering, analyses, and interpretation. Prerequisite: POLI 420 or consent of instructor.
• POLI 480 (3-3-0) Senior Seminar. Intensive independent studies of selected topics, requiring the preparation and presentation of assigned topics for critical review.
• POLI 481 (3-3-0) Senior Seminar - Selected Problems in Public Management. An analysis of problems in public management created by or associated with technological advancements, environmental changes, urbanism, the civil rights movement, ethics and values, private rights, and changing expectations.
• POLI 490 (3-3-0) Advanced Reading and Research. Supervised reading and research in areas of special interest. Prerequisite: Permission of the department chair.