About the Program
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
The Political Science major is concerned with exploring the exercise of power in its myriad forms and consequences. Students in the major are encouraged to explore central issues, such as the ethical problems attendant to the exercise of power; the history of important political ideas, such as liberty, justice, community, and morality; the impact of historical, economic, and social forces on the operation of politics; the functioning and distinctive features of the US political system; the diversity of political systems and the significance of these differences; and the interactions among international actors and the causes of war and peace. Undergraduate courses in political science vary from large lectures of 325 students to small seminars of 18 students. The courses are challenging, often emphasizing critical reading and analytical writing.
Declaring the Major
To declare the major, students must have completed the minimum eligibility and must attend a declaration-orientation session. For information regarding minimum eligibility, please see the Major Requirements tab on this page. Transfer students may go to assist.org for a list of California community college courses that satisfy University and major requirements. Upper division courses in the major are restricted to declared Political Science majors in Phase 1 of registration and usually fill before Phase 1 ends, so students should declare, if eligible, before the start of Phase 1 of registration.
Students must attend a Major Declaration Session to declare the major:
- Pick a date from the calendar on the website linked below. Students will be eligible to attend a Major Declaration Session after they have completed the final for their second introductory Political Science course.
- Gather transcript(s) and make copies of them to submit. See more on transcripts below.
- Come early to secure a spot! The first 25 students who arrive at each session will be accepted to attend the session (unless indicated otherwise). Sessions held early and late in the semester as well as during the registration period are usually full. A sign-up sheet is available an hour before the session; there is no need to arrive earlier than an hour before the posted time.
Do not come to a declaration session without all needed transcripts. This includes transcripts (unofficial transcripts are okay) for courses taken at community colleges, other universities, and UC Berkeley. For UC Berkeley courses, students can print out their Academic Summary on Cal Central. One copy of each transcript is all that is required. Academic Progress Reports and Transfer Credit Reports from CalCentral are not acceptable. The department keeps the transcript, so students should bring a copy they can spare. (Transcripts for courses that do not count for the major are not needed.)
A declaration session takes about an hour and includes a brief orientation to the major and Q&A after which declaration forms are completed (forms are supplied — students supply the transcripts).
For a schedule of Major Declaration Sessions, please see the department website.
Honors Program
Declared Political Science majors with a 3.5 grade-point average (GPA) in the major and a 3.3 overall GPA who have senior standing and have completed at least two letter-graded upper division political science courses at Berkeley are eligible to apply for the honors program. The honors program consists of a two-semester seminar, POL SCI H190A and POL SCI H190B (offered in fall/spring only), and culminates in the writing of an honors thesis. Students must also obtain the sponsorship of a member of the faculty who will guide the research. Applications can only be made online; please refer to the undergraduate program section of the website. Departmental honors are awarded upon completion of the honors seminar with a grade of B+ or better, a minimum GPA of 3.5 in the major, and a 3.3 in overall work at Berkeley.
Minor Program
There is no minor program in Political Science.
Major Requirements
In addition to the University, campus, and college requirements, listed on the College Requirements tab, students must fulfill the below requirements specific to their major program.
General Guidelines
- All courses taken to fulfill the major requirements below must be taken for graded credit, other than courses listed which are offered on a Pass/No Pass basis only. Other exceptions to this requirement are noted as applicable.
- No more than one upper division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs, with the exception of minors offered outside of the College of Letters & Science.
- A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 must be maintained in both upper and lower division courses used to fulfill the major requirements.
For information regarding residence requirements and unit requirements, please see the College Requirements tab.
Summary of Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Lower Division Prerequisites: Two Courses | ||
| Methods Requirement: POL SCI 3 | ||
| History Requirement: One Course | ||
| Distribution Requirement: One Course | ||
| Subfield Specialization: Three Courses | ||
| Upper Division Requirements: A total of eight courses within the department | ||
Lower Division Prerequisites
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Select two courses from the following (one course should be in the student's intended subfield of specialization) | ||
| POL SCI 1 | Introduction to American Politics | 4 |
| or POL SCI N1AC | Introduction to American Politics | |
| POL SCI 2 | Introduction to Comparative Politics | 4 |
| or POL SCI N2 | Introduction to Comparative Politics | |
| POL SCI 4 | Introduction to Political Theory | 4 |
| POL SCI 5 | Introduction to International Relations | 4 |
Methods Requirement
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| POL SCI 3 | Introduction to Empirical Analysis and Quantitative Methods | 4 |
| or POL SCI N3 | Introduction to Empirical Analysis and Quantitative Methods | |
| or POL SCI W3 | Introduction to Empirical Analysis and Quantitative Methods, | |
History Requirement
Select one course from the following list of preapproved history courses.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| AFRICAM 4A | Africa: History and Culture | 4 |
| or AFRICAM N4A | Africa: History and Culture | |
| AFRICAM 4B | Africa: History and Culture | 4 |
| AFRICAM 111 | Race, Class, and Gender in the United States | 3 |
| ASIANST 10 | Course Not Available | 4 |
| CELTIC 70 | The World of the Celts | 4 |
| CLASSIC 10A | Introduction to Greek Civilization | 4 |
| CLASSIC 10B | Introduction to Roman Civilization | 4 |
| DEV STD C100 | Course Not Available | |
| ECON 113 | U.S Economic History | 4 |
| ECON 115 | The World Economy in the Twentieth Century | 4 |
| ETH STD 10AC | A History of Race and Ethnicity in Western North America, 1598-Present (or XETHSTD 21AC) | 4 |
| ETH STD 21AC | A Comparative Survey of Racial and Ethnic Groups in the U.S | 4 |
| GEOG C55 | Introduction to Central Asia | 3 |
| GERMAN 160A | Politics and Culture in 20th-Century Germany: A Century of Extremes | 4 |
| GERMAN 160C | Politics and Culture in 20th-Century Germany: A Divided Nation. Politics and Culture in Germany 1945-1990 | 4 |
| GLOBAL 45 | Survey of World History | 4 |
| HISTORY 4A | Origins of Western Civilization: The Ancient Mediterranean World | 4 |
| HISTORY 4B | Origins of Western Civilization: Medieval Europe | 4 |
| HISTORY 5 | European Civilization from the Renaissance to the Present | 4 |
| HISTORY 6A | History of China: Origins to the Mongol Conquest | 4 |
| HISTORY 6B | Introduction to Chinese History from the Mongols to Mao | 4 |
| HISTORY 7A | Introduction to the History of the United States: The United States from Settlement to Civil War | 4 |
| HISTORY 7B | Introduction to the History of the United States: The United States from Civil War to Present | 4 |
| HISTORY 10 | African History | 4 |
| HISTORY 8A | Latin American History: Becoming Latin America, 1492 to 1824 | 4 |
| HISTORY 8B | Latin American History: Modern Latin America | 4 |
| HISTORY 11 | India | 4 |
| HISTORY 12 | The Middle East | 4 |
| HISTORY 14 | Introduction to the History of Japan | 4 |
| HISTORY 105A | Ancient Greece: Archaic and Classical Greek History | 4 |
| HISTORY 105B | Ancient Greece: The Greek World: 403-31 BCE | 4 |
| HISTORY 106A | Ancient Rome: The Roman Republic | 4 |
| HISTORY 106B | Ancient Rome: The Roman Empire | 4 |
| HISTORY 108 | Byzantium | 4 |
| HISTORY 112B | Africa: Modern South Africa, 1652-Present | 4 |
| or HISTORY N112B | Course Not Available | |
| HISTORY 122AC | Antebellum America: The Advent of Mass Society | 4 |
| HISTORY 123 | Civil War and Reconstruction | 4 |
| HISTORY 124A | The Recent United States: The United States from the Late 19th Century to the Eve of World War II | 4 |
| HISTORY 124B | The Recent United States: The United States from World War II | 4 |
| HISTORY 126A | Course Not Available | |
| HISTORY 126B | Course Not Available | |
| HISTORY 130 | American Foreign Policy | 4 |
| HISTORY 131B | Social History of the United States: Creating Modern American Society: From the End of the Civil War to the Global Age | 4 |
| HISTORY 133A | The History of American Capitalism | 4 |
| HISTORY 137AC | The Repeopling of America | 4 |
| HISTORY C139B | The American Immigrant Experience | 4 |
| HISTORY C139C | Civil Rights and Social Movements in U.S. History | 4 |
| HISTORY C139D | From Civil Rights Era to the New Gilded Age: Struggles for Racial Equality and Economic Equity from 'Double Victory' to 'Occupy' | 4 |
| HISTORY 140B | Mexico: Modern Mexico | 4 |
| HISTORY 141B | Social History of Latin America: Social History of Modern Latin America | 4 |
| HISTORY 142 | Cuba in World History | 4 |
| HISTORY 143 | Brazil | 4 |
| HISTORY 149B | Medieval Italy: Italy in the Age of Dante (1000-1350) | 4 |
| HISTORY 150B | Medieval England: From the Conquest to 1290 | 4 |
| HISTORY 151A | Early Modern Britain, 1485-1750: Reformation to Revolution, Island to Empire | 4 |
| HISTORY 151B | Britain 1485-Present: Britain, 1660-1851 | 4 |
| HISTORY 151C | Maker of the Modern World? Britain since 1750 | 4 |
| HISTORY 152A | Topics in the History of the British Isles: Ireland Since the Union | 4 |
| HISTORY 154 | Course Not Available | 4 |
| HISTORY 155A | Medieval Europe: From the Late Empire to the Investiture Conflict | 4 |
| HISTORY 155B | Medieval Europe: From the Investiture Conflict to the Fifteenth Century | 4 |
| HISTORY C157 | The Renaissance and the Reformation | 4 |
| HISTORY 158A | Modern Europe: Old Regime and Revolutionary Europe, 1715-1815 | 4 |
| HISTORY 158B | Modern Europe: Europe in the 19th Century | 4 |
| HISTORY 158C | Modern Europe: Old and New Europe, 1914-Present | 4 |
| HISTORY 159A | European Economic History | 4 |
| HISTORY 159B | European Economic History | 4 |
| HISTORY 160 | The International Economy of the 20th Century | 4 |
| HISTORY 162A | Europe and the World: Wars, Empires, Nations 1648-1914 | 4 |
| HISTORY 162B | War and Peace: International Relations since 1914 | 4 |
| HISTORY 163A | Course Not Available | 4 |
| HISTORY 163B | Course Not Available | 4 |
| HISTORY 164A | The Birth of Modern Thought: European Intellectual History, 1500-1800 | 4 |
| HISTORY 164B | Modern European Intellectual History: European Intellectual History from Enlightenment to 1870 | 4 |
| HISTORY 165A | Topics in Modern European History: The Reformations of Christendom | 4 |
| HISTORY 165B | Topics in Modern European History: The World, the Picture, and the Page: The Revolution in European Culture since the late 18th Century | 4 |
| HISTORY 166A | Course Not Available | 4 |
| HISTORY 166B | Modern France: Renaissance to Revolution | 4 |
| HISTORY 166C | Modern France | 4 |
| HISTORY 167A | Modern Germany: Early Modern Germany | 4 |
| HISTORY 167B | Modern Germany: The Rise and Fall of the Second Reich: Germany 1770-1918 | 4 |
| HISTORY 167C | Modern Germany: Germany 1914 to the Present | 4 |
| HISTORY 168A | Spain and Portugal: The Spanish and Portuguese Empires in the Golden Age: 1450-1700 | 4 |
| HISTORY 169A | Modern Italy: Renaissance and Baroque Italy 1350-1800 | 4 |
| HISTORY 170 | The Netherlands | 4 |
| HISTORY 171A | Russia: Russia to 1700 | 4 |
| HISTORY 171B | Autocracy and Society in Romanov Russia | 4 |
| HISTORY 171C | Russia: History of the Soviet Union | 4 |
| HISTORY 173B | History of Eastern Europe: The Habsburg Empire, 1740-1918 | 4 |
| HISTORY 173C | History of Eastern Europe: History of Eastern Europe: From 1900 to the Present | 4 |
| HISTORY C175B | Jewish Civilization: Modern Period | 4 |
| HISTORY 177A | Armenia: Armenia from Ethnogenesis to the Dark Ages | 4 |
| HISTORY 177B | Armenia: From Pre-modern Empires to the Present | 4 |
| HISTORY 185A | History of Christianity: History of Christianity to 1250 | 4 |
| HISTORY 185B | History of Christianity: History of Christianity from 1250 | 4 |
| NE STUD 10 | Introduction to the Near East | 4 |
| NE STUD C26 | Introduction to Central Asia | 3 |
| NE STUD 109 | Mesopotamian History | 3 |
| NE STUD 130A | History of Ancient Israel | 3 |
| NE STUD 130B | History of Ancient Israel | 3 |
| NE STUD 147 | The Rise of Islamic Civilization | 4 |
| NE STUD 173A | Topics in the History of Central Asia and the Turks | 3 |
| NE STUD 173B | Topics in the History of Central Asia and the Turks | 3 |
| NE STUD 175 | History and Culture of Afghanistan | 3 |
| PACS 125AC | War, Culture, and Society | 4 |
| PORTUG 113 | Brazilian Civilization | 4 |
| SCANDIN 123 | Viking and Medieval Scandinavia | 4 |
Distribution Requirement
Select at least one lower or upper division course from each of the five primary sub-fields below:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| American Politics | ||
| POL SCI 1 | Introduction to American Politics | 4 |
| or POL SCI N1AC | Introduction to American Politics | |
| POL SCI 102 | The American Presidency | 4 |
| POL SCI 103 | Congress | 4 |
| POL SCI 103W | The Congress | 4 |
| POL SCI 104 | Political Parties | 4 |
| POL SCI 105 | The Politician | 4 |
| POL SCI 106A | American Politics: Campaign Strategy - Media | 4 |
| POL SCI 109 A–Z | ||
| POL SCI 111AC | The Politics of Displacement | 4 |
| POL SCI 150 | The American Legal System | 4 |
| POL SCI 157A | Constitutional Law of the United States | 4 |
| POL SCI 157B | Constitutional Law of the United States | 4 |
| POL SCI 161 | Public Opinion, Voting and Participation | 4 |
| POL SCI 164A | Political Psychology and Involvement | 4 |
| POL SCI N164A | Psychology of Politics | 4 |
| POL SCI 166 | Latinos and the U.S. Political System | 4 |
| POL SCI 167 | Racial and Ethnic Politics in the New American Century | 4 |
| POL SCI 167AC | Racial and Ethnic Politics in the New American Century | 4 |
| POL SCI 169 | Selected Topics in Political Behavior | 4 |
| POL SCI 171 | California Politics | 4 |
| POL SCI 175A | Urban and Metropolitan Government and Politics | 4 |
| POL SCI 181 | Public Organization and Administration | 4 |
| POL SCI 186 | Public Problems | 4 |
| Comparative Politics | ||
| POL SCI 2 | Introduction to Comparative Politics | 4 |
| or POL SCI N2 | Introduction to Comparative Politics | |
| POL SCI 137A | Revolutionary Change | 4 |
| POL SCI 138E | The Varieties of Capitalism: Political Economic Systems of the World | 4 |
| POL SCI 138F | Immigrants, Citizenship, and the State | 4 |
| POL SCI 138G | National Success and Failure in the Age of a Global Economy: from Pleats to Cleats | 4 |
| POL SCI 139B | Development Politics | 4 |
| POL SCI 139D | Urban and Sub-national Politics in Developing Countries | 4 |
| POL SCI C139 | Urban and Sub-national Politics in Developing Countries | 4 |
| POL SCI 140 A–Z | ||
| POL SCI 141C | Politics and Government in Eastern Europe | 4 |
| POL SCI 142A | Middle East Politics | 4 |
| POL SCI 143A | Northeast Asian Politics | 4 |
| POL SCI 143B | Japanese Politics | 4 |
| POL SCI 143C | Chinese Politics | 4 |
| POL SCI 143T | Chinese Politics and Society | 4 |
| POL SCI 144 | American Foreign Policy Toward Asia | 4 |
| POL SCI 144B | Politics of Divided Korea | 4 |
| POL SCI 145A | South Asian Politics | 4 |
| POL SCI 145B | South Asian Politics | 4 |
| POL SCI W145A | Understanding Political Developments in India | 4 |
| POL SCI 146A | African Politics | 4 |
| POL SCI 146D | Environment, Culture, and Peacebuilding | 6 |
| POL SCI N146C | Conflict and Change in Southern Africa | 4 |
| POL SCI 147F | Contemporary French Politics: The Republican Model in Transition | 4 |
| POL SCI 147G | The Welfare State in Comparative Perspective | 4 |
| POL SCI 147T | German History and Politics | 4 |
| POL SCI 148A | Latin American Politics | 4 |
| POL SCI 149 A–Z | ||
| Empirical Theory and Quantitative Methods | ||
| POL SCI 3 | Introduction to Empirical Analysis and Quantitative Methods | 4 |
| or POL SCI N3 | Introduction to Empirical Analysis and Quantitative Methods | |
| or POL SCI W3 | Introduction to Empirical Analysis and Quantitative Methods, | |
| POL SCI C131A | Applied Econometrics and Public Policy | 4 |
| POL SCI C135 | Game Theory in the Social Sciences | 4 |
| POL SCI W135 | Game Theory in the Social Sciences | 4 |
| Political Theory | ||
| POL SCI 4 | Introduction to Political Theory | 4 |
| POL SCI 111AC | The Politics of Displacement | 4 |
| POL SCI 112A | History of Political Theory | 4 |
| or POL SCI N112A | History of Political Theory | |
| POL SCI 112B | History of Political Theory | 4 |
| POL SCI 112C | History of Political Theory | 4 |
| POL SCI 112D | History of European Political Theory: The 20th Century | 4 |
| POL SCI N113A | American Political Theory | 4 |
| POL SCI 114A | Theories of Governance: Late 20th Century | 4 |
| POL SCI 116 A–Z | ||
| POL SCI 117 | Theories of Justice | 4 |
| International Relations | ||
| POL SCI 5 | Introduction to International Relations | 4 |
| POL SCI 122A | Politics of European Integration | 4 |
| POL SCI 123 A–Z | ||
| POL SCI 124A | War! | 4 |
| POL SCI 124C | Ethics and Justice in International Affairs | 4 |
| POL SCI 124M | The Scientific Study of International Conflict | 4 |
| POL SCI 125 | Civil Conflict and International Intervention | 4 |
| POL SCI 126A | International Political Economy | 4 |
| POL SCI 128 | Chinese Foreign Policy | 4 |
| POL SCI 128A | Chinese Foreign Policy | 4 |
| POL SCI 138E | The Varieties of Capitalism: Political Economic Systems of the World | 4 |
| POL SCI 144 | American Foreign Policy Toward Asia | 4 |
Subfield Specialization
Students must specialize in one of the five primary subfields by completing the introductory course and taking two upper division courses in that subfield (see above).
Upper Division Requirements
Students must complete a total of eight upper division courses within the Political Science Department from those numbered POL SCI 102-POL SCI 189, POL SCI 191, and POL SCI C196A (the UCDC program). Upper division courses fulfilling the distribution and subfield specialization count toward these eight required upper division courses. Graduate-level political science courses may also count toward the upper division course requirements.
College Requirements
Undergraduate students must fulfill the following requirements in addition to those required by their major program.
For detailed lists of courses that fulfill college requirements, please review the College of Letters & Sciences page in this Guide. For College advising appointments, please visit the L&S Advising Pages.
University of California Requirements
Entry Level Writing
All students who will enter the University of California as freshmen must demonstrate their command of the English language by fulfilling the Entry Level Writing requirement. Fulfillment of this requirement is also a prerequisite to enrollment in all reading and composition courses at UC Berkeley.
American History and American Institutions
The American History and Institutions requirements are based on the principle that a US resident graduated from an American university, should have an understanding of the history and governmental institutions of the United States.
Berkeley Campus Requirement
American Cultures
All undergraduate students at Cal need to take and pass this course in order to graduate. The requirement offers an exciting intellectual environment centered on the study of race, ethnicity and culture of the United States. AC courses offer students opportunities to be part of research-led, highly accomplished teaching environments, grappling with the complexity of American Culture.
College of Letters & Science Essential Skills Requirements
Quantitative Reasoning
The Quantitative Reasoning requirement is designed to ensure that students graduate with basic understanding and competency in math, statistics, or computer science. The requirement may be satisfied by exam or by taking an approved course.
Foreign Language
The Foreign Language requirement may be satisfied by demonstrating proficiency in reading comprehension, writing, and conversation in a foreign language equivalent to the second semester college level, either by passing an exam or by completing approved course work.
Reading and Composition
In order to provide a solid foundation in reading, writing, and critical thinking the College requires two semesters of lower division work in composition in sequence. Students must complete parts A & B reading and composition courses by the end of their second semester and a second-level course by the end of their fourth semester.
College of Letters & Science 7 Course Breadth Requirements
Breadth Requirements
The undergraduate breadth requirements provide Berkeley students with a rich and varied educational experience outside of their major program. As the foundation of a liberal arts education, breadth courses give students a view into the intellectual life of the University while introducing them to a multitude of perspectives and approaches to research and scholarship. Engaging students in new disciplines and with peers from other majors, the breadth experience strengthens interdisciplinary connections and context that prepares Berkeley graduates to understand and solve the complex issues of their day.
Unit Requirements
-
120 total units
-
Of the 120 units, 36 must be upper division units
- Of the 36 upper division units, 6 must be taken in courses offered outside your major department
Residence Requirements
For units to be considered in "residence," you must be registered in courses on the Berkeley campus as a student in the College of Letters & Science. Most students automatically fulfill the residence requirement by attending classes here for four years. In general, there is no need to be concerned about this requirement, unless you go abroad for a semester or year or want to take courses at another institution or through UC Extension during your senior year. In these cases, you should make an appointment to meet an adviser to determine how you can meet the Senior Residence Requirement.
Note: Courses taken through UC Extension do not count toward residence.
Senior Residence Requirement
After you become a senior (with 90 semester units earned toward your BA degree), you must complete at least 24 of the remaining 30 units in residence in at least two semesters. To count as residence, a semester must consist of at least 6 passed units. Intercampus Visitor, EAP, and UC Berkeley-Washington Program (UCDC) units are excluded.
You may use a Berkeley Summer Session to satisfy one semester of the Senior Residence requirement, provided that you successfully complete 6 units of course work in the Summer Session and that you have been enrolled previously in the college.
Modified Senior Residence Requirement
Participants in the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP), Berkeley Summer Abroad, or the UC Berkeley Washington Program (UCDC) may meet a Modified Senior Residence requirement by completing 24 (excluding EAP) of their final 60 semester units in residence. At least 12 of these 24 units must be completed after you have completed 90 units.
Upper Division Residence Requirement
You must complete in residence a minimum of 18 units of upper division courses (excluding UCEAP units), 12 of which must satisfy the requirements for your major.
Plan of Study
Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Political Science major requirements before making a program plan. For more detailed information regarding the courses listed below (e.g., elective information, GPA requirements, etc.), see the College Requirements and Major Requirements tabs.
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Units | Spring | Units |
| POL SCI 1, 2, or 5 (Social and Behavioral Studies Breadth) | 4 | POL SCI 2, 1, or 4 | 4 |
| Reading & Composition A | 4 | Reading & Composition B | 4 |
| International Studies Breadth | 3 | Biological Science Breadth | 4 |
| Lower Division Elective | 4 | Lower Division Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Fall | Units | Spring | Units |
| POL SCI 3 | 4 | Philosophy & Values Breadth | 4 |
| History for Major (Historical Studies Breadth) | 4 | American Cultures Requirement | 4 |
| Arts & Literature or Physical Science Breadth | 4 | Lower or Upper Division Elective | 4 |
| Physical Science or Arts & Literature Breadth | 3 | Lower or Upper Division Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Fall | Units | Spring | Units |
| Upper Division Political Science: 1 of 2 Specialization Requirements | 4 | Upper Division Political Science: 2 of 2 Specialization Requirements | 4 |
| Upper Division Political Science: 1 of 2 Distribution Requirements | 4 | Upper Division Political Science: 1 of 4 Electives | 4 |
| Upper Division Non-Political Science Elective | 3 | Upper Division Non-Political Science Elective | 3 |
| Lower or Upper Division Elective | 4 | Lower or Upper Division Elective | 4 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Fall | Units | Spring | Units |
| Upper Division Political Science: 2 of 2 Distribution Requirements | 4 | Upper Division Political Science: 3 of 4 Electives | 4 |
| Upper Division Political Science: 2 of 4 Electives | 4 | Upper Division Political Science: 4 of 4 Electives | 4 |
| Lower or Upper Division Elective | 4 | Lower or Upper Division Elective | 4 |
| Lower or Upper Division Elective | 3 | Lower or Upper Division Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Units: 120 | |||
| 1 | This is a sample program plan. This plan assumes that the student has completed the Entry Level Writing, American History and Institutions, Quantitative Reasoning, and Foreign Language requirements prior to admission. |
| 2 | Students are strongly advised to work with an academic adviser to determine a personal program plan. Your program plan will differ depending on previous credit received, your course schedule, and available offerings. |
| 3 | Students could also do the Honors program in their last year, but may need to adjust their 4-year plan accordingly to accommodate the extra workload of their senior thesis by taking electives or concentration classes in the summer OR by taking more units than indicated in the first six semesters. |
Accelerated Program Plans
For students considering graduating in less than four years, it's important to acknowledge the reasons to undertake such a plan of study. While there are advantages to pursuing a three-year degree plan such as reducing financial burdens, they are not for everyone and do involve sacrifices; especially with respect to participating in co-curricular activities, depth of study, and summer internships, which typically lead to jobs upon graduation. All things considered, please see the tables for three and three and a half year degree options.
Student Learning Goals
Learning Goals for the Major
- Exposure to the core subfields of political science:
- American politics
- Comparative politics
- Political theory
- International relations
- Opportunities to explore areas that crosscut traditional political science subfield boundaries:
- Political behavior
- Public law and jurisprudence
- Public policy and organization
- Empirical theory and quantitative methods
- Specialization in one subfield of political science: minimum of three courses taken in either one of the four core subfields (American politics, comparative politics, political theory, international relations) or one of the other departmental areas that generally crosscut traditional subfield boundaries (political behavior, public law and jurisprudence, public policy and organization, empirical theory and quantitative methods).
Skills
- Methodological skills
- Ability to understand and deploy the methods that political scientists use to answer questions about the operation of politics: causal inference, qualitative analysis, statistical analysis, experimentation, game theory, and modeling.
- Capacity to use critical thinking and evidence to understand and evaluate rival theories.
- Research and presentation skills
- Writing skills: Ability to formulate a well-organized argument supported by evidence.
- Oral presentation skills: Ability to present a compelling oral argument supported by evidence to a group or public audience.
- Research skills: Ability to conduct political science research using materials such as primary, secondary, and online sources or databases in support of an original argument.
Faculty and Instructors
+ Indicates this faculty member is the recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award.
Faculty
Vinod K. Aggarwal, Professor. Political science, negotiations, trade policy, international organizations, international debt rescheduling.
Research Profile
Christopher Ansell, Professor. Political science, social movements, political sociology, network analysis, organization theory, public administration, political parties, Western Europe.
Research Profile
Sarah F. Anzia, Associate Professor. American politics, public policy, interest groups, state politics, local politics, election timing, voter turnout, public pensions, public sector unions, collective bargaining.
Leonardo R. Arriola, Associate Professor. Democracy, elections, political parties, political violence, ethnic politics, electoral coalitions, Sub-Saharan Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Cameroon, Senegal.
Research Profile
Mark Bevir, Professor. Public policy, political theory, democratic theory, governance, Britain.
Research Profile
Henry Brady, Professor. Comparative politics, public policy, electoral politics, political participation, survey research, program evaluation, statistical methods in the social sciences, social welfare policy, Soviet Union, inequality in America.
Research Profile
+ Wendy L. Brown, Professor. Feminist theory, critical theory, theories of neoliberalism, public higher education, nineteenth and twentieth century political theory.
Research Profile
Jennifer L. Bussell, Assistant Professor. Africa, comparative politics, Latin America, public policy & organization, South Asia.
Kiren A. Chaudhry, Associate Professor. Political economy, Middle East/North Africa, identity politics, trauma theory, South Asia .
Pradeep K. Chhibber, Professor. Political parties, South Asia, electoral politics, politics of India.
Research Profile
Jack Citrin, Professor. Immigration, multiculturalism, taxation, survey research, political trust, California politics psychology, public opinion, political identity, alienation.
Research Profile
Ernesto Dal Bo, Associate Professor. Applied microeconomic theory, political economy, corruption and influence, collective decision-making, coercion.
Research Profile
Rui J. De Figueiredo, Associate Professor. American politics, game theory, formal theory, political institutions, bureaucratic behavior, political behavior, interest groups, methodology.
Research Profile
Lowell Dittmer, Professor. Comparative politics, Chinese politics, informal politics, East Asian international relations.
Research Profile
Thad Dunning, Professor. Political economy, ethnic politics, and comparative clientelism in developing countries, research design, causal inference, statistical methods, multi-method research.
Barry Eichengreen, Professor. Europe, China, economic growth, international economics, international finance, international monetary economics, economic history.
Research Profile
Sean Farhang, Associate Professor. Courts, American political development, regulation, litigation .
M. Steven Fish, Professor. Political science, post-Soviet politics, democratization regime change, general comparative politics, Russian revolution, communist and post-communist studies, democracy.
Research Profile
Sean P. Gailmard, Professor. Bureaucratic organizations, American political institutions, rational choice game theory, statistical modeling, laboratory experimentation in social science.
Research Profile
+ Ron E. Hassner, Associate Professor. International relations, international security, religion and conflict.
Research Profile
Rodney E. Hero, Professor. American democracy and politics, latino politics, racial/ethnic politics, state & urban politics, federalism .
Kinch Hoekstra, Associate Professor. History of political, moral, and legal philosophy, ancient, renaissance, and early modern political thought.
Susan Hyde, Professor. International influences on domestic politics (with a focus on the developing world), International election observation, election fraud, and democracy promotion.
Daniel Lee, Assistant Professor. Political theory, history of political thought, jurisprudence.
Taeku Lee, Professor. Political science, discrimination, language, social movements, political behavior, identity, racial and ethnic politics, public opinion, survey research methods, social welfare policies, partisanship, stereotypes.
Research Profile
Gabriel Lenz, Associate Professor. American politics, elections, voter behavior, democratic accountability, campaigns.
Research Profile
Amy E. Lerman, Associate Professor. American government, public opinion, criminal justice, prisons and policing.
Research Profile
Jonah Levy, Professor. Political science, social policy, comparative political economy, West European politics, relationship between partisanship and welfare reform in contemporary Western Europe.
Research Profile
Andrew Little, Assistant Professor. Game theory, authoritarian politics, political beliefs, protest.
Research Profile
Andrew Little, Assistant Professor. Formal models to study authoritarian politics, communication and information manipulation, and conflict.
Aila Matanock, Assistant Professor. Post-conflict elections, peace-building, international intervention, state-building, governance, armed actors, Latin America, survey experiments, mixed methods.
Research Profile
Michaela Mattes, Assistant Professor. International Conflict and Cooperation, Conflict Management, Domestic Politics and International Relations.
Research Profile
Joel Middleton, Assistant Professor. Methodology & formal theory, models & politics, causal inference, survey sampling, design-based estimation .
Cecilia Mo, Assistant Professor. Inequality, immigration, human trafficking, political behavior, voting and elections, political socialization, research design and empirical methods .
Research Profile
Kevin J. O'Brien, Professor. Social movements, Chinese politics, peasant politics.
Research Profile
T.J. Pempel, Professor. Political science, comparative politics, political economy, East Asian studies, contemporary Japan, Asian regionalism.
Research Profile
Paul Pierson, Professor. Public Policy, political economy, american politics, social theory.
Alison Post, Assistant Professor. Regulation, infrastructure, water and sanitation.
Research Profile
Robert L. Powell, Professor. Political science, game theory, international relations, formal theory and methods, nuclear deterrence theory, credibility, international conflict.
Research Profile
Gerard Roland, Professor. Institutions and development, culture and economics, political institutions and economic outcomes, European Parliament and European institutions, reforms in China/North Korea/Eastern Europe.
Research Profile
Eric Schickler, Professor. American politics, Congress, political parties, public opinion.
Research Profile
Jasjeet S. Sekhon, Professor. Program evaluation, statistical and computational methods, causal inference, elections, public opinion, American politics .
Helene Silverberg, Associate Adjunct Professor. Transitional justice, international criminal law, gender and international human rights, and the politics of institutional change.
Sarah Song, Professor. Gender, race, citizenship, multiculturalism, immigration law and politics.
Research Profile
Laura Stoker, Associate Professor. American politics, political behavior, political psychology, public opinion, voting and elections, political socialization, research design and empirical methods.
Research Profile
Robert Van Houweling, Associate Professor. Congress, political behavior, political parties, voting behavior, spatial models of candidate competition, experimental models.
Steven Vogel, Professor. Political science, political economy or comparative political economy, the Japanese model of capitalism, Japanese politics.
Research Profile
Edward W. Walker, Associate Adjunct Professor. Comparative politics, Russia, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Caucasus, Soviet, post-Soviet.
Research Profile
Martha Wilfahrt, Assistant Professor. African politics, political economy of development, redistributive politics.
Research Profile
Jason Wittenberg, Associate Professor. Ethnic politics, statistical methods, Eastern Europe, religion and politics, voting behavior.
Research Profile
Lecturers
Terri Bimes, Lecturer SOE.
Amy Gurowitz, Lecturer.
Ted Lempert, Lecturer.
Nadesan Permaul, Lecturer.
Alan David Ross, Lecturer.
Dan Schnur, Lecturer.
Darren C. Zook, Lecturer.
Emeritus Faculty
George W. Breslauer, Professor Emeritus. Political science, comparative politics, Soviet and post-Soviet Russia, Russian politics, foreign relations, political leadership.
Research Profile
Bruce Cain, Professor Emeritus.
David Collier, Professor Emeritus. Democracy & authoritarianism, Latin America, concept analysis, qualitative methods, multi-method research, comparative politics.
Ruth B. Collier, Professor Emeritus. Latin America, comparative politics, political regimes, democratization, labor politics.
Beverly Kay Crawford, Professor Emeritus.
Jyotirindra Das Gupta, Professor Emeritus. Political science.
Research Profile
Giuseppe Di Palma, Professor Emeritus.
A. James Gregor, Professor Emeritus. Political science, methodology, political theory, comparative ideology, US security interests, comparative fascism, Marxism and Fascism in the 20th century.
Research Profile
Andrew C. Janos, Professor Emeritus. Eastern Europe, world systems theory, ethnic conflict.
Ken Jowitt, Professor Emeritus. Political science, comparative politics, social theory.
Research Profile
Todd R. Laporte, Professor Emeritus. Technology policy, organization theory, public administration.
Hong Yung Lee, Professor Emeritus. Political science, East Asian studies.
Research Profile
David K. Leonard, Professor Emeritus.
+ Hanna Pitkin, Professor Emeritus. Political theory.
Robert Price, Professor Emeritus. Political science, South African politics, comparative politics, US Foreign policy, ethnicity.
Research Profile
J. Merrill Shanks, Professor Emeritus. Election behavior, public opinion, research methodology, survey techniques.
Research Profile
Peter W. Sperlich, Professor Emeritus.
Shannon C. Stimson, Professor Emeritus. Politics in Shakespeare, history of early modern political thought, history of political and economic thought, constitutionalism and modern jurisprudence.
Research Profile
Margaret M. Weir, Professor Emeritus. Political science, political sociology, sociology, American political development, urban politics and policy, comparative studies of the welfare state, metropolitan inequalities, city-suburban politics in the United States.
Research Profile
J. Nicholas Ziegler, Professor Emeritus. Political science, technology, corporate governance, comparative political economy, European politics, political ideologies, politics of economic reform in Germany, politics of property rights in Germany.
Research Profile
John Zysman, Professor Emeritus. Political science, comparative politics, finance, political economy, manufacturing, European and Japanese policy, corporate strategy, Western European politics, post-industrial economy, governments, the politics of industrial change.
Research Profile
Contact Information
Department of Political Science
210 Barrows Hall
Phone: 510-642-6323
Fax: 510-642-9515
Department Vice-Chair and Director of Undergraduate Affairs
Jonah Levy, PhD
762 Barrows Hall
Phone: 510-642-4686