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2021-2022 Academic Catalog 
    
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2021-2022 Academic Catalog [Published Catalog]

Political Science, with specializations in General Political Science, International Relations, Comparative Politics, Political Economy and Public and International Law (B.A.)

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Bachelor of Arts

Political Science at AUC is taught as a humanistic discipline with the overall objectives of fostering understanding of the contemporary world and developing knowledge about, and an appreciation of, the complex mechanisms, authoritative structures, and the allocation of values, which characterize contemporary human communities. Political Science at AUC requires students to develop abilities of comprehension and analysis, and skills for oral and written presentations. The graduate of Political Science is thus well equipped for life in the modern world, and to follow those professions and lines of work that require independence of thought, initiative, creativity in solving problems, and continuing self development. AUC graduates of Political Science are presently found in business, journalism, research, analytic writing, and public contact work. They occupy positions in public, private, development agencies, the diplomatic service, governmental ministries and agencies, and university teaching. A significant number of past graduates have subsequently completed M.A. and Ph.D. degrees.


For students to declare a major in Political Science, they need to fulfill the below criteria:

  1. A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.7.
  2. B+ average in POLS 1001  or POLS 2003  and POLS 2104  or POLS 2405   with a minimum grade of B in each of the two courses taken towards declaration. Students substituting POLS 1001  with transferred credits are required to achieve a B+ average in POLS 2104  and POLS 2405  with a minimum grade of B in each of the two courses.
  3. A minimum grade of B in the RHET 1020  course.

POLS 1001  fulfills the Social Science requirement at the primary level of the Core Curriculum and is not counted as part of the credits required for the Political Science major. If POLS 1001  is not taken in the Freshman year, POLS 2003  must be taken after the Freshman Year by those wishing to major in Political Science. Junior-year (3000-level) courses are required in four subfields and are prerequisites to the more advanced courses and seminars (4000-level). Each semester, a selection of 3000 and 4000 level courses and seminars is offered from which students may choose courses to complete the requirements of the major.

A total of 120 credits is required for the bachelor’s degree in Political Science as follows:

Core Curriculum: (40 credits)

Political Science Major Requirements: 

For students pursuing a BA in the General field of Political Science, Specialization in Comparative Politics, Specialization in Political Economy or Specialization in Public and International Law: 45 credits 

  1. If students took POLS 1001 : 30 credits (10 courses) of general political science concentration courses plus 15 political science credits (5 courses).
  2. If students took POLS 2003 : 33 credits (11 courses) of general political science concentration courses, including POLS 2003 , plus 12 political science credits (4 courses).

For students pursuing a Specialization in International Relations: 45 credits if students took POLS 1001 and 48 credits if students took POLS 2003 as follows:

  1. If students took POLS 1001  : 30 credits (10 courses) of general political science concentration courses plus 15 political science credits (5 courses).
  2. If students took POLS 2003  : 33 credits (11 courses) of general political science concentration courses, including POLS 2003 , plus 15 political science credits (5 courses).

Students can use political science courses towards pursuit of one or more of the political science specializations.
One of the capstone courses taken by students to fulfill the core requirement must be a political science capstone course. 

Collateral requirements: (6 credits)
General Electives: (29 credits, 26 in the case of students who took POLS 2003 and are pursuing a specialization in International Relations)

ENGL 0210   is a prerequisite to POLS 1001  and POLS 2003  

RHET 1010   is a prerequisite to POLS 2104 , POLS 2405 , POLS 2096 , POLS 3401 , POLS 3550  and POLS 3620  

RHET 1020  is a prerequisite to all other political science courses.

For all Political Science students:

Political Science concentration requirements

30 credits if POLS 1001  is taken / 33 credits if POLS 2003  is taken.

Collateral requirements

  • HIST - One Modern History course (3 cr.)
    (not to be taken as an independent study) in addition to:

General Electives

Students may use 15 hours of elective credit to minor in a discipline of their choice. Minoring is optional. Courses taken as collateral requirements may count towards the minor.

Political Science Specializations:

  1. General field in Political Science
  2. Specialization in International Relations
  3. Specialization in Comparative Politics
  4. Specialization in Political Economy
  5. Specialization in Public and International Law

1. Requirements for the General Political Science field:

Students must take five Political Science courses (if they took POLS 1001  ) or four Political Science courses (if they took POLS 2003 ).

Collateral Requirements (6 credits)
General Electives (29 credits)

2. Requirements for the Specialization in International Relations

To specialize in International Relations, Political Science majors must, as a minimum, take the following courses:

Requirements:

Options:

To further their understanding in this specialization, students have the option to take a number of recommended courses including:

Collateral Requirements (6 credits)

One additional history course chosen from among the following:

Electives

(26 if POLS 2003  is taken - 29 credits if POLS 1001  is taken)

3. Requirements for the Specialization in Comparative Politics:

To specialize in Comparative Politics, Political Science majors must, as a minimum, take three courses, chosen as clarified below:

Requirements:

One course from the following two courses

Two courses from the following list of courses

Options:

To further their understanding in this specialization, students have the option to take a number of recommended courses including:

Collateral Requirements (6 credits)

  • One Modern Middle East History course at the 3000 or 4000 level. (3 cr.)

General Electives (29 credits)

4. Requirements for the Specialization in Political Economy:

To specialize in Political Economy, Political Science majors must, as a minimum, take the following courses:

Requirements:

Options:

To further their understanding in this specialization, students have the option to take a number of recommended courses including:

Collateral Requirements (6 credits)

  • One Modern History course (not to be taken as an independent study)
    in addition to:

General Electives (29 credits)

5. Requirements for the Specialization in Public & International Law:

To specialize in Public and International Law, Political Science majors must, as a minimum, take the following three courses:

Requirements:

Collateral Requirements (6 credits)

One Modern History course (not to be taken as an independent study)

in addition to:

General Electives (29 credits)

Options:

To further their understanding in this specialization, students have the option to take a number of elective courses in public and international law that may be offered by the political science department or the law department.

Note: Registration in graduate courses offered by the law department may require the approval of the department and/or the instructor.

Dual Degree Option in Political Science (B.A.) and International Human Rights Law (M.A.)

The Dual Degree option combines a BA in Political Science and an MA in International Human Rights Law. It is a dual degree, creating a synergy between the existing BA in Political Science and the existing MA in International Human Rights Law.


The dual degree option enables good students to prepare for a postgraduate degree while completing the requirements for the BA in Political Science. The MA degree provides students with the necessary expertise in international human rights law and with the intellectual, analytical and communication tools needed to intervene critically and effectively in the global policy debates confronting their societies as policy makers, academics, activists and international civil servants.

By the end of the sixth semester of the political science BA at AUC, and after successfully completing POLS 4371  , the student has to declare her/his intention to pursue the Dual Degree by submitting a graduate admission application. The student should follow the application procedures for graduate studies. Admission decisions will be made by the Law Department’s Admission Committee. Successful applicants will be admitted pending the fulfillment of two conditions: i) finishing the requirements of their undergraduate degrees with at least B (GPA 3); and ii) obtaining an average of at least a B+ (GPA of at least 3.3) across the three cross-listed ‘Dual Degree’ Law courses. Places are limited.


Students enrolled in the dual degree will receive a political science BA degree certificate upon the completion of their undergraduate course requirements.

Under this structure, dual-degree students will be required to take three 4000-level courses that are cross-listed under LAW and POLS. These three “Dual Degree” cross-listed courses (see below) will count for credit towards both the BA in Political Science and under the MA in International Human Rights Law.


The three ‘Dual Degree’ Law courses to be offered to undergraduates in the Political Science Department are the following: (a)

  (b)   and (c)   

The curriculum for the MA IHRL requires the completion of nine courses and a thesis, as indicated in the tentative plan below: 3 POLS/LAW undergraduate courses, 2 graduate regional human rights courses, 3 graduate elective courses, LAW 5227 , and the thesis.

Tentative Plan for Full-time Students


SEMESTER VI (POLS undergraduate program)
LAW/

  (counts towards both concentrations in POLS for all students) (and MA IHRL credits)
[4 POLS courses or other courses as required to complete POLS BA degree]

SEMESTER VII (POLS undergraduate program)
LAW/

  (counts towards both BA POLS and MA IHRL credits)
[4 POLS courses or other core courses as required to complete POLS BA degree]

SEMESTER VIII (POLS undergraduate program)
LAW/

  (counts towards both BA POLS and MA IHRL credits)
[4 POLS courses or other core courses as required to complete POLS BA degree]

SEMESTER IX (MA IHRL program)
LAW 511/5211 - International Humanitarian Law (3 cr.)  * (1 out of 3 starred courses required)

  * (1 out of 3 starred courses required)
LAW 516/5216 - Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (3 cr.)  * (1 out of 3 starred courses required)
LAW Electives**

SEMESTER X (MA IHRL program)
LAW 000/5221 - Law and Patriarchy (3 cr.)  
LAW Electives**

  

SEMESTER XI (MA IHRL program)

  

** Lists of LAW elective courses will be provided to students in the program prior to registration for each semester.

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