School of Politics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs

 POLITICAL SCIENCE PROGRAM

https://pppa.wsu.edu/undergraduate-studies/b-a-in-political-science/  

Courses in political science are offered in political institutions (presidency, congress, the courts, political parties, mass media), public policy formation and evaluation, public law, civil liberties, international relations (foreign policy, security studies, conflict resolution), comparative government (area studies, post-industrial societies, cross-national comparisons), political philosophy and methodology.

The School of Politics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs (PPPA) offers courses of study leading to the degrees of Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Master of Arts in Political Science (General), Master of Arts in Political Science (with a Graduate Certificate in Global Justice and Security Studies), and Doctor of Philosophy.

The undergraduate programs in Political Science are designed to prepare students to be more thoughtful consumers and producers of information related to political phenomenon in the U.S. and in other nations.

Student Learning Outcomes

More specifically, the school's programs teach students to:

• Be able to use creative thinking, critical thinking and sound reasoning with respect to political and policy-related questions, including the use of the principles of the scientific method to enhance and create knowledge.   
• Be able to understand and use qualitative, quantitative, and mixed research methods and be able to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of methods for assessing various political and policy-related questions.   
• Be able to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of political and policy-related subjects, including the relevance of political science to contemporary, real-world problems.
• Be able to identify, evaluate, use responsibly, and share data and information regarding a political or policy-related question. 
• Be able to effectively communicate through written, oral, and other media as appropriate for the audience and purpose. 
• Be able to understand, respect, and engage with others of similar and diverse cultures, values, and perspectives.

Options within the B.A. in Political Science:  General Option, Prelaw Option, and Global Politics Option

General: The General Option in the Political Science B.A. provides diverse training in American politics, comparative and international politics, policy and public administration, and a wide range of elective courses in political science.

No specific major is required to be eligible for law school, but political science is widely recognized as an excellent academic preparation for law school. The CAS Prelaw Advising Center assists all students interested in law school regardless of their intended major.

Pre-Law: The Political Science Prelaw Option is designed to prepare students for law school and eventual careers in law. This curriculum reflects recommendations of the Association of American Law Schools.

Global Politics: This option emphasizes comparative and international politics and includes an international experience that can be fulfilled through study abroad, an international internship, a minor in a foreign language or global studies, or ROTC.

Government is the nation's largest employer. Many public officials are political science graduates. The school advises students concerning training and career opportunities in federal, state, and local governments, the Foreign Service, and related occupations. Its internship programs place students in public agencies, political parties, and similar organizations. The school also encourages and advises students on study abroad as part of preparing for careers in international affairs.

Preparation for Graduate Study

https://pppa.wsu.edu/graduate-studies/

Students with some undergraduate course work in political science while majoring in such subjects as economics, business administration, history, criminal justice or sociology may readily pursue graduate study in political science. Undergraduates at other institutions or in other programs at this institution who contemplate graduate work in this program should acquire some training in political science. For graduate study and its graduate degree programs, our students currently choose from one major foundational training area within which they will focus for their preliminary exams (Institutions and Processes; Behavior and Psychology; Theory and Philosophy), as well as a specialization field (American politics; Global politics; Public Policy/Public Administration). 

PHILOSOPHY PROGRAM

https://pppa.wsu.edu/undergraduate-studies/b-a-in-philosophy/

The Philosophy program in the School of Politics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs offers courses in which students discuss fundamental intellectual questions and both classical and contemporary attempts to address them. What makes for a morally right act or a just society? What sorts of things can we really claim to know? What is mind, and what is its relation to matter? Are we really capable of free choice or is our every act determined by past events? These are the kinds of questions that are addressed by philosophers.

Philosophy students acquire knowledge of ethics, logic, political philosophy, philosophy of religion, epistemology, metaphysics, and other areas that provide excellent intellectual foundations for careers in law, government service, education, ministry, and many other fields. This is reflected in the fact that philosophy majors, on average, perform better than any other major on professional and graduate school admission tests that are required for admission to law school, medical school, business administration programs, and graduate school.

The study of philosophy enables students to explore critically a variety of systems of beliefs and values, to identify and challenge the foundations of their own beliefs and values, and to develop critical thinking and communication ­ skills that are in high demand and central to success in all professions.

The School of Politics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs offers programs of study leading to the Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy (in either the General Option or the Pre-Law Option) and the Graduate Certificate in Bioethics.

Student Learning Outcomes

More specifically, the school's programs teach students to:

•  
• Be able to use critical and creative thinking skills with respect to philosophical topics, and be able to construct reason-based arguments in support of one’s positions.
• Be able to develop an integrative understanding of the sciences and humanities.   
• Be able to identify and clarify key issues and questions in theoretical and real-world contexts.
• Be able to demonstrate a basic understanding of the philosophical canon and critical thinking/logic frameworks. 
• Be able to apply critical thinking frameworks and argument analysis to identify, locate, and evaluate sources when doing group work and independent research. 
• Be able to effectively communicate through written, oral, and other media as appropriate for the audience and purpose. 
• Be able to understand, respect, and engage with others of similar and diverse cultures, values, and perspectives. 

Options within the B.A. in Philosophy: General Option and Prelaw Option

General: The General Option provides broad training in philosophy, including an emphasis on the history of philosophical thought.

Pre-Law: The Philosophy Pre-Law Option is designed to prepare students for law school and eventual careers in law. This curriculum emphasizes ethics, political philosophy, and critical thinking, and it reflects recommendations of the Association of American Law Schools. Students choosing other school options are also eligible to attend law school if they meet admission requirements, but philosophy is widely recognized as an excellent academic preparation for law school.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS

https://cas.vancouver.wsu.edu/public-affairs

The Public Affairs degree is offered at the undergraduate level exclusively on the WSU Vancouver Campus.  The Bachelor of Arts in Public Affairs (BAPA) seeks to develop critical thinking about political and social values and develop the ability to conduct objective analysis of public infrastructures and bureaucratic processes. The degree program is designed to educate people for service in public and nonprofit agencies and to prepare students for graduate or law school. In addition to core courses, students complete a concentration in public policy and politics, public administration and management, or justice studies. The program's multidisciplinary perspective provides for the blending of theory, methodology, and experience in an academically rigorous degree format.

Student Learning Outcomes

Studying Public Affairs enables students to become ethical, engaged and competent professionals, in public administration, public management and public policy. Graduates from our programs are well prepared for careers in public service at the local, state, national or global levels, or for pursuing further studies. The program offers an intersection between rigorous academic research and practical application. Our goal is to foster evidence-based reasoning and practice on the part of those working for the public good, including students, community members, legislators, practitioners, scholars, and issue stakeholders.

Students in public affairs are expected to demonstrate learned capacity in the universally required competencies of the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) as appropriate for the student’s level of study (i.e. undergraduate or graduate). NASPAA’s universal required competencies include the following:

• To lead and manage in public governance; 
• To participate in and contribute to the policy process;
• To analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems and make decisions;
• To articulate and apply a public service perspective; and
• To communicate and interact productively with a diverse and changing workforce and citizenry.