Political Science
Department of Political Science
College of Arts and Sciences

Chairperson: Mark Schneider
Director of Undergraduate Studies: Charles Taber
Undergraduate Secretary: Josephine Vasiento
Office: S-701 Social and Behavioral Sciences
Phone: (631) 632-7632
E-mail: jvasient@datalabs.sbs.sunysb.edu
Web address: www.sunysb.edu/polsci/index.html

Minors of particular interest to students majoring in political science: Africana studies (AFS), applied mathematics and statistics (AMS), anthropology (ANT), economics (ECO), environmental studies (ENS), history (HIS), international studies (LIS), philosophy (PHI), service learning research (LCR), sociology (SOC), technology and society (EST), women's studies (WST)

Political Science is the study of how societies make collective decisions through politics and government. It is subdivided into the following areas: American politics (study of American institutions and practices); comparative politics (study of foreign governments); international relations (study of war, international organization and foreign policies); political theory (study of the bases of legitimate political authority); political behavior (study of why people vote and act as they do in political matters); and public policy (study of organizational decision making and the consequences of government action).

The objective of the political science major is to give the student a general introduction to all the major subfields of the discipline and an in-depth exposure to one or two of them. Students study not only the major literature of the subfields, but also learn research methods and become familiar with ongoing research. Internships in Long Island, Albany and Washington offer selected students the opportunity to gain practical experience.

The political science major provides a strong liberal arts background for students who may enter such fields as journalism, business, public administration, social welfare, teaching and law. Those who graduate from law school go on to work in law firms, in businesses and in government agencies at all levels. Most political science majors who apply to law school are admitted, many of them to top-ranking institutions. Some political science majors attend graduate school in the field, leading to careers as teachers and researchers of politics at colleges and universities.

Courses Offered in Political Science

Requirements for the Major in Political Science (POL)
The major in political science leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree. All political science courses numbered 200 or higher offered for the major must be passed with a letter grade of C or higher.

Completion of the major requires 39 credits.

A. Study Within the Area of the Major

1. Required courses: (9 credits)

   POL 101 World Politics

   POL 102 American Government or 105 Honors American Government

   POL 103 Comparative Politics

   
   Note: Above courses must be taken for a letter grade and passed with a grade of C or higher in order to be counted toward completion of the major requirements.
   
   
2. Political Science electives: (24 credits)

1. All must be selected from courses numbered 200 or above (excluding POL 201), and at least 12 credits must be from courses numbered 300 or above. At least 12 of these 24 credits must be selected from courses in one of the programs of study listed below. No more than six credits from courses with Satisfactory/ Unsatisfactory grading may be applied.
2. No more than nine political science credits may be taken at another institution (with exceptions made in the case of planned foreign study). Of the nine credits no more than six may be used toward fulfilling the requirement of 24 credits from courses at the 200 level or above. Only transfer courses with grade of C or higher are accepted.

Two courses numbered 300 or higher, offered by another department (and not crosslisted with a political science course or included as a philosophy program of study) in subjects directly related to the chosen program of study. Courses taken at another institution may be used to satisfy this requirement if they were passed with a grade of C or higher.

Majors must demonstrate competence in appropriate social science methodology by passing with a grade of C or higher any one of the following -courses: AMS 102, ECO 320, POL 201, PSY 201, or SOC 202. The department suggests that students fulfill this requirement no later than the beginning of their junior year. A course taken to fulfill the methodology requirement may not count toward fulfilling any other major requirement.

Political science majors are expected to fulfill the upper-division writing requirement by the end of their junior year. The requirement may be met in either of two ways:

Method I: Students may submit to the department’s director of undergraduate studies a portfolio of papers on subjects relevant to political science. These papers may include term papers or shorter pieces written for political science courses at Stony Brook or elsewhere. There is no requirement concerning the number of papers submitted, but the portfolio must consist of at least 20 pages of material.

Method II: Students may seek to have their writing evaluated by the instructor of any upper-division political science course in which there is an assigned research paper. Writing evaluation forms are available in the department office for students to give to their instructors along with their papers. Students should check with the undergraduate office if they have any questions about whether they have fulfilled the writing requirement. Students whose writing is not judged adequate should consult with the director of undergraduate studies on further steps to fulfill the writing requirement.

1. Comparative Politics and International Relations;
2. American Government, Law and Public Policy;
3. Political Behavior and Political Psychology;
4. Political Theory/Philosophy.

POL 214, 216, 305, 307, 309, 311, 313, 336, 337, 350, 372, 382, 405, 411, 412, 413. Also 287, 401, 402, 403, 404, 447, 487, and 495 when the topic is appropriate.

POL 317, 318, 319, 320, 321, 322, 323, 324, 325, 326, 327, 328, 329, 330, 331, 332, 336, 343, 344, 347, 350, 351, 359, 364, 365, 366, 367, 406, 434. Also 287, 401, 402, 403, 404, 447, 487, and 495 when the topic is applicable.

POL 316, 317, 318, 323, 343, 344, 346, 347, 348, 349, 350, 364, 367, 368, 377, 434. Also 287, 401, 402, 403, 404, 447, 487, and 495 when the topic is applicable.

Students may choose from the following courses in political science and philosophy to complete this program of study:
PHI 249 Marxism
PHI 277 Political Philosophy
PHI 363 Philosophy of the Social Sciences
PHI 366 Philosophy and the Environment
PHI 372 Ethical Inquiry
PHI 375 Philosophy of Law
PHI 377 Contemporary Political Philosophy
PHI 379 Philosophy of Race
PHI 384 Advanced Topics in Feminist Theory
Also POL 321, 325, 344, 350, 418.
Also POL 402, 403, 404, and 405 when the topic is applicable.

1. Two 100-level POL courses selected from 101, 102 (or 105), and 103
2. Six POL courses numbered 200 or higher (excluding POL 201), of which at least three must be at the upper-division level. At least four of the courses must be in one of the programs of study listed above.