Political Science

101 Gowen

Political science, broadly conceived, is the study of governments and other political actors, including their origins and foundations, interactions with groups and individuals, and interactions with nations. Within this larger framework political scientists study power, authority, conflict, economic relationships, culture, laws, policy, values, ethics, justice, equality, rights, legitimacy, and representation, to list only a few. Using these and other concepts, they analyze the political impacts of social issues such as war, peace, poverty, crime, education, the environment, race, gender, and globalization. Modes of inquiry are highly interdisciplinary.

Undergraduate Program

The Department of Political Science offers the following programs of study:

• The Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in political science with an option in political economy
• A minor in political science

Coursework in the discipline covers four major fields of political science: American politics, comparative politics, international relations, and political theory. Students may pursue faculty-supervised independent study projects and an optional senior thesis.

Bachelor of Arts

Department Admission Requirements

1. Sophomore standing (completion of 45 college credits).
2. Minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA.
3. Three introductory political science courses (15 credits) with a grade of at least 2.0 in each from the following: POL S 101, POL S 201, POL S 202, POL S 203, POL S 204, POL S 205.
4. Students are admitted all quarters and there are no quarterly deadlines. Applications and additional information available from advisers in 215 Smith.

Major Requirements

1. Introductory Requirement (15 credits): Three courses from POL S 101, POL S 201, POL S 202, POL S 203, POL S 204, POL S 205
2. Field Requirement (15 credits): One course numbered POL S 210 or above in three different fields of political science chosen from political theory, comparative politics, international relations, American politics, and research methods, with a grade of at least 2.0 in each.
3. Electives (20 credits): Four courses numbered POL S 210 or above with a grade of at least 2.0 in each.
4. GPA Requirement: Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.25 in political science courses at graduation and a minimum grade of 2.0 in each political science course taken to fulfill requirements for the major.
5. Transfer and postbaccalaureate students must meet all the above requirements and complete a minimum of 10 political science credits numbered 210 or above at the UW.

Political Economy: The department also offers the political economy option, a specialized program that combines study of political science and economics. Students who wish to pursue this interdisciplinary option should consult with a political science adviser. A list of recommended coursework is available.

Minor

One introductory course (POL S 101, POL S 201, POL S 202, POL S 203, POL S 204, or POL S 205), 25 elective credits numbered POL S 210 and above.

Student Outcomes and Opportunities

• Learning Objectives and Expected Outcomes: The study of political science arms students with substantive knowledge of the discipline, including its concepts and theories. It also prepares them to be knowledgeable and active citizens. Through their study, students develop critical thinking, analytical, research, writing, interpersonal, and communication skills.

  Graduates of political science pursue careers in many fields, including government (federal, state, and local), business, trade, public service (including non-governmental and international organizations), law, journalism, and teaching.

• Instructional and Research Facilities:
  • Political Science Collaboratory: This facility has 25 computer stations. It functions as a computer classroom and also as a general lab, primarily for political science majors and students enrolled in political science classes.
  • Center for Social Science Computation and Research maintains an extensive data archive and offers many statistical and software consulting services.
  • Political Science/Jackson School/Law, Societies, and Justice Writing Center: The Writing Center is staffed by peer tutors and provides free help to students seeking feedback about their writing. The Writing Center director works with instructors to design workshops to help students with assignments.
  • The Department of Political Science is affiliated with a number of research centers:
  • The Center for American Politics and Public Policy is a focal point for the study of politics and policy processes in the United States. Research relates to public policy processes, including issues of agenda setting, decision making, implementation, quantitative and qualitative measures of policy change, and the role of ideas and dialogue in policy change. Policy arenas include education reform, health care, environmental regulation, and building code enforcement.
  • The University of Washington’s Institute for the Study of Ethnicity, Race, and Sexuality is an interdisciplinary research center dedicated to bringing the tools of contemporary social science inquiry to the careful examination of issues of social, economic, and political exclusion and disadvantage of marginalized minority populations in the United States, and their potential solutions.
  • The Center for Communication and Civic Engagement investigates how innovative communication can improve the quality of civic life. The center's primary focus is to understand how new information technologies can supplement more traditional forms of communication to facilitate civic engagement.
  • Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies promotes the study of labor as a central concern in higher education and focuses on labor's contribution to society -- locally, nationally, and worldwide. The center supports research, teaching, and community outreach.
  • The Comparative Law and Society Studies Center is committed to promoting interdisciplinary research and teaching as well as community service regarding law, justice, and human rights throughout the world.
  • European Union Center promotes the study of the European Union and trans-Atlantic relations.
• Honors Options Available: With College Honors; With Distinction (Departmental Honors). See adviser for requirements.
• Research, Internships, and Service Learning: The department offers three internship programs that range from part-time, 5-credit assignments to full-time, 15-credit programs. Students may work in local agencies (POL S 496), in the state legislature (POL S 497), and in Washington, D.C. (POL S 498).

  Listings of local internships and applications are available in 215 Smith.

  The Washington State Legislative Internship Program is a winter-quarter program in Olympia and is open to students from all majors. Students earn 15 credits for the internship and attend a class taught by a political science faculty member. Applications are available from departmental advisers in 215 Smith and are due by the end of October.

  Students in all majors may apply for the Washington Center, a comprehensive internship that places students in Washington, D.C. Students earn 15 credits for the internship. Additional information is available from departmental advisers in 215 Smith.

• Department Scholarships:
  • Hugh Bone Scholarship: The endowed Hugh A. Bone Scholarship was established by the Department of Political Science in 1986 to recognize Professor Bone, a former department chair, and to continue his commitment to a "participative citizenry." Professor Bone founded the Washington State Legislative Internship Program and many of the students who studied with him continue active political lives due to his stewardship and interest. The scholarship was established in his name to help students with financial need to study and intern away from the UW-Seattle campus.
  • Agnes C. Nelson Memorial Scholarship: The departments of Political Science and Economics make annual full-tuition awards to students who demonstrate interest in the interrelationship of politics and economics and who meet financial eligibility requirements. To apply for the scholarship, students must have completed a minimum of 25 credits in political science and economics with at least 10 credits in each discipline. Deadlines are posted early in spring quarter.
• Student Organizations/Associations: Pi Sigma Alpha (Political Science Honor Society), Phi Alpha Delta (pre-law fraternity). See adviser for details

Of Special Note:

Department Awards

• The Robert A. Dahl Award: The Department of Political Science recognizes an outstanding graduating senior with the Robert A. Dahl Award. To be eligible for consideration, a student must demonstrate scholarship excellence as well as interest in political science as a discipline.
• Daniel C. Lev Award: The Department of Political Science created this award to recognize the contribution of Professor Dan Lev to the department's honors program. The award recognizes an exceptional Senior Honors Thesis.
• Sharon S. Redeker Award for Public Service: The Department of Political Science created this award in honor of Sharon Redeker, who served for many years as the department's Director of Academic Services. This award recognizes the exceptional public service of a political science senior while at the University of Washington.

Graduate Program

Graduate Program Coordinator
215 Smith, Box 353530
206-543-1898
polsgrad@u.washington.edu

Graduate study in political science integrates traditional education in political science's primary fields with other fields in the social sciences, allowing an eclectic, interdisciplinary approach.

The department has an outstanding reputation in comparative politics, international relations, American politics, political theory, international relations, political economy, public policy, public law, political communication, and methodology. Graduate students can incorporate study in other campus units, such as the School of Marine Affairs, the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs, the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, and the Department of Communication.

Graduate work in political science prepares students for the Doctor of Philosophy degree. The Master of Arts program serves as the initial stage of the Ph.D. program; the department does not offer a terminal Master of Arts degree.

Doctor of Philosophy

Admission Requirements

• Statement of Purpose detailing academic background, including research experience and methodological skills; plans and goals for study, intellectual interests and areas of specialization; and reasons for interest in studying at the University of Washington.
• Writing Sample: A relatively short paper (not to exceed 20 pages) or excerpts from a larger work (e.g., Honors thesis) demonstrating ability to write critically and analytically.
• Resume
• Letters of recommendation
• Transcripts
• Test Scores: GRE General Test scores sent directly by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). TOEFL score of at least 580 (237 for the computer-based TOEFL) for international students, sent directly by the Educational Testing Service (ETS)

Degree Requirements

Minimum 124 credits, to include the following:

The department recognizes four "general fields" in political science: American politics, comparative politics, international relations, and political theory. The department requires each student to select one general field, in which the student must become familiar with the main body of literature and major intellectual issues, and develop competence in that field's mode of analysis. To meet this requirement, students must take the core course in their chosen general field. All students are required to take at least one additional core course in another general field.

Before a student earns the master's degree, a student must also prepare in a second general field or in one of the specialized fields: area study (Chinese politics, Russian, East European, and Central Asian studies, etc.), public law, political communication, political economy, political methodology, public policy processes, and minority and race politics. Specialized fields are periodically redefined given faculty/student interests.

All graduate students are required to achieve a minimum level of competence in political research methods. During their first year, students complete POL S 500, POL S 501, and POL S 502 or POL S 503. Demonstration of competence in a foreign language is not required for the Ph.D. Students who select a field(s) where the Supervisory Committee believes that competence in a language would be beneficial are so advised.

Students entering the program are expected to complete the M.A. degree (46 credits minimum) within two years. The M.A. student completes an essay of distinction and a final oral examination to demonstrate substantive field knowledge and the ability to synthesize and apply that knowledge to new problems.

The doctoral student continues preparation in the first two chosen fields and in a required third field. The third field can be another general field and/or one or more of the specialized fields listed above, and/or at most one non-designated field. A non-designated field is constructed from another academic discipline such as anthropology or sociology, or individually defined by the student. International law, public administration, urban politics, political psychology, and philosophy of social science are examples of recent non-designated fields.

The doctorate usually takes at least an additional three years beyond the M.A. (124 credits minimum, including at least 27 credits for the dissertation). Students must pass comprehensive written and oral examinations in each of the three fields. They must also write and defend their dissertation prospectus for what is termed the General Examination.. Successful completion of the General Examination constitutes advancement to candidacy. Approval of the prospectus leads to the research and writing of the dissertation. A final oral examination and committee approval of the doctoral dissertation complete the degree requirements.

Research Facilities

Access to computing facilities and extensive data holdings is available through the Center for Social Science Computation and Research and the Political Science Collaboratory. The Department of Political Science is also affiliated with several research centers, including the Center for American Politics and Public Policy, the Center for Communication and Civic Engagement, the Center for Statistics and Social Sciences, the Comparative Law and Society Studies Center, the Harry Bridges Labor Studies Center, the Center for Comparative and Historical Analysis of Organizations and States, and the UW's Institute for the Study of Ethnicity, Race, and Sexuality. The University is also a member of the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research.

Financial Aid

Fellowships, research assistantships, and teaching assistantships are available to qualified graduate students, including those in their first year of study. Provided they make satisfactory progress, students are eligible for departmental financial assistance for five consecutive years.