Bachelor in Political Science

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Bachelor in Political Science

  • Course description Special Opportunities:  Every summer, we offer the Davidson in Washington Program where students take a seminar course and work in an internship. We encourage our majors to study abroad, and up to four off-campus courses may be transferred back as credit for their major. 

    Major Requirements


    Ten courses in political science, as follows:
    1. Students must take at least one course in each of the following sub-fields. Seminars do not count toward sub-field requirements. If a course is listed in more than one subfield, a student may choose which one to use for the major.  The same course cannot count for two sub-fields.
      1. Political Theory–Political Science 102, 205, 208, 209, 300, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305;
      2. American Politics–Political Science 111, 210, 215, 311, 312, 314, 315, 316, 318, 319, 323, 325;  
      3. Comparative Politics–Political Science 130, 230, 233, 240, 241, 325, 331, 332, 333, 334, 336;
      4. International Politics–Political Science 141, 240, 241, 337, 340, 345, 346, 347, 348, 349.
      5. Methodology–Political Science 221.
    2. A seminar numbered 450 to 489. Seminars may have specific prerequisites and usually require prior course work in that sub-field.
    3. A major paper. This paper will be written under the supervision of a Davidson College Political Science faculty member. An oral defense may be expected. This requirement can be met by the completion of an honors thesis or by the writing of a paper (at least 20 pages) done in the context of a seminar or an independent study. Not all seminars offer this option; check with the faculty member offering the course. A grade of C- or better must be earned on the paper to satisfy this requirement.
    Note that Political Science 221 and a seminar must be taken at Davidson.

    Political Science Courses
    • POL 102 - Contemporary Political Ideologies
    • POL 111 - American Politics
    • POL 130 - Comparative Politics
    • POL 141 - International Politics
    • POL 205 - Family and Justice
    • POL 208 - Classical Political Theory (= CLA 268)
    • POL 209 - Medieval Political Theory
    • POL 210 - Parties and Interest Groups
    • POL 215 - The Politics of Feminism
    • POL 221 - Methods and Statistics in Political Science
    • POL 230 - West European Politics
    • POL 233 - Politics of the Americas
    • POL 234 - Politics of South Asia
    • POL 240 - Politics of Africa
    • POL 241 - Politics of the Middle East
    • POL 294 - Davidson in Washington Independent Study
    • POL 295 - Independent Study
    • POL 300 - Modern Political Theory
    • POL 301 - Contemporary Political Theory
    • POL 302 - Special Topics in Classical Political Theory
    • POL 303 - Special Topics in Contemporary Political Theory
    • POL 304 - Foundations of Liberalism
    • POL 305 - Education and Politics
    • POL 311 - The Legislative Process
    • POL 312 - The Presidency
    • POL 314 - Public Policy
    • POL 315 - Constitutional Law
    • POL 316 - Civil Liberties
    • POL 318 - Campaign Strategy
    • POL 319 - Public Opinion
    • POL 323 - Politics and the Media
    • POL 324 - Philanthropy and the Non-Profit Sector
    • POL 325 - Legislatures
    • POL 326 - Politics and Film
    • POL 331 - The Rise of New Democracies
    • POL 332 - Chinese Politics
    • POL 333 - The Politics of Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea
    • POL 334 - Politics of Human Rights
    • POL 336 - Russian/Post-Soviet States' Politics
    • POL 337 - Politics of Development
    • POL 340 - International Political Economy
    • POL 345 - Evolution and Practice of U.S. Policy in the Americas
    • POL 346 - American Foreign Policy
    • POL 347 - International Organization
    • POL 348 - Contemporary National Security
    • POL 349 - The International Relations of the Asia Pacific
    • POL 360 - The Latin American Political Novel
    • POL 380-382 - Topics in International Relations
    • POL 390 - Tutorial
    • POL 393 - Symposium: Davidson in Washington
    • POL 450-459 - Political Theory
    • POL 460–469 - American Politics
    • POL 470-479 - Comparative Politics
    • POL 480-489 - International Politics
    • POL 495 - Advanced Independent Study
    • POL 498 - Honors Thesis
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