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On This Page
New Bachelor's Degree
Old Bachelor's Degree
Advising and Mentoring
How to major in Poli Sci
How to minor in Poli Sci
Financial Aid
Other Steps to Success
Undergraduate Resources
Items of Interest
Related Page
Financial Aid
External Link
UH-M Study
Abroad Center
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Undergraduate Program in Political Science
A major in Political Science offers you the benefits of a liberal arts
education. The knowledge, perspectives, and skills you acquire from your
courses can enable you to get a variety of jobs in government, education,
business, and community organizations.
Our educational mission is less to help students serve those who wield
power than to assist them in developing the skills for evaluating the
performances of authority figures and powerholders wherever they are--in
the government, business, Department, or the home. Other skills consist
of imagining, creating, and testing alternative ways of acting and being.
New Bachelor's Degree Requirements
(You qualify under these requirements if you declared your major after
May 2002)
To major in Political Science students
must complete at least 27 semester hours, with a grade of C or above.
At least 24 of these credits must be POLS 399 or lower. You must take:
- 3 credit introductory course at the 100 or 200 level
- 9 credit hours from courses distributed as follows: POLS 335; either
POLS 305 or POLS 315; and either POLS 375 or POLS 385
- 3 credit POLS 390 (Methodology) course
- 9 credit hours from any other 300 level courses
- at least 3 credit hours from a CAPSTONE400 level course (POLS 401-406)
To minor in Political Science students must complete 15 credit
hours from the 300 level or above, including one course from POLS 305,
POLS 315, POLS 335, POLS 375 or POLS 385.
Students should choose one of the 100 or 200 level political science
courses as part of their General Education Core in social sciences, since
a 100 or 200 level course is prerequisite for 300 level courses.
During their Senior year at UH-Manoa, Political Science majors will take
their choice of one three-credit course in which they draw upon and extend
their knowledge about politics to pursue a significant research project,
teaching experience, and/or community activity. The research experience
will enable students to write a scholarly paper of potentially publishable
quality. The teaching experience will enable students to offer a college-level
course to fellow students. The community experience will enable students
to develop significant leadership and organizational skills and to participate
in an important political organization in their community.
Majors must take one CAPSTONE course (POLS 401-406), and they may take more
than one if they choose. Options include the following.
Research:
- Senior Seminar (POLS 406). Advanced inquiry into a selected question
or area in Political Science. Each semester's class will reflect that
instructor's area of specialization. Students will write a major research
paper.
- Senior Thesis (POLS 404). Students will work with an advisor of their
choice in designing and carrying out an individual research project.
Can be completed within the Honors Program.
- Graduate Seminar: Students who take a graduate seminar in Political
Science will complete 3 credits and fulfill their capstone requirements.
Teaching (POLS 401--Teaching Political Science):
- Freshman Seminar. Selected students will design and teach their own
section of PolS 110, under the supervision of a faculty member.
- Freshman Seminar on-line. Two students will work with Dr. Jim Dator
to teach Pol Sci 171, Introduction to Future Studies, on the Internet
- Teaching IR. Two students will work with Dr. Richard Chadwick to teach
PolS 320, Global Politics/International Relations.
Community action/field work:
- Legislative Internship (POLS 402). Students will be placed with a state Legislator and will work full-time in her/his office to gain an understanding of Hawai'i state politics and to develop skills in policy analysis, organizational practices, and community leaderships. Offered each spring. (Students receive 15 credits for this full-time internship).
- Community Internship (POLS 403). Students spend 8-10 hours/ week working with a community organization or agency to gain an understanding of local political practices and community activities. (Students normally receive 3 credits for this internship )
Old Bachelor's Degree Requirements 
(You qualify under these requirements if you declared your major before
May 2002)
To major in Political Science students must complete 27 credit
hours including
- 18 credits at 300 level or above
- Any 100 or 200 level POLS course
- POLS 335 and 390 (used to be 300 and 310)
- Two courses from POLS 315, 385, 305, 381, 375, 383, 301 (used to be
320, 330, 340, 350, 360, 370, and 380)
[Note: Due to the new curriculum, POLS 305,
315, 375 and 385 will be taught more frequently than 301, 381, or 383]
To minor in Political Science students must complete 15 credit
hours at the 300 level or above, including one course from POLS 315, 385,
305, 381, 375, 383, 301 (used to be 320, 330, 340, 350, 360, 370, and
380).
Advising/Mentoring
Our program places a premium on faculty-student contact. We call our
advising program mentoring and we make a commitment to see each
undergraduate student at least one time per semester for a conference.
Mentors will be assigned when you declare a major.
How to Major in Political Science
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Step One
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Pick up a Declaration of Major Form in Saunders 640 or Arts and
Sciences Advising at Hawaii Hall 114.
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Step Two
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Make an appointment to see the undergraduate advisor or a faculty
member of your choice to get it signed. The undergraduate chair
is Professor Ira Rohter.
There are two other advisors and most faculty
can also assist you.
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Step Three
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Fill out the form and bring it to the appointment with the faculty
member or advisor so they can sign it. Return the completed form
to Hawaii Hall 108.
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Note
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You don't need permission to change majors. Just get a new form
and the needed signatures as in steps one, two, three.
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How to Minor in Political Science
Pick up a Declaration of Minor form, and repeat steps one, two, three
above.
Undergraduate Awards, Scholarships,
and Financial Assistance
Thomas H. Hamilton Scholarship-$150 for a student
with outstanding scholarship and all-around performance who has completed
at least two courses in political theory.
Philip E. Jacob Award-$500 for the outstanding
graduating senior in political science.
Carl F. Knobloch Award-$100 for a student with
an excellent academic record who also has an outstanding record of community
and/or University service.
Richard Kosaki Awards-$250, first prize; $150,
second prize; $100, third prize, for excellence in research, based on
papers written as part of political science course work.
As of November, 1995, undergraduate majors with a cumulative
grade point average of 3.5 or above are eligible for tuition waivers
which are awarded each semester. This is subject to change.
To be on the Dean's List, you must have a cumulative grade
point average of at least 3.5 and carry 12 credit hours.
Several awards are given by the Department each spring
for outstanding research, scholastic achievement, and/or contributions
to the Department, University, and/or community. These awards consist
of both money and honor. There are also University-wide awards made
in the spring for which you are eligible to compete. See notices in
the Undergraduate Lounge for details.
Other Steps to Success
See an Arts and Sciences Advisor in Hawaii Hall to check on your core
and language requirements, and any other graduation requirements. Don't
hesitate to consult your political science advisors and Arts and Sciences
advisors to make sure you are on track or to help sort out any problems
you are having with the system's rules.
Undergraduate Advising Form for Political
Science Majors
Your friends and peers are among the best resources you will have. Most
instructors urge cooperative learning so study together, compare experiences,
pool your knowledge, but write your own papers.
You are urged to attend Department meetings and serve on the committees
which make decisions on the curriculum and other Department issues that
affect you. You are also urged to exercise your vote in local and national
elections. Wiki-wiki voter self-registration materials are in the Undergraduate
Lounge.
Other Items of Interest
There are Departmental colloquia held nearly every week from 2:30-4:00,
usually in Saunders 637. A wide variety of interesting topics is covered
by speakers from the Department as well as other parts of the world. We
urge you to attend some of them as part of your education in political
science.
Occasionally, we have Department parties on Friday afternoons. They are
complete with food and drink and are usually held to celebrate something
like a new faculty member, a holiday, or Friday itself. They are pot-luck
and you are invited.
Available in PDF format
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