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Government Major – Bachelor of Arts

Program Competencies

Students are expected to possess:

  1. The ability to exhibit knowledge of political conditions within the United States including the working of formal and informal institutions and the role of conflict, special interest, power and inequities in the policy making process.
  2. An understanding of the political systems in other countries, the relations between countries and the functioning of international institutions. This is the basis for comparative study and evaluation of the United States political system.
  3. The ability to analyze the impact of government policies on social and economic conditions in the United States and other countries.
  4. The ability to recognize and value the varied nature of the human condition across individuals and culture groups through the practice of political analysis.
  5. The ability to use methods of political investigation, to conduct original studies, and to present findings from those investigations in written and oral formats.
  6. The ability to access and use electronic databases, information sites, and various online resources.

Assessment

  1. Capstone course
  2. Major Field Achievement Test
  3. Preliminary assessment administered in GOVT 289 — Methods of Political Inquiry

Program Requirements (Government Major)

General Education

GOVT 230Introduction to Comparative Politics

3
GOVT 499CSenior Seminar

3
Total Credit Hours:36

Refer to the General Education section for a complete listing of general education requirements for the University.

Major Requirements

Required Introductory Courses

GOVT 141United States Government

3
GOVT 180Introduction to Political Theory

3
GOVT 242State and Local Government

3
GOVT 262U.S. Foreign Policy

3
GOVT 289Methods of Political Inquiry

3
Total Credit Hours:15
GOVT 289 must be completed within the first 75 hours.

Advanced Elective Course

GOVT 399Special Topics in Government

3
Total Credit Hours:3

Advanced Subfield Courses

Choose one course in each of the five subfields:

1. American Politics
GOVT 342The American Presidency

3
GOVT 343Political Parties and Elections

3
GOVT 344Kentucky Government

3
GOVT 347American Public Policy

3
GOVT 349African-American Politics

3
GOVT 351Public Administration

3
GOVT 353Public Personnel Administration

3
GOVT 354Congress and the Federal Bureaucracy

3
GOVT 356Federalism and the Constitution

3
GOVT 358National Security Strategy

3
GOVT 410Seminar in American Politics

3
GOVT 451Seminar in Bureaucracy and Public Management

3
Total Credit Hours:3
2. Political Philosophy
GOVT 302Politics and the Good Life

3
GOVT 305Political Behavior

3
GOVT 312Western Political Thought

3
GOVT 314American Political Thought

3
GOVT 316Modern Ideologies

3
GOVT 317Feminist Political Thought

3
GOVT 318Twentieth Century Political Thought

3
GOVT 319Islamic Political Thought

3
GOVT 440Seminar in Political Theory

3
Total Credit Hours:3
3. Comparative Politics
GOVT 301Comparative Politics of Development

3
GOVT 303Comparative Constitutional Law and Politics

3
GOVT 304Politics of Transition

3
GOVT 329North American Politics: United States and Canada

3
GOVT 330Parliamentary Democracies

3
GOVT 331Politics of the Middle East and North Africa

3
GOVT 332Politics of Latin America and the Caribbean

3
GOVT 333Politics of Sub-Saharan Africa

3
GOVT 334Russia and Eastern European Governments

3
GOVT 337Politics of Asia

3
GOVT 339Comparative Foreign Policy

3
GOVT 379Evolution of the U.S. Intelligence Community

3
GOVT 384Intelligence Analysis

3
GOVT 386Comparative Counterterrorism

3
GOVT 430Seminar in Comparative Politics

3
Total Credit Hours:3
4. International Relations
GOVT 360United Nations and World Organizations

3
GOVT 362Current World Problems

3
GOVT 364International Relations

3
GOVT 367Politics of International Economic Relations

3
GOVT 368Human Rights and Global Justice

3
GOVT 382Intelligence Process

3
GOVT 383Counterintelligence

3
GOVT 385Terrorism and Political Violence

3
GOVT 420Seminar in International Relations

3
Total Credit Hours:3
5. Public Law
GOVT 321Constitutional Law: Governmental Powers

3
GOVT 322Courts and Civil Liberties

3
GOVT 324Environmental Law and Policy

3
GOVT 328Law, Government and Privacy in the Computer Age

3
GOVT 452Seminar in Public Law

3
Total Credit Hours:3

Minor

All majors must also include a minor or additional major. See Terms to Know.

Total Credit Hours:21

Free Electives

Total Credit Hours:30

Total Credit Hours: 120