Department of Political Science

Professor: Bertrand, Department Chair
Professor: Fabrizio

Mission and Goals:

The Department of Political Science seeks to equip majors with the intellectual tools for understanding: the political systems of the United States and other countries across the globe; the international dynamics of an interdependent world; and different philosophical perspectives on politics.

The Department of Political Science has as its main goals:

To prepare its graduates for a variety of careers emphasizing politics, policy analysis, and/or global interactions;
To prepare its graduates for advanced or professional education; and,
To equip its graduates with intellectual tools and communication skills sufficient to participate in internship and experiential learning opportunities.

Special Programs and Opportunities:

Departmental Honors. Please see the description of the McMurry University Honors Program under the Special Program section in the catalog.

APSA Department Affiliate: The American Political Science Association is the discipline’s premier organization. The Department of Political Science at McMurry University is an institutional member of APSA, which provides majors with access to a variety of publications, including how to build a career with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.

MODEL UNTIED NATIONS

The Model United Nations Program at McMurry University is an inter-disciplinary program that incorporates coursework with interactive, hands-on simulations to provide students with academic and practical learning experience.

The purpose of the Model United Nations Program is to increase students’ content learning by teaching students basic knowledge of the UN system, parliamentary procedure and diplomatic language, and countries’ foreign policies. In addition, the Model United Nations Program enhances students’ critical thinking and processing skills by focusing on: improving reading comprehension, public speaking, and cooperative learning; information analysis, synthesis and evaluation; problem-solving and negotiating strategies, and identifying and developing leadership skills.

The Model United Nations Program at McMurry University provides students with the following specific educational and experiential learning opportunities:

Model UN participants take an interdisciplinary three-credit course designed to prepare students for competition at regional and national Model UN competitions (see #2 below). Students may take this course twice for credit: Political Science majors may take the course once for credit in the major and once for upper-level elective credit; non-majors may take the course twice for upper-level elective credit.
Model UN participants compete in Model UN conferences. Preparing for competition involves research and role-playing. Students become “ambassadors” of specific countries by presenting position papers on that country’s policy preferences, caucusing, negotiating, and consensus-building with others to solve global problems. Of particular interest to students is the National Model UN Conference, held annually in New York. Participants at this conference spend part of the conference at the United Nations headquarters and meet with UN diplomats from the US and other countries.
Model UN participants engage in global community outreach by raising awareness of global problems. Ongoing outreach projects include raising awareness of the global landmine crisis and taking part in the Adopt-A-Minefield Campaign. Participants have spoken to local organizations about the landmine problem, and raised monies to clear a minefield in Cambodia.

Teacher Certification in Social Studies 7-12

*See Degree plan here
History majors selecting the minor in Social Studies with the intent of seeking additional certification in the teaching fields covered under Social Studies (i.e., government, economics, and geography) are strongly encouraged to consult closely with their advisor who will help students select specific courses that will fulfill both General Education and major and/or minor requirements under Global, Societal, and Personal Perspectives: World, and Society and Self sections. Such courses may include HIST 1310 or HIST 1320 to fulfill requirements in their major and in the General Education - World perspectives section - and HIST 2310 or HIST 2320 , and POSC 2310 or POSC 2320 to fulfill requirements in their major and in the General Education - Society and Self section. These suggestions are intended to minimize the total number of hours required to obtain said minor.

Programs

Bachelor of Arts

Political Science, BA

Minor

Courses

Political Science