Political Science
The Political Science Department offers a diverse curriculum tailor-made for students with a strong interest in government, politics and public policy-from the federal, state or local levels of the U.S. political system on through international relations and other countries and regions of the world. Undergraduates may choose a flexible general major in Political Science, or select among the International Studies Option, the Public Administration Concentration and the Departmental Honors Program. The department also offers a Political Science Designation in the Social Science Teaching Major. For students interested in advanced studies, the department offers a Master of Arts degree in Political Science. Students in the graduate program choose among three concentrations: American Government and Politics; Comparative Politics and International Relations; and Public Administration and Public Policy.
Political Science students at EIU take classes that cover the full range of politics. Examples at the undergraduate level include courses on Congress; the American Presidency; American Foreign Policy; Civil Liberties; Contemporary Political Theory; International Political Economy; African American Politics; Asian Politics; Political Parties; and Government Budgeting and Politics-to name just a few examples. Graduate courses include the Comparative Politics and International Relations proseminars; the Congress, Presidency and Political Behavior seminars; and the Cities, Politics and Urban Policy seminar. Our classes are taught by high-quality faculty who are student-oriented and committed to the intellectual and professional development of their students. The classes themselves have a strong emphasis on discussion and debate, and students are provided with numerous opportunities to develop their skills in research, writing and critical thinking/analysis.
The department has a strong emphasis on students taking their knowledge beyond the classroom. To this end, students may earn academic credit in internships along with our two primary government simulation programs-Model Illinois Government and Moot Court. A Political Science Student Research Support Fund has been established to provide financial assistance to students interested in presenting their research at professional and student conferences. Our professors also are actively involved in research and publication activities, and they have published at the highest levels of the discipline of political science-including a wide range of scholarly journals. This dedication to scholarship by our professors also includes mentoring of our students, both undergraduate and graduate. To illustrate, many of our graduate students have left the program with publications listed on their resumes.
