Political Studies

What You Will Learn

1. Theory: You will understand the philosophical underpinnings of political phenomena and evaluate and employ different theories in the discipline to analyze and explain political outcomes.
2. Method: You will be able to analyze politics from a variety of methodological approaches and understand the advantages and limitations of each.
3. Research: You will be able to conduct original research that engages ongoing debates in the discipline and applies appropriate research design methods.
4. Expression: You will learn to think, write, and speak critically and insightfully about political phenomenon and how to apply these skills to enhance active citizenship.
5. Diversity: You will understand many of the diverse political experiences and philosophies of various identity, community, and cultural groups in the U.S. and around the world.

Satisfactory completion of twelve (12) courses in Political Studies. These must include:

1. Two introductory classes (choose from POST 020 PZ, POST 030 PZ, POST 040 PZ, POST 050 PZ, and POST 060 PZ ). These introductory courses should be taken at Pitzer.
2. POST 070 PZ – Research Methods in Political Studies 
3. At least one course in each of the four sub-fields: U.S., Comparative, Political Philosophy, and Global.
4. At least three upper-level courses in one of the four sub-fields (upper-level courses require that appropriate introductory-level courses have been taken).
5. A senior seminar, which includes a major research paper.

Students are strongly encouraged to take the two required introductory courses in their first year. POST 070 PZ will normally be offered in the fall and is best taken by students in their sophomore or junior years.

Senior Thesis: Those students who wish to write a senior thesis must present a proposal or paper to the Political Studies Field Group at the end of the prior semester for approval.

Political Studies majors intending to pursue graduate study or careers in politics and public policy are strongly recommended to take:

• Statistics (e.g. POST 091 PZ/ECON 091 PZ )
• 2 years of language study
• Macroeconomics and Microeconomics
• A survey course in modern world history and another history course appropriate to one’s focus of study
• An off-campus internship in a political organization. Some Pitzer Study Abroad and Community Engagement programs provide such opportunities.

Students may not major in Politics or Government at any of the other colleges in the consortium, as these fields are equivalent to Political Studies.

Honors

Exceptional students with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or better may be awarded honors in Political Studies on the basis of the excellence of their work in the major and on a senior thesis.

Students who wish to combine a major in Political Studies with a major in Economics must meet all requirements for the Political Studies major with the exception that the student needs to complete a total of eight (8) courses and a senior seminar in either Political Studies or Economics. Combined majors with other fields will be arranged on a case-by-case basis.

Satisfactory completion of six (6) courses in Political Studies. These must include:

1. Two introductory classes (choose from POST 020 PZ, POST 030 PZ, POST 040 PZ, POST 050 PZ, and POST 060 PZ). These introductory courses should be taken at Pitzer.
2. Three upper-level courses in one of the four sub-fields: U.S., Comparative, Political Philosophy, and Global
3. One additional course in another of the four sub-fields

Students may not minor in Politics or Government at any of the other colleges in the consortium, as these fields are equivalent to Political Studies.