Welcome to the CSULA Political Science Department

Faculty and students of the Department of Political Science engage in teaching and learning -- critically and systematically -- about government, politics, public affairs, and public policy in the United States and the world. Political Science courses embrace elements of the liberal arts, social sciences, and citizen education. We offer pre-professional education for a variety of careers in government, non-profit organizations, and business, as well as for admission to graduate and law school. The Department provides four options for our majors: General Political Science; Global Politics; Prelegal Studies; and Public Administration. We also offer minors in General Political Science, Prelegal Studies, Public Administration, and Global Politics to students majoring in other subjects.

The Department of Political Science offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs to prepare students for professional careers in public service, law, international relations, and teaching, and for more effective civic participation.

Chair of the Department
Prof. Scott Bowman
Office:    E&T A526
Phone:   (323) 343-2248
E-mail:   sbowman@calstatela.edu

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What Do Political Scientists Do?
Political Science is the study of politics, including political institutions, political behavior, and the making and implementation of public policy in settings varying from international to local. It is both a science and an art, in the sense that the art of governing is central to political science, but the discipline has taken on many of the methods and characteristics of a science in the last three decades.

Political scientists study: American politics Comparative politics (politics of other nations) International relations Public law (the judicial system and basic laws that govern how our government acts) Political theory (the development of ideas and concepts about politics and government) Public administration (how governments administer programs) Public policy (how programs and policies are formulated, implemented and evaluated), and World politics

In broad terms, political scientists focus on the social processes that determine who gets what, when, and how. Political scientists study elite and mass behavior, conventional and unconventional participation, as well as political economy at the global, regional, national, and subnational levels. Political scientists conduct research about political parties, interest groups, public opinion, voting, and judicial, legislative and administrative behavior. They also study the impact of public policy and the implications of political institutions and behavior.

Our Mission

• To engage in the systematic study of and teaching about conventional and unconventional politics in order to help students and the community learn about the world of politics, public affairs, public institutions, and public policy as well as the resources and analytic skills with which they can critically and systematically explore this world on their own.
• The Department's mission embraces elements of liberal arts, the social sciences, and citizen education. Because the Department's students vary in economic status, ethnic background, age, experience, and educational objectives, an essential component of the Department's mission is to develop courses and programs that respond to this diversity by offering students a broad background in the knowledge and skills essential to citizenship as well as pre-professional education in preparation for a variety of careers or for graduate and professional school.
• As part of a public institution of higher education, the Department's faculty recognize their obligation to the community as researchers, advisors, consultants, and participants as well as their duty to encourage students to become involved in public service as volunteers and interns.
• Research and scholarship informs both our teaching and public service and thus is an essential element in our mission. Through our research, we endeavor to advance knowledge in the disciplines of political science, public administration, and international relations and to disseminate that knowledge to our professional peers, colleagues, students, and community.
  

Scholarships
The Department, through the University Student Financial Services Office, recommends the award each year of several Hector Elizalde and Ake Sandler Scholarships to outstanding undergraduate and graduate students. You apply for the scholarships each fall through the financial aid office. There are also the John Houk and William Lloyd Scholarships for graduate students in history or political science. Again, you apply through the financial aid office.

Current information about special scholarships and internships.

The University's Office of Graduate Studies and Research has forms, financial aid information, thesis policies, policies regarding travel support for students attending conferences, and other information specifically for prospective and current graduate students.

Employment Opportunities
After graduation, political science majors are employed in almost every part of the public and private sectors. Some graduates go to law school or accept positions with government at the federal, state, or local level -- the traditional goals of political science majors -- but many go into business, the arts, public relations, teaching American and comparative politics in secondary schools, campaign consulting, urban and regional planning, or journalism. Others pursue any of the other careers common to liberal arts majors. All of them have one things in common: they like politics and find it fascinating.

Currently Cal State LA graduates occupy positions in the public sector at the federal, state, and local levels, including the immediate past (until 2007) Fire Department Chief for the City of Los Angeles, several city managers (including the retired Long Beach city manager, currently managing the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority), city managers and department chiefs for other cities around the state, and other administrative and managerial positions. Political Science majors from Cal State LA have recently gone to graduate school at UC Santa Barbara and UC Riverside, as well as at Brown University, Claremont Graduate School, Florida State University, the University of Southern California (USC), Emory University in Atlanta, and the University of Texas at Austin.

For more on Political Science careers, see Prof. Lim's careers and internships page and the Careers in Politics page from the Politix group. For careers in Public Administration, please see Dr. Freyss, or visit: http://www.naspaa.org/students/careers; http://www.jobs.icma.org; or http://www.nonprofitjobscoop.org.


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