POLITICAL SCIENCE MAJOR
(Bachelor of Arts)
ADVISING AND PRE-REGISTRATION INFORMATION
SPRING 2013
B.A. Degree Requirements:
 Intermediate level language (up through 232)
 Philosophy Course – Most philosophy courses* including GPHIL 101-as long as GPHIL
101 is not being used for Cluster Two Gen Ed
*Exceptions: GPHIL 150 does not count toward this B.A. requirement.
Students under Fall 2008-2009 catalog or later may not use GPHIL 120, either.
MAJOR ADVISING:
Please contact your major advisor if you have specific questions regarding spring registration or
future schedule planning. You major advisor can be located on your MyMadison account and from
the POSC Department Office, Miller 2120. Please be vigilant in checking course sequencing and
projected course availability as you approach completion of your program.
Major Checklists: Available outside the department office (Miller 2120) or from the POSC website,
http://www.jmu.edu/polisci/polisci.html
RESEARCH METHODS (POSC 295) & SENIOR SEMINAR (POSC 492)
Sequencing: MATH 220 is a prerequisite for POSC 295 & POSC 295 is a prerequisite for POSC 492.
These courses must be taken in separate semesters. There are no exceptions to this policy, so
please plan accordingly!
Enrollment: ALL sections of POSC 295 must be filled before overrides are granted. This measure is
designed to protect students from overcrowded classes and to distribute the workload fairly among
professors. Enrollment in POSC 492 is by override only. If you are eligible to request a senior seminar, you will receive
instructions in a separate e-mail message. Students will request seminars from 10/22/12 through 10/25/12.
Internships (POSC 495) are strongly encouraged and may count as an elective in the POSC major – See
www.jmu.edu/polisci/internships.html for qualifications, requirements & forms, etc. Contact Dr. Tim
LaPira, lapiratm@jmu.edu for additional information. Students interested in participating in the
Washington Semester should save internship credit for that semester.
Honors Thesis: (POSC 499A, B or C). Dr. Jon Keller (kelle2jw@jmu.edu) is the Honors Thesis
coordinator and students should contact him as they begin the process. Honors thesis students must
register for one of the following courses, POSC 499A, B or C, depending on the phase of the thesis
project. Enrollment in these courses requires permission from the instructor. Prerequisites: Honors
Program requirements, junior standing & 3.25 GPA in the major. You must register for this course
before the beginning of the semester. The honors colloquium is never offered as a block course.
Study abroad/transfer credit approval. Please see Dr. Charles Blake, Department Chair
blakech@jmu.edu
Topics courses: When offered, topics courses in political science count for the POSC major as
follows:
POSC 351 upper-level U.S. Government
POSC 361 upper-level International Relations
POSC 371 upper-level Comparative Politics
POSC 381 upper-level Political Theory
POSC 391 upper-level U.S. Government
Spring 2013 POSC MAJOR COURSE OFFERINGS:
See your course catalog for descriptions of these courses.
Core courses
GPOSC 200 Global Politics
GPOSC 225 U.S. Government {3 sections}
GPOSC 225H Honors U.S. Government
POSC 201
Western Political Theory
POSC 230
International Relations {2 sections]
POSC 240
Comparative Politics
POSC 295
Research Methods {3 sections}
POSC 492
Senior Seminar in Political Science {5 sections}
U.S. Government Courses
POSC 302
State and Local Government
POSC 326
Civil Rights
POSC 362
Political Behavior
POSC 380
The U.S. Presidency
POSC 384
Minority Group Politics
POSC 386
The U.S. Judiciary
POSC 472
Media and Politics {3 sections]
Comparative Courses
POSC 344
Politics of the European Union
POSC 345
Politics of Western Europe
POSC 353
African Politics
POSC 371
Topics in Comparative Politics : Post-Conflict Societies
International Relations Courses
POSC 370
U.S. Foreign Policy
{NOTE: During the initial registration period for spring 2013, section 2 of POSC 370 is only open to INTA
majors.}
POSC 361
Topics in International Relations – Counterterrorism
POSC 396
International Organizations
POSC 435
International Terrorism
POSC 458
International Political Analysis
Political Theory Courses
POSC 315
Early Modern Theory