| Degree: | Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) |
| Specializations: | Political Science Pre-Law |
| Minors: | Political Science Pre-Law/Political Science |
| Department: | Building 50, Room 120 (850) 474-2929 http://uwf.edu/govt/ |
| College: | Arts and Sciences |
| Semester Hours Required For Degree: 120 | |
The B.A. in Political Science is an integral component of a liberal arts education. Beginning with Plato and Aristotle, through Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Burke, de Tocqueville, Marx, and Mill to Jefferson, Madison, and Hamilton, as well as contemporary political scientists, serious thinkers have pondered at length fundamental questions pertaining to the governance of human societies, including the origin and evolution of law and justice, the comparative performance of democracies and dictatorships, the exercise of political leadership, the origins of war, and the maintenance of peace. Students will analyze competing theories purporting to throw light on these questions, subjecting them to the test of reason, history, and experience.
The Pre-Law Specialization emphasizes American government, with attention paid to constitutional law and the judicial branch. Students take courses in political theory, American government and constitutional law, as well as in history, economics and business, philosophy, literature, communications, and statistics or computer science.
In addition to the University’s general requirements, students seeking the B.A. in Political Science must meet the following requirements. The average GPA for mandatory core courses must be 2.0.
As a prerequisite, students majoring in Political Science need to earn at least a “C” in POS 2041 American Politics, or to transfer 3 sh of an equivalent lower-division course in American government or political science with a grade of “C” or higher.
In addition to the general studies requirements listed on this page, students must satisfy all additional University requirements, including the Gordon Rule, multicultural, and foreign language requirements. With appropriate planning and coordination with an academic advisor, students may satisfy some of the general University requirements through the General Studies curriculum. For a complete listing of general degree requirements, refer to the "Graduation and General Degree Requirements" section of this catalog.
General Studies Curriculum:
| Communication | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mathematics | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Social Sciences | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Humanities | 8-9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Natural Sciences | 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total Semester Hours: | 36-37 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
State mandated common prerequisites must be completed prior to graduation, but are not required for admission to the program. See the Common Prerequisite Manual for course substitutions from Florida colleges and universities.
| Students must complete two introductory courses (6 sh) in Political Science with a POS, INR, or CPO prefix. | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 6 | |
| Students must complete sufficient 1000/2000 level electives to satisfy at least 60 sh in the lower division. Current UWF students may use elective courses at any level (1000-4000) to meet this elective requirement. | 18-21 | |
| Total Hours | 18-21 | |
| Recommended electives: | ||
| CPO 2002 | Comparative Politics | 3 |
| INR 2002 | International Politics | 3 |
| POS 2041 | American Politics | 3 |
| POT 4601 | Masters of Political Thought | 3 |
| POS 3734 | Political Science Research Methods | 3 |
| or PUP 3008 | Analyzing Political Issues | |
| POS 3413 | The Presidency | 3 |
| or POS 3424 | The Legislative Process | |
| POS 3608 | Constitutional Law: Federalism and Separation of Powers | 3 |
| or POS 3624 | Constitutional Law: Individual Rights and Privileges | |
| 3/4000 level CPO course | 3 | |
| 3/4000 level INR course | 3 | |
| 3/4000 level POS course | 3 | |
| 3/4000 level POT course | 3 | |
| 3/4000 level Political Science (CPO, INR, POS, POT) electives | 6 | |
| If not completed at the lower division: | ||
| CPO 2002 | Comparative Politics | 3 |
| INR 2002 | International Politics | 3 |
| POS 2041 | American Politics | 3 |
| Total Hours | 39 | |
| Student must complete sufficient 3000/4000 level electives to meet UWF’s requirement of 48 sh in the upper division or complete all departmental requirements at the 3000/4000 level, whichever is greater. | 21-30 | |
| Total Hours | 21-30 | |
| POS 2041 | American Politics | 3 |
| POS 3424 | The Legislative Process | 3 |
| POS 3608 | Constitutional Law: Federalism and Separation of Powers | 3 |
| POS 3624 | Constitutional Law: Individual Rights and Privileges | 3 |
| POT 4204 | American Political Thought | 3 |
| POT 4601 | Masters of Political Thought | 3 |
| PUP 3008 | Analyzing Political Issues | 3 |
| Choose four of the following: | 12 | |
| Democracies | ||
| International Law | ||
| The Presidency | ||
| The Founders' Constitution | ||
| First Amendment Freedoms | ||
| Jurisprudence | ||
| Total Hours | 33 | |
| Choose five from at least four areas and do not choose more than two from an area: | 15 | |
| History | ||
| American Revolutions, 1763-1828 | ||
| Early American Republic: 1789-1860 | ||
| U. S. Constitutional and Legal History (to 1877) | ||
| U. S. Constitutional and Legal History (Since 1877) | ||
| Civil Rights | ||
| English Constitutional and Legal History | ||
3000/4000 level advisor approved course | ||
| Legal Specialties | ||
| American Justice System | ||
| Judicial Process | ||
| Environmental Law | ||
| The Constitution and the Press | ||
| Law and Society | ||
| Legal Research and Writing | ||
3000/4000 level advisor approved course | ||
| Literature and Communications | ||
| Leadership Communication | ||
| Shakespeare | ||
| Milton | ||
| Law and Politics in Literature | ||
| Argumentation and Debate | ||
3000/4000 level advisor approved course | ||
| Skills | ||
| Principles of Financial Accounting | ||
| Principles of Economic Theory and Public Policy | ||
| Elements of Statistics | ||
3000/4000 level advisor approved course | ||
| Philosophy | ||
| Greek Philosophy | ||
| Modern Philosophy | ||
| Medieval Philosophy | ||
| Introduction to Logic | ||
| Modern Logic | ||
| Ethics | ||
3000/4000 level advisor approved course | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |
| Student must complete sufficient 3000/4000 level electives to meet UWF’s requirement of 48 semester hours in the upper division or complete all departmental requirements at the 3000/4000 level, whichever is greater. | 12 | |
| Total Hours | 12 | |
Political Science minors require 15 sh of course work. A grade of “C” or higher is required in all courses.
All courses must be completed at UWF and directed studies may not be taken to fulfill requirements. Political Science majors may not earn this minor.
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| Comparative Politics | ||
| International Politics | ||
| American Politics | ||
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| Issues in American Government and Politics | ||
| Judicial Process | ||
| The Legislative Process | ||
| Political Science Research Methods | ||
| American Political Thought | ||
| Masters of Political Thought | ||
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| Constitutional Law: Federalism and Separation of Powers | ||
| Constitutional Law: Individual Rights and Privileges | ||
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| Conflict, Violence and Peace | ||
| Vietnam and American Politics | ||
| National Security Policy | ||
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| Politics of Western Europe | ||
| Politics of the Far East-Japan and China | ||
| Politics of Spain, Portugal, and Latin America | ||
| Democracies | ||
| Politics and Culture of India | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |
The Minor in Pre-Law/Political Science is designed for students who seek to gain a theoretical understanding of the law pursuant to applying to law school. Political Science majors may not earn this minor.
| POS 2041 | American Politics | 3 |
| POS 3283 | Judicial Process | 3 |
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| Constitutional Law: Federalism and Separation of Powers | ||
| Constitutional Law: Individual Rights and Privileges | ||
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| American Political Thought | ||
| Masters of Political Thought | ||
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| Bill of Rights | ||
| First Amendment Freedoms | ||
| Jurisprudence | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |
