Political Science, International Studies Concentration, B.A.

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.

International Studies Concentration (12 credits)

Four courses (12 credits) are required of this concentration, discussing political systems, economies, and cultures of the world; international relations and world politics; and international norms and organizations.

Required International Studies Course (3 Credits)

POLS 0209 - International Relations Credits: 3

Elective Courses (9 Credits)

Choose three courses (9 credits) from the following:

POLS 0110 - Introduction to Asian Studies Credits: 3
POLS 0210 - Comparative European Government Credits: 3
POLS 0211 - Comparative Foreign Policy Credits: 3 *
POLS 0220 - International Law and Human Rights Credits: 3
POLS 0224 - Politics of Developing Countries Credits: 3
POLS 0230 - Asian Politics Credits: 3
POLS 0231 - Latin American Politics Credits: 3
POLS 0305 - American Foreign Policy Credits: 3
POLS 0323 - Selected Topics in Political Science Credits: 3
POLS 0337 - The World at War Credits: 3
POLS 0397 - Political Science Internship Credits: 3 or 6
POLS 0398 - Washington Internship Credits: 15
POLS 0399 - Independent Study Credits: 3
*POLS 0211 may be taken only with instructor permission, and only one time for the field of concentration. However, it may be taken up to three times for the major and a fourth time for university elective credit, as the course focuses on different countries.

Additional Courses

One course from the list below may be substituted for one of the three elective courses:

COMM 0213 - Global Film Studies Credits: 4
CRJU 0335 - Comparative Criminal Justice Systems Credits: 3
ECON 0303 - Economics of Development Credits: 3
ECON 0318 - International Economics Credits: 3
EGST 0220 - Religion, Gender, and Society Credits: 3
GPS 0217 - Contemporary Global Issues Credits: 3
HIST 0277 - Latin America Since 1800 Credits: 3
SOCI 0200 - Cultural Anthropology Credits: 3
Additional courses may count with department chair approval. Intermediate or advanced level language courses may apply.

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 .