POLITICAL SCIENCE MAJORS—GENERAL EMPHASIS

 

 

 

All Political Science majors must fulfill two non-course requirements prior to graduation.  The requirements include:

 

1.                  Completing a survey on experiences in the Department of Political Science.

 

            2.         Submitting a portfolio containing graded assignments from every upper-level class that was completed in the Department.

 

Candidates for December graduation must submit their materials by November 15 in the graduation year.  Candidates for May or August graduation must submit their materials by April 15 in the graduation year.  The requirements must be fulfilled in a conscientious fashion.  Unsatisfactory materials will be returned to the student for resubmission and may delay the date of graduation.

 

Surveys are available in the Political Science office.  The questions have also been posted on the Political Science Department website.

 

Guidelines for the portfolio follow:  The portfolio should include graded assignments for every upper-level Political Science course that has been completed.  Among the assignments that should be submitted are examinations, research papers, critical analyses, case briefings, applied exercises, journal entries, and so forth.  Whenever possible, items submitted should include assignment instructions as well as comments and grades given by the course’s instructor.  They should not be file copies without evaluative comments unless no other option is available for a particular assignment.  If a class had numerous assignments, it is not necessary to submit every one of them.  But a substantial representative sample of different kinds of assignments should be included.  The portfolio should be submitted in a three-ring binder with tabs marking a separate section for each course.  At the beginning of each section, include a table with the following information:

 

Course #, Name, and Professor

Semester Taken

Grade (indicate “in progress” if appropriate)

Assignments Included in Portfolio

Grade for Each Assignment

 

 

 

1.

2.

Etc.

1.

2.

Etc.

 

 

For students in the General Political Science Emphasis, it will be especially helpful to have assignments demonstrating:

 

  • Knowledge of different subfields of political science, such as political theory, international relations, comparative politics, and American politics.
  • Acquisition of lifelong competencies, including analytical skills, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, and problem-solving.
  • Oral communication skills, such as assignments involving individual or group presentations.
  • Skills in scholarly research, including bibliographic research and data collection and analysis.
  • Computer skills, such as use of online databases and bibliographic sources.
  • Exposure to and understanding of global and multicultural perspectives.
  • Exposure to and understanding of multidisciplinary perspectives, that is, assignments promoting awareness of the interconnectedness of knowledge across academic fields.