Program Overview

Political Science, BA

The Department of Political Science, College of Arts and Sciences, offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science.

Overview

Political Science is the study of how societies make collective decisions through politics and government. It is subdivided into the following areas: American politics (study of American institutions and practices); comparative politics (study of foreign governments); international relations (study of war, international organization, and foreign policies); political theory (study of the bases of legitimate political authority); political behavior (study of why people vote and act as they do in political matters); and public policy (study of organizational decision-making and the consequences of government action).

The objective of the Political Science major is to give the student a general introduction to all the major subfields of the discipline and an in-depth exposure to one or two of them. Students study not only the major literature of the subfields, but also learn research methods and become familiar with ongoing research. Internships in Long Island, Albany, and Washington offer selected students the opportunity to gain practical experience.

Degree Requirements

The major in Political Science leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree.

Overview of All Areas of the Major

Completion of the major requires 42 credits, organized into the areas and requirements below:

• A. Study Within the Area of the Major
• B. Study in Related Areas (6 credits)
• C. Methodology Requirement (3 credits)
• D. Upper-Division Writing Requirements (0 credits)

A. Study Within the Area of the Major

• Required Courses (9 credits)
• Concentration (12 credits)
• Political Science Electives (12 credits)

Required Courses

• POL 101 - World Politics (3 credits)
• POL 102 - Introduction to American Government (3 credits)
• POL 103 - Introduction to Comparative Politics (3 credits)

Concentration

• 12 credits must be taken from courses in one of the concentrations listed below.
• Concentration courses must meet the requirements listed in the Notes for Study Within the Area of the Major.

Political Science Electives

• 12 credits must be taken from POL courses or courses that are crosslisted with POL.
• Political Science Elective courses must meet the requirements listed in the Notes for Study Within the Area of the Major.

Notes for Study Within the Area of the Major

1. For the Concentration and Political Science Electives, all courses must be selected from courses numbered 200 or above (excluding POL 201), and at least 12 credits must be from courses numbered 300 or above.
2. For the Concentration and Political Science Electives, at least 12 credits must be taken in courses offered by the Political Science Department at Stony Brook or cross-listed by the Department.

Courses by Concentration

Comparative Politics and International Relations

• POL 214 - Modern Latin America (3 credits)
• POL 216 - History of U.S.-Latin American Relations (3 credits)
• POL 302 - Politics of Latin America (3 credits)
• POL 303 - Gender and Politics in Global Perspective (3 credits)
• POL 304 - Comparative Political Institutions (3 credits)
• POL 305 - Government and Politics of the United Kingdom (3 credits)
• POL 308 - Women Islam and Political Change in Africa (3 credits)
• POL 309 - Politics in the European Union (3 credits)
• POL 310 - Immigration and Refugee Politics (3 credits)
• POL 311 - Introduction to International Law (3 credits)
• POL 313 - Problems of International Relations (3 credits)
• POL 334 - Modern Terrorism (3 credits)
• POL 336 - U.S. Foreign Policy (3 credits)
• POL 337 - The Politics of Africa (3 credits)
• POL 338 - Contemporary India: History, Politics, and Diplomacy (3 credits)
• POL 339 - Contemporary China: History, Politics, and Diplomacy (3 credits)
• POL 350 - Contemporary European Political Theory (3 credits)
• POL 365 - Economy and Democracy (3 credits)
• POL 371 - Politics of Climate Change (3 credits)
• POL 374 - Global Issues in the United Nations (3 credits)
• POL 380 - Government and Politics of the Middle East (3 credits)
• PHI 367 - Philosophy of War and Peace (III) (3 credits)
• POL 390 - Topics in Political Science (3 credits) (when the topic is appropriate)
• POL 401 - Seminar in Advanced Topics (3 credits) (when the topic is appropriate)

American Government, Law, and Public Policy

• POL 317 - American Election Campaigns (3 credits)
• POL 318 - Voters and Elections (3 credits)
• POL 319 - Business Law (3 credits)
• POL 320 - Constitutional Law and Politics: United States (3 credits)
• POL 322 - The Presidency in the American Political System (3 credits)
• POL 323 - U.S. Congress (3 credits)
• POL 324 - American Political Parties and Pressure Groups (3 credits)
• POL 325 - Civil Liberties and Civil Rights (3 credits)
• POL 327 - Urban Politics (3 credits)
• POL 328 - Criminal Law (3 credits)
• POL 330 - Gender Issues in the Law (3 credits)
• POL 332 - Politics of Criminal Due Process (3 credits)
• POL 333 - Environmental Law (3 credits)
• POL 336 - U.S. Foreign Policy (3 credits)
• POL 344 - American Political Ideology and Public Opinion (3 credits)
• POL 347 - Women and Politics (3 credits)
• POL 349 - Social Psychology and Law (3 credits)
• POL 350 - Contemporary European Political Theory (3 credits)
• POL 351 - Social Surveys in Contemporary Society (3 credits)
• POL 352 - Current Political Events (3 credits)
• POL 353 - Contemporary Race Relations in American Politics (3 credits)
• POL 359 - Public Policy Analysis (3 credits)
• POL 365 - Economy and Democracy (3 credits)
• POL 366 - Press & the Presidency (3 credits)
• POL 367 - Mass Media in American Politics (3 credits)
• POL 368 - Social Networks and Politics (3 credits)
• POL 369 - Introduction to Political Informatics (3 credits)
• POL 371 - Politics of Climate Change (3 credits)
• PHI 277 - Political Philosophy (II) (3 credits)
• PHI 375 - Philosophy of Law (III) (3 credits)
• PHI 377 - Contemporary Political Philosophy (II) (3 credits)
• POL 390 - Topics in Political Science (3 credits) (when the topic is appropriate)
• POL 401 - Seminar in Advanced Topics (3 credits) (when the topic is appropriate)

Political Behavior and Political Psychology

• POL 270 - Experiments in Political Science (3 credits)
• POL 303 - Gender and Politics in Global Perspective (3 credits)
• POL 317 - American Election Campaigns (3 credits)
• POL 318 - Voters and Elections (3 credits)
• POL 323 - U.S. Congress (3 credits)
• POL 344 - American Political Ideology and Public Opinion (3 credits)
• POL 346 - Political Psychology (3 credits)
• POL 347 - Women and Politics (3 credits)
• POL 348 - Political Beliefs and Judgments (3 credits)
• POL 349 - Social Psychology and Law (3 credits)
• POL 350 - Contemporary European Political Theory (3 credits)
• POL 351 - Social Surveys in Contemporary Society (3 credits)
• POL 352 - Current Political Events (3 credits)
• POL 353 - Contemporary Race Relations in American Politics (3 credits)
• POL 367 - Mass Media in American Politics (3 credits)
• POL 368 - Social Networks and Politics (3 credits)
• POL 369 - Introduction to Political Informatics (3 credits)
• POL 371 - Politics of Climate Change (3 credits)
• POL 373 - The Biology of Politics (3 credits)
• POL 375 - The Political Animal (3 credits)
• PHI 379 - Philosophy of Race (III) (3 credits)
• POL 390 - Topics in Political Science (3 credits) (when the topic is appropriate)
• POL 401 - Seminar in Advanced Topics (3 credits) (when the topic is appropriate)

B. Study in Related Areas (6 credits)

Two courses numbered 300 or higher, offered by one of the related area course designations below.

Related Area Course Designations

• Asian and Asian American Studies (AAS)
• Africana Studies (AFS)
• Anthropology (ANT)
• Business (BUS)
• Economics (ECO)
• Globalization Studies and International Relations (GLI)
• History (HIS)
• Journalism (JRN)
• Philosophy (PHI)
• Psychology (PSY)
• Sociology (SOC)
• Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WST)

C. Methodology Requirement

Majors must demonstrate competence in appropriate social science methodology by passing POL 201 - Introduction to Statistical Methods in Political Science with a grade of C or higher.

D. Upper-Division Writing Requirement

Political science majors can meet the upper division writing requirement by completing POL 368, POL 459, or POL 496.

Sample Course Sequence

Sample Course Sequence for the Major in Political Science

SBC Courses

This table illustrates major courses that can also be used to fulfill SBC requirements.

Political Science Honors Program

Departmental majors with a 3.70 g.p.a. in political science courses and a 3.40 cumulative g.p.a. may enroll in the Political Science honors program at the end of their junior year.

BA/MA Accelerated Degree Program in Public Policy

In the accelerated B.A./M.A. in Public Policy, students complete the B.A. in Political Science and the M.A. in Public Policy in five years.