BA in Political Science and Philosophy

Political science teaches the art and science of politics in the United States and throughout the world. Study leadership with a former U.S presidential candidate. Spend seven weeks visiting the United Nations and other organizations in Geneva, Switzerland. Apply for the White House internship program or to the British Parliament. Develop aid programs in a Saharan village in Niger. Write opinion pieces for an outstanding student political journal. Compete to represent an Arab country as part of one of the top Model Arab League teams in the United States. Political science is a discipline and a subject of study that has worldwide applications and exciting and experiential job opportunities. Politics matter wherever there are groups of people trying to get things done. Political science majors start their journey with core courses on American government, comparative politics, international relations, and research methods. After that, students choose from a wealth of courses on specific topics from international security to legal studies to public policy. Philosophy addresses questions and theories related to morality, society, religion, and the natural and social sciences. Course work in philosophy provides students with an understanding of the methods and traditions of philosophical thought, as well as with opportunities to critically and collaboratively reflect on the nature of the world and the human situation in it. Through readings, discussion, and writing, students examine questions concerning the validity of moral judgments, political ideas, and scientific theories, as well as questions about values and social policy in such areas as law, medicine, and technology. Course work in philosophy significantly strengthens study in other areas. Philosophy is a basic field of inquiry. Its range encompasses ideas and issues in every domain of human experience, and its methods apply to problems of an unlimited variety. The major in philosophy can develop not only philosophical skill and sophistication, but also critical thinking and writing abilities that are readily applicable to pursuits in other academic areas, useful in careers far removed from philosophy, and valuable in everyday social and personal life. The study of philosophy can profoundly affect both the thinking one does and the kind of person one is. Along with the philosophy major, we also offer specific graduate courses in philosophy. Philosophy Program Outcomes - Philosophy majors: Will be able to read and discuss complex philosophical texts from sources across a range of historical periods; Will be able to speak and to write clearly and persuasively about abstract and conceptually difficult matters; Will have a firm grasp of the history of Western Philosophy including ancient and modern as well as one of the following areas: epistemology, metaphysics, or moral philosophy; Will have fluency in formal logic including logical proofs and the ability to represent arguments fairly and clearly and to evaluate them for cogency; Will be fluent in the oral and written formulation of original arguments, anticipate objections and respond to those possible objections; Will produce independently researched, well-argued and well-written papers.