2023-2024 Catalog

Requirements

In total, majors must complete at least 11 courses (44 units). ECON 101 is strongly recommended. No course will count toward the Politics major that the student takes CR/NC.

In addition to the Fundamental Courses listed below, a Politics major must take one course in each sub-field (American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Theory, and Public Law); one Junior Writing Seminar which can "double-dip" with a sub-field requirement (see below for details); and three elective courses from any major sub-field. A maximum of three courses outside the Politics Department (DWA, UEP, and Study Abroad courses) can count towards the major and must be pre-approved. Politics majors must complete a Senior Comprehensive Seminar in the spring of the senior year.

Major

Fundamental Courses

Every Politics major must take these courses.

POLS 101American Politics and Public Policy

4 units

POLS 300Research Methods in Politics and Public Policy

4 units

POLS 495Comprehensive Seminar

4 units

Subfields

Students must select one course in each of the following subfields: American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Theory, and Public Law.

For the subfield courses, DWA courses may count towards International Relations with department approval, and select UEP courses may count for American Politics with department approval, but Comparative Politics, Political Theory, and Public Law must be taken within the Politics Department.

International Relations

POLS 130Introduction to International Relations

4 units

POLS 233/DWA 250International Security

4 units

POLS 235United States Foreign Relations

4 units

POLS 236What Do Countries Want and Why?

4 units

POLS 250American Intelligence and National Security

4 units

POLS 286Seminar in Washington Politics: International and Foreign Policy Studies

4 units

DWA 101International Relations: The Changing Rules of the Game

4 units

DWA 102International Organizations

4 units

DWA 103Introduction to Global Political Economy

4 units

DWA 225Introduction to Human Rights

4 units

DWA 229/LLAS 229Introduction to Human Rights: Focus on the Americas

4 units

DWA 231Gender and International Relations

4 units

DWA 241International Relations of the Middle East

4 units

DWA 245/HIST 245China and the World

4 units

DWA 246/AMST 280The United States and East Asia

4 units

DWA 253Security in Asia

4 units

DWA 285Diplomacy and War

4 units

DWA 337Junior Seminar: International Relations Theory

4 units

DWA 342Junior Seminar: Transnational Identity and International Relations

4 units

Comparative Politics

DWA 234/BLST 234Southern African Politics

4 units

DWA 239European Politics

4 units

POLS 120Introduction to Comparative Politics

4 units

POLS 220The Politics of Crisis: Pandemics and Other Disasters

4 units

POLS 221/DWA 224Latin American Politics

4 units

POLS 222Who Wins and Why? Electoral Systems in Comparative Perspective

4 units

POLS 223/DWA 226Dilemmas of Democracy

4 units

POLS 226Contemporary Chinese Politics

4 units

POLS 227East Asian Politics: China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan

4 units

POLS 236What Do Countries Want and Why?

4 units

POLS 283Seminar in Washington Politics: Global Public Health Policy

4 units

POLS 284Seminar in Washington Politics: Global Women's Leadership Development

4 units

POLS 287The Religious Right

4 units

POLS 320Contemporary Debates in Comparative Politics

4 units

POLS 321Gender and Politics in the Global South

4 units

American Politics

POLS 200/AMST 200Democratic Socialism, American Style

4 units

POLS 201Media and Politics

4 units

POLS 202Gender and American Politics

4 units

POLS 203Campaign 2020 Internship

4 units

POLS 204Campaigns and Elections

4 units

POLS 205/LLAS 205Latino/a Politics

4 units

POLS 206Race and American Politics

4 units

POLS 207Los Angeles Politics

4 units

POLS 208Movements for Social Justice

4 units

POLS 211The United States Congress

4 units

POLS 220The Politics of Crisis: Pandemics and Other Disasters

4 units

POLS 250American Intelligence and National Security

4 units

POLS 256Ethics and Politics

4 units

POLS 265/UEP 265Community Planning and Politics Practicum

4 units

POLS 270Campaign Fieldwork Internship

8 units

POLS 271Seminar on Political Campaigns

4 units

POLS 272Independent Study on Political Campaigns

4 units

POLS 280Washington, D.C. Internship

8 units

POLS 281Seminar in Political Leadership

4 units

POLS 282Seminar in Washington Politics: Environmental Law and Policy Studies

4 units

POLS 285Seminar in Washington Politics: Inside Washington Politics and Policies

4 units

POLS 301/UEP 301Urban Policy and Politics

4 units

POLS 302The American Presidency

4 units

POLS 336National Security in Practice: How Washington Works

4 units

UEP 209/PUBH 209Health Policy

4 units

Political Theory

POLS 150Introduction to Political Theory

4 units

POLS 254American Political Thought

4 units

POLS 256Ethics and Politics

4 units

POLS 257Conservative Political Thought

4 units

POLS 258/BLST 258Theoretical Accounts of Racism

4 units

POLS 351Tocqueville, Mill, and Nietzsche on Individuality and Community in a Modern Democracy

4 units

POLS 352/BLST 352Black Political Thought

4 units

POLS 355/BLST 355Critical Fanonism

4 units

Public Law

POLS 140Law and Society

4 units

POLS 243Restorative Justice

4 units

POLS 244Constitutional Law

4 units

POLS 247Supreme Court Politics

2 units

POLS 249Movement Lawyering, Politics and Social Change

4 units

POLS 260Community Law Internship

4 units

POLS 340Lawyering for Social Justice

4 units

POLS 341Justice Lab: Contemporary Issues in Law and Public Policy

4 units

POLS 342Human Rights in the United States

4 units

POLS 345The Fourth Amendment

4 units

Additional Electives

Three required electives in any subfield must be taken within the Politics Department. Study Abroad courses may be accepted with departmental approval.

Honors in the Major

We encourage highly motivated students to pursue Honors. They qualify for this program by achieving a 3.25 grade point average overall and a 3.5 grade point average in courses counting toward the Politics major. Only under extraordinary circumstances will the Politics faculty members approve a petition to have this 3.5 grade point average waived. Students interested in pursuing Honors should complete the courses required for the Politics major by the end of Fall Semester of the senior year. They will be required to meet all of the obligations of the Comprehensive Seminar in the spring semester and complete a major research paper that follows the above requirements, but is a project of greater depth that extends to 40-50 pages. Students wishing to be considered for Honors should contact the chair during the spring semester of their sophomore year for more detailed information

Minor

At least five courses (20 units) within the Politics Department or accepted by the Politics Department.  One course must be POLS 101. A maximum of two courses outside the Politics Department can count towards the minor (these are the same approved DWA, UEP, and Study Abroad courses that can be used for the Politics major) . Of these five courses, three (12 units) must be advanced courses (200-level and higher) taken from different sub-fields within Politics (American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Theory, and Public Law). For the subfield courses, select DWA courses may count towards International Relations and select UEP courses may count for American Politics with department approval. Courses in Comparative Politics, Political Theory, and Public Law must be taken within the Politics Department. POLS 300 may count towards the minor, but not as one of the three sub-field courses.