Department of Political Science

• Degree Requirements
• Recommended Plan of Study

1102 Behavioral Science Building (BSB)
312–996–3105
balbus@uic.edu or rbruhl1@uic.edu
http://www.uic.edu/depts/pols
Administration: Head, Lyn Radsdale
Director of Undergraduate Studies, Robert Bruhl, rbruhl1@uic.edu

Political science is the systematic study of politics and its connection to human life as a whole. It focuses on the way people are governed and govern themselves in a wide variety of settings— including the state, the workplace, schools, and the family—and the way in which governance in those settings affects their life-chances and shapes their sense of self. Students who elect this major examine, among other things, the relationships between law and political institutions, economic and political power, and culture and political identity. They develop the analytical, interpretive, and critical methods necessary to understand these relationships at local, national, regional, or international levels, and thus to act as responsible citizens at those levels. They also learn to write well. In short, political science is central to a well-rounded liberal arts education.

Political science also provides excellent preparation for careers in law, government, teaching, journalism, business, and the non-profit sector.

B.A. with a Major in Political Science

Degree Requirements

To earn a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences degree from UIC, students must complete University, college, and department degree requirements. The Department of Political Science degree requirements are outlined below. Students should consult the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section for additional degree requirements and college academic policies.

LAS Course Requirements

See Course Requirements in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section for a list of courses to meet this requirement.

Major Requirements

^a Any of these courses may be used to fulfill the Writing-in-the-Discipline requirement.
^b Not including POLS 305.

Transfer courses in political science must have grades of C or better to count toward the major or minor.

The Department of Political Science offers a Concentration in Urban Politics that is satisfied in the following way:

1. Completing the regular requirements for the major in political science
2. Completing, among the required number of electives in the major, three courses in urban politics, including:
   • POLS 210—Introduction to Urban Politics OR POLS 211—Chicago’s Future,
   • POLS 301—Field Experience in Political Science, AND
   • One additional course at the 300-level other than POLS 303.

Note: At the discretion of the Director of Undergraduate Studies, students may substitute a course from another department for one of their three courses in urban politics.

Electives

Recommended Plan of Study

To view a recommended plan of study for the major in Political Science, please visit the LAS Web site http://www.uic.edu/las/college/info/fygp.

Minor in Political Science

Students from other disciplines who want to minor in Political Science must complete 21 credit hours as outlined below:

Distinction

To be considered for graduation with distinction in political science, a student must have a minimum, cumulative UIC GPA of 3.25/4.00 and a minimum GPA of 3.50/4.00 in all political science courses. Students with the required grade point averages must write and present to a faculty examining committee of the department an acceptable essay while enrolled in POLS 305—Honors Course and defend it before that committee. The student must enroll in POLS 305 for 3 semester hours in each of the fall and spring semesters of the student’s senior year. Both the course and credit hours must be in addition to those required for the major. The level of distinction (distinction, high distinction, highest distinction) is determined by the department faculty, who will consider the recommendation of the faculty examining committee and the candidate’s GPA.