Political Science Major and Minor
Explore great, long-standing questions about power, freedom, justice and equality. Closely and systematically examine institutions and processes of government in the U.S. and other parts of the world. Step out of the classroom and gain experience through an internship or service-learning activity, then prepare for graduate or law school or an immediate start to your career in a variety of policy-oriented fields.
Why Study Political Science at Albion?
You’ll engage with questions fundamental to the academic study of politics and power relationships; questions that will expose you to multiple perspectives on the most consequential, often controversial, issues of our times: war and peace, democracy and the rule of law, global capital, human rights, the environment and more. As you develop and refine your critical-thinking skills, you will be able to better interpret your own experience of the world.
What Will You Learn as a Political Science Major or Minor?
Through your course work, you’ll understand the inner workings of governance: the political structures, institutions, processes, cultures and policies within and across nations, and how they shape—and are shaped by—political actors.
From Machiavelli and Hobbes to the Transcendentalists, Marx and 20th-century thinkers, you will evaluate complex theories and texts as part of developing valuable research skills.
And you’ll develop persuasive arguments of your own, defending them with sound evidence.
Teacher Certification with a Political Science Major
Interested in teaching? Pair your Political Science major (or minor) with an Education Concentration to be eligible for your Michigan Department of Education teaching certificate.
Highlights
Experience Opportunities
Rely on your developing skills and interests to explore a wide variety of credit-earning internship possibilities: at the Michigan statehouse, as part of a congressional staff in Washington, D.C., or a campaign team with a political marketing or strategy firm. Or take a unique class as part of the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Project. This just begins to scratch the surface of what is available to Albion students.
Off-Campus Study
Exploring immigration, public health and urban policy in Philadelphia. Volunteering in Syrian refugee camps in Greece, democracy’s historical birthplace. Albon students have made experiences like these part of their academic journey, and you can, too! From our nation’s capital and where our nation was founded to programs around the world, Albion’s Center for International Education and Off-Campus Programs will work closely with you to identify your ideal study-away opportunity.
Honors Thesis
Political science majors who are also members of the College’s Prentiss M. Brown Honors Program can construct an original research project as a capstone to their undergraduate studies at Albion. Majors not in the Honors Program can also conduct original research and graduate with Departmental Honors in Political Science. Eighty percent of Honors students go on to graduate or professional school after graduation.
