POSC-BA-Major - Political Science, Major
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The department offers courses in four sub-fields: United States Politics and Government, Political Theory, Comparative Politics, and International Relations. The Catalog of Courses indicates the departmental offerings by sub-field, and a current list is included below.
Students are strongly advised to take the prescribed courses at the 200 level before taking courses at the 300 level.
*Students entering CC in AY 2024-25 or later (graduating class of 2028 and beyond) must take PS209 (Introduction to International Relations) as their introductory IR course.
*Students who entered CC prior to AY 2024-25 (graduating classes of 2027 and previous) may take either PS209 (Introduction to International Relations) OR PS225/PS340 (Conduct of US Foreign Policy) as their introductory IR course. Please note that the course number for Conduct of US Foreign Policy was PS225 prior to AY 2024-25, and changed to PS340 as of AY 2024-25. Students in this category may choose to take both PS209 and PS225/PS340. In qualifying circumstances where students take both courses, PS209 (Introduction to International Relations) will count as the introductory IR course and PS225/PS340 (Conduct of US Foreign Policy) will count as an upper-level IR elective.
A minimum of 10 units in the Department of Political Science is required, to include the following:
Two units in each of four subfields. In each subfield, students must take A) the prescribed course or one of the prescribed courses, and B) one additional course in that subfield.
A tutorial in one subfield selected for emphasis. Students who are admitted to write theses are exempt from the tutorial requirement.
One additional course to reach the 10-unit minimum. The elective may not be the internship courses, 231 or 233. In addition to the regular courses offered by the department, students may count as their elective one of the following courses: a Topics in Politics course (203), an independent study (402), or one course taken at another institution, in the United States or abroad.
III. Study Abroad
Students earning political science credit in off-campus programs or study at other institutions may qualify for relief from the 10-unit rule. However, the department believes a degree in political science from Colorado College means that majors did most of their work here. The department will normally count one unit of political science in an off-campus program toward the basic ten units. Any use of non-CC credit toward the major must have the approval of the student's departmental advisor or the department chair.
IV. Distinction
Distinction in political science will be awarded based on a graduating senior’s cumulative GPA in courses within the major.
V. Thesis
Proposals to write a senior thesis must normally be submitted by the beginning of the final block of the student’s junior year, but a student studying off campus at the end of the junior year may submit a proposal in the first week of Block 1 of the senior year.
The department chair will consider granting credit toward the major for courses taken at another institution prior to admission to Colorado College at the time the student declares the major. Advanced Placement courses in high school may count toward total units for graduation and should be taken into consideration when selecting courses for the major. They do not, however, qualify for relief from the 10-unit rule.
Political Science Policy for Study Abroad & Away Credit Transfer
If you are interested in using a course taken while studying off-campus toward a major/minor in Political Science or one of the joint majors in which Political Science is a participant, you should:
Declare your major and consult an advisor in the Political Science Department, if you have not already done so.
Talk to your departmental advisor about courses in the intended off-campus study program that might satisfy requirements for the major or minor in Political Science or for Political Science requirements for one of the joint majors.
While students can and should come up with a few options for courses to take while off-campus, please note that the Political Science department normally accepts only one unit taken on study abroad/away to fulfill (replace) a Political Science requirement, per semester away.
Once you determine with your advisor which are the best course options for your time studying off-campus, you can submit an official course approval request using the Summit system, or add one of the pre-approved courses already in Summit. Please note, you are REQUIRED to upload a syllabus to new requests (a course description alone is not sufficient).
Washington Semester Credit Transfer to CC Political Science Equivalencies
Colorado College Political Science Department has a unique, longstanding relationship with the Washington Semester program through American University, and courses taken on this semester away program may fulfill more than the standard one-class-per-semester for study away transfer credit; up to a maximum of three courses total from the Washington Semester may be applied to fulfill CC Political Science major requirements.
A typical full-credit term of study on the Washington Semester program is 15 semester credits, and will include: 2 seminar courses, both of which may be eligible to transfer back to your CC Political Science major if they apply to different subfields you need; one elective class at American University, which you may submit in Summit for review for Political Science credit (if not previously approved); and your Internship Course (which counts towards overall units for graduation from CC, but does not fulfill any PS major requirements).
CHOOSE TWO SEMINARS, each one is worth 4 semester credits/1 CC unit; CC Political Science credit equivalency determination is listed below each seminar:
U.S. Presidency
Recommended; U.S. Politics subfield elective.Political Communication
Recommended; U.S. Politics subfield elective.Criminal Legal System: Mass Incarceration and Racial Disparity
Recommended; U.S. Politics subfield elective.International Peace + Security
International Relations subfield elective; IPE elective.Globalization in Crisis
International Relations subfield elective; IPE elective.Re-ordering of US Foreign Policy
International Relations subfield elective; IPE elective.
U.S. Public Policy
Not recommended, largely a duplicate of a required CC-taught PS course.
ALL STUDENTS ALSO TAKE:
Internship + Internship course (4 semester credits)
Credit towards 32-unit graduation requirement at CC, but no PS major requirements fulfilled.
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY ELECTIVE:
To get full credit for your semester away, you will also enroll in one elective course from among American University’s available elective courses (3-4 semester credits). You will create and add AU courses to your Course Approval Form in Summit, to request credit transfer approval to CC and determine how credits will count. Explore American University's course catalog to see what may be available; you’ll work with your Washington Semester program advisors to ensure you meet any prerequisites.