The Political Science minor no longer admits new students after Fall 2027 and the program will be discontinued Fall 2029. Students already admitted may only complete and be awarded this minor through Summer 2029. If you have any questions please contact the program.
This minor may only be completed by students admitted to the Elementary Education or the Elementary Education and Special Education programs. A minor is not required to complete either program.
Minors provide a depth of study in a particular area of interest and also inform classroom instruction. The completion of a minor is required to teach middle school in some states and may benefit students particularly interested in teaching at this level.
The Department of Political Science is housed in the College of Letters & Science. Students may wish to consult with an undergraduate advisor in the department to discuss course selection and other issues related to this field of study.
Upon completion, the subject area of the minor will be posted on the UW–Madison transcript. Students will not receive an additional certification or license in the subject area. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction does not offer content licenses in association with the Elementary Education or Special Education teaching licenses.
How to Get In
The Political Science minor no longer admits new students after Fall 2027 and the program will be discontinued Fall 2029. Students already admitted may only complete and be awarded this minor through Summer 2029. If you have any questions please contact the program.
This minor may only be declared by students completing the Elementary Education or the Elementary Education and Special Education programs. To declare the minor, contact your academic advisor in Education Student Services any time after program admission.
Requirements
Complete a minimum of 24 credits. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.75 is required, based on all Political Science minor coursework taken on the UW–Madison campus.
Required Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Complete any Political Science course numbered 100-199 (one course) | 3-4 | |
| POLI SCI 205 | Introduction to State Government | 3-4 |
| or POLI SCI 405 | State Government and Public Policy | |
| Research Methods | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Research Methods in Political Science | ||
| Political Data Science | ||
| Political Choice and Strategy | ||
| Analysis of International Relations | ||
| Introduction to Survey Research | ||
Distribution Requirements
Complete at least one course from each of the four political science groups. Courses taken to meet the requirements above may be applied toward the course distribution.
Political Theory
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| POLI SCI 160 | Introduction to Political Theory | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 210 | Left, Right, and Center | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 360 | The Foundations of American Liberal Democracy | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 361 | Contemporary American Political Thought | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI/CLASSICS/HISTORY 362 | Athenian Democracy | 3 |
| POLI SCI/ILS 363 | Literature and Politics | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 364 | Christian Political Thought | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI/ILS/ITALIAN/LITTRANS 365 | Machiavelli and His World | 3 |
| POLI SCI 366 | Continental Political Thought | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 367 | Humans, Animals & Machines | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 369 | Environmental Political Thought | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 460 | Topics in Political Philosophy | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI/ILS 463 | Deception and Politics | 4 |
| POLI SCI/GEN&WS 469 | Women and Politics | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI/AFROAMER 519 | African American Political Theory | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI/AFROAMER/GEN&WS/SOC 547 | Theorizing Intersectionality | 3 |
| POLI SCI 590 | Study Abroad Topics in Political Science: Political Theory | 1-4 |
American Government
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| POLI SCI 104 | Introduction to American Politics and Government | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 205 | Introduction to State Government | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 206 | Introduction to Political Psychology | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI/LEGAL ST 217 | Law, Politics and Society | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI/CHICLA 231 | Politics in Multi-Cultural Societies | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 272 | Introduction to Public Policy | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI/AFRICAN/AFROAMER/HISTORY 297 | African and African-American Linkages: An Introduction | 4 |
| POLI SCI/CHICLA 302 | Mexican-American Politics | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 304 | The Political Economy of Race in the United States | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 305 | Elections and Voting Behavior | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 306 | American Political Parties | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 311 | United States Congress | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 314 | Criminal Law and Justice | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 315 | Legislative Internship | 3 |
| POLI SCI 404 | Social Influence in Political Behavior | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 405 | State Government and Public Policy | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 408 | The American Presidency | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 411 | The American Constitution : Powers and Structures of Government | 4 |
| POLI SCI 412 | The American Constitution: Rights and Civil Liberties | 4 |
| POLI SCI 414 | The Supreme Court as a Political Institution | 3 |
| POLI SCI 416 | Community Power and Grass Roots Politics | 3 |
| POLI SCI 417 | The American Judicial System | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI/LEGAL ST 418 | Crime and Politics | 3 |
| POLI SCI/PUB AFFR 419 | Administrative Law | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 425 | The Political Psychology of Polarization | 3 |
| POLI SCI/LEGAL ST 445 | Legal Writing, from Counselor to Advocate | 3 |
| POLI SCI 470 | The First Amendment | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 481 | Honors Seminar on Race and Politics in the United States | 3 |
| POLI SCI 490 | Study Abroad Topics in Political Science: American Government | 1-4 |
| POLI SCI 511 | Campaign Finance | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 515 | Public Opinion | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI/AFROAMER 519 | African American Political Theory | 3-4 |
Comparative Politics
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| POLI SCI 120 | Introduction to Comparative Politics | 4 |
| POLI SCI 182 | Introduction to Comparative Politics (Honors) | 3 |
| POLI SCI/CHICLA 231 | Politics in Multi-Cultural Societies | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI/ASIAN/GEOG/HISTORY/SOC 244 | Introduction to Southeast Asia: Vietnam to the Philippines | 4 |
| POLI SCI/GEOG/HISTORY/SLAVIC 253 | Russia: An Interdisciplinary Survey | 4 |
| POLI SCI/GEOG/HISTORY/SLAVIC 254 | Eastern Europe: An Interdisciplinary Survey | 4 |
| POLI SCI/ASIAN/HISTORY 255 | Introduction to East Asian Civilizations | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI/AFROAMER/ANTHRO/C&E SOC/GEOG/HISTORY/LACIS/SOC/SPANISH 260 | Latin America: An Introduction | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI/AFRICAN/AFROAMER/ANTHRO/GEOG/HISTORY/SOC 277 | Africa: An Introductory Survey | 4 |
| POLI SCI/AFRICAN/AFROAMER/HISTORY 297 | African and African-American Linkages: An Introduction | 4 |
| POLI SCI 320 | Governments and Politics of the Middle East and North Africa | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 324 | Chinese Politics | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI/INTL ST 325 | Social Movements and Revolutions in Latin America | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 328 | Politics of East and Southeast Asia | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 329 | African Politics | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 330 | Political Economy of Development | 3 |
| POLI SCI 332 | German Politics | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 334 | Russian Politics | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 335 | Social Identities | 3 |
| POLI SCI 336 | Democracy (and Its Uncertain Future) | 4 |
| POLI SCI 338 | The Civil-Military Paradox in U.S. Politics and Society | 3 |
| POLI SCI 339 | Non-Democracies | 3 |
| POLI SCI/JEWISH 341 | Israeli Politics and Society | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 342 | State-Building: How States Are Formed, Function, and Influence Society | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 344 | The Russian War on Ukraine: Causes and Consequences | 3 |
| POLI SCI 349 | Global Access to Justice | 3 |
| POLI SCI/CHICLA/HISTORY/LACIS 355 | Labor in the Americas: US & Mexico in Comparative & Historical Perspective | 3 |
| POLI SCI 358 | States in the World: Comparative Foreign Policy | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 370 | Islam and Politics | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI/CHICLA/HISTORY 422 | Latino History and Politics | 3 |
| POLI SCI/GEN&WS 429 | Gender and Politics in Comparative Perspective | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI/INTL ST 431 | Contentious Politics | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI/RELIG ST 433 | Religion and Politics | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI/INTL ST 434 | The Politics of Human Rights | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI/GEN&WS 435 | Politics of Gender and Women's Rights in the Middle East | 3 |
| POLI SCI 437 | Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI/INTL ST 439 | The Comparative Study of Genocide | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 442 | Honors Seminar on State-Building | 3 |
| POLI SCI 529 | Arab-Israeli Conflict | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 635 | Comparative Politics of Sport | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 690 | Study Abroad Topics in Political Science: Comparative Politics | 1-4 |
International Relations
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| POLI SCI 140 | Introduction to International Relations | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI/CHICLA/HISTORY/LACIS 268 | The U.S. & Latin America from the Colonial Era to the Present: A Critical Survey | 3 |
| POLI SCI 340 | The European Union: Politics and Political Economy | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 343 | Theories of International Security | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 345 | Conflict Resolution | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 347 | Terrorism | 3 |
| POLI SCI 348 | Analysis of International Relations | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 350 | International Political Economy | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI/LEGAL ST 352 | Transitional Justice in World Politics | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 354 | International Institutions and World Order | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 356 | Principles of International Law | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 359 | American Foreign Policy | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 377 | Nuclear Weapons and World Politics | 3-4 |
| POLI SCI 390 | Study Abroad Topics in Political Science: International Relations | 1-4 |
| POLI SCI/ECON/ENVIR ST/URB R PL 449 | Government and Natural Resources | 3-4 |
Electives
Complete additional coursework, if necessary, to reach the minimum of 24 credits.