Politics and Government, B.A.

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The undergraduate major in politics and government is the study of policy, government, and law. Its object is understanding of the processes by which power, authority, influence, control, freedom, wealth, and other political resources are competitively pursued, captured, and distributed; the conversion of these political resources into public policies; the institutionalization of these policies into government; and the authoritative statement, administration, and enforcement of policies by government as law. The balance struck by any political system, between the distribution of sacrifices or costs it exacts and its distribution of benefits, affords a basis for evaluating the legitimacy or justice of its policies.

Politics is the competitive pursuit of scarce social values in the public, as opposed to the private, sector. Government emphasizes the common interests of a citizenry and the means for solving collective problems through formal decision-making institutions.

From ancient Athens to the present, politics and government has been taught to kings and princes to enable them to rule others. It has been taught to free citizens to enable them to govern themselves. It is, therefore, one of the oldest keys to understanding the alternatives of human subjugation or freedom and, as such, is essential to truly liberal (liberating) education.

Political scientists ask not only “what is” but also “what ought to be.” Combining considerations of fact and values, the study of politics and government is thus valuable as a training in citizenship, indispensable as a training for government. It also prepares for careers in teaching, politics, journalism, law, and in the representation of public or private interest at all levels of policy making.

The curriculum of politics and government at the University of Hartford is organized into five areas .

General Education Requirements (A&S)

In addition to major requirements, students must meet the General Education Requirements that correlate to their degree.

For B.A. and B.S. degrees, see General Education Requirements for the B.A. and B.S. Degrees (A&S) .
For Transfer students, see General Education Requirements for Transfer Students (A&S) .

Major GPA and Grade Requirements

Students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.0 in courses required to complete the major. All courses required for the major must be taken for a letter grade.

Requirements for the Major

Required credits: 37

Required Courses

POL 110 - Power and Politics in America 3 credit(s) OR
POL 120 - Comparative Politics 3 credit(s) OR
POL 130 - International Relations 3 credit(s)
POL 200W - Politics 3 credit(s)
POL 201 - Conduct of Political Inquiry 4 credit(s)
POL 400 - Capstone Seminar 3 credit(s)

Elective Areas (24 credits)

Distributed as follows:

Area distribution: A course in at least four of the five POL areas
Level distribution: At least 15 POL credits at the 300 or 400 level

Note(s):

The same course may count toward both the area and the level distributions.

Additional Information:

All courses required for the major must be taken for a letter grade and may not be taken on a Pass/No Pass basis, with the exception of up to 3 credits earned for Politics and Government department internship.

Recommendations for majors:

POL 100 and POL 200W should be taken in the first or second year.
POL 201 should be taken in the second year.
The general education mathematics requirement should be fulfilled with M 114 - Everyday Statistics .