Political Science Minor

College of Liberal Arts
Undergraduate minor

About this program

Why a minor in Political Science?

The Political Science minor is an ideal course of study for students interested in gaining a complex, analytical understanding of:

  • The institutions that comprise political systems, both in the United States and abroad;
  • The ways in which the political system helps to shape people’s beliefs and promote social change;
  • Political Science approaches to solving social problems.

The discipline of political science is dedicated to promoting respect for all ideological groups and social justice within and across societies.

What will I do in the minor?

Courses in the Political Science Minor will teach:

  • The origins and development of political systems, ideologies and institutions;
  • Political dimensions of difference and inequality;
  • The impact of political values and the ways these values shape institutional development and change.

Students in the Political Science Minor will take between 19 and 20 credits of Political Science courses.

What can I do with the minor?

A Political Science Minor is an excellent complement to a number of majors. These include:

  • Professional programs such as psychology, law enforcement, criminal justice, human services, social work, and international business
  • Liberal arts programs in history, gender studies, professional communication, ethnic studies, or philosophy State and Federal Governments

More information on careers in political science can be found on the American Political Science Association website’s careers section.

Student outcomes

The learning outcomes for this minor provide the knowledge, skills, and abilities to enter the 21st-century workplace to:

  • know and understand the essential concepts of social science;
  • comprehend the historical foundations, theoretical paradigms, and research methods of social science;
  • develop higher order thinking skills by analyzing and interpreting social science literature;
  • write analytically in a style that is informed, well-reasoned, and literate;
  • recognize and understand differences of gender and sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, religion, and social class;
  • understand and utilize a global perspective; and
  • develop civic skills by participating in community-based learning and internships
  • become advocates and leaders in their communities, our nation, and the globe.

Enrolling in this program

Program eligibility requirements

Only non social-science majors may do this minor.

Current students: Declare your program

Once you’re admitted as an undergraduate student and have met any further requirements your chosen program may have, you may declare a major or declare an optional minor.

Future students: Apply now

Apply to Metropolitan State: Start the journey toward your Political Science Minor now. Learn about the steps to enroll or, if you have questions about what Metropolitan State can offer you, request information, visit campus or chat with an admissions counselor.

Get started on your Political Science Minor

Course requirements

Requirements (19-20 credits)

Lower Division Requirement
Survey (4 credits)

Choose one

POL 301 Citizenship in a Global Context

4 credits

This course investigates the theory and practice of citizenship in local communities, the United States and the world. Students draw on core concepts from political science to explore contrasting ideas about citizenship and the political, economic and cultural dimensions of critical issues facing the global community. Classroom inquiry is supplemented by field experiences and investigation.

Full course description for Citizenship in a Global Context

POL 321 World Politics

4 credits

This course examines critical global issues and the organizations and institutions that are attempting to address them. Drawing on concepts from political science and international relations, students explore such issues as human rights, the global environment, violence within and between nations, and the gap between "have" and "have not" nations. The course investigates the response of the United States to these issues as well as the effectiveness of formal international organizations like the United Nations and emerging transnational citizen organization. Classroom inquiry is supplemented by field experience and investigation.

Full course description for World Politics

Electives (12 credits)

Select 300-level courses in political science. Students may also take these courses as upper-division electives for the political science minor.

SSCI 300 Seeing Like a Social Scientist

4 credits

Most of us are only dimly aware of how politics, culture, and society influence, and often coerce, our daily lives. The calling of a social scientist is to help us make these invisible social structures visible. In this course, students develop the skills and tools to discover, analyze, and interpret these obscure social processes. Ideally, this knowledge will have a liberating effect on their individual lives. Students will also perceive how their civic and ethical participation can change politics, culture, and society, as well as themselves.

Full course description for Seeing Like a Social Scientist

SSCI 311 Research Methods in Social Science

4 credits

This course provides an introduction to the basic concepts of social science research. Students learn and implement a variety of research methods, and critically reflect on the relationship of these methods to philosophical traditions within social science. The courses examines two approaches to social science research, quantitative and qualitative, and the unique contribution of each approach for understanding social life. Experiential activities enhance classroom learning.

Full course description for Research Methods in Social Science

SSCI 401 Social Science Seminar: Contending Perspectives

4 credits

This course provides students with the opportunity to understand, integrate, and apply the core themes and contending perspectives that underline the social studies disciplines. Through guided readings, research and discussion, seminar participants further develop the capacity to analyze selected issues through multiple lenses. Students apply these multiple perspectives to teaching middle and secondary social studies.

Full course description for Social Science Seminar: Contending Perspectives

SSCI 501 Great Ideas: Classics of Social Science

4 credits

The social sciences have been shaping views of the human condition for more than 150 years. This seminar explores those ideas that continue to engage and perplex thoughtful observers of social life. Students become acquainted with writing by major thinkers like Karl Marx, Max Weber, Emile Durkheim, Georg Simmel, Sigmund Freud, Ruth Benedict, Frantz Fanon and Hannah Arendt. The course addresses the social and historical roots of the great ideas as well as the moral aspirations and creative impulses of these social scientists.

Full course description for Great Ideas: Classics of Social Science