Programs

Political Science 499: Independent Study
Political Economy Option
CAPP Undergraduate Fellows Program
Center for Communication and Civic Engagement
Center for Labor Studies
Law, Societies, and Justice Program
The Honors Program in Political Science
Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honor Society
Political Science Minor

Political Science 499

Political Science 499 is a course that allows students to pursue their own topics and fields of concentration under the supervision of a political science faculty member. Students interested in this option should either download the Learning Contract or pick one up from an adviser in Smith 215. Working with the faculty member, the student should design the topic and course of study. This course may be taken either for a grade or on a Credit/No Credit basis. Students may earn up to 20 credits using this option. Note: Pol S 499 credits do not count toward the Political Science major, but may be used as University elective credits.

Political Science does not require all of its majors to write a senior thesis. Political Science 499C, however, provides an opportunity for those students interested in completing a longer research paper to receive credit for doing so. For additional information, consult an adviser in the Political Science Advising Office.

Political Economy Option

The study of political economy concentrates on the relationship between politics and economics. It involves the application of economic theory to the analysis of non market behavior and examination of the interplay between governmental and economic institutions. It teaches the use of theoretical tools in analyzing contemporary problems.

The following track is recommended to students who are interested in an in-depth study of political economy. This is an optional program of studies and not an official college major or minor. Students who elect to follow this track must meet the 50-credit requirement for the political science major: 15 from POL S 101, 201, 202, 203, 204 and 205; 35 from upper-division work (beginning at 210 and beyond). The courses listed below that are not in political science fulfill only elective or distribution course work.

If you complete the 45 credits of the political economy option you are eligible to receive the political economy designation from the Department of Political Science at the time you graduate. Questions regarding the Political Economy Option should be directed to the Advising Office or to Professor Mark Smith, the Political Economy Coordinator.

Download an application and requirement list for the Political Economy Option: PolEconApp.pdf

CAPP Undergraduate Fellows Program

The purpose of the Undergraduate Fellowship Program at the Center for American Politics and Public Policy is to facilitate close working relationships between undergraduates and faculty by:

encouraging motivated undergraduate political science majors to pursue research opportunities
implementing a minimal set of course requirements designed to familiarize and prepare students to conduct research
requiring participating students to complete a minimum number of credit hours of independent research under the supervision of a faculty member

For further information, visit the CAPP website at: http://depts.washington.edu/ampol/

Center for Communication and Civic Engagement

The Center for Communication and Civic Engagement is dedicated to research, the creation of citizen resources and student-designed learning experiences that develop new areas of positive citizen involvement in politics and social life. Their primary focus is to understand how new information technologies can supplement more traditional forms of communication to facilitate new forms of civic engagement. The Center for Communication and Civic Engagement offers undergraduate research opportunities in the form of academic internships and paid research assistantships.

Students whose interests lie within the scope of the Center's research agenda may assist with the development of current projects; others may pursue new projects.

Current research assistants and interns are involved in collecting, coding and analyzing large amounts of data related to global citizen issue campaigns for the Center's archives. Research positions with the Center are flexible to allow the pursuit of a broad range of research interests.

For additional information, visit the CCCE website at: depts.washington.edu/ccce/

Center for Labor Studies

Since its foundation, the Center for Labor Studies (CLS) has sought opportunities for graduate and undergraduates students to work with the Labor Community and in research initiatives of Labor Studies faculty. CLS provides opportunities for students to participate in Service Learning Courses, Research Seminars, and Internships. In addition, the Center administers the Minor in Labor Studies. To apply for a minor, you must have completed at least 90 college credits. You may declare a minor through your major department advisor, by meeting with a History or Political Science Undergraduate Advisor, or at the time that you file a graduation application.

The requirements for the Minor in Labor Studies are available on the Center's website.

Law, Societies, and Justice

The undergraduate Bachelor of Arts major in Law, Societies, and Justice provides students an interdisciplinary liberal arts education focusing on the unique forms of social control, institutionalized disputing, and justice that we identify with law or legality. Courses inquire into the historically embedded principles and institutional practices associated with diverse legal domains --- constitutional, criminal, administrative, and civil law as well as fundamental human rights -- in the United States and throughout much of the world. The program encourages complex assessments of the workings and implications of law in society according to standards that are both internal and external to the rule of law itself.

Students may earn either a major or a minor in Law, Societies, and Justice. The subfield-based curriculum is committed to cultivating basic analytical, writing, and communication skills as much as specialized knowledge and understanding about the diverse socio-legal subject matter. Graduates of the program pursue a wide diversity of career lines directly or indirectly related to law, including: the legal profession; legal administration (courts, corrections, probation and parole, etc.); law enforcement (police, FBI, etc.); government and politics; public policy development and management; domestic and international commerce; academic research and teaching.

More information is available at the Law, Societies, and Justice Website.

The Honors Program in Political Science

The department offers a program of advanced study in political science for undergraduates who wish to pursue a more challenging course of study in their junior and senior years. Students completing this program will earn 'distinction' at graduation. Students who are in the College of Arts and Sciences Honors Program, as well as in the Political Science Honors Program, will earn 'honors' at graduation.

The Political Science Honors Program will provide students with a thorough understanding of the interdisciplinary bases of the study of politics. Students will be exposed to classic works in the fields of psychology, sociology, economics, anthropology, and philosophy that have influenced the development of political science. Seminar discussions will center on the assumptions, theories, and methods associated with the various social sciences, and on the types of political questions and problems presented by different disciplinary perspectives.

This one year program consists of three honors seminars (POL S 398) and an honors thesis (POL S 488-489). The thesis is written during the winter and spring quarters of the same year the seminars are taken. Students who graduate in the program complete a total of 60, rather than 50, credits in political science.

Eligibility requirements for the program are: a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3, a political science GPA of 3.5 and 25 credits in political science. Applicants for the program are interviewed in the spring quarter for upcoming academic year.

Pi Sigma Alpha, National Political Science Honor Society

Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honor Society, is the only honor society for college and university students of government in the United States. Pi Sigma Alpha is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies. The University of Washington's Pi Sigma Alpha chapter is named the "NU Chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha". The Nu Chapter invites qualified UW students members to join.

Please visit our website to learn more about Pi Sigma Alpha and the events and activites Pi Sigma Alpha sponsors on campus. You may also download the application on this website.
http://students.washington.edu/nupsa/