UIS Graduate and Undergraduate Catalog
Academic Year 2004 - 2005

POLITICAL STUDIES
Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, Undergraduate Minor

Faculty Larry Golden, James Hanley, Hugh Harris, Tim Miller, Christopher Mooney, Calvin Mouw, Kent Redfield, Stephen Schwark, Robert Sipe, Pinky Wassenberg
Associated Faculty Peter Boltuc, Heather Dell, Barbara Hayler
Emeritus Faculty Craig Brown, Naomi B. Lynn, Jack Van Der Slik
Adjunct Faculty William G. Hall, Ronald Michaelson

Contact: (217) 206-6646
pos@uis.edu or www.uis.edu/politicalstudies

Illinois is a state with a strong agricultural economy, a diverse industrial base, and one of the nation's more interesting political cultures. Located in Springfield, the hub of Illinois political activity, UIS is able to provide a laboratory for the study of state and local government and politics.

UIS students encounter political science in a setting where practical politics brings theoretical studies to life. Opportunities for experiential learning are available through the legislative applied study term for undergraduate majors and through internships and assistantships for graduates. By using electives in particular areas of public policy and professional studies, students are able to develop research skills and acquire broad academic backgrounds reflecting the rich political resources readily available in the capital city.

Students are encouraged to participate in special activities related to their course of study. The political studies program is strongly involved in Model Illinois Government and, with faculty and students in international studies, in Model United Nations. Students and faculty in political studies also regularly attend several public affairs conferences.

The Bachelor's Degree
A major in political studies provides students with a systematic knowledge of political life, helping them evaluate public issues and make decisions through a balanced program of study in which philosophical, empirical, and policy concerns complement one another. The political studies curriculum offers a flexible course of study that provides a solid foundation for a career in law, politics, public service, research, or teaching.

The program is strong in the study of American national and state politics, politics and law, political philosophy, and political behavior. Individual faculty have special competencies in such topics as policy analysis, voting behavior, legislative politics, civil liberties, political philosophy, public administration, and the role of symbols in politics. Faculty are also active in the UIS Center for Legal Studies and the Illinois Legislative Studies Center and participate in several internship programs sponsored by UIS.

Entrance Requirements
While the political studies program has no special entrance requirements beyond those required for admission to UIS, it is assumed that students will have had college-level study in political science. Students entering the program without preparation in political science should consult a program adviser before registering for their first semester.

Communication Skills
Both the study and the practice of politics require that students/citizens speak, write, and read well. These skills are also critical for successful careers in government, law, and business.

In view of this, all political studies students are required to take part in the assessment of their communication skills in their first semester. As a part of assessment in the major, political studies faculty also monitor student communication skills in all program courses. Students with deficiencies are assisted by the faculty or are directed to the Center for Teaching and Learning.

Advising
Entering students are assigned an initial faculty adviser when they declare political studies as their major field of study. After their first semester, when they are acquainted with the faculty and are more knowledgeable about the program and the campus, students may wish to select permanent advisers. The course of study for the B.A. is planned jointly with the academic adviser, so students should consult with their advisers before each registration and from time to time during the term.

Applied Study Term
One distinct advantage of the program is its location in Springfield, affording opportunities to participate directly in politics, especially during the applied study term. Cooperation between UIS and governmental and private agencies provides many opportunities for experiential learning in public affairs research and politics. Of special note is AST 303 Legislative Applied Study Term, which places students as assistants to legislators in the Illinois General Assembly every spring semester.

UIS Requirements
Students are required to complete a minimum of 12 semester hours of UIS requirements in the areas of liberal studies colloquia, public affairs colloquia, and applied study. These hours must include at least four hours in each of at least two of these areas. Students majoring in political studies satisfy these requirements by taking eight hours of applied study and four hours of liberal studies or public affairs colloquia. If a student has a good reason for a different distribution of the 12-hour requirement, he or she may claim an exception to the rule by petitioning the political studies program.

Program Requirements
Undergraduate majors must take the four foundation courses: POS 301 Introduction to Political Studies, POS 325 Introduction to Political Philosophy, POS 371 Introduction to Comparative and International Politics, and POS 451 Empirical Political Analysis. Students who believe that they have had a comparable course at their four-year or community colleges may petition the program to waive the course requirement. Students are encouraged to take the foundation courses, including POS 451, in the first semester if possible. POS 325 Introduction to Political Philosophy is a prerequisite to advanced courses in political philosophy (POS 425-435). POS 371 Introduction to Comparative and International Politics is a prerequisite to advanced courses in comparative and international politics (POS 471-478). In addition to the foundation courses, students are required to take four POS electives, thus bringing the total hours in the major to 32.

Foundation Courses
POS 301 Introduction to Political Studies 4 Hrs.
POS 325 Introduction to Political Philosophy 4 Hrs.
POS 371 Introduction to Comparative and International Politics 4 Hrs.
POS 451 Empirical Political Analysis 4 Hrs.
Total 16 Hrs.

Political studies electives 16 Hrs.
Total 32 Hrs.

UIS requirements
Applied Study Term 8 Hrs.
Liberal Studies or Public Affairs Colloquium 4 Hrs.
Total 12 Hrs.

Electives 16 Hrs.

Total 60 Hrs.

Integrated B.A.-M.A. in Practical Politics
This special curriculum is designed for undergraduates who wish to prepare for a career in practical politics. It is an accelerated program that makes it possible for a student majoring in political studies to complete both the upper-division bachelor's degree requirements and master's degree requirements in three years.

Admission to Integrated B.A.-M.A. Program
Students must first be admitted to UIS. Qualifications for admission include a GPA of at least 3.00 for all previous college work and completion of a basic course in American government or POS 200 The American Political System.

Undergraduate political studies majors may apply for admission any time before registering for the applied study term. However, interested students are encouraged to apply as soon as possible after being admitted to UIS.

Integrated B.A.-M.A. Curriculum
To ensure that students acquire the skills and knowledge needed for effective professional practice in the public sector, three additional courses are required as part of the 32-hour undergraduate major in political studies: POS 405 Illinois Government and Politics, POS 409 Political Parties and Interest Groups, and POS 451 Empirical Political Analysis.

Students must develop expertise in an area of public policy (i.e., environment, health, or finance) through two significant learning experiences. One of these must be an upper-division or graduate course. The other may be a course or experiential learning in a government position, policy research, or other practical experience in the policy area. Student plans for gaining policy expertise must be approved in advance by the B.A.-M.A. adviser.

The integrated B.A.-M.A. plan includes an enhanced applied study term that focuses on political practice. B.A.-M.A. students must have their AST placements approved by the B.A.-M.A. adviser before registering for the AST.

When the student has successfully completed the undergraduate phase of the B.A.-M.A. curriculum, he/she will be admitted to the graduate program. The required internship in the practical politics concentration will be waived -- although the student may choose to do an additional internship -- and the number of courses required for the M.A. will be reduced by two.

Political Studies Minor
To earn a minor in political studies, students must complete a minimum of 17-20 semester hours, at least eight hours of which must be upper-division course work taken at the University of Illinois at Springfield. Required hours vary depending on whether courses are taken at UIS or at a previously attended college.

Prerequisite
POS 201 The American Political System
or a comparable lower-division course in American government 4 Hrs.
POS 202 The American Legal System 4 Hrs.

Core courses
POS 325 Introduction to Political Philosophy 4 Hrs.
POS 371 Introduction to Comparative and International Politics
or a basic course in comparative politics or international relations
at the lower-division level 4 Hrs.
POS 415 The American Constitution and Constitutional Law
or POS 416 The American Constitution and Civil Liberties
or the equivalent through transfer of upper-division course work 4 Hrs.
POS Elective 4 Hrs.

The Master's Degree
The master's degree program is designed to join the basic theoretical pursuits of political science with the practical knowledge needed by effective public officials and political practitioners. The campus' location in the state capital offers a rich setting for combining theory and practice. The political studies program offers sound academic instruction in American state and national politics, public law, international relations, comparative government, and political philosophy. Program faculty augment their academic specialties with a great variety of professional and political experiences. Members of the program have served in state legislatures, as precinct committeepersons, as participants in major civil rights suits, as legislative staff aides, as policy consultants, and in other offices. The faculty encourage students to take full advantage of the academic and professional opportunities offered by UIS and the state capital.

The master's degree curriculum is organized to meet the needs of a diverse student body, offering graduate students the option to take a course of study that focuses on either the academic or practical aspect of politics. Because students enter the program with bachelor's degrees in a variety of social sciences and humanities, the M.A. curriculum is centered in several required courses that provide essential concepts and skills. For that reason, all students who have not taken an undergraduate research methods course are required to take POS 451 Empirical Political Analysis to prepare them in research and quantitative methods. A range of options in subject-matter seminars, elective courses, and internships allow students to tailor their courses of study to their individual professional aspirations. The program is particularly well organized for students who want to pursue careers in practical politics at the state level or in agencies involved in international policy making, for those who are preparing to teach, and for those who aspire to an advanced degree in political science or law.

ACADEMIC POLITICS CONCENTRATION
The political studies curriculum ensures that competence is coupled with understanding. Courses in the academic politics concentration examine political structures, historic changes in political structures and the larger human meaning of competence in the areas of electoral and legislative systems, law and civil liberties, political philosophy, international relations, and comparative politics. Students are also encouraged to seek appropriate instruction from faculty in public administration, economics, legal studies, and women's studies, among other areas.

This field is important to students who are seeking teaching careers at the secondary, community college, or university level, or who plan to study toward the doctorate. Sound academic course work and the hands-on experience are both important political science experiences for in-service teachers and for those preparing to teach. Interested students can combine course work in several subfields of particular interest to teachers of world politics, American government, Illinois history and government, and other aspects of civic education. Students may also arrange special teaching internships.

Graduate students in political studies may also shape their M.A. programs to the special requirements of advanced degrees. Students who anticipate entering law school can tailor a program that draws on the resources of legal studies. For those interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in political science, the subject-matter seminars offer graduate preparation in the standard fields required for doctoral study.

For those interested in international affairs and comparative politics, the program offers a special combination of courses and practice-related experiences. Internships are available in selected agencies of Illinois government that have international policies and programs. Because political studies is a part of the campus' interdisciplinary committee on international studies, students are encouraged to take courses on international subjects in several academic programs.

PRACTICAL POLITICS CONCENTRATION
A concentration is offered for those who wish to specialize in practical politics. Students are expected to sharpen the skills and understanding required of thoughtful and effective practitioners in elective and appointive public service. Instruction involves consultation with experienced representatives of government and government-related endeavors in the capital. Students learn political and policy research, organizing and lobbying skills, campaign techniques, and an array of analytical approaches to policy making in partisan and nonpartisan settings.

Practical knowledge is intelligence in context. All graduate students in political studies have opportunities to enhance their skill and understanding in actual political settings. The program has developed a broad range of internship experiences with legislative staffs and agencies, legislative liaisons, lobbyists, public interest groups, political consultants, and campaign organizations. These learning experiences ensure that M.A. students are effective learners both in the classroom and in the field and that they can transfer their learning from one setting to another, as the professional practice of politics requires.

Admission to the Program
The program encourages diversity among its graduate population and so admits students who have been trained in most undergraduate fields of study. For those lacking a strong undergraduate background in political science, history, or the social sciences, admission is conditional upon completion of two or more courses designated by the program committee. Prospective students who do not hold a B.A. degree should investigate the requirements for alternative admission discussed in this catalog.

Communication Skills
Successful performance in practical politics and political science requires ability to write and speak persuasively and to present sophisticated information and complex subject matter directly and plausibly. Completion of POS 501 Introduction to the Graduate Study of Politics will verify satisfaction of the communication skills requirement.

Advising
On admission to the program, students are assigned an initial adviser. After a semester a student may select his or her permanent academic adviser. This faculty member assists the student as thesis adviser, supervisor for internships and practice units, and academic counselor in devising an appropriate program of study. The adviser also monitors student progress in satisfying the requirements of the program.

Grading
Students must have a grade average of B to qualify for the M.A. degree. A maximum of eight semester hours of C may be applied toward the degree so long as each hour of C is balanced by an hour of A. In no circumstances, however, may a grade lower than B in POS 501 Introduction to the Graduate Study of Politics be counted toward the degree. For students choosing the credit/no credit option, a CR represents work equivalent to B, meaning that grades of CR may be counted toward the master's degree.

Program Requirements
The M.A. in political studies is a 40-hour program with a required 28-hour minimum of 500-level courses.

Students in established internship programs, such as the Graduate Public Service Internship or the Illinois Legislative Staff Internship, may receive credit for the program's internship requirement by completing an internship report.

Electives may be selected from a wide range of courses in political studies and related disciplines. Students may take up to 12 semester hours of 400-level courses for graduate credit. When they take 400-level courses, graduate students are held to a higher standard of performance and must complete additional requirements.

Further information on how electives, seminars, projects, and colloquia may be combined is available in the program's Handbook for Graduate Students. The handbook also identifies sets of elective courses that the program approves for students concentrating in practical politics and for those developing a course of study focusing on international studies, the Ph.D. in political science or other advanced degrees, careers in teaching, or avocations in public service. It also contains details about graduate internships.

Master's Closure Requirement
Every graduate degree candidate is required to complete a closure exercise demonstrating mastery of some area within the major field of study. Political studies students have four options for fulfilling this requirement: 1) group research project, 2) comprehensive examination, 3) master's project in practical politics, and 4) master's thesis.

Students must enroll for four hours' credit in POS 590 Closure Exercise for one of the options listed above. Except for the comprehensive examination, which must be completed in one semester, students may accrue their four hours' credit in increments. Campus policy requires that students be enrolled in at least one semester hour of master's closure exercise each semester after they have begun their graduate closure exercise until that exercise is completed. For POS students, this means that if the project/thesis is not completed by the end of the initial four hours of continuous enrollment in POS 590, students must register to audit POS 591 for one credit hour in all subsequent fall and spring semesters until the exercise is completed.

Concentration in Academic Politics 40 Hrs.
Foundation Seminars:
POS 501 Introduction