Political Science Curriculum

All majors specialize in two of the four subfields in political science. Students should give considerable thought to which subfields they pursue as they complete the major.

Curriculum

The Political Science curriculum at Gettysburg College is designed to provide both breadth and depth for students in program. Students receive a foundation in the study of politics while specializing in areas of interest such as American politics, international relations, comparative politics, or political theory. Majors and minors progress from introductory courses into more advanced classes that emphasize critical thinking, research, and analysis, ultimately culminating in a capstone seminar for majors. Along the way, students can enrich their studies with experiential opportunities like study abroad, internships, and research through the Jacober Scholars honors program. This structure ensures that graduates leave with both a broad understanding of political systems and the focused expertise needed for careers in law, government, public policy, business, and beyond.

Off-Campus courses

Students are encouraged to pursue off campus programs. Political Science course credit will be given to those courses that are consistent with the department’s subfield designations. Political science courses taken off campus will satisfy 200-level requirements only, and only two political science courses taken off campus can satisfy major requirements.

Internships

Students are encouraged to take internships for academic course credit, but they are graded S/U and do not fulfill any major requirements. Students need to work with the Center for Career Development and consult with a faculty member on the nature of the internship and its academic requirements.

Individualized Study

Individualized study provides an excellent opportunity for students to work with a faculty member on an important political topic and produce a significant research paper. Students need to consult with a faculty member on choosing the topic and arranging the requirements of the course. Individualized Study is graded A-F, is calculated in the major grade point average, but does not fulfill any major requirements.

First-year advising and registration recommendations

Any student may enroll in Political Science 101, 102, 103 or 104. Prospective majors must take three of these introductory courses which are intended to introduce the student to the major subfields of political science and prepare the groundwork for their concentration in two of those subfields. They may be taken in any order, but should be completed by the end of the sophomore year. POL 215, Methods in Political Science, should also be completed by the end of the sophomore year. For advising help contact Prof. Caroline Hartzell or Valerie Andrews. For complete information for first-year students, consult the First Year Advising and Registration Guide.

Major

The major requires a minimum of ten courses in political science. The courses are categorized in four general subfields of the discipline: American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Political Theory. Students take three introductory courses, two 200 and two 300 level courses, an elective at the 200 or 300 level, the methods course, and the capstone.

Gettysburg College — Political Science Major: Curriculum Summary
Requirement	Details
Introductory Courses	Take 3 of 4: POL 101 (American Government), POL 102 (Introduction to Political Theory), POL 103 (Introduction to International Relations), POL 104 (Introduction to Comparative Politics). Complete by end of sophomore year. Some First-Year Seminars may substitute. Intro courses are prerequisites for advanced work.
Methods Course	POL 215: Political Science Research Methods (sophomore or first-semester junior year). Must earn a grade of C (2.0) or higher to graduate with the major.
Subfield Specialization — 200 Level	Choose two subfields from those taken at the introductory level. Take at least one 200-level course in each chosen subfield; develop thematic depth and research skills.
Subfield Specialization — 300 Level	After 200-level work, take at least one 300-level course in each selected subfield; engage in deeper, critical analysis.
Elective	One additional 200- or 300-level course in any of the three introductory subfields taken.
Capstone	Required senior seminar in one of the two chosen subfields. Offered annually in American Politics, Comparative Politics, and International Relations; Political Theory offered every other year (may be taken junior year if needed).

Minor

Students intending to minor in political science need to understand the subfield orientation of the minor as well as the minor requirements. The Department Chair is the advisor for the minor, and students should consult with them on choosing courses to fulfill the minor requirements. At this time, students should formally declare the minor. The Department Chair will sign their minor declaration form, which they will then turn in to the Registrar's office.

The minor in political science consists of six courses in political science. All minors specialize in two of the four subfields in political science; therefore, they should give considerable thought to which subfields they pursue as they complete the minor.

Gettysburg College — Political Science Minor: Curriculum Summary
Requirement	Details
Introductory Courses	Minors must take 2 of the 4 introductory courses: POL 101 (American Government), POL 102 (Introduction to Political Theory), POL 103 (Introduction to International Relations), or POL 104 (Introduction to Comparative Politics).
Advanced Courses (200/300 level)	Minors must complete four courses at the 200- or 300-level that align with the subfields chosen at the introductory level. These courses cannot all be in the same subfield; most students take two courses in each subfield, though some complete three in one and one in the other. POL 215 (Political Research Methods) may substitute for one of the advanced courses.
Note: Introductory courses serve as prerequisites for advanced work. Students should consult their advisor to ensure selections meet the distribution requirements for the minor.

Available Courses

This list is a sampling of the kinds of courses offered through the Political Science department curriculum. Not all courses shown here will be offered every semester. For a complete list of currently available courses, students may log into their account on Student Center.

Jump to level: 100 • 200 • 300 • 400

Students of International Relations have observed various shifts in levels of democracy and violence across the world during the post-World War II period. This course seeks to provide you with the skills to describe and explain those shifts by learning more about the data on which such observations are based. We will engage with these data in a critical fashion, seeking answers to the following types of questions: What are the sources of the data on which analyses of trends in democracy and violence are based? Who collects these data and how are they made accessible to people with an interest in these topics? What issues related to violence and democracy do existing data sets fail to address – and why do they fail to do so? What effects have data collections on democracy and violence had on policy making and policy choices in these areas?

Introduction to quantitative research methods and their application to the study of politics. Topics include empiricism, survey research and polling, electoral behavior, and public opinion. Special attention is given to research design, data collection, data processing, and statistical analysis. Prerequisite: Completion of one from the following: POL 101,102,103,104; and Sophomore or above class standing.
An examination of the impact of race on political representation in the United States. Using the concept of political representation as our framework, students explore topics such as race and the electoral process, voting trends and public opinion among racial minorities, race and representation in the American party system and the U.S. Congress, and race and public policy. The intense struggle of African Americans to gain fair political representation in the United States is a special focus of this course. Prerequisite: POL 101
Examination of the sources, goals and patterns of foreign policy. Attention is given to the processes by which policy is formulated and implemented and to the evaluation of the effectiveness of policy. Topics include decision making, foreign economic policy, deterrence, instruments of foreign policy, regionalism, multilateralism, and the development of post-Cold War objectives. Prerequisite: POL103
Course investigates the political economy of North-South relations. Examining the distribution of wealth between the developed and developing countries of the world, course focuses on political and economic factors that have made global inequality a central characteristic of the relationship between the North and South. Important issues of the contemporary period such as North-South trade, the debt crisis, foreign aid, and famine are investigated and the developmental prospects for the South are assessed. Prerequisite: POL 103
Ethnically based hostilities continue to pose a significant threat to contemporary international security. This course aims to develop an understanding of the nature of ethnicity, ethnic identity and role of ethnic groups in international politics. The goal of the course is to introduce fundamental concepts and major theoretical approaches to contemporary analysis of ethnic groups with a specific focus on eight cases of ethnic conflict across the globe. Prerequisite: POL 103
This course explores key theories, debates, events and issues in international politics through film and literature. It aims to provide students with an opportunity to unveil aspects of human condition in various political contexts though experiences of fictional characters. The course is divided into two major parts. We will begin with the theories of International Relations (IR). In this part we will use the Lord of the Rings (LOTR) to understand principles of IR. Tolkien’s imaginary world provides a tangible setting for abstract theoretical concepts of IR. We will zoom into the timeless story of LOTR through the film adaptations. (No prior knowledge on LOTR is required or assumed.) The second part will explore three IR topics: interstate and civil wars, the Cold War rivalry, and human security. Although LOTR could be stretched to understand most aspects of these three topics, we will rely on additional visual material to examine various components of each theme.
An international relations course that explores the issue of refugees from a philosophical perspective. Can count as either International Relations or Political Theory. Students critically examine scholarly and popular discourses that grapple with empirical, theoretical and practical questions such as: Who is a refugee? What are the causes of migration? How are refugees affecting host societies? Who should count as a member of a political community? How should states respond to refugees?
This course examines the government and politics in Europe with emphasis on the processes of state-formation, democratization and democratic consolidation, welfare state policy and European integration. Particular attention will be paid to the U.K., France and Germany but additional cases from Southern Europe, Central and Eastern Europe and/or the Nordic countries will be considered depending on student interest. Prerequisite: POL 104
The European Union pervasively influences the lives of European people. Inter-governmental agreements and EU institutions have changed policies concerning currency, the conduct of business, buying/consuming products, and traveling (just to name a few). The process of European governments agreeing to share sovereignty and create supranational institutions is called European integration. This course analyzes the origins and developments of the European integration process, and its institutions and policies.
This is an introductory Korean Politics course. Starting from the division of Korean peninsula, we analyze the economic development, state repression and coercive institutions in two Koreas. We explore how South Korean citizens pursued democratization through social movements and how North Korea successfully facilitated power succession within one family for three generations. We survey the nuclear weapon development in North Korea and students will simulate the Six Party Talk to deepen their understanding on the issue. Prerequisite: POL 104. AS 273 and POL 273 are cross-listed.
This course introduces students to political communication and the media's impact on elections, political attitudes and behavior, and policymaking in the United States. Topics covered throughout the semester include the constitutional basis for a free and independent media, the media's impact on local politics and each branch of the federal government, the role of media in U.S. foreign policy and domestic public policy, political inequality in the media environment, the evolving landscape of mass media, political celebrity, and fake news and disinformation. Prerequisite: POL 101
This course introduces students to the scientific study of law and courts, with a focus on courts as political institutions and judges as political actors. Topics covered throughout the semester include agenda setting, decision making, judicial selection, modeling the law, judges and their audiences, cognition and judging, the judicial hierarchy, public opinion and court legitimacy, the judicialization of governance, and international adjudication. Prerequisite: POL 101 POL 299 and PP 299 are cross-listed.

This course examines the role of money in shaping political power and representation in the United States. Topics we cover include campaign finance law and the constraints federal courts have placed on the regulation of political money; the representational inequalities (particularly with respect to race, gender, and class) that characterize U.S. campaign finance and lobbying; the effect of campaign money on election and policy outcomes; and reforms designed to curb money’s influence. Prerequisite: POL 101 and POL 215
An examination of the expanding role of women in American political life. Students gain historical background regarding the women's movement in America and an understanding of how and why women and men come to politics with different information, experience and priorities. This political analysis includes economic, social and psychological factors that enhance or diminish women's opportunities for an effective political voice. Prerequisite: POL 101
This course critically examines campaigns and elections in the U.S. Topics we will cover include election laws and processes, the transformation of political campaigns over time, modern campaign strategies, and the role of political parties, interest groups, and the media in U.S. political campaigns. Themes running through the semester include how, when, and where political campaigns impact election outcomes and, normatively speaking, the extent to which campaigns advance the values of equality, free choice and speech, deliberation, and effective government. Prerequisites: POL 101 and POL 215.
Analysis of the policies that guide the use, control and management of natural resources. Students examine the laws, bureaucracies, economics, politics and ideologies underlying policy making processes in order to understand how and why certain policies emerge as well as their social and ecological effects. The primary focus is on the United States, but the growing international dimension of environmental policies and the ambiguous role of the US in these efforts is also considered. Prerequisite: ES 196 or POL 101. ES 333, POL 333, and PP 333 are cross-listed.
This course examines sexuality through the lens of comparative politics, and the course has three parts. First, we begin by unpacking the social construction of gender and sexuality since the earliest state-making. Second, we explore two themes that help to structure the findings in this body of political science research: ‘progress/advancement’ and ‘backlash/losses’ regarding LGBT+ rights. Third, we situate the politics of sexuality in the divisions between the Global North and the Global South. Prerequisite: POL 101, POL 102, POL 103, or POL 104.
This course examines the foundations of national security law that empower (and restrain) the exercise of criminal enforcement, military, and intelligence authorities against threats to the U.S. Through readings, discussion, and visiting experts, we study constitutional and statutory law, covert action, detention, interrogation, targeted killings, military commissions, encryption, surveillance, artificial intelligence, and the Article II authorities of a president, that animate ongoing, difficult, and vital public policy debates. Prerequisites: POL 103 or PP 221. POL 344 and PP 344 are cross-listed.
This course examines the role of religion in the discipline of International Relations (IR). The course is divided into four parts: 1) introduction to religion and IR, 2) Islam and democracy, 3) religion and foreign policy and 4) religious minorities. After a brief introduction to religion and IR scholarship, in part two, we will explore Muslim democracies. Cesari’s book will guide our discussion on the role of religious institutions in formation of Muslim majority nation states. In order to complement theoretical context and the broad scope of the book, students will work with undergraduates from Turkey (Türkiye) to explore religion in Turkish politics though interactive assignments. In part three, we will explore faith and foreign policy connections. Final section is on religious minorities with a focus on religious discrimination trends. In addition, with the applied quantitative assignments, students will explore Religion and State (RAS) dataset. Prerequisite: POL 103
The idea of Europe represents diverse societies, and its borders are the subject of debate. In this course, we analyze Europe thematically and unpack the idea of ‘European’ states. These themes include parliamentary politics, party politics, electoral systems, social movements, globalization, European Union politics, nationalism, and ethnic politics. In doing so, we deploy a comparative perspective and analyze these themes across societies and time. Prerequisite: POL 101, POL 102, POL 103, or POL 104.
Autocracies are the predominant form of political regimes throughout history and are still prevalent today. Autocrats are in a precarious position--facing threats from the population, who want greater democratization, and other regime elites who want to replace them. How do autocrats navigate these threats? In this course, we examine the nature of threats to ruling and the different ways that autocrats strategically temper threats. Topics include repression, security apparatus, institutional designs, and information control.
Turkey is a democratic, secular, and predominantly Muslim country. It has a rapidly growing economy, making it one of the twenty largest economies in the world. Moreover, due to its geographic proximity to Iraq, Iran and Israel, and energy reserves of the Caspian Sea and Central Asia, Turkey is an important international actor especially for the West. Turkey’s unique domestic political attributes and international role in between Europe and the Middle East makes it an intriguing case for political scientists. This course seeks to familiarize students with the main issues around which politics revolves in Turkey during the post-1980 period. Using scholarly work conducted on different dimensions of politics in Turkey, special attention will be paid to the discussion of the issues of the consolidation of democracy, civil society, secularism, the rise of Islam, nationalism, identity politics, socio-economic changes, political parties and modernity in order to be able to capture the essence of the changing nature of Turkish politics.
This course introduces students to police procedure through the study of U.S constitutional law. Relying on U.S. Supreme Court decisions that interpret clauses contained in the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments, this course examines law enforcement reform, liability, responsibility, and authority, as well as the constraints and requirements to surveillance, traffic stops, arrests, and searches and seizures.
Course examines the role of feminist political thought in American politics. Topics include various strains of feminist theory, including liberal, Marxist, radical, and anarchist theories, with particular emphasis on kinds of feminist political participation that emerge from liberal and anarchist political ideals. Course also provides a context in which key concepts such as politics and power may be reconceptualized from an American feminist point of view. Prerequisite: POL 101 or POL 102.
This course offers an in-depth investigation into First Amendment jurisprudence and its affect on public policy and political conflicts within the United States. During the semester, students will investigate the origins and evolution of First Amendment disputes throughout the history of the United States. During each class, students will extend and apply these legal principles to present day policy debates and socio-political issues. Prerequisites: POL 101

Gain the practical skills needed to transition successfully into professional careers or advanced (graduate) study. Topics covered include personal marketing and networking, writing resumes/ CVs, and cover letters, navigating job search sites, using AI effectively, revising writing samples, and practice interviews. Application to jobs, internships, and/or graduate programs is a requirement of the course. Enrollment requirements- junior or senior Political Science major or minor.
The Capstone in American Legal Studies introduces students to fundamental legal analysis, research, and writing in the United States political system. During the semester, students will have the opportunity to hone these skills and must rely on them to draft objective and persuasive legal documents, culminating in oral advocacy on behalf of their mock clients. Upon successfully completing this course, students will be better able to effectively analyze complex legal, political, and policy issues. To enroll, students must demonstrate to the instructor their intent to matriculate to law school or work in a law-adjacent field.