Political Science, American Politics Concentration, B.A.

Students wanting to earn a degree in Political Science with a concentration in American Politics must complete a specific set of requirements for the concentration as defined below, in addition to the required coursework for the Political Science major.

Requirements for the Political Science Major

39 total credits are required to fulfill this major’s requirements, as defined below:

12 credits of Political Science Core courses
12 credits within the chosen concentration
15 credits of additional Political Science electives

Students pursuing the Interdisciplinary Options for Law and International Studies concentrations should expect to complete 18 credits within their concentration, and 9 credits of elective coursework.

Students transferring in coursework from other schools must complete a minimum of 18 credits in Political Science at Westfield State University.

The Department of Political Science encourages students to participate in internships. Students may apply up to 6 Internship credits toward the 39 credit major.

3 of these Internship credits may be applied to the concentration.
Up to 3 of these Internship credits may be applied toward the 18-credit minor.

For details about Political Science Internship credits, please click here to view the department’s Internship manual, or contact the department.

Required Major Core (12 credits)

Required Major Courses
POLS 0101 - American National Government Credits: 3
POLS 0206 - Political Analysis Credits: 3
ENGL 0204 - Composition II: Rhetoric and Research Credits: 3
Students must select one of the following political theory courses:
POLS 0215 - American Political Thought Credits: 3
POLS 0301 - Classical Political Thought Credits: 3
POLS 0302 - Modern Political Thought Credits: 3
POLS 0310 - ”Non-Western” Political Thought Credits: 3
POLS 0323 - Selected Topics in Political Science Credits: 3
POLS 0335 - Feminist Political Thought Credits: 3
POLS 0340 - Politics and “The Family” Credits: 3
(Additional theory courses may qualify with department chair approval)

Required Major Electives (15 credits)

15 credits of additional political science course work.

For Selected Topics courses (POLS 0323 ) to count toward the field of concentration, the courses must be within that field.

Students transferring from another school must complete a minimum of 18 credits in Political Science at Westfield State University.

The Department of Political Science encourages students to participate in internships. Students may apply up to 6 credits of internship toward the 39-credit major, 3 of which may be applied to the field of concentration. Up to 3 credits of internship may be applied toward the 18-credit minor. For details, see the department internship manual in the link or pick up a copy in the department.

American Politics Concentration - 12 credits

Courses that examine how American government - local and national - functions and how policies are formulated and implemented in the United States (12 credits: choose four, at least two at the 300-level).

POLS 0103 - State and Local Government Credits: 3
POLS 0205 - Metropolitan Politics Credits: 3
POLS 0212 - The U.S. Supreme Court Credits: 3
POLS 0215 - American Political Thought Credits: 3
POLS 0305 - American Foreign Policy Credits: 3
POLS 0306 - Political Change in the U.S. Credits: 3
POLS 0307 - Presidency and Congress: Political Dynamics Credits: 3
POLS 0321 - American Public Policy Credits: 3
POLS 0323 - Selected Topics in Political Science Credits: 3
POLS 0397 - Political Science Internship Credits: 3 or 6
POLS 0398 - Washington Internship Credits: 15
POLS 0399 - Independent Study Credits: 3
* Additional courses may count with department chair approval.

Additional Graduation Requirements

All students must meet the University Graduation Requirements and complete a general education or common core of studies, distributed among the different academic areas as detailed in General Education: WISE or Common Core .