The Bachelor of Arts in Political Science

Total Course Requirements for the Bachelor's Degree: 120 units

See Bachelor's Degree Requirements in the University Catalog for complete details on general degree requirements. A minimum of 39 units, including those required for the major, must be upper division.

A suggested Major Academic Plan (MAP) has been prepared to help students meet all graduation requirements within four years. You can view MAPs on the Major Academic Plans page or you can request a plan from your major advisor.

Courses in this program may complete more than one graduation requirement.

General Education Pathway Requirements: 48 units

See General Education in the University Catalog and the Class Schedule for the most current information on General Education Pathway Requirements and course offerings.

Diversity Course Requirements: 6 units

See Diversity Requirements in the University Catalog. Most courses taken to satisfy these requirements may also apply to General Education .

Upper-Division Writing Requirement:

Writing Across the Curriculum (Executive Memorandum 17-009) is a graduation requirement and may be demonstrated through satisfactory completion of four Writing (W) courses, two of which are designated by the major department. See Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning and Writing Requirements in the University Catalog for more details on the four courses.  The first of the major designated Writing (W) courses is listed below.

Option in U.S. Politics

Option in Legal Studies

The second major-designated Writing course is the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GW) (Executive Order 665). Students must earn a C- or higher to receive GW credit. The GE Written Communication (A2) requirement must be completed before a student is permitted to register for a GW course.

Grading Requirement:

All courses taken to fulfill major course requirements must be taken for a letter grade except those courses specified by the department as Credit/No Credit grading only.

Course Requirements for the Major: 42-43 units

Completion of the following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, is required of all candidates for this degree. Additional required courses, depending upon the selected option are outlined following the major core program requirements.

Major Core Program: 22 units

Research Methodology: 4 units

1 course required:

Introductory Political Science: 3 units

1 course selected from:

International Relations/Comparative Politics: 3 units

1 course selected from:

Political Theory: 3 units

1 course selected from:

U.S. Politics: 3 units

1 course selected from:

Public Policy/Public Administration: 3 units

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Sustainable	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
POLS 250	Introduction to Criminal Justice		3.0	SP	GE  USD
The history and philosophy of criminal justice in America; recapitulation of the system and how it disproportionately impacts different groups in America; identifying the various sub-systems, role expectations, and their interrelationships; theories of crime, punishment, and rehabilitation; ethics, education, and training for professionalism in the criminal justice system. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved US Diversity course. (001563)
POLS 344	U.S. Foreign Policy		3.0	INQ
Course analyzes post-World War II American foreign policy. It examines the origins and development of the cold war, with attention to nuclear capabilities, the growth of national security bureaucracy, and the impact on American society. Special attention is given to the decision-making process as well as to theories of personality, organizational behavior, and the political process as these affect the cold war basis of American foreign policy. 3 hours lecture. (007503)
POLS 460A	Introduction to Public Administration		3.0	FS
Executive function in government; survey of the principles of administrative organization, personnel management, financial administration, administrative law, administrative policies. Problems and trends in government as a career. 3 hours lecture. (007592)
POLS 461	Environmental Politics and Policy		3.0	FA
Investigation and analysis of the political nature of the environmental crisis in the United States and the development of legal and administrative mechanisms for handling environmental problems. 3 hours lecture. (007596)
POLS 471A	Public Policy Formation		3.0	FA
Critical examination of the process of policy formation in American governments. Relationship of executive, legislative, and judicial branches in policy formation. A significant policy area will be examined, with emphasis on both statutory and constitutional bases and the social/political factors influencing policy development. 3 hours lecture. (007607)

Constitutional Law: 3 units

1 course selected from:

Major Option Course Requirements: 20-21 units

The following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, are required dependent upon the option chosen. Students must select one of the following options for completion of the major course requirements.  Use the links below to jump to your chosen option.

• Option in U.S. Politics
• Option in Legal Studies

Option in U.S. Politics: 20 units

Research Methodology: 3 units

1 course required:

U.S. Politics: 3 units

1 course selected from:

U.S. Political Institutions: 3 units

1 course selected from:

These courses may be used to satisfy this requirement if not used above in the major core.

Internship or Practicum: 3 units

3 units selected from:

Senior Seminar: 5 units

3 courses required:

Note: take POLS 399 for 1 unit.

Elective Requirement: 3 units

3 units selected from:

Any upper-division political science (POLS) courses (with no more than 6 units from internships and 3 units of independent research or study counting toward the major).

Option in Legal Studies: 21 units

Courses listed in multiple requirements can be used only once towards completion of the major.

4 courses required:

Internship or Practicum: 6 units

6 units selected from:

These courses may be taken more than once for credit.

1 course selected from:

POLS 451A, POLS 451B, or POLS 461 may be used to satisfy this requirement if not used above in the major core.

SUBJ NUM	Title	Sustainable	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
BLAW 413	Employment Law		3.0	FS
Prerequisites: At least junior standing. An in-depth study of federal and California employment laws as they affect the management of human resources, with appropriate consideration of ethical and global dimensions. Emphasis is on the legal rights and responsibilities of employers and employees in the employment relationship, primarily in a private-sector, non-union environment. 3 hours discussion. (001352)
BLAW 414	Labor Law and Collective Bargaining		3.0	FS
Prerequisites: At least junior standing or faculty permission. Intensive examination of unions in an organizational setting. Includes organizational and concerted activities, collective bargaining and employee/employer rights and responsibilities. Includes applied collective bargaining project. 3 hours discussion. (001343)
BLAW 415	Entrepreneurship Law		3.0	FS
Prerequisite: MGMT 450 (may be taken concurrently). This course presents an in-depth study of California, federal, and international laws as they affect the management of entrepreneurial and small business enterprises. Emphasis is placed on social policy dimensions as much as practical aspects of the dynamic and ever-changing relationship between government and entrepreneurial ventures. 3 hours lecture. (020569)
FINA 453	Estate Planning		3.0	FS
Prerequisite: FINA 307. To give students a basic understanding of the major methods and techniques of preserving and transmitting an individual's wealth, including gift-giving, the use of various trusts, the use of life insurance, and the proper preparation of a will. Students will be expected to be aware of the causes and consequences of an inefficient transfer of wealth and therefore must acquire a working knowledge of the institutional constraints, including the law of property, wills, and intestate distribution, the probate process, and State and Federal estate, gift, inheritance, and generation-skipping transfer taxes. 3 hours lecture. (001047)
JOUR 320	Mass Communication Law		3.0	SP
Prerequisites: JOUR 260W. The law as it applies to the press, pictures, and broadcasting. Philosophical basis and historical evolution of legal precedent governing the media. Practical limitations of libel, slander, privacy, copyright, information access, free press-fair trial, contempt and reporter's rights, advertising and media concentration as they affect freedom of the press. Required for news-editorial option; elective for public relations option. 3 hours lecture. (002032)
PHHA 432	Laws, Ethics, and Regulations in Health Services		3.0	FS
Prerequisite: PHHA 331. Study of specific areas of law, ethics, and regulations in health care. Examination of legal and ethical issues of licensing, health insurance, managed care, funding mechanisms, medical negligence and malpractice, informed consent, health care records, and patient and family rights. 3 hours seminar. (004452)
POLS 258	Criminal Law		3.0	FS
Prerequisites: POLS 250 or faculty permission. Examines current and developing programs and issues in the field of criminal justice. 3 hours seminar. (001603)
POLS 365W	Theories, Practices, and Administration of Justice (W)		3.0	FS	GE  USD  W
This course introduces students to the theories and practices of justice, as well as the administration of justice. As a writing intensive course, students examine pertinent justice issues of local, national, or international significance, identify the theory (or theories) of justice relevant to the situation, and investigate how justice was (or was not) administered. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved Writing Course. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved US Diversity course. (007600)
POLS 401W	Sexual Minorities Law/Politics (W)		3.0	SP	GE  USD  W
This course is also offered as MCGS 401W. Students examine how the law (made by judges, legislators, and voters) has influenced and continues to influence the lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals. Students critically analyze how the rights of sexual minorities have developed or failed to develop. The class includes discussion of gay movements' politics, accomplishments, and opponents. Finally, contemporary issues surrounding legal and political issues that impact sexual minorities are addressed. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved Writing Course. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved US Diversity course. (020186)
POLS 450	Criminal Procedure		3.0	SP
The machinery of criminal justice in theory and practice; the significance of the rule of law and its exceptions in the actual administration of justice. This course will concentrate on the application of the fourth, fifth, and sixth amendments to the U.S. Constitution in the administration of justice and the application of modern behavioral research as it applies to police and court administration. 3 hours lecture. (007588)
POLS 451A	Constitutional Law: Powers and Restraints		3.0	FA
Analysis of judicial cases and related materials illustrating historical and current interpretations of constitutional problems such as the powers of the courts, congress, and President; and the balance of federal-state power in such areas as commerce and taxation. 3 hours lecture. (007577)
POLS 451B	Constitutional Law: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties		3.0	FS
This course is also offered as MCGS 451B. Analysis of judicial cases and related materials illustrating historical and current interpretations of constitutional problems such as racial discrimination, criminal procedures, and freedom of speech and religion. 3 hours lecture. (005645)
POLS 452	Alternative Dispute Resolution		3.0	SP
Focus on the various methods of negotiation and dispute resolution including mediation and arbitration with primary emphasis on the legal rights and principles involved in alternative dispute resolution especially in the process of arbitration. Major social and scientific theories of conflict will be explored as well as conventional disciplines and new approaches of conflict avoidance and resolution. Ethical issues involved in negotiation, mediation, and arbitration will be covered. 3 hours lecture. (007579)
POLS 453	Legal Analysis		3.0	FA
The objective of this course is to teach students legal analysis using Socratic method, briefing cases, and law-school-type examinations. The course will be aimed at students considering law school. 3 hours lecture. (007583)
POLS 461	Environmental Politics and Policy		3.0	FA
Investigation and analysis of the political nature of the environmental crisis in the United States and the development of legal and administrative mechanisms for handling environmental problems. 3 hours lecture. (007596)
POLS 464	Administrative Law		3.0	SP
Study of the role of administrative law in American government. Scope and implications of discretionary decision-making. 3 hours lecture. (007599)
POLS 468	Planning Law		3.0	INQ
Review and analysis of the present and changing nature of planning and land-use control law, particularly as the law is applied in California. 3 hours seminar. (007605)
POLS 481	Law and Disadvantaged Persons		3.0	INQ
This course is also offered as SWRK 481. Explores legal issues facing the poor, older adults, disabled, and minorities, and how to advance the legal rights of the disadvantaged. Family law, consumerism, small claims court, Social Security, welfare law, and landlord/tenant rights are addressed from theoretical and practical perspectives, with an emphasis on advocating those rights. 3 hours lecture. (009431)
POLS 495	Community Legal Information Clinic Directorship		1.0 -15.0	FS
Prerequisite: Approval of the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice. This course directs students through the process of being a director at the Community Legal Information Clinic (CLIC). As a director of CLIC, the students have the opportunity to take on significant administrative responsibilities for the day-to-day operations of the on-campus law clinic. Registration for this course is attained through an application process in the spring semester. Enrollment in this course is required in both the fall and spring semesters. In addition, each director will have CLIC responsibilities during the summer and intersession. Only a total of 3.0 units of this course may be counted towards the requirements of the major or the Paralegal Certificate. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 15.0 units. (020651)
RHPM 428	Legal Principles of Recreation, Hospitality, and Parks Management		3.0	FS
Prerequisite: Junior standing. Introduction to the study of law applicable to recreation, hospitality, and parks management. Examines general legal principles; organizational structure; contracts; and contracting for recreation, hospitality, and park settings. Introduces human resources law; liability and litigation; and special topics which apply to hotels, restaurants, events, recreation, and parks providers. 3 hours lecture. (008818)

Note: POLS 495 must be taken for 3 units.

Electives Requirement:

To complete the total units required for the bachelor's degree, select additional elective courses from the total University offerings. You should consult with an advisor regarding the selection of courses which will provide breadth to your University experience and possibly apply to a supportive second major or minor.

Advising Requirement:

Advising is mandatory for all majors in this degree program. Consult your undergraduate advisor for specific information.