The Political Science major is intended to give students a broad understanding of political concepts, political institutions, political behavior and political processes.
Students who earn a B.A. in Political Science at UC Davis will be able to:
- identify and explain key behavioral and institutional characteristics of political systems, including those within countries and the international political order;
- understand and assess systematic forces that underlie political processes in the United States and abroad;
- analyze and critically assess political theories and concepts, including theories developed both in the history of political philosophy and in contemporary social scientific approaches;
- employ scholarly standards to assess the quality of political science research;
- effectively write about political systems, processes and theories in a rigorous manner.
POL Major Requirements
Student Learning Objectives
Lower-division coursework includes contemporary political science and the historical foundations of modern politics. In upper-division courses, students are exposed to a broad range of topics encompassing political theory, American government and institutions, public law, and international relations and comparative political systems.