At the University of Illinois, instruction in the field of political science is divided into five areas. These are American Politics, Public Policy, Comparative Politics, Political Theory (or Political Philosophy) and International Relations. Each of these areas, or subfields, addresses some issues of political systems and political life. As students grow in their understanding and take more advanced courses, they learn how ideas, concepts and theories from one area relate to those in another.The Department of Political Science offers a major -- with choices of two concentrations -- and two different minors. There is the political science general major and minor, and there is the political science major with a concentration in civic leadership and a minor in political and civic leadership. Students will be able to apply central concepts of the scientific method to the study of politics, and demonstrate an ability to draw inferences from data.Students will have a foundational knowledge of facts, concepts, and typologies in their chosen subfield in political science. Students will be able to demonstrate basic knowledge of central theories in their chosen subfield and show how to evaluate those theories. Students will be able to define political science and its subfields, drawing contrasts with other social sciences. International relations (IR) is the study of interactions across borders of nation-states. Students explore how global, regional, and domestic factors influence relations among states as well as non-state actors across the interstate system. Students take advanced courses in two or more of the following topics: international law and organization, international cooperation, international political economy, globalization, foreign policy, diplomacy, political strategy in IR, conflict, interstate war, civil war, terrorism, global environmental politics, and international human rights.
