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 subfield (International Relations, American Politics, Political Theory, Public Law, and Comparative Politics); one Junior Writing Seminar which can "double-dip" with a subfield requirement (Politics 272 or any 300-level Politics, DWA, or UEP course except Politics 300); and three elective courses from any subfield. A maximum of 3 course outside the Politics Department can count towards the major, including approved DWA, UEP, and Study Abroad courses. Finally, a Politics major will 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: International Relations, Comparative Politics, American Politics, Political Theory, and Public Law.
For the subfield courses, DWA courses may count towards International Relations or Comparative Politics with department approval, and UEP courses may count for American Politics with department approval, but Political Theory and Public Law must be taken within the Politics Department.
International Relations
| POLS 130 | Introduction to International Relations | 4 units |
| POLS 218 | Russian Relations with the World | 4 units |
| POLS 232 | International Political Economy | 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 |
Comparative Politics
| POLS 120 | Introduction to Comparative Politics | 4 units |
| POLS 218 | Russian Relations with the World | 4 units |
| POLS 221 | Latin American Politics | 4 units |
| POLS 223/DWA 226 | 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 320 | Advanced Theories of Comparative Politics | 4 units |
| POLS 321 | Gender and Politics in the Developing World | 4 units |
| POLS 325 | Politics and Security in New Europe | 4 units |
American Politics
| POLS 201 | Work and Labor in America | 4 units |
| POLS 202 | Leadership in the Public and Private Sphere | 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 209/UEP 209 | Health Policy | 4 units |
| POLS 250 | American Intelligence and National Security | 4 units |
| POLS 262 | California Politics | 4 units |
| POLS 264 | Disaster Politics: New Orleans in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina | 4 units |
| POLS 265/UEP 265 | Community Planning and Politics Practicum | 4 units |
| POLS 301 | Urban Policy and Politics | 4 units |
| POLS 302 | The American Presidency | 4 units |
| POLS 303 | Gender and American Politics | 4 units |
| POLS 336 | National Security in Practice: How Washington Works | 4 units |
Political Theory
| POLS 150 | Introduction to Political Theory | 4 units |
| POLS 251 | European Political Thought: From Plato to Machiavelli | 4 units |
| POLS 252 | European Political Thought: From Hobbes to Marx | 4 units |
| POLS 253 | European Political Thought: From Nietzsche to the Present | 4 units |
| POLS 254 | American Political Thought | 4 units |
| POLS 256 | Ethics and Politics | 4 units |
| POLS 257 | Conservative and Libertarian Political Philosophy | 4 units |
| POLS 258 | Theoretical Accounts of Racism | 4 units |
| POLS 350 | Hobbes, Plato, Machiavelli, and Hobbes | 2 units |
| POLS 351 | Tocqueville, Marx, and Nietzsche | 4 units |
| POLS 352 | Black Political Thought | 4 units |
| POLS 353 | Seminar: Advanced Study in Political Theory | 2 units |
| POLS 354 | Seminar on How Tyrannies Work | 4 units |
| POLS 355 | Critical Fanonism | 4 units |
Public Law
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
The Junior Writing Seminar is Politics 272 or any 300-level Politics, DWA, or UEP course (except Politics 300) that focuses on research and oral presentation skills.
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.
HONORS
We encourage highly motivated students to pursue Department 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. 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.