Skip to main content
MenuSearch & Directory

Political Science, Minor

To earn a minor in political science at Saint Louis University, students complete six courses with 18 credits of coursework.

In the general minor, students take three courses in each of the four major subfields of political science (American politics, comparative politics, international relations and political thought) for a total of nine credits. Students also take three political science electives for an additional nine credits of coursework.

In the specialized minor, students take three courses from just one of the subfields, as well as nine credits of political science electives.

No more than six credits of transfer credit and no more than three credits of internship can count toward the minor.

Students can choose between a general or a specialized minor.  No one class can fulfill more than one requirement within the minors.

General Minor

Select one course from three of the four subfields: American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Thought. 9
Select three Political Science electives in any subfield.9
Total Credits18

Specialized Minor

Select three courses from a single subfield: American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, or Political Thought.9
Select three Political Science electives in any subfield.9
Total Credits18

American Politics Courses

POLS 1100
Introduction to American Government
POLS 1105
POLS 1150
American Political Systems
POLS 1300
Introduction to Law
POLS 2100
The American Constitution
POLS 2140
The American Presidency
POLS 2150
Race and Politics
POLS 2160
Campaigns and Elections
POLS 2200
State and Local Politics
POLS 2220
Urban Politics
POLS 2300
Public Administration
POLS 2350
Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll: Morality Politics in the United States
POLS 2820
American Foreign Policy
POLS 3100
Judicial Politics
POLS 3110
American Political Movements
POLS 3130
Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
POLS 3140
Public Opinion and Mass Communication
POLS 3150
American Presidential Elections
POLS 3250
American Politics and Film
POLS 3300
U.S. Public Policy
POLS 3330
Metropolitan Environment
POLS 3340
Foundations of Law
POLS 3350
Church and State
POLS 4120
Civil Rights: A Moot Court Seminar
POLS 4126
Sexuality and the Law
POLS 4131
Race, Class, and Punishment
POLS 4140
Political Parties
POLS 4150
Gender and Politics
POLS 4170
Electoral Politics
POLS 4171
Law, Policy, Society
POLS 4300
Law, Politics, and Regulatory Policy
POLS 4325
Public Sector Budgeting
POLS 4340
Issues in Public Policy
POLS 4360
Urban Economic Development

Comparative Politics Courses 

POLS 1500
Introduction to Comparative Politics
POLS 1510
Politics of the Developing World
POLS 1540
Blood and Money: Ethnic War
POLS 2510
European Politics
POLS 2520
Introduction to African Politics
POLS 2530
Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics
POLS 2550
Political Systems of the Sub-Sahara
POLS 2560
The Politics of Asia
POLS 2570
Introduction to Latin American Politics
POLS 2590
Politics of the Middle East and North Africa
POLS 3500
East Asian Political Economy
POLS 3520
Communism, Capitalism and Social Justice
POLS 3567
Political Development in Contemporary Spain
POLS 3810
Latin American-U.S. Relations
POLS 4500
Russian Political Culture
POLS 4520
Political Change
POLS 4530
Authoritarian Politics: Rigging Elections and Clinging to Power
POLS 4590
Crisis of Leadership

International Relations Courses  

POLS 1600
Introduction to International Politics
POLS 2600
Introduction to International Political Economy
POLS 2640
International Terrorism
POLS 2691
Theory and Practice of Human Rights
POLS 2820
American Foreign Policy
POLS 3600
Problems of Globalization
POLS 3620
International Organization and the Management of World Problems
POLS 3630
International Security and Conflict Resolution
POLS 3640
International Law
POLS 3650
International Relations of Africa
POLS 3810
Latin American-U.S. Relations
POLS 4610
International Relations: Theory and Practice
POLS 4630
The European Union: Politics and Political Economy
POLS 4650
War, Peace, and Politics
POLS 4662
International Challenges
POLS 4692
Theories of World Politics

Political Thought Courses

POLS 1700
Foundations of Political Theory
POLS 2700
Fundamental Issues in Political Philosophy
POLS 2710
Theories of Justice
POLS 2720
American Anomaly: American Political Institutions in Comparative Perspective
POLS 3710
Ancient and Medieval Classics in Political Thought
POLS 3720
Renaissance and Modern Political Theories
POLS 3740
Capitalism, Racism, Patriarchy: Theorizing Structural Power
POLS 3750
The Modern Democratic State
POLS 3760
The Politics of Pope Francis
POLS 3770
Feminist Theory: Gender Justice
POLS 4710
Citizenship and Social Difference
POLS 4730
Seminar: Contemporary Political Ideologies
POLS 4740
Marx's CAPITAL
POLS 4750
American Political Thought

Continuation Standards

Students in the political science minor must maintain a 2.00 grade point average (GPA) in political science coursework.

Students can complete all or part of the political science minor at SLU’s campus in Madrid.

Learn More