C-ID Descriptor
Introduction to Political Science

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1. Political science as a field of study and scholarly community.
2. Key concepts in political science, such as nations, states, power, institutions, and political behavior.
3. Introduction to the methods of political science.
4. Political theory and ideologies.
5. Comparative politics, including types of governments, institutional arrangements, and political processes.
6. International relations, including theories, actors, and levels of analysis.
7. Professional and career opportunities for political science majors

N/A

At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

1. Explain the development of political science and its subfields.
2. Identify the key concepts in political science.
3. Evaluate and analyze normative and empirical approaches.
4. Identify and analyze basic political systems and their differences.

May include as appropriate:

In-class or take-home examinations
Research papers or projects
Written assignments
Analytical papers
Simulations
Oral presentations
Participation in class discussions and debates

Any college-level introduction to political science textbook including, but not limited to

Danzinger. Understanding the Political World: A Comparative Introduction to Political Science

Van Belle and Mash.  A Novel Approach to Politics: Introducing Political Science through Books, Movies, and Popular Culture

Grigsby.  Analyzing Politics: An Introduction to Political Science

Magstadt. Understanding Politics: Ideas, Institutions and Issues

Roskin, Cord, Medeiros, and Jones.  Political Science: An Introduction

Sell. Introduction to Politics. https://socialsci.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Political_Science_and_Civics/Book%3A_An_Introduction_to_Politics_(Sell)

Simon, Douglas W., Joseph Romance, and Neal Riemer. 2018. The Challenge of Politics: An Introduction to Political Science. CQ Press.

Van Belle and Mash.  A Novel Approach to Politics: Introducing Political Science through Books, Movies, and Popular Culture

Whitman Cobb, Wendy N. 2019. Political Science Today. SAGE Publications.

May also include supplementary materials such as, but not limited to, primary sources, readers, etc.