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Degree Quick Facts
- Instructional School: Social Sciences and Public Affairs
- Department: Culture, History, and Politics
- Program Code: POLS.AA
- Program Type: Academic Transfer
- Available Fully Online: Yes
- Eligible for Federal Financial Aid: Yes
NOTE: Courses required for this program may have an additional fee; more information can be found on the Special Course Fees web page.
Degree Requirements
| Course | Course Title | Min Credits |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Requirements 1 | ||
| CWI 101 | Connecting With Ideas | 3 |
| Global Perspectives course | 3 | |
| ENGL 101 | Writing and Rhetoric I (GEM 1) | 3 |
| ENGL 102 | Writing and Rhetoric II (GEM 1) | 3 |
| GEM 2 - Oral Communication course | 3 | |
| GEM 3 - Mathematical Ways of Knowing course | 3 | |
| GEM 4 - Scientific Ways of Knowing course 2 | 4 | |
| GEM 4 - Scientific Ways of Knowing course 3 | 3 | |
| GEM 5 - Humanistic & Artistic Ways of Knowing course | 3 | |
| GEM 5 - Humanistic & Artistic Ways of Knowing course 3 | 3 | |
| POLS 101 | American National Government (GEM 6) | 3 |
| GEM 6 - Social & Behavioral Ways of Knowing course 3 | 3 | |
| Major Requirements | ||
| POLS 102 | Introduction to Political Science | 3 |
| POLS 210 | Introduction to Comparative Politics | 3 |
| or POLS 221 | Introduction to International Relations | |
| POLS 230 | Political Philosophy | 3 |
| or POLS 240 | American Constitutional Foundations | |
| Electives | Select elective credits to bring the total credits earned to a minimum of 60 4 | 14 |
| Minimum Credit Hours Required | 60 | |
- 1
Students must select an “E” designated course to fulfill one of their general education requirements.
- 2
Must include a lab component.
- 3
Course must come from a different discipline.
- 4
Students who plan to transfer should select elective courses based on the needs of their transfer institution. Refer to the Plan of Study tab for a list of recommended electives.
*All requirements for this degree or certificate may be completed fully online.
Degree Plan
The course sequence listed below is strongly recommended in order to complete your program requirements. Please register for each semester as shown using the Student Planning tool in myCWI. Plans may be modified to fit the needs of part-time students by adding additional semesters. Consult your advisor for any questions regarding this course sequence plan.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credit Hours | |
| CWI 101 | Connecting With Ideas | 3 |
| ENGL 101 | Writing and Rhetoric I (GEM 1) | 3 |
| POLS 102 | Introduction to Political Science | 3 |
| GEM 2 - Oral Communication course | 3 | |
| GEM 3 - Mathematical Ways of Knowing course | 3 | |
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENGL 102 | Writing and Rhetoric II (GEM 1) | 3 |
| GEOG 100 | Physical Geography (Recommended GEM 4) 1 | 3 |
| GEOG 100L | Physical Geography Lab (Recommended GEM 4) 1 | 1 |
| POLS 101 | American National Government (GEM 6) | 3 |
| POLS 210 or POLS 221 | Introduction to Comparative Politics or Introduction to International Relations | 3 |
| GEM 5 - Humanistic & Artistic Ways of Knowing course 2 | 3 | |
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| POLS 230 or POLS 240 | Political Philosophy 4 or American Constitutional Foundations | 3 |
| GEM 4 - Scientific Ways of Knowing course 3 | 3 | |
| Global Perspectives course 5 | 3 | |
| Elective | Select an elective 6 | 3 |
| Elective | Select an elective 6 | 3 |
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| GEM 5 - Humanistic & Artistic Ways of Knowing course 2,3 | 3 | |
| GEM 6 - Social & Behavioral Ways of Knowing course 3,7 | 3 | |
| Elective | Select an elective 6 | 3 |
| Elective | Select elective credits to bring the total credits earned to a minimum of 60 6 | 5 |
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Minimum Credit Hours Required | 60 | |
*Students must select an “E” designated (Ethical Reasoning) course to fulfill one of their General Education requirements.*
- 1
This general education (GE) course is recommended by the department as the most beneficial GE option for students in this program. Please note that students may fulfill their GE requirement by completing another course from the applicable general education category.
- 2
Political Science majors are encouraged to choose between the following courses to fulfill their GEM 5 requirement (courses must come from two different disciplines):
- FREN 101 Elementary French I
- HIST 103 Western Civilization I
- HIST 104 Western Civilization II
- PHIL 101 Introduction to Philosophy (This course fulfills the Ethical Reasoning requirement for an associate degree from CWI.)
- PHIL 103 Introduction to Ethics (This course fulfills the Ethical Reasoning requirement for an associate degree from CWI.)
- SPAN 101 Elementary Spanish I
- 3
Course must come from a different discipline.
- 4
Please note that POLS 230 Political Philosophy is offered in the spring and POLS 240 American Constitutional Foundations is offered in the fall. If you prefer to complete POLS 230 for your degree, an additional elective or GE course may be completed during this semester instead.
- 5
Political Science majors are encouraged to choose between the following courses to fulfill their Global Perspectives requirement:
- AGRI 120 Global Food Perspectives - Farm to Plate (This course fulfills the Ethical Reasoning requirement for an associate degree from CWI.)
- GEOG 102 Cultural Geography
- GEOG 200 World Regional Geography
- HLTH 280 Global Health (This course fulfills the Ethical Reasoning requirement for an associate degree from CWI.)
- PHIL 111 World Religions
- 6
Political Science majors are encouraged to select as electives the following POLS courses that were not chosen to fulfill program requirements:
- 7
Political Science majors are encouraged to choose between the following courses to fulfill their second GEM 6 requirement:
Program Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:
- Articulate the major theories of various sub-fields of political science; identify their strengths and weaknesses and apply those theories to real world examples.
- Critically evaluate political claims based on careful scrutiny of the underlying assumptions, arguments, and evidence.
- Access and organize political information from a variety of sources.
- Articulate the complex interrelationships between political, economic, social, cultural, and historical forces.
- Identify and understand when, where, and how political forces shape political actors behavior.
- Formulate, propose, and advocate possibilities for positive change in democratic society as engaged and informed citizens.