Department of Political Science
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Academics
The political science curriculum at Radford University is intended to provide undergraduates with a broad background in the discipline while allowing them to specialize in a field of special interest. The major and minor requirements in political science are intended to develop students’ skills in critical thinking, information literacy, oral and written communication, ethical citizenship, problem solving, understanding of diversity/global issues, and collaboration—in addition to their knowledge of politics and government. For each concentration in the major, students may pursue either a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree.
For students desiring to teach political science at the secondary level, the teacher licensure option is offered through the Bachelor of Science program for Social Science.
***Your catalogue year is the year you entered Radford***
Catalogue Year 2015-2016 AND LATER
Public Affairs
Law, Justice, and Society
Foreign and National Security Policy
Catalogue Year 2015-2016 and Beyond
Core Curriculum Requirements (43-45 credits)
In College Core B, all majors in programs in the College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences are required to pass a second course in Social and Behavioral Sciences; i.e., CHBS majors cannot fulfill College Core B requirements with a Health and Wellness course. Note: Some concentrations in the major require specific courses to fulfill Core Curriculum requirements.
Total Credits Needed for Degree 120
Note: POSC electives must be taken at the 300-400 level. Courses transferred in from community college are not eligible for credit as 300-400 level classes.
Concentrations
Public Affairs Concentration (39 credits)
Political Science Foundations (27 credits)
- POSC 110 - Introduction to Politics
- POSC 120 - Introduction to American Government
- POSC 231 - Comparative Government or POSC 241 - Theories of International Relations
- POSC 291 - Political Inquiry
- POSC 300 - Public Administration (AG, PA)
- POSC 335 - American Public Policy (AG, PA)
- 300-400 level Political Theory course
- POSC 490 - Seminar (AG; CG; IR; PA; PT; as designated) and
- POSC 491 - Scope and Methods in Political Science (PT) (Note: Beginning in catalog year 2019-2020 POSC 491 is no longer required.)
Upper Level Courses
Upper-Level Classes (12 credits) chosen from courses with AG, PT, or PA designations. Additionally, upper-level classes may include POSC 485 - Internships in Political Science and Public Administration and POSC 498 - Independent Study (AG; CG; IR; PA; PT: as designated).
Law, Justice, and Society Concentration (39)
Core Curriculum Requirements:
Core Curriculum Requirements (43-45 credits) of which the following are required:
University Core B:
College Core A:
- Global Perspectives: ENGL 201 or ENGL 202 or HIST 101 or HIST 102 or INST 101 or RELN 112
- US Perspectives: HIST 111 or HIST 112
College Core B:
- Humanities/VP: POSC 110
- Social/Behavioral Sciences: HIST 111 or HIST 112 or ECON 205 or ECON 206 or PSYC 121 or SOCY 110.
Political Science Foundations
- POSC 120 - Introduction to American Government
- POSC 231 - Comparative Government or POSC 241 - Theories of International Relations
- POSC 291 - Political Inquiry or POSC491 - Scope and Methods in Political Science (PT)
- 300-400 level Political Theory course
- POSC 492 - Mock Trial or POSC 493 POSC 493 - Moot Court
Political Science Electives (9)
- POSC 320 - Congress (AG)
- POSC 321 - The American Presidency (AG)
- POSC 333 - Judicial Process (AG)
- POSC 438 - Constitutional Law: Governmental Powers (AG)
- POSC 439 - Constitutional Law: Civil Liberties (AG)
- POSC 440 - Law, Justice, and Public Policy
- POSC 485 - Internships in Political Science and Public Administration
Additional Courses (15 credits)
15 credit hours of course work chosen from the list below. Courses must be chosen from 3 different disciplines. At least 9 credit hours must be at 300-400 level.
- COMS 332 - Argumentation and Advocacy
- COMS 400 - Media Law and Ethics
- CRJU 100 - Introduction to Criminal Justice
- CRJU 315 - Constitutional Rights and the Criminally Accused
- CRJU 360 - Criminal Law and Evidence
- CRJU 481 - Forensic Law
- ENGL 306 - Professional Writing
- HIST 331 - African American History from 1865 (A)
- HIST 354 - American Social History (A)
- HIST 355 - American Social History (B)
- HIST 356 - History of American Religious Thought (A)
- HIST 381 - Recent America (A)
- PHIL 213 - Critical Reasoning and Argumentation
- PHIL 375 - Philosophy of Law
- SOCY 210 - Social Problems
- SOCY 250 - Social Inequality
- SOCY 360 - Sociological Theory
- SOCY 443 - Deviance
- SOCY 444 - Juvenile Delinquency
Foreign and National Security Policy Concentration (39 credits)
Political Science Foundations (24 credits)
- POSC 110 - Introduction to Politics
- POSC 120 - Introduction to American Government
- POSC 231 - Comparative Government
- POSC 241 - Theories of International Relations
- POSC 291 - Political Inquiry
- 300-400 level Political Theory course
- POSC 350 - U. S. Foreign and Defense Policy (IR)
- POSC 490 - Seminar (AG; CG; IR; PA; PT; as designated) or POSC 491 - Scope and Methods in Political Science (PT)
Upper Level Courses (15 credits)
Choose 15 hours from 300-400 level classes with a CG or IR designation. Additionally, upper-level classes may include POSC 485 - Internships in Political Science and Public Administration and POSC 498 - Independent Study.
Recommended Courses
We recommend a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree for this concentration. Students will increase their marketability and credibility in international affairs with language training. Particularly useful are strategic languages Radford offers are Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, and Russian.
Recommended Core Curriculum Courses:
- GEOG 101 - Europe and the Americas (World Geography) or GEOG 102 - Africa and Asia (World Geography) (Core credit in Social and Behavioral Sciences or Global Perspectives)
- INST 101 - Introduction to International Studies (Core credit in Global Perspectives)
- HIST 101 - World History to 1500 or HIST 102 - World History since 1500 (Core credit in Humanities)
We also recommend the following course from other departments for students interested in this concentration:
- ECON 309 - Comparative Economic Systems — requires both ECON 205 and ECON 206 as pre-requisites
- ECON 311 - Economic Development — requires both ECON 205 and ECON 206 as pre-requisites
- ECON 340 - Global Economy and Business
- HIST 300 - The 20th Century World (A, B, C) — requires 3 hours of History at the 100-level
- HIST 313 - History of China (C) — requires 3 hours of History at the 100-level
- HIST 317 - National Latin America (C) — requires 3 hours of History at the 100-level
- HIST 322 - Middle East in the World: 600-1700 (C) — requires 3 hours of History at the 100-level
- HIST 323 - Middle East in the World: 1700-Present (C) — requires 3 hours of History at the 100-level
- HIST 326 - 20th Century Africa (C) — requires 3 hours of History at the 100-level
- HIST 343 - Europe Since 1890 (B) — requires 3 hours of History at the 100-level
B.S. Requirements (6 credits)
Bachelor of Science requirements for political science majors consist of six semester hours chosen from the following:
- STAT 200 - Introduction to Statistics
- ECON 205 - Principles of Macroeconomics or ECON 206 - Principles of Microeconomics
Note(s): Students should consult with their academic advisors to determine which degree option best suits their needs. The department strongly encourages students to take a foreign language, but also recognizes that there is no one program of study that is equally suited to every student. Regardless of whether students pursue the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree, they are encouraged to include some of the above courses in their elective curricula.
B.A. Requirements (6-8 credits)
Note(s): Completion of a minimum of two semesters of one language in a foreign/sign language program. Students will be placed in the appropriate level of their chosen language depending on their previous foreign language experience and on the placement examination results as determined by the Foreign Language department.
Graduation Requirements
To graduate with a major in Political Science, a student must have a grade point average of 2.0 or higher in all courses taken with a POSC prefix.
Teaching Licensure
Students wishing to teach government at the secondary level should declare a social science major Social Science, B.A. and/or Social Science, B.S.). To strengthen credentials as a government teacher, students should consider a double major in both social science and political science.
B.S. Requirements (6 credits)
Bachelor of Science requirements for political science majors consist of six semester hours chosen from the following:
- STAT 200 - Introduction to Statistics
- ECON 105 - Principles of Macroeconomics OR
- ECON 106 - Principles of Microeconomics
B.A. Requirements (6-12 credits)
The Bachelor of Arts degree requires completion of the B.A. language requirements described in the undergraduate catalog.
Graduation Requirements
To graduate with a major in Political Science, a student must have a grade point average of 2.0 or higher in all courses taken with a POSC prefix.
Teaching Licensure
Students wishing to teach government at the secondary level should declare a social science major (see Social Science, B.A. and/or Social Science, B.S.). To strengthen credentials as a government teacher, students should consider a double major in both social science and political science.
Minor in Political Science (18 Semester Hours)
The minor in political science consists of two courses from among POSC 110, POSC 120, POSC 231, and POSC 241; and twelve additional hours in the department, at least nine of which are at the 300- or 400-level.