Visit the Political Science Department Web Site
Overview
As a Political Science student at Alma College, you develop skills and insights to analyze and evaluate political topics and subject matters. You also learn to think critically and to communicate effectively.
Alma’s Political Science major collaborates with Women’s Studies, Environmental Studies, Public Health, American Studies and Communication. This broad approach prepares you for specialties in graduate school, including careers in law, business and government.
Course offerings compare political systems and cultures, plus analyze world conflicts and their causes. They focus on topics in public administration, study of U.S. foreign policy and case law study of the Supreme Court’s interpretations of the U.S. Constitution.
Internship Opportunities
You can gain practical experience through internships in government, political institutions and agencies. Alma students have been placed with city managers, prosecuting attorneys, the offices of the state governor and lieutenant governor, political candidates and, in Washington, D.C., with the U.S. Asian Institute, the Republican National Committee and a United States senator.
Political Science students have recently completed internships with:
- U.S. Department of Education
- Michigan House of Representatives
- West Bloomfield Police Department
The Political Science Department is committed to preparing you for enriching experiences overseas and professions in an increasingly diverse and global society. The Department works closely with academic and academic-support units — such as the International Education Office — to promote cross-cultural understanding on the campus. Central to the Department’s mission is fostering respect for other cultures and diverse perspectives.
Special Facilities and Programs
You make use of Alma’s 242,000-volume library for research. In computer-based political science laboratory projects, you use computers for simulations and data analysis. Using simulations, you can do public opinion polling, run for president, build legislative coalitions and be a presidential advisor during the Cuban Missile Crisis. You may rely on people and agencies outside Alma’s campus to help collect data and test hypotheses.
You may also participate in the Model United Nations Program, another valuable hands-on experience. Students immerse themselves in international politics as they act as delegates from other countries. Alma’s Model U.N. teams have won top honors at the National Model U.N. conference in New York five out of the last six years.
Washington Semester Program
Alma’s Washington Semester Program provides research experience and contact with officials in the public and private sectors. Through this cooperative arrangement with American University, qualified undergraduates may study in Washington, D.C. for one semester.
Six programs, each providing a full term of credit, are offered:
- The Washington Semester in National Government
- The Foreign Policy Semester
- The Economic Policy Semester
- The Public Law Semester
- The Journalism Semester
- The Arts and Architecture Semester
The World Capitals Program provides studies in London, Bonn and Rome. Credit is awarded for student participation in seminars, internships, research and course work during Fall or Winter term.
Public Affairs Institute
If you’ve been involved in the leadership of your high school student body, served on committees or provided leadership in a community organization, a career in public affairs might appeal to you. Alma’s Public Affairs Institute offers you a productive way to explore career opportunities in public affairs.
In the Institute’s courses you consider issues, policies and decisions that affect the public interest with a focus on interactions between the private sector and government in policy making. These courses are open regardless of major.
Successful Graduates
Many of Alma’s Political Science graduates have gone on to law school; some to master’s degree programs; others — especially those completing a second major in business administration — go into business, and some go directly into political work.
