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.
Major
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 225 | Introduction to Human Rights | 4 units |
| DWA 229/LLAS 229 | Introduction to Human Rights: Focus on the Americas | 4 units |
| DWA 231 | Gender and International Relations | 4 units |
| DWA 241 | International Relations of the Middle East | 4 units |
| DWA 245/HIST 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 |
Comparative Politics
| DWA 234/BLST 234 | Southern African Politics | 4 units |
| DWA 239 | European Politics | 4 units |
| POLS 120 | Introduction to Comparative Politics | 4 units |
| POLS 220 | The Politics of Crisis: Pandemics and Other Disasters | 4 units |
| POLS 221/DWA 224 | 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 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 287 | The Religious Right | 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 220 | The Politics of Crisis: Pandemics and Other Disasters | 4 units |
| POLS 250 | American Intelligence and National Security | 4 units |
| POLS 256 | Ethics and Politics | 4 units |
| POLS 265/UEP 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 units |
| 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 209/PUBH 209 | Health Policy | 4 units |
Political Theory
Public Law
| POLS 140 | Law and Society | 4 units |
| POLS 243 | Restorative Justice | 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 | Lawyering for Social Justice | 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 245 | Constitutional Law: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties | 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.
Honors in the Major
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
At least five courses (20 units) within the Politics Department or accepted by the Politics Department. One course must be POLS 101. 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. POLS 300 may count towards the minor, but not as one of the three sub-field courses.