POLITICAL SCIENCE
Why Political Science?
Aristotle referred to politics as the master science. The reason, he argued, is that nearly everything happens in a political context.
The study of poli
tics has evolved into the modern social science field of political science. As an academic discipline, political science developed around an intent to make systematic observations of government. The subject matter of political science, however, is more fundamental: it is the study of human nature; it is the careful examination of individuals; it is the analysis of procedure and processes; it is connected to the ongoing discussion of how societies can, and do, organize themselves.
Political science thus advances our collective understandings of politics, power, governance and public policy in the United States and across the globe. Ultimately, political science gives us the language and the tools to evaluate the world around us, from the local to the international.
The Political Scientists at Northwest
The political science faculty here at Northwest cover a wide range
of teaching and research expertise across the various subfields of political science. Areas of faculty expertise include international and comparative politics, namely of Africa and the Middle East (Dr. Brian Hesse), Constitutional law and the intersection of politics and law (Mr. Dan Smith), American political development and network theory (Dr. Kim Casey), public policy and public administration (Dr. David Jerome), political behavior, particularly LGBT politics (Dr. Jessica Gracey), international political theory (Dr. Luke Campbell), and race relations, incarceration and criminal justice (Ms. Kamala Tabor). In addition to these specific fields of teaching and research, all of our faculty are broadly trained and teach a wide variety of courses related to politics and society.
The Programs
There are two basic programs of study in political science at Northwest: the Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (B.A.) and the Bachelor of Science in Political Science (B.S.). The Bachelor of Science program offers students the opportunity to emphasize in one of three areas: criminal justice, public administration, and global affairs while the Bachelor of Arts offers a more traditional approach requiring foreign language completion.
There is also a 24 credit hour political science minor which is smaller version of the B.A. and B.S. program though still allowing for students to customize their minor with a list of approved elective courses.
Consult the Undergraduate Catalog for more specific requirements on any of the above programs or you can contact any of the political science faculty via email by clicking on the above links or you can contact us at DH Northwest.
