Bachelor of Arts (BA Political Science)

Highly qualified students who are majoring in political science may wish to undertake a special course of study aimed at graduation with honors in the major. This departmental honors program includes a required course on research design, a thesis and oral defense (usually in the senior year), and co-curricular activities that provide insight into politics and government.Political science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, nation, government, and politics and policies of government. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems, political behavior, and political culture. Political scientists "see themselves engaged in revealing the relationships underlying political events and conditions, and from these revelations they attempt to construct general principles about the way the world of politics works. Political science intersects with other fields; including economics, law, sociology, history, anthropology, public administration, public policy, national politics, international relations, comparative politics, psychology, political organization, and political theory.