Mapping:

Political Science Undergraduate

Learning Objectives

As a department, we expect undergraduate students to acquire from our courses:

1. Factual Political Knowledge

2. Theoretical Perspectives on Politics

3. Analytical Skills

4. Research and Persuasive Writing Skills

5. Oral Presentation Skills

6. Familiarity with Political Science Research Source Materials

7. The Ability to Read Political Science Source Materials Critically

8. Facility in the Analysis of Quantitative Political Data

9. An Understanding of Political Science Research Design

10. Experience Conducting Independent Political Science Research

By no means do all of our courses advance every one of these objectives. For example, our introductory courses, taught largely to non majors, have comparatively modest objectives. The table below indicates specifically how each of our courses has been designed to advance a particular mix of objectives. It also demonstrates how we have planned the curriculum for political science majors, so that the successful completion of the courses required for the major, in combination with the 21 credits of electives needed, should result in the advancement of the full range of our objectives.