Political science at Hunter College is a liberal arts department. This means that in addition to expanding your substantive knowledge, we as a department faculty are committed to your developing you critical thinking skills and improving your ability to communicate, especially your capacity for effective, analytical writing.

As you look around you at the world today, you will find most of the leadership positions in the public, non-profit, and private sectors occupied by people with a liberal arts background. They recognized the need to lay a broad foundation for their future careers: to expose themselves to wide knowledge of the discipline needed to explore problems from various angles. We believe the intellectual tools developed in the liberal arts will remain essential for leaders in a rapidly changing world. Graduate and professional schools continue to regard the liberal arts as the strongest basis for most advanced education.

We also stress writing in most political science courses. In our view, writing forces students to think in the most organized and systematic manner and to express their ideas in clear language. Writing assignments become more demanding as you progress from introductory courses through intermediate (200 level) courses to advanced seminars. Our graduates, especially those who go on to professional and graduate schools, often tell us that the attention they received on their written work made a major contribution to their success in the next stage of their education. Other former students who entered the job market directly after graduation have discovered that their writing skills have helped them advance more quickly in their organizations.

The department takes a strong interest in our majors' career plans. A significant percentage of our graduates go on to some form of professional or graduate education within two years of graduation. Popular choices for advanced study include law school, business school, Ph.D program in political science, and master's programs in international affairs, public policy, urban affairs, and public administration. Faculty members will help guide you through the process of preparing for graduate study. To help students identify interesting career possibilities, the department runs seminar/internship courses every semester. In addition to the internship opportunities available in New York City, we have placed students in Albany and Washington, DC.

Political Science as a Discipline:

Political science in American universities is most often divided into four core fields, a practice we follow at Hunter College. These four fields are identified and described briefly in the following paragraphs:

American Politics: Focuses on the study of the framework of American politics (including the Constitution and constitutional law); American national institutions such as the presidency or the courts; political processes and behavior, notably elections and public opinion; and urban politics and subnational government. Courses at the more advanced level explore theoretical debates about such matters as state-society relations in the United States and current issues in American politics. Internships are a popular choice among students who concentrate in American politics.

Political Theory: Involves the critical study of political ideas, particularly those that entail ethical issues and/or the basis for social and political order. Political theory explores these ideas both analytically and historically. Most intermediate courses detail the history of political thought. Advanced courses are more varied--they may examine selected political ideas, new currents in political thought, or individual political theorists whose work holds great significance. Political theory in the department also includes courses on empirical and statistical methods used to study political phenomena.

Comparative Politics: How valid is any general statement about politics? Through the study of countries other than our own, we have the opportunity to ask about the degree to which political phenomena occur in different nations or in different types of political systems. Intermediate courses suggest comparisons within particular regions of the world such as Latin America or Western Europe. Advanced courses stress current scholarly debates and controversies.

International Politics: Courses in international politics or relations (sometimes referred to as IR) examine relations among nation-states, the sources of conflict, and the prospects for stability and order. We offer courses on international security issues, international institutions (organization and law), international political economy, and the foreign policy of the United States and other nations. Advanced seminars look in depth at theoretical issues surrounding international relations and at current topics in international politics.

In addition to the four core fields, political science at Hunter reflects new developments in our discipline and work done in other disciplines. For example, we offer courses in law, public policy, political economy, human rights, globalization and research methods that are listed within the four primary fields. Scholarship in such areas as women's studies is also reflected in a number of course offerings in the core fields. (Often you will see these courses listed as combined courses with other departments or programs. If you wish to use them as part of a political science major, you should register for them under the political science course number.)