Political Science, B.A., Specialization in Courts, Justice, and Politics

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Students must complete the Oakland University General Education Requirements, General College of Arts and Sciences Requirements, College of Arts and Sciences College Exploratory Requirement, Major Requirements, and an appropriate number of free elective classes to meet the overall credit requirement for the degree (in most cases a minimum of 124; some degrees may require a greater number).

As a general rule, no more than eight credits of coursework used to satisfy one major, minor or concentration may be applied toward another, but exceptions to this rule may be allowed with the written approval of the program coordinators.

Schedule of Classes

Specific offerings for each semester may be found in the Schedule of Classes.

General Education Requirements

In order to graduate on-schedule without taking additional courses, it is highly recommended that students meet with an Undergraduate Academic Adviser concerning the selection of all of their general education courses.

Each candidate for an Oakland University baccalaureate will need to satisfactorily complete approved courses in each of the following areas: Foundation, Exploration, Integration, Writing, U.S. Diversity and Capstone. For details, refer to the General Education Requirements section of the catalog.

Requirements for the liberal arts major in political science with a specialization in courts, justice, and politics

This specialization is designed for students interested in pursuing a career or graduate study in law, rights advocacy, lobbying, and related fields. Students will study topics covering various aspects of law, including the lawmaking process, the judicial process, constitutional law, civil rights, and civil liberties.

The major requires a minimum of 44 credits in political science as outlined below. Credit toward the major will only be allowed for courses completed with a grade of C or higher.

A. Core courses

PS 1100 - Introduction to American Politics (4)
PS 1600 - Issues in World Politics (4) or PS 1400 - Comparative Politics (4)
PS 2500 - The Research Process in Political Science (4)
PS 2550 - Data Analysis in Political Science (4)
PS 4970 - Seminar in American Politics (4)

B. Specialization required courses

PS 3020 - American Political Thought (4) or PS 3005 - Western Political Thought I (4) or PS 3010 - Western Political Thought II (4)
PS 3250 - Law and Politics (4)

C. Specialization electives (choose three)

PS 3105 - Congress and the Legislative Process (4)
PS 3115 - The Judicial Process (4)
PS 3255 - U.S. Constitutional Law (4)
PS 3260 - Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (4)
PS 3265 - Gender Discrimination and the Supreme Court (4)
PS 3660 - International Law (4)

D. One additional course (4 credits) in political science (PS)

E. One course selected from the comparative and international politics field if PS 3660 not elected from the specialization elective list above

See the list of comparative and international politics courses - category #2 under the three fields of political science.

Note

Students using this catalog to meet political science with a specialization in courts, justice, and politics major requirements may also use any course subsequently approved as satisfying requirements in the electives categories and published in a later catalog.