Politics

Overview

Politics involves the study of power, influence and ideas in public and private life, at the personal, local, state, national, and international levels. The mission of the Department of Politics is to provide our students with an understanding of politics, government, and public policy to prepare them to become well informed, curious, and engaged leaders in their communities, in their societies, and in our increasingly complex, interdependent, and pluralistic world. Graduates of the Politics Department have found this major provides an excellent basis for careers in politics, law, education, business, public service, international affairs, and media.

The Politics Department emphasizes a strong grounding in all sub-fields of political science (American politics, comparative politics, international relations, political theory and public law), as well as putting theory into practice (praxis). The department highly encourages each of its majors to engage in off-campus and experiential learning, community-based research, and internships. Politics majors regularly hold internships in government agencies, public interest organizations, media firms, businesses, and law offices across the country and abroad. The department has helped lead efforts at Occidental College, along with the Center for Community Based Learning and the Office of Community Engagement, to link the College’s academic program with community involvement, including expanding community internships and community-oriented research projects for students.

The Politics Department supports programs in Los Angeles, New York, Washington, D.C., and overseas, and offers its signature Campaign Semester program, in which students receive a full semester credit while working full-time on a political campaign. The department also offers students interested in law the opportunity to receive half semester credit while working as law clerks in legal offices across Los Angeles.

The Politics Department provides financial support for majors conducting research or holding internships during the academic year and over the summer. The Anderson, Reath, McKelvey and Caldwell Fellowships support majors working on a wide variety of projects in the United States and abroad. The department also encourages majors to pursue Undergraduate Research Fellowships for summer research in partnership with a faculty member and Research Abroad fellowships through the International Programs Office.

Major Requirements

In total, majors must complete at least 11 courses (44 units). ECON 101 is strongly recommended. No course will count toward the Politics major that the student takes CR/NC.

In addition to the Fundamental Courses listed below, a Politics major must take one course in each sub-field (American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Theory, and Public Law); one Junior Writing Seminar which can "double-dip" with a sub-field requirement (see below for details); and three elective courses from any major sub-field. A maximum of three courses outside the Politics Department (DWA, UEP, and Study Abroad courses) can count towards the major and must be pre-approved. Politics majors must complete a Senior Comprehensive Seminar in the spring of the senior year.

Fundamental Courses

Every Politics major must take these courses.

POLS 101	American Politics and Public Policy	4 units
POLS 300	Research Methods in Politics and Public Policy	4 units
POLS 495	Comprehensive Seminar	4 units

Subfields

Students must select one course in each of the following subfields: American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Theory, and Public Law.

For the subfield courses, DWA courses may count towards International Relations with department approval, and select UEP courses may count for American Politics with department approval, but Comparative Politics, Political Theory, and Public Law must be taken within the Politics Department.

International Relations

POLS 130	Introduction to International Relations	4 units
POLS 233/DWA 250	International Security	4 units
POLS 235	United States Foreign Relations	4 units
POLS 250	American Intelligence and National Security	4 units
POLS 286	Seminar in Washington Politics: International and Foreign Policy Studies	4 units
DWA 101	International Relations: The Changing Rules of the Game	4 units
DWA 102	International Organizations	4 units
DWA 103	Introduction to Global Political Economy	4 units
DWA 231	Gender and International Relations	4 units
DWA 241	International Relations of the Middle East	4 units
DWA 245	China and the World	4 units
DWA 246/AMST 280	The United States and East Asia	4 units
DWA 253	Security in Asia	4 units
DWA 285	Diplomacy and War	4 units
DWA 337	Junior Seminar: International Relations Theory	4 units
DWA 342	Junior Seminar: Transnational Identity and International Relations	4 units
DWA 343	Junior Seminar: Transnationalism and Global Governance	4 units

Comparative Politics

DWA 239	European Politics	4 units
POLS 120	Introduction to Comparative Politics	4 units
POLS 221	Latin American Politics	4 units
POLS 223	Dilemmas of Democracy	4 units
POLS 226	Contemporary Chinese Politics	4 units
POLS 227	East Asian Politics: China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan	4 units
POLS 283	Seminar in Washington Politics: Global Public Health Policy	4 units
POLS 284	Seminar in Washington Politics: Global Women's Leadership Development	4 units
POLS 320	Contemporary Debates in Comparative Politics	4 units
POLS 321	Gender and Politics in the Global South	4 units

American Politics

POLS 200/AMST 200	Democratic Socialism, American Style	4 units
POLS 201	Media and Politics	4 units
POLS 202	Gender and American Politics	4 units
POLS 203	Campaign 2020 Internship	4 units
POLS 204	Campaigns and Elections	4 units
POLS 205/LLAS 205	Latino/a Politics	4 units
POLS 206	Race and American Politics	4 units
POLS 207	Los Angeles Politics	4 units
POLS 208	Movements for Social Justice	4 units
POLS 250	American Intelligence and National Security	4 units
POLS 265	Community Planning and Politics Practicum	4 units
POLS 270	Campaign Fieldwork Internship	8 units
POLS 271	Seminar on Political Campaigns	4 units
POLS 272	Independent Study on Political Campaigns	4 units
POLS 280	Washington, D.C. Internship	8
POLS 281	Seminar in Political Leadership	4 units
POLS 282	Seminar in Washington Politics: Environmental Law and Policy Studies	4 units
POLS 285	Seminar in Washington Politics: Inside Washington Politics and Policies	4 units
POLS 301/UEP 301	Urban Policy and Politics	4 units
POLS 302	The American Presidency	4 units
POLS 336	National Security in Practice: How Washington Works	4 units
UEP 204	Environmentalism: Past, Present, and Future	4 units
UEP 209/PUBH 209	Health Policy	4 units

Political Theory

POLS 150	Introduction to Political Theory	4 units
POLS 254	American Political Thought	4 units
POLS 256	Ethics and Politics	4 units
POLS 257	Conservative Political Thought	4 units
POLS 258/BLST 258	Theoretical Accounts of Racism	4 units
POLS 351	Tocqueville, Mill, and Nietzsche on Individuality and Community in a Modern Democracy	4 units
POLS 352	Black Political Thought	4 units
POLS 355	Critical Fanonism	4 units

Public Law

POLS 140	Law and Society	4 units
POLS 244	Constitutional Law	4 units
POLS 247	Supreme Court Politics	2 units
POLS 249	Movement Lawyering, Politics and Social Change	4 units
POLS 260	Community Law Internship	4 units
POLS 340	Rebellious Lawyering	4 units
POLS 341	Justice Lab: Contemporary Issues in Law and Public Policy	4 units
POLS 342	Human Rights in the United States	4 units
POLS 345	The Fourth Amendment	4 units
POLS 346	Civil Rights and Civil Liberties	4 units
POLS 347	Race and Law	4 units

Additional Electives

Three required electives in any subfield must be taken within the Politics Department. Study Abroad courses may be accepted with departmental approval.

Second-Stage Writing Requirement

Passage of POLS 272 or any 300-level Politics, accepted DWA or UEP course (except POLS 300, internship, or practicum courses) fulfills the Second-Stage Writing Requirement. Courses in DWA or UEP being considered to fulfill the Second-Stage Writing Requirement must have pre-approval by the Politics department. If a student does not pass one of these courses with a B- they must submit a writing portfolio to the department chair. This requirement must be completed by the end of the fall semester of the senior year.

Comprehensive Requirement

All politics majors must complete a Comprehensive Seminar in the spring of their senior year (preliminary preparation will occur in the fall semester of the senior year). In the seminar, students will read and discuss political science journal articles that raise interesting questions for the field, combine theory with empirical data, and serve as models for their own senior thesis. Each student will develop a senior thesis on a topic in one of the sub-fields of the major, demonstrating theoretical sophistication, an ability to find and evaluate sources of data, to develop and test hypotheses, and to argue a thesis. Each thesis is subjected to a rigorous drafting process that includes peer review and feedback from a faculty advisor. All seniors are required to submit a proposal for their thesis in the fall of their senior year. These proposals should state the research problem, demonstrate a significant command of the relevant bibliography, and include a tentative outline of major components in the study. Once the comprehensive project is submitted, the Politics faculty asses the papers, awarding them one of the following marks: Pass with Distinction (PD) is awarded to exceptionally sophisticated work that surpasses the departmental standards, Pass (P) is awarded to work that meets departmental standards, and Fail (F) for work that fails to satisfy departmental standards.

College Honors

We encourage highly motivated students to pursue Honors. They qualify for this program by achieving a 3.25 grade point average overall and a 3.5 grade point average in courses counting toward the Politics major. Only under extraordinary circumstances will the Politics faculty members approve a petition to have this 3.5 grade point average waived. Students interested in pursuing Honors should complete the courses required for the Politics major by the end of Fall Semester of the senior year. They will be required to meet all of the obligations of the Comprehensive Seminar in the spring semester and complete a major research paper that follows the above requirements, but is a project of greater depth that extends to 40-50 pages. Students wishing to be considered for Honors should contact the chair during the spring semester of their sophomore year for more detailed information

Minor Requirements

At least five courses (20 units) within the Politics Department or accepted by the Politics Department. A maximum of two courses outside the Politics Department can count towards the minor (these are the same approved DWA, UEP, and Study Abroad courses that can be used for the Politics major) . Of these five courses, three (12 units) must be advanced courses (200-level and higher) taken from different sub-fields within Politics (American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Theory, and Public Law). For the subfield courses, select DWA courses may count towards International Relations and select UEP courses may count for American Politics with department approval. Courses in Comparative Politics, Political Theory, and Public Law must be taken within the Politics Department.

Transfer Credit Policies

The Politics Department policy on transfer credit conforms to College policy. The department accepts at most three courses in transfer to count toward the major and at most two courses in transfer to count toward the minor. Students should reference the Transfer Credit section for more details.

Courses

All Politics Courses

Faculty

Regular Faculty

Jennifer Piscopo, chair

Associate Professor

B.A., Wellesley; M.Phil., University of Cambridge; Ph.D., University of California, San Diego

Tsung Chi

Professor

B.A., National Chengchi University; M.A., Ph.D., Michigan State University

Peter Dreier

E.P. Clapp Distinguished Professor of Politics

Professor, Urban and Environmental Policy

B.A., Syracuse University; M.A., Ph.D., University of Chicago

Regina Freer

Professor

B.A., University of California, Berkeley; Ph.D., University of Michigan

Thalia González

Associate Professor

B.A., Arizona State University; J.D., Northwestern University