Student ID:__________________________ Student Name:_______________________ Adviser Name:_______________________ Publication: 2022-2023 Catalog Program: Political Science - Concentration: Legal Studies (BA) Minimum Credits Required:__________________

Political Science - Concentration: Legal Studies (BA)

123 credits required for graduation

Bachelor of Arts - Political Science

The School of Liberal Arts offers the Bachelors of Arts degree with a major in Political Science. The B.A. degree in Political Science is for students interested in a wide range of career choices, including government service, advocacy, legislative assistance, international non-government organizations, non-profit management, education, law school and graduate school. The Political Science major consists of two tracks: Political Science with Teacher Certification and General Political Science. Students pursuing the Teacher Certification track will take a combination of comprehensive education and political science courses designed to prepare graduates for careers as teachers. Students pursuing the General Political Science track will take upper-level courses that provide a broad foundation for the study of political science, including advanced study in one of the five concentrations: American Government, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Legal Studies and General. The General Political Science track also allows students to take additional political science courses or to take electives in another discipline.

Curriculum

General Education Requirements (60 hours)

The primary objective of the general education requirements is to guarantee that all students seeking a Bachelors of Arts in Political Science (BA) degree will share a common body of knowledge drawn from a broad spectrum of subject areas.

Additional Requirements (3 hours)

The physical education requirement is comprised of one credit hour of Wellness and two credit hours of additional Physical Education courses.

Legislative Requirements

Georgia law requires that each candidate for a degree demonstrate knowledge of the history and constitutions of the United States and Georgia. These requirements may be met by receiving a passing grade in certain courses, or by passing the appropriate examination. The courses and the requirement(s) each course satisfies are as follows:

  1. HIST 2111 or HIST 2112 satisfies the Georgia and U.S. history requirement (if taken at a University System of Georgia institution).
  2. POLS 1101satisfies the Georgia and US Constitution requirement (if taken at a University System of Georgia institution).
  3. Students with transfer credit (HIST 2111, HIST 2112 or POLS 1101) from outside the University System of Georgia will need to contact the Testing Center regarding the legislative exams requirement.

Major Requirements (60 hours)

The major requirements consist of four areas of study: Political Science Required Courses, Concentrations, Additional Political Science/Outside Discipline electives and General Electives. The Political Science Core is designed to ensure that students receiving the BA degree in Political Science will share a common body of knowledge needed for a wide range of private and public sector organizations. Concentration courses allow students to delve further into areas of specialization. Additional Political Science/Outside Discipline electives and General Electives give students an opportunity to explore topics of interest at an advanced level.

Program Outcome Goals

Bachelor of Arts - Political Science Major

Concentrations: American Government, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Legal Studies, Public Administration, and General Political Science.

Students in the Political Science Major will be able to:

  1. Skills in critical analysis, ability to synthesize information , and the ability to present logical arguments leading to creative solutions of various political problems;
  2. Knowledge of different political systems, including the US/GA government, enabling them to become informed and responsible citizens and preparing them for careers in related fields;
  3. International/multicultural awareness: Political science majors will demonstrate the ability to analyze a variety of current global issues, including international development and global security and comprehend the roles played by various international actors, including international organizations
  4. The ability to explore a variety of approaches to politics and the study of government.

General Education: (60 semester hours)

Area A - Essential Skills: (9 semester hours)

Course NameCredit HoursTerm TakenGradeGen Ed
ENGL 1101 - English Composition I (3) Credit Hours
ENGL 1102 - English Composition II (3) Credit Hours

 

MATH 1001 - Quantitative Skills and Reasoning (3) Credit Hours

or

MATH 1111 - College Algebra (3) Credit Hours

or

MATH 1401 - Elementary Statistics (3) Credit Hours

or higher

Area B - Institutional Option (4 semester hours)

Course NameCredit HoursTerm TakenGradeGen Ed
ITEC 1001 - Introduction to Computing (4) Credit Hours

Area C - Humanities/Fine Arts (6 semester hours)

Select one from the following:

Course NameCredit HoursTerm TakenGradeGen Ed
MUSC 1100 - Music Appreciation (3) Credit Hours
ARTS 1100 - Art Appreciation (3) Credit Hours
ENGL 2111 - World Literature I (3) Credit Hours
ENGL 2112 - World Literature II (3) Credit Hours
ENGL 2121 - British Literature I (3) Credit Hours
ENGL 2122 - British Literature II (3) Credit Hours
ENGL 2131 - American Literature I (3) Credit Hours
ENGL 2132 - American Literature II (3) Credit Hours
FILM 1005 - Introduction to Film (3) Credit Hours
THEA 1100 - Theatre Appreciation (3) Credit Hours

Select one from the following:

Course NameCredit HoursTerm TakenGradeGen Ed
RELN 1100 - World Religions (3) Credit Hours
GEOG 1101 - Introduction to Human Geography (3) Credit Hours
PHIL 2010 - Introduction to Philosophy (3) Credit Hours
SPAN 1002 - Elementary Spanish II (3) Credit Hours
SPAN 2001 - Intermediate Spanish I (3) Credit Hours
SPAN 2002 - Intermediate Spanish II (3) Credit Hours
CHIN 1002 - Elemantary Chinese II 3 Credit Hours
CHIN 2001 - Intermediate Chinese I (3) Credit Hours
CHIN 2002 - Intermediate Chinese II (3) Credit Hours
FREN 1002 - Elementary French II (3) Credit Hours
FREN 2001 - Intermediate French I (3) Credit Hours
FREN 2002 - Intermediate French II (3) Credit Hours

Area D - Natural Sciences, Math, Technology (11 semester hours)

Select one sequence from the following:

Course NameCredit HoursTerm TakenGradeGen Ed
PSCI 1101K - Physical Science with Laboratory (4) Credit Hours
PSCI 1102 - Physical Science (3) Credit Hours
BIOL 1101K - Biological Sciences I and Laboratory (4) Credit Hours
BIOL 1102 - Biological Sciences II (3) Credit Hours
CHEM 1151K - Survey of Chemistry I with Lab (4) Credit Hours
CHEM 1152K - Survey of Chemistry II with Lab (4) Credit Hours

Select one from the following:

Course NameCredit HoursTerm TakenGradeGen Ed
ITEC 2110 - Digital Media (4) Credit Hours
ITEC 2120 - Introduction to Programming (4) Credit Hours

Area E - Social Science (12 semester hours)

Course NameCredit HoursTerm TakenGradeGen Ed
POLS 1101 - American Government (3) Credit Hours

 

HIST 2111 - Survey of United States History I (3) Credit Hours

or

HIST 2112 - Survey of United States History II (3) Credit Hours

Select one from the following:

Course NameCredit HoursTerm TakenGradeGen Ed
HIST 2111 - Survey of United States History I (if not used above) (3) Credit Hours
HIST 2112 - Survey of United States History II (if not used above) (3) Credit Hours
HIST 1111 - Survey of World History/Civilization I (3) Credit Hours
HIST 1112 - Survey of World History/Civilization II (3) Credit Hours
HIST 1121 - Survey of Western Civilization I (3) Credit Hours
HIST 1122 - Survey of Western Civilization II (3) Credit Hours

Select one from the following:

Course NameCredit HoursTerm TakenGradeGen Ed
SOCI 1101 - Introduction to Sociology (3) Credit Hours
ANTH 1102 - Introduction to Anthropology (3) Credit Hours
ECON 2100 - Introduction to Economics (3) Credit Hours
PSYC 1102 - Introduction to Psychology (3) Credit Hours

Area F - Courses Related to the Program of Study (18 hours)

Course NameCredit HoursTerm TakenGradeGen Ed
POLS 2101 - Introduction to Political Science (3) Credit Hours
POLS 2280 - Research Methods in Political Science (3) Credit Hours

Select one of the following:

Course NameCredit HoursTerm TakenGradeGen Ed
POLS 2201 - State and Local Government (3) Credit Hours
POLS 2401 - Current Global Issues (3) Credit Hours

Two social sciences not chosen in Area E

(Recommend a HIST sequence not taken in Area E)

  • One semester of a foreign language (3) Credit Hours

Additional Requirements (3 hours)

Physical Education Requirement

  • Choices for Life (1) Credit Hours
  • Additional Physical Education (2) Credit Hours

Program of Study (60 semester hours)

Required Political Science Courses (18 hours)

Course NameCredit HoursTerm TakenGradeGen Ed
POLS 3100 - Comparative Politics (3) Credit Hours
POLS 3400 - International Relations (3) Credit Hours
POLS 3450 - Modern Political Theory (3) Credit Hours
POLS 4490 - Senior Seminar (3) Credit Hours

Select one from the following:

Course NameCredit HoursTerm TakenGradeGen Ed
POLS 4170 - Congress (3) Credit Hours
POLS 4180 - The Presidency (3) Credit Hours
POLS 4160 - American Judicial Process (3) Credit Hours

Select one from the following:

Course NameCredit HoursTerm TakenGradeGen Ed
POLS 4425 - Political Negotiation and Conflict Resolution (3) Credit Hours
POLS 4990 - Internship in Political Science (3-6) Credit Hours
POLS 4989 - Directed Research (3) Credit Hours
POLS 3550 - Public Policy Process (3) Credit Hours
POLS 4700 - Constitutional Law: Powers of Government (3) Credit Hours

Legal Studies Electives (15 hours)

Select 15 credit hours from the following:

Course NameCredit HoursTerm TakenGradeGen Ed
POLS 3020 - Environmental Law (3) Credit Hours
POLS 3200 - Comparative Legal Systems (3) Credit Hours
POLS 3700 - Introduction to Paralegal Studies (3) Credit Hours
POLS 3701 - Civil Litigation for Paralegals: I (3) Credit Hours
POLS 3702 - Civil Litigation for Paralegals: II (3) Credit Hours
POLS 4160 - American Judicial Process (3) Credit Hours
POLS 4390 - Legal Writing and Research (3) Credit Hours
POLS 4425 - Political Negotiation and Conflict Resolution (3) Credit Hours
POLS 4400 - International Law (3) Credit Hours
POLS 4700 - Constitutional Law: Powers of Government (3) Credit Hours
POLS 4720 - Constitutional Law: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights (3) Credit Hours
POLS 4990 - Internship in Political Science (3-6) Credit Hours

Additional Political Science/Outside Discipline Electives (15 hours)

Select all 3000/4000 level courses

General Electives (12 hours)

(See GGC course catalog)

Notes: