Political Science, Minor
To earn a minor in political science at Saint Louis University, students complete six courses with 18 credits of coursework.
In the general minor, SLU students take three courses in each of the four major subfields of political science (American politics, comparative politics, international relations and political thought) for a total of nine credits. Students also take three political science electives for an additional nine credits of coursework.
In the specialized minor, students take three courses from just one of the subfields, as well as nine credits of political science electives.
No more than six credits of transfer credit and no more than three credits of internship can count toward the minor.
Students can choose between a general or a specialized minor. No one class can fulfill more than one requirement within the minors.
General Minor
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select one course from three of the four subfields: American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Thought. | 9 | |
| Select three Political Science electives in any subfield. | 9 | |
| Total Credits | 18 | |
Specialized Minor
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select three courses from a single subfield: American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, or Political Thought. | 9 | |
| Select three Political Science electives in any subfield. | 9 | |
| Total Credits | 18 | |
American Politics Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
POLS 1100 | Introduction to American Government | |
POLS 1150 | American Political Systems | |
POLS 1300 | Introduction to Law | |
POLS 2100 | The American Constitution | |
POLS 2140 | The American Presidency | |
POLS 2150 | Race and Politics | |
POLS 2160 | Campaigns and Elections | |
POLS 2200 | State and Local Politics | |
POLS 2220 | Urban Politics | |
POLS 2300 | Public Administration | |
POLS 2350 | Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll: Morality Politics in the United States | |
POLS 2820 | American Foreign Policy | |
POLS 3100 | Judicial Politics | |
POLS 3110 | American Political Movements | |
POLS 3130 | Civil Liberties and Civil Rights | |
POLS 3140 | Public Opinion and Mass Communication | |
POLS 3150 | American Presidential Elections | |
POLS 3250 | American Politics and Film | |
POLS 3300 | U.S. Public Policy | |
POLS 3330 | Metropolitan Environment | |
POLS 3340 | Foundations of Law | |
POLS 3350 | Church and State | |
POLS 4120 | Civil Rights: A Moot Court Seminar | |
POLS 4126 | Sexuality and the Law | |
POLS 4131 | Race, Class, and Punishment | |
POLS 4140 | Political Parties | |
POLS 4150 | Gender and Politics | |
POLS 4170 | Electoral Politics | |
POLS 4171 | Law, Policy, Society | |
POLS 4300 | Law, Politics, and Regulatory Policy | |
POLS 4325 | Public Sector Budgeting | |
POLS 4340 | Issues in Public Policy | |
POLS 4360 | Urban Economic Development |
Comparative Politics Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
POLS 1500 | Introduction to Comparative Politics | |
POLS 1510 | Politics of the Developing World | |
POLS 1540 | Blood and Money: Ethnic War | |
POLS 2510 | European Politics | |
POLS 2520 | Introduction to African Politics | |
POLS 2530 | Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics | |
POLS 2550 | Political Systems of the Sub-Sahara | |
POLS 2560 | The Politics of Asia | |
POLS 2570 | Introduction to Latin American Politics | |
POLS 2590 | Politics of the Middle East and North Africa | |
POLS 3500 | East Asian Political Economy | |
POLS 3520 | Communism, Capitalism and Social Justice | |
POLS 3567 | Political Development in Contemporary Spain | |
POLS 3810 | Latin American-U.S. Relations | |
POLS 4500 | Russian Political Culture | |
POLS 4520 | Political Change | |
POLS 4530 | Authoritarian Politics: Rigging Elections and Clinging to Power | |
POLS 4590 | Crisis of Leadership |
International Relations Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
POLS 1600 | Introduction to International Politics | |
POLS 2600 | Introduction to International Political Economy | |
POLS 2640 | International Terrorism | |
POLS 2691 | Theory and Practice of Human Rights | |
POLS 2820 | American Foreign Policy | |
POLS 3600 | Problems of Globalization | |
POLS 3620 | International Organization and the Management of World Problems | |
POLS 3630 | International Security and Conflict Resolution | |
POLS 3640 | International Law | |
POLS 3650 | International Relations of Africa | |
POLS 3810 | Latin American-U.S. Relations | |
POLS 4610 | International Relations: Theory and Practice | |
POLS 4630 | The European Union: Politics and Political Economy | |
POLS 4650 | War, Peace, and Politics | |
POLS 4662 | International Challenges | |
POLS 4692 | Theories of World Politics |
Political Thought Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
POLS 1700 | Foundations of Political Theory | |
POLS 2700 | Fundamental Issues in Political Philosophy | |
POLS 2710 | Theories of Justice | |
POLS 2720 | American Anomaly: American Political Institutions in Comparative Perspective | |
POLS 3710 | Ancient and Medieval Classics in Political Thought | |
POLS 3720 | Renaissance and Modern Political Theories | |
POLS 3740 | Capitalism, Racism, Patriarchy: Theorizing Structural Power | |
POLS 3750 | The Modern Democratic State | |
POLS 3760 | The Politics of Pope Francis | |
POLS 3770 | Feminist Theory: Gender Justice | |
POLS 4710 | Citizenship and Social Difference | |
POLS 4730 | Seminar: Contemporary Political Ideologies | |
POLS 4740 | Marx's CAPITAL | |
POLS 4750 | American Political Thought |
Continuation Standards
Students in the political science minor must maintain a 2.00 grade point average (GPA) in political science coursework.
Students can complete all or part of the political science minor at SLU-Madrid.