College of Liberal Arts

POLITICAL SCIENCE

Dr. Michael Hooper
Ambler Program Coordinator
267-468-8200
mhooper@temple.edu

The Department of Political Science offers a B.A. degree in a major designed to have two essential purposes. The first, reflected in the three required courses, is to expose the student to the principal intellectual concerns and subfields of the discipline. These include the subjects of American, comparative or international politics, and the distinctive intellectual orientations of political philosophy. 

The second purpose of major requirements is then to allow students considerable flexibility to pursue subjects of their choice in more advanced courses in political science. Thus, in addition to the subfields named above, they may also take courses in public policy and administration and urban politics. 

Major Requirements (effective Fall 2002)
(Note: Students who declare the major effective Fall 2005, should consult with their advisor concerning program changes.)
The requirement for the political science major is 10 courses or 30 s.h. in political science including three required courses: Political Science C051 (American Political System), Political Science C052 (Foreign Governments and Politics) or Political Science C053 (International Politics), and Political Science W101 (Political Philosophy) which fulfills the department's capstone writing requirement. The additional seven political science courses may be selected from any of the total political science offerings numbered 0103 or above. Not more than two supervision-type courses may count toward the six elective courses, and these include P.S. 0371, 0372, 0373, 0382, 0383, and 0384. 

Minor Requirements

Students may earn a minor in political science by completing six s.h. of political science from C051, C052 or C053, W101, and 12 s.h. of political science at the level of courses numbered 0103 or above, for a total of 18 s.h.. 

Certificate of Specialization in Political Economy

A joint program of the Department of Economics and the Department of Political Science leading to a certificate of specialization in political economy. The purpose of the political economy program is to provide undergraduate students with the opportunity to study more intensely the relationship between the political and economic spheres of society.  The program is based on the belief that a focused examination of this relationship provides us with a better understanding of several social phenomena: Chief among these is a better understanding of public policy choices and the policymaking process, as well as a better understanding of how government actions affect the process of economic change and vice versa.

For these reasons the political science and economics departments offer an interdisciplinary program leading to a BA degree with additional specialization in Political Economy.  The program is open to all matriculated undergraduate students.  Applicants need not be declared majors in either economics or political science.  The political economy program provides an excellent preparation for graduate study in the social sciences and for the study of law.

Program Requirements

The program consists of two components; required core courses at the lower-division level and elective courses at the upper-division level.

Core - all students must take the following core courses:

Econ C051 (or H091) - Macroeconomic Principles
Econ C052 (or H092) - Microeconomic Principles
PS C051 (or H091) - The American Political System

AND

One of the following:

PS C052 (or H092) - Foreign Governments and Politics
PS C053 (or H093) - International Politics

Elective Courses - all students must successfully complete (grade of C- or better) four courses from the following list.  Two of the four courses must be in economics, and two courses must be in political science.  Students should select courses that correspond to their own substantive interests and are encouraged to take cognate areas (e.g., if you choose international politics courses, also choose international economics courses.)  Students should plan their schedules well in advance, since many courses are not offered each semester.

Economics:

Econ 0217 - History of Economic Theory
Econ 0220 - Economics of Development and Growth
Econ 0244 - The Economics and Management of Privatization
Econ 0246 - Public Finance
Econ 0248 - Economics of State and Local Governments
Econ 0250 - International Trade
Econ 0251 - International Monetary Economics
Econ 0255 (or W255) - Energy, Ecology, and Economy
Econ 0262 (or W262) - Health Economics
Econ 0270 - Economics of Labor Markets
Econ 0272 - Women in the Economy
Econ 0279 - Public Control of Business: Antitrust
Econ 0281 - Government Regulation of Business
Econ 0282 - Economics of American Industry

Political Science:

PS 0135 (or W135) - Urban Politics and Problems
PS 0141 - Politics of Inequality
PS 0145 - American State and Local Politics
PS 0150 - U.S. Public Policy Making
PS 0151 - Public Policy Analysis
PS 0152 - U.S. Environmental Policy
PS 0158 - Business and Public Policy
PS 0215 - Comparative Politics: Developing Nations
PS 0238 - East Asia and the United States
PS W244 - Politics of Modern Capitalism
PS 0261 - Globalization and World Politics 
PS 0265 - International Environmental Policy
PS 0273 - Marxism and Politics
PS 0276 - Democracy, Capitalism, and Socialism