Political Science Assessment Site
Introduction to the Political Science Program
The political science major at Seaver College introduces students to the study and analysis of politics, governments, and the governing process. Whether it is wrangling over a new health care plan in Congress, a bitterly contested presidential campaign, or the global struggle against terrorism, the political world is complex, ever-changing, and fascinating.
About the Political Science Program
Our political science major emphasizes an integration of the theoretical work in the classroom with practical and experiential learning. Led by our renowned faculty, students learn to analyze, contextualize, and develop a balanced perspective, while thinking critically and articulating a sense of purpose and direction.
History of the Political Science Program
The political science major has existed at Seaver College since it opened on the Malibu campus in 1972. The political science curriculum always has been structured around the sub-fields of political science. Currently, the subfields of political science are understood to be: American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Theory, and Methods.
The understanding of subfields in the program’s curriculum has changed over time. Whereas five sub-fields are represented today, the program in the 1970s included 7 subfields: Political Theory, Political Dynamics, American Politics, International Relations, Comparative Politics, Public Administration and Local Government, and Public Law. In the 1970s and 1980s, students were required to take courses in 4 of these 7 subfields. Political Dynamics as a subfield was dropped following the 1987-88 academic year; during the same year, the subfield of Public Administration and Local Government was renamed as Public Administration and Public Policy. However, this subfield was no longer in academic handbooks following the 1994-95 academic year.
In addition to being structured by the Political Science subfields, the political science curriculum has been shaped by (1) worldwide, political events and (2) faculty expertise. First, the end of the Cold War changed the way that faculty design and teach Comparative Politics courses. During the Cold War, comparative politics offerings included courses regarding the first world, third world, and the communist world (second world). Following the Cold War, these courses morphed into courses about, respectively, Comparative European Politics, Government and Politics of Developing Area, and Communist and Post-Communist States. The political science faculty agreed to drop the latter from the academic catalog as of 2012, with the agreement that post-communist politics will be discussed in the program’s Comparative European Politics course (this change also reflects worldwide, political events, given that several post-communists states in Europe are now members of the European Union). Arguably other, newer courses taught at Pepperdine, such as Immigration Politics and Ethnic Relations (POLS 555), respond to changes in American and world politics.
Second, courses have been developed (and dropped) based on faculty expertise.
A final, important change to the political science curriculum is the addition of the Political Science Honors Program, which was formalized in the 2008-2009 academic catalog. The Honors program “is aimed at providing students with insight into how professional political scientists design research projects, collect and analyze data or interpret philosophical texts.” The goal of the program is produce a research product that can be presented at an academic conference and/or published in an academic venue. The Honors Program is considered a High Impact Practice (HIP).