Advising and Resources
Advising in Political Science
Academic advising for undergraduate students in the Department of Political Science is coordinated by the POLS Academic Advisor.
All incoming first-year and transfer students are assigned to the POLS academic advisor. All rising juniors and seniors are also assigned a faculty advisor. Regardless of class level or assigned advisor, all students are welcome to make an appointment with the POLS academic advisor via the Nexus scheduling app.
Fall 2020 Advising
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most advising appointments will take place virtually using Webex. Students can schedule 30-minute advising appointments using Nexus. For students living on campus and/or taking in-person classes, in-person appointments are available on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
For quick questions regarding add/drop, schedule adjustments, and signatures, please email suzanne.waterman@uconn.edu.
POLS Academic Advisor
Suzanne Waterman
Office Location: Oak 409B
suzanne.waterman@uconn.edu
Contact Regarding:
- General Education and major requirements
- Course planning and registration
- Transfer credit re-evaluations
- Education Abroad course alignment
- Academic support and educational opportunities
- Career and graduate school plans
- Crime and Justice Minor questions
- Honors Advising
POLS Advising Resources
Important Dates
Fall 2020
- Monday, August 31: First day of Fall 2020 classes
- Monday, September 7: Labor Day (no classes)
- Monday, September 14: Last Day of Add/Drop in Student Administration
- Monday, September 21: Last day to make up Spring 2020 incomplete grades
- Friday, September 25: Last day to apply for and submit a final plan of study for December 2020 graduation (seniors only)
- Monday, October 26: Winter and Spring 2021 Registration Opens
- Monday, November 2: Last day to drop a Fall course for a “W” grade
- Friday, November 20: Extended Deadline: Last day to put a class on pass/fail
- November 22 - 28: Thanksgiving Recess
- Friday, December 11: Last day of Fall classes
- December 14 - 20: Finals
Internships
The Department offers several internship opportunities where students can get hands-on experience in politics and government at the local, state, and national levels. Find out more about specific programs and requirements on our Beyond the Classroom page.
POLS 2998 courses will count towards the major and minor and will meet subdivisions as listed below. POLS 2998 courses will not show in the subdivisions assigned on your advisement report. Please keep track of the subdivisions on your plan of study.
Spring 2021
| Instructor | Title | Description | Subdivision |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ahmed Zaki | Comparative Law and Society (W Course) | Comparative Politics | |
| Anievas | IR Theory and Rise of the West | What is often referred to as ‘the West’ has been the dominant power in world politics in the modern epoch. It was, however, not always like this. The ‘rise of the West’ was a historical process that was far from inevitable. The primary purpose of this course is to familiarize students with this history and the dominant theoretical frameworks that seek to explain it. To this end, the course will introduce students to a wide range of literatures and debates concerning the ‘rise of the West’ and, relatedly, the global origins and expansion of capitalism and the making of the modern international system. While focusing in particular on the field of International Relations, the course materials will also draw on various contributions from the classical social theory tradition, historical sociology and world history. | International Relations |
| Best | Politics in the Time of Trump | American Politics | |
| Dudas | Heroes and Villains in American Politics (W Course) | An exploration of how conventional understandings of heroism and villainy influence American politics and, reciprocally, how reigning trends in American politics influence widely shared conceptions of heroism and villainy. | American Politics |
| Gercek | Social Contract Theory and its Critics (W Course) | Theory and Methodology | |
| Grande | Black and Indigenous Theories of Resurgence and Liberation (W Course) | Race, Gender, and Ethnic Politics | |
| Hettinger | Gender and the Law | Public Administration, Policy, and Law | |
| Kelly | Surveillance of the Politics of Visibility (W Course) | In this course students will explore two distinct but intersecting themes: The “expansion of surveillance in U.S. society” and “the politics of visibility” that have accompanied this expansion. This course begins with a consideration of the theoretical foundations for understanding the cultural, social, and political impacts of surveillance. A central focus of the course will be on the role that surveillance plays in making things, people, and issues either more or less visible. Topics to be discussed include: national security, crime control, artificial intelligence, big data, income and racial inequality, and environmental justice. Students will be expected to come to class prepared to discuss and analyze the readings. Grading will be based on weekly reading question response, seminar participation, a draft paper, and a final paper. | Public Administration, Policy, and Law |
| Sterling-Folker | Nationalism and World Order (W Course) | Comparative Politics | International Relations |
| Venator | Constitutional Dictatorship | Comparative Politics | Public Administration, Policy, and Law |
| Venator | Puerto Rican Catastrophe | Comparative Politics | Race, Gender, and Ethnic Politics |
Fall 2020
| Instructor | Title | Subdivision |
|---|---|---|
| Ahmed Zaki | Gender and Politics in the Middle East (W Course) | Comparative Politics |
| Best | The 2020 Elections | American Politics |
| Gercek | Rethinking Collectivity | Theory and Methodology |
| Grande | COVID19, Indigeneity, Race and Racialization (W Course) | Race, Gender, and Ethnic Politics |
| House | National and Cyber Security | International Relations |
| Ladewig | The 2020 Presidential Election (W Course) | American Politics |
| Morrell | Political Theory and Popular Music | Theory and Methodology |
| Pressman | Contemporary Affairs in the Middle East | International Relations |
| Schurin | Critical Elections in US History (W Course) | American Politics |
| Sylvester | Politics of Memorializing War and Peace (W Course) | International Relations |
| Venator | Legal Histories Research (W Course) | Public Administration, Policy, and Law |
Spring 2020
| Instructor | Title | Subdivision |
|---|---|---|
| Ahmed Zaki | Comparative Government and Politics in the Middle East | Comparative Politics |
| Bergendahl | CT General Assembly (internship participants only) | Public Administration, Policy, and Law |
| Bergendahl | Women and the Law | Public Administration, Policy, and Law |
| Besso | Political Crises in American Politics | American Politics |
| Best | Politics in the Times of Trump | American Politics |
| Dudas | Heroes and Villains in 21st Century Politics | American Politics |
| Kashwan | Indian Politics and Economy | Comparative Politics |
| Kelly | Politics of Surveillance and Visibility | Public Administration, Policy, and Law |
| Perkoski | Rebel Group Dynamics | International Relations |
| Venator | The Puerto Rican Catastrophe | Race, Gender, and Ethnic Politics |
Fall 2019
| Instructor | Title | Subdivision |
|---|---|---|
| Beltran-Alvarez | Political Thought of the Margins | Theory and Methodology |
| Bergendahl | Criminal Justice in Practice | Public Administration, Policy, and Law |
| Best | Politics in the Time of Trump | American Politics |
| Doukas | Families, Intimacy, and the Political State | Theory and Methodology |
| Ladewig | Making the Modern American Presidency | American Politics |
| Ladewig | Congressional Apportionment and Redistricting | American Politics |
| Perkoski | Technology and Security | International Relations |
| Pressman | Protest in the United States | American Politics |
| Scruggs | Experiments and Experimental Design in POLS | Theory and Methodology |
| Simien | Historic Firsts in US Elections | American Politics |
| Sylvester | Politics of Memorializing War and Peace | International Relations |
| Venator | Totalitarianism and Latino American Political Thought | Race, Gender, and Ethnic Politics |
| Venator | Constitutional Dictatorship | Public Administration, Policy, and Law |
| Zaki | Comparative Gender Politics | Comparative Politics |
Spring 2019
| Instructor | Title | Subdivision |
|---|---|---|
| Anievas | IR Theory and the Rise of the West | International Relations |
| Bergendahl | CT General Assembly | Public Administration, Policy and Law |
| Dyson/Perkoski | Nuclear Security | International Relations |
| Gordon | Black Political Thought | Theory and Methodology |
| Gray | Gender and Reproductive Law and Politics | Public Administration, Policy and Law |
| Gupan | Globalization in the Age of the Internet | International Relations |
| Herrera | Environmental Justice | Comparative Politics |
| Hettinger | Political Inquiry | Public Administration, Policy and Law |
| Nunnally | Race, American Politics, and Public Policy | Race, Gender, and Ethnic Politics |
| Perkoski | Technology and Security | International Relations |
| Scruggs | Science, Technology, and the Public Interest | Comparative Politics |
| Tiky | Democratization and Development | Comparative Politics |
Fall 2018
| Instructor | Title | Subdivision |
|---|---|---|
| Bergendahl | Legal Reasoning and Writing | Public Administration, Policy and Law |
| Best | Politics in the Times of Trump | American Politics |
| Dudas | Heroism and Villainy in 21st Century Politics | American Politics |
| Gordon | Historical Women Political Thinkers | Theory and Methodology |
| Ladewig | Making the Modern American Presidency | American Politics |
| Ladewig | Congressional Apportionment and Redistricting | American Politics |
| Nunnally | Race, American Politics, and Public Policy | Race, Gender, and Ethnic Politics |
| Richards | International Relations and Film | International Relations |
| Schurin | Critical Elections | American Politics |
| Zirakzadeh | Comparative Democracy | Comparative Politics |
Spring 2018
| Instructor | Title | Subdivision |
|---|---|---|
| Anievas | IR Theory and the Rise of the West | International Relations |
| Bergendahl | Criminal Justice in Practice | Public Administration, Policy and Law |
| Bergendahl | CT General Assembly | Public Administration, Policy and Law |
| Best | Politics in the Time of Trump | American Politics |
| Dyson | Screen Politics: Televised Political Fictions | |
| Herrnson | How to Fix Elections | American Politics |
| Ladewig | Modern American Presidency | American Politics |
| Murray | Nuclear Weapons and US National Security | |
| Perkoski | Technology and Security | International Relations |
| Schurin | Critical Elections in U.S. History | American Politics |
| Zirakzadeh | Democracy in Comparative Perspective | Comparative Politics |
Fall 2017
| Instructor | Title | Subdivision |
|---|---|---|
| Bergendahl | Moot Court | Public Administration, Policy and Law |
| Bernstein | America’s Wars in Asia, Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan | American Politics |
| Best | Politics in the Time of Trump | American Politics |
| Gordon | Settler Colonialism / Indigenous Thought and Practice | Theory and Methodology |
| Herrnson | American Politics in the Movies | American Politics |
| Ladewig | Congressional Apportionment and Redistricting | American Politics |
| Ladewig | Making the Modern American Presidency | American Politics |
| Perkoski | Militant Group Dynamics | International Relations |
| Venator Santiago | U.S. Citizenship Law | Public Administration, Policy and Law |
Students may take all 2000-level or higher courses in the following subject areas. Any course in these departments that is cross-listed with POLS will count towards the major and not as a related course.
- ANTH - Anthropology
- ECON - Economics
- GEOG - Geography
- HIST - History
- HRTS - Human Rights
- PHIL - Philosophy
- PP - Public Policy
- SOCI - Sociology
Courses from the following list (or their W variant) and other courses as approved by advisor:
AASI 2030: Art, Politics, and Propaganda
AFRA 3211: Introduction to Africana Studies
BADM 3720: The Legal & Ethical Environment of Business
BLAW 3175: Legal & Ethical Environment of Business
BLAW 3660: International Business Law
COMM 2310: Media Literacy and Criticism
COMM 3100: Persuasion
COMM 3103: Motivation and Emotion
COMM 3200: Interpersonal Communication
COMM 3300: Effects of Mass Media
COMM 3321: Latinas and Media
COMM 3400: Mass Media & Political Process
COMM 3440: Communication Law & Policy
COMM 3450: Gender and Communication
COMM 4100: Advanced Persuasion and Communication
COMM 4120: Communication Campaigns & Applied Research
COMM 4200: Advanced Interpersonal Communication
COMM 4250: Communication in Conflict Management
COMM 4410: Government Communication
COMM 4420: Communication & Change
COMM 4422: Protest & Communication
COMM 4450: Global Communication
COMM 4451: Media, State, & Society
COMM 4460: Cross-Cultural Communication
COMM 4630: Communication Technology and Social Change
COMM 4820: Public Relations
ENGL 2605: Capitalism, Literature, and Culture
ENGL 3619: Topics in Literature & Human Rights (HRTS 3619)
ENGL 3265: Seminar in American Studies (AMST 3265W)
ENGL 3633: The Rhetoric of Political Discourse in Literature and Society
FREN 3224: Issues in Cultural Studies, the Media, & the Social Sciences
FREN 3274: French Cultural Studies
GERM 3251: German Culture and Civilization
HDFS 3110: Social and Community Influence on Children in the US
HDFS 3249: Gender and Aging
HDFS 3520: Legal Aspects of Family Life
HDFS 3530: Public Policy and the Family
HDFS 3540: Child Welfare, Law and Social Policy
HDFS 3550: Comparative Family Policy
INTD 2245: Introduction to Diversity Studies in American Culture
JOUR 2001W: Newswriting II
JOUR 3000: Public Affairs Reporting
JOUR 3002: Journalism Ethics
JOUR 3020: Journalism Law
LLAS 3210: Contemporary Issues in Latino Studies
LING 2850: Introduction to the Sociolinguistics of the Deaf Community
LING 3610: Language and Culture
LING 3110: Experimental Linguistics
LING 3850: Cultural and Linguistic Variation in the Deaf Community
LING 3510Q: Syntax and Semantics
PSYC 2100Q: Principles of Research in Psychology
PSYC 2101: Introduction to Multicultural Psychology
PSYC 2501: Cognitive Psychology
PSYC 2600: Industrial/Organizational Psychology
PSYC 2700: Social Psychology
PSYC 2701: Social Psychology of Multiculturalism
PSYC 3100: The History & Systems of Psychology
PSYC 3102: Psychology of Women
PSYC 3103: Motivation and Emotion
PSYC 3106: Black Psychology
PSYC 3402: Child Development in Sociopolitical Context
PSYC 3600: Social-Organizational Psychology
SPAN 3204: Language and Culture of US Hispanics
SPAN 3205: Contemporary Spanish America
URBN 3000: Urban Anthropology
URBN 3276: Urban Problems
WGSS 2105: Gender and Science
WGSS 2124: Gender and Globalization
WGSS 2263: Women and Violence
WGSS 2267: Women and Poverty
WGSS 3042: Baseball and Society: Politics, Economics, Race, and Gender
WGSS 3105: The Politics of Reproduction
WGSS 3253: Gender Representations in US Popular Culture
WGSS 3255: Sexual Citizenship
WGSS 3264: Gender in the Workplace
WGSS 3269: Women’s Movements
WGSS 3270: Masculinities
Pre-Law Advising
UConn's Pre-Law Center is committed to helping students and alumni prepare for law school and legal careers. They offer events and workshops to help students get a sense of what it means to be a lawyer. They also help students with the law school application process by reviewing personal statements and resumes, providing information about various schools and programs, and assessing competing offers of admissions.
Learn more on the Pre-Law Center's website.
Professional Development and Careers
Visit our Careers and Outcomes page to learn about possible careers in political science and to find a list of professional development resources for undergraduate students.
UConn Minors
While not required to graduate, a minor will complement your political science major and allow you to explore other interests. View a list of UConn minors on the Undergraduate Catalog website.
More University Resources
Academic Achievement Center: Assists students in attaining their academic and personal goals by providing a comprehensive, personalized array of programs, resources, and services which enhance skill development, effective decision-making, and personal transitions to and within the university setting.
Center for Students with Disabilities: Engages in an interactive process with each student and determine appropriate accommodations on an individualized, case-by-case, class-by-class basis.
CLAS Academic Services Center: Coordinates all academic advising for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Student Health and Wellness: Offers a variety of virtual mental health services for students with an existing relationship with the center, students who are seeking new services, and students experiencing a mental health crisis or emergency.
Education Abroad: Coordinates study abroad programs for students in all majors and all Colleges.
Student Activities: Provides programs and services that promote student self-governance, respect for diversity, civic responsibility, and lifelong learning.
Forms
For more advising forms, visit the CLAS Academic Services Center's website.
Plans of Study
Transfer Credit Evaluation Form
Learn Through Experience
As part of the College of Liberal arts and Sciences (CLAS), your political science education connects you to countless opportunities to grow through hands-on experiences. Whether you participate in an internship, research, or education abroad, you’ll apply what you learn in the classroom and gain transferable skills that prepare you for any career.
View POLS Internships and Organizations