The Power, Justice, and Democracy concentration is designed to help students develop the knowledge and skills to analyze the connections between power, authority, and democratic processes. It is designed to help students to pursue careers in the non-profit sector, legal profession, and political activism. Students will learn about the politics of power, the creation of (in)justice in government and politics, and theories of democracy, among other topics. Power, Justice, and Democracy students are strongly encouraged to complete an internship to gain practical experience working in the field.
Learning Objectives
Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:
- Reason through political claims and assertions by political actors.
- Recognize and respond to diverse ideological perspectives.
- Locate political issues and controversies within their relevant institutional and historical contexts.
- Demonstrate familiarity with the institutional processes of politics in numerous global and domestic political arenas.
- Demonstrate confidence in expressing opinions and presenting analyses of political problems and their solutions.
- Demonstrate confidence in evaluating the exercise of power in democratic settings.
- Articulate political science theories of justice and injustice.
To change your Major to Political Science, you can either call the College of Liberal Arts Academic Advising Center at 970-491-3117 or send an email to cla_advising@colostate.edu. More information is available on https://advising.libarts.colostate.edu.
Effective Spring 2025
Political science majors must achieve a minimum grade of C (2.000) in each of the political science (POLS) courses counted toward meeting the requirement of the major. Students may enroll in either the standalone major or (at most) one of the concentrations under the Major in Political Science.
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| AUCC | Credits | ||
| CO 150 | College Composition (GT-CO2) | 1A | 3 |
| POLS 101 | American Government and Politics (GT-SS1) | 3C | 3 |
| POLS 272 | Politics of Power, Justice, and Democracy (GT-SS1) | 1C | 3 |
| Arts and Humanities | 3B | 6 | |
| Biological and Physical Sciences | 3A | 4 | |
| Historical Perspectives | 3D | 3 | |
| Quantitative Reasoning | 1B | 3 | |
| Electives | 5 | ||
| Total Credits | 30 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| POLS 232 | International Relations (GT-SS1) | 1C | 3 |
| POLS 241 | Comparative Government and Politics (GT-SS1) | 1C | 3 |
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | ||
| Writing Arguments (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||
| Writing in the Disciplines: Arts and Humanities (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||
| Writing in the Disciplines: Sciences (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||
| Writing in the Disciplines: Social Sciences (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||
| Writing in the Disciplines: Education (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||
| Writing in Digital Environments (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||
| Strategic Writing and Communication (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||
| Specialized Professional Writing | 2 | ||
| International Relations, Comparative Politics, Public Policy and Administration/American Politics and Law (300-level courses only; see list below)1,2 | 3 | ||
| Support Option (see list below) | 3-12 | ||
| Biological and Physical Sciences | 3A | 3 | |
| Electives | 6-15 | ||
| Total Credits | 33 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Political Theory (select one course from the following): | 3 | ||
| History of Political Thought | 4A,4B | ||
| Contemporary Political Theories | 4A,4B | ||
| Democratic Theory | 4A,4B | ||
| American Political Theories | 4A,4B | ||
| International Relations, Comparative Politics, Public Policy and Administration/American Politics and Law (courses not previously taken; see list below)2,3 | 3-6 | ||
| Power, Justice, and Democracy (courses not taken previously; see list below)1,2 | 3-6 | ||
| Support Option (see list below) | 6-12 | ||
| Electives4 | 3-15 | ||
| Total Credits | 33 | ||
| Senior | |||
| POLS 4925 | Capstone Seminar | 4A,4B,4C | 3 |
| Power, Justice, and Democracy (courses not taken previously; see list below)1,2 | 3-6 | ||
| Support Option (see list below) | 6-12 | ||
| Electives4 | 6-15 | ||
| Total Credits | 24 | ||
| Program Total Credits: | 120 | ||
International Relations, Comparative Politics, Public Policy and Administration, American Politics and Law Course List
| Code | Title | AUCC | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Select 6 unique credits (including at least one course from any two of the subfields listed below), taken in the sophomore, junior and/or senior years. 2,3 | |||
| International Relations | |||
| POLS 331 | Politics and Society Along Mexican Border | 3 | |
| POLS 332/ECON 332 | International Political Economy | 3 | |
| POLS 362 | Global Environmental Politics | 3 | |
| POLS 431 | International Law | 3 | |
| POLS 433 | International Organization | 3 | |
| POLS 435 | United States Foreign Policy | 3 | |
| POLS 436 | Comparative Foreign Policy | 3 | |
| POLS 437 | International Security | 3 | |
| Comparative Politics | |||
| POLS 341 | Western European Government and Politics | 3 | |
| POLS 345 | Russian, Central, and East European Politics | 3 | |
| POLS 347 | Comparative Authoritarianism | 3 | |
| POLS 441 | Comparative Indigenous Politics--Americas | 3 | |
| POLS 442 | Environmental Politics in Developing World | 3 | |
| POLS 443 | Comparative Social Movements | 3 | |
| POLS 444 | Comparative African Politics | 3 | |
| POLS 445 | Comparative Asian Politics | 3 | |
| POLS 446 | Latin American Politics | 3 | |
| POLS 447 | Politics in Mexico, Central America, Caribbean | 3 | |
| POLS 448 | Comparative Racial/Ethnic Politics | 3 | |
| POLS 449 | Middle East Politics | 3 | |
| American Politics and Law | |||
| POLS 302 | U.S. Political Parties and Elections | 3 | |
| POLS 303 | Politics of Organized Interests | 3 | |
| POLS 304 | Legislative Politics | 3 | |
| POLS 305 | Judicial Politics | 3 | |
| POLS 306 | Executive Politics | 3 | |
| POLS 307 | Media and Politics | 3 | |
| POLS 308 | Political Psychology | 3 | |
| POLS 309 | Urban Politics | 3 | |
| POLS 405 | Race and Ethnicity in U.S. Politics | 3 | |
| POLS 409 | Urban and Regional Politics | 3 | |
| POLS 410 | American Constitutional Law | 3 | |
| POLS 413 | U.S. Civil Rights and Liberties | 3 | |
| Public Policy and Administration | |||
| POLS 351 | Public Administration | 3 | |
| POLS 361 | U.S. Environmental Politics and Policy | 3 | |
| POLS 364 | Air, Climate, and Energy Policy Analysis | 3 | |
| POLS 460 | Public Policy Process | 3 | |
| POLS 462 | Globalization, Sustainability, and Justice | 3 | |
| POLS 463 | Urban Policy and Management | 3 | |
| A maximum of six credits from the following may be used from the following courses: | |||
| Washington DC Semester Seminar | |||
| Practicum: Legislative Politics | |||
| Practicum: Government | |||
| Internship – Washington DC Semester | |||
| Washington DC Semester Colloquium Group Study | |||
Power, Justice, and Democracy Course List
| Code | Title | AUCC | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Select 12 unique credits (courses taken here must be different than those taken to fulfill "International Relations/Comparative Politics/Public Policy and Administration/American Politics and Law" requirements) 1,2 | |||
| POLS 332/ECON 332 | International Political Economy | 3 | |
| POLS 367 | Power, Equity and Inclusion in Env Justice | 3 | |
| POLS 405 | Race and Ethnicity in U.S. Politics | 3 | |
| POLS 413 | U.S. Civil Rights and Liberties | 3 | |
| POLS 421 | Contemporary Political Theories | 3 | |
| POLS 422 | Democratic Theory | 3 | |
| POLS 441 | Comparative Indigenous Politics--Americas | 3 | |
| POLS 443 | Comparative Social Movements | 3 | |
| POLS 462 | Globalization, Sustainability, and Justice | 3 | |
Support Option
Political Science majors must complete one of the following five Support Options.
Minor or Interdisciplinary Minor Support Option
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select a minor or interdisciplinary minor in consultation with advisor. | 21-24 | |
Student-Selected Course Group Support Option
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| A program of courses proposed by student and approved by advisor containing a minimum of 21 credits, of which at least 12 must be upper-division (300- to 400-level). | 21 | |
Second Major Support Option
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select a second major in consultation with advisor. This option may require as much as 36 credits. Credit range shown is approximate, and may require more or less, depending on the second major chosen. | 27-36 | |
Foreign Language Support Option
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| A minimum of 5 courses totaling at least 15 credits in a single foreign language, including at least 2 courses of language instruction or in the language at the upper-division level. | 15-22 | |
Methods Support Option
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Methods Support Option | 21 | |
| POLS 320 | Empirical Political Analysis | 3 |
| STAT 301 | Introduction to Applied Statistical Methods | 3 |
| Select two from the following: | 6 | |
| History and Philosophy of Scientific Thought (GT-AH3) | ||
| Philosophy of Behavioral Sciences | ||
| Logic and Scientific Method | ||
| Select one from the following: | 3 | |
| Sampling Techniques | ||
| Statistical Data Analysis I | ||
| Statistical Data Analysis II | ||
| Select two from the following: | 6 | |
| Method in Cultural Anthropology | ||
| Introduction to Econometrics | ||
| The Power of Numbers--Statistics in Sociology | ||
| Sociological Research Methods | ||
- 1
Select a minimum of 12 upper-division (300- to 400-level) credits. Sophomores may take only 300-level courses from this section.
- 2
Courses selected to fulfill the "International Relations/Comparative Politics/Public Policy and Administration/American Politics and Law" requirements may not also fulfill "Power, Justice, and Democracy" requirements, and vice versa.
- 3
Sophomores are advised to only take only 300-level courses from this list.
- 4
Select enough elective credits to bring the program total to a minimum of 120 credits, of which at least 42 must be upper-division (300- to 400-level).
- 5
Students must complete one upper-division course in each of four of the five departmental subfields (American Politics, Political Theory, International Relations, Comparative Politics, and Public Policy and Administration) prior to taking POLS 492.
Distinctive Requirements for Degree Program:
Political science majors must achieve a minimum grade of C (2.000) in each of the political science (POLS) courses counted toward meeting the requirement of the major. Students may enroll in either the standalone major or (at most) one of the concentrations under the Major in Political Science.
Upper-Division course in at least four subfields of political science required to register for POLS 492.
| Freshman | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| CO 150 | College Composition (GT-CO2) | X | 1A | 3 | |
| POLS 101 | American Government and Politics (GT-SS1) | X | 3C | 3 | |
| Arts and Humanities | X | 3B | 3 | ||
| Biological and Physical Sciences | X | 3A | 4 | ||
| Elective | X | 2 | |||
| Total Credits | 15 | ||||
| Semester 2 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| POLS 272 | Politics of Power, Justice, and Democracy (GT-SS1) | 1C | 3 | ||
| Arts and Humanities | X | 3B | 3 | ||
| Historical Perspectives | X | 3D | 3 | ||
| Quantitative Reasoning | X | 1B | 3 | ||
| Elective | X | 3 | |||
| CO 150 must be completed by the end of Semester 2. | X | ||||
| Total Credits | 15 | ||||
| Sophomore | |||||
| Semester 3 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| POLS 232 | International Relations (GT-SS1) | X | 1C | 3 | |
| Support Option (See option list on Concentration Requirements Tab) | X | 3-12 | |||
| Biological and Physical Sciences | X | 3A | 3 | ||
| Electives | X | 6 | |||
| Total Credits | 18 | ||||
| Semester 4 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| POLS 241 | Comparative Government and Politics (GT-SS1) | X | 1C | 3 | |
| Select one course from the following: | X | 3 | |||
| Writing Arguments (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||||
| Writing in the Disciplines: Arts and Humanities (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||||
| Writing in the Disciplines: Sciences (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||||
| Writing in the Disciplines: Social Sciences (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||||
| Writing in the Disciplines: Education (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||||
| Writing in Digital Environments (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||||
| Strategic Writing and Communication (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||||
| Specialized Professional Writing | 2 | ||||
| International Relations, Comparative Politics, Public Policy and Administration/American Politics and Law (See Department list on Concentration Requirements tab) | X | 3 | |||
| Electives | X | 6 | |||
| Total Credits | 15 | ||||
| Junior | |||||
| Semester 5 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| International Relations, Comparative Politics, Public Policy and Administration/American Politics and Law (courses not previously taken; see list on Concentratiom Requirements tab) | X | 3-6 | |||
| Power, Justice, and Democracy (courses not previously taken; See Department list on Concentration Requirements Tab) | X | 3-6 | |||
| Support Option (See Option list on Concentration Requirements tab) | X | 3-6 | |||
| Electives | X | 0-9 | |||
| Total Credits | 18 | ||||
| Semester 6 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| Political Theory (select one course from the following: | X | 3 | |||
| History of Political Thought | 4A,4B | ||||
| Contemporary Political Theories | 4A,4B | ||||
| Democratic Theory | 4A,4B | ||||
| American Political Theories | 4A,4B | ||||
| Support Option (See Option list on Concentration Requirements tab) | X | 3-6 | |||
| Electives | X | 3-6 | |||
| Total Credits | 12 | ||||
| Senior | |||||
| Semester 7 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| Power, Justice, and Democracy (courses not taken previously; see list on Concentration Requirements tab) | X | 3-6 | |||
| Support Option (See Option list on Concentration Requirements tab) | X | 3-6 | |||
| Electives | X | 0-6 | |||
| Total Credits | 12 | ||||
| Semester 8 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| POLS 492 | Capstone Seminar | X | 4A,4B,4C | 3 | |
| Support Option (See Option list on Concentration Requirements tab) | X | 3-6 | |||
| Electives | X | 6-9 | |||
| The benchmark courses for the 8th semester are the remaining courses in the entire program of study. | X | ||||
| Total Credits | 15 | ||||
| Program Total Credits: | 120 | ||||