Political and Civic Engagement Minor

Political Science and International Relations

Open to students from any major, this 18-credit-hour minor provides students an active experiential program focused on effective and sustained community engagement. Students design a program that mixes experiences in the following areas: skills/practicum, internships/study abroad, and community-based research practicum.

Note: None of these courses can also be counted to meet the requirements for the major in Political Science.

Required Courses (6 hours)

Take two of the following:

PS 1005 - Introduction to American Politics 3 credit hours
PS 4275 - NGOs and Non-Profits 3 credit hours
PS 3340 - Political Campaign Management. 3 credit hours
PS 3550 - Democratic Participation and Civic Advocacy 3 credit hours

Electives (12 hours)

Choose 12 hours from the following courses. Please note that most courses may be repeated for credit. Also, several 3 hour internships with different experiences are more valuable than one or two 6 hour internships–discuss this with the department internship coordinator.

NOTE: A maximum of 6 hours for any one of these internships may be counted toward the minor (if the internship is for 9 or 12 hours, it may be possible to apply the additional hours to your major-discuss this with your faculty advisor).

PS 2100 - Legal Courtroom Procedure 1 credit hour
PS 2110 - Moot Court 1 credit hour
PS 2120 - Mediation Procedure 1 credit hour
PS 2130 - Model United Nations and Crisis Simulation 1 credit hour
PS 3780 - Study Abroad 3 to 6 credit hours
PS 4040 - Pre-Law Internship 3 credit hours
PS 4270 - Political Campaign, NGO, and Interest Group Internship 1 to 12 credit hours
PS 4280 - The Washington Experience 12 credit hours
PS 4290 - Public Service Internship 1 to 12 credit hours
PS 4360 - Legislative Internship 3 to 12 credit hours
PS 4950 - Community-Based Research Practicum 1 to 6 credit hours
EXL 2030 - Civic Engagement Practicum 1 credit hour
EXL 3020 - Leadership Studies Practicum 1 to 3 credit hours
EXL 3030 - Civic Engagement Practicum 1 to 3 credit hours
EXL 4000 - Experiential Learning Seminar 1 credit hour