Asbury University is pleased to offer a major (39 credit hours) and minor (21 credit hours) in political science beginning in the fall of 2009. The 18 hours of core or foundational courses in the program focus on the ongoing American experiment in republican government, the basics of political economy, and the areas of international relations and comparative politics. All students in the major or minor will develop proficiency in these topics, and these core courses will be offered on a regular basis by the department.
Collegians who choose to MAJOR in political science will complete another 18 hours in an emphasis area, and will select one of two options.
The American politics emphasis will be built around upper division courses in aspects of government, culture, religion, and society in the United States. The international affairs emphasis includes a related set of courses from Asbury’s history, economics, sociology, and communications programs, and that help students understand politics and culture across the globe.
In addition to the core courses and emphasis area courses, students in the major also complete a final 6 hours of elective political science courses.
Collegians who choose to MINOR in political science complete the 18 hours of core courses in the discipline, and then select 6 hours of elective courses in political science.
Due to the versatility of political science, plus the structure of our programs, we expect students to be able to combine the study of politics with various other disciplines and programs across the University—and we strongly encourage this.
Programs that represent an especially good fit with political science include (but are not limited to):
Though political science as a field encompasses several subdisciplines, the American Politics emphasis area enables students to focus on our nation’s own unique historical, structural, and theological developments. Students will study state and local politics to understand our layered federal system, with different units of government playing different roles. Similarly, a course in public policy enables students to understand how the nation’s political landscape affects policy development. Historically oriented courses further facilitate student comprehension of America’s political development over time. A course in American foreign policy, for example, shows our evolution from a peripheral and weak state to superpower status over less than two hundred years, while a course on the American presidency shows how the role of chief executive has shifted dramatically since 1789. Anyone interested in political involvement at any level of government will benefit from study of American Politics.
A political science emphasis in International Affairs prepares students to function well in our global socio-economic environment of the early 21st century. In addition to the core courses in the field—including international relations and comparative politics—students in this emphasis branch out into interdisciplinary inquiry, pursuing courses that enable them to think broadly about states, peoples, cultures, and trade. Students typically study macroeconomics under business faculty, international social issues as taught by sociologists, international communication as taught by specialists in that field, and relevant upper division history courses as well. Any student interested in a future with cross-cultural business, ministry, policy, or nonprofit work will benefit from this field of study.