Political Science

The Associate in Arts in Political Science for Transfer allows students to focus their major course work and required electives in a social science concerned with the description and analysis of political, and especially governmental, institutions and processes. Increasingly, the emphasis is placed on how governments deal with specific policy problems such as war and peace, poverty, crime, education, energy, pollution, or inter-group relations, and on the factors that affect these problems. The study of political science provides one with the concepts, theories and methods necessary to analyze these problems scientifically.  Fields for which BA graduates in political science are qualified are government work in the legislative or executive branches, the legal field as an attorney or paralegal, the military as an officer, a professional sales representative, or marketing professional.

PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES

 Upon successful completion of the Political Science program, a student should be able to:

          • demonstrate an ability to evaluate the governmental structures established by the Constitution of the                  United States of America and the California State Constitution.

          • apply critical thinking skills in reading, comprehending, and interpreting political science scholarship.

          • employ political science research methods to address political questions using primary and secondary                sources.