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Power and the people

Understanding the policies and decisions that shape your life on the local, national, and international level requires keen insight and expert analysis. The political science major at Clark helps you explore this dynamic subject across three crucial areas — American politics and public policy, comparative politics, and international relations — in the context of a foundational liberal arts education.

You’ll investigate a range of issues that reverberate within and beyond Clark’s campus, including civil liberties, human rights, elections, and globalization. In line with our focus on action-based learning, you’ll collaborate with faculty members and peers to drive positive change through your research, internships, and service projects, at home and abroad.

Requirements for:

Major

Minor

Why Study Political Science at Clark?

Engage in hands-on learning experiences like Clark’s highly successful Mock Trial team and Model United Nations program (one of the top 15 in the country), where you can compete in conferences at Yale, Harvard, Mount Holyoke, and other colleges.
Apply to participate in a faculty-led trip to Washington, D.C., to attend oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court, and meet with professionals from a range of judicial agencies and Clark alumni who are lawyers.
Apply to the department’s Harrington Public Affairs Fellowship Program, which funds several political science majors each year as they conduct original research on politics and public policy, as well as service projects.

Our Stories

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Professor wins Best Book in Latino Politics

Heather Silber Mohamed receives award from Latino Caucus

Political scientist is Clark's summit pundit

Media turn to Professor Sitaraman for North Korea analysis

Leadership summit inspires political action

Joseph Jung and Jeanne Kim to focus on registering voters

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Your Will. Your Way.

Jasper shoes leather by Derby J Conran 'Torno' Tan The Major Path

A minimum of 13 courses are required to complete the political science major. Foundational classes in research methods and political theory will show you how to articulate, evaluate, defend, and rebut answers to the questions that political scientists ask. You’ll choose a Kickers PATL Kickers PATL BLACK KFAIRY Kickers 12 BLACK 12 KFAIRY KFAIRY 5YwqwnEH (American politics and public policy, comparative politics, or international relations), taking courses from the introductory level to an advanced capstone seminar. Classes outside your subfield, as well as Economics and the World Economy and a course in history, will broaden your knowledge base. You’ll have flexibility in your course selection.

Skills you will learn include how to:

Conduct political science research using appropriate data and methods
by Derby shoes J Jasper Tan leather Conran 'Torno' Formulate a research question and a thesis statement, and write a critical literature review
Use evidence to articulate and defend arguments about the relative merits of political actions, policies, and types of political institutions
Analyze and evaluate arguments and statements made by both scholars and political actors
Communicate effectively in both written and oral form

During your junior year, you might be accepted into the political science honors program. Joining the program means you’ll work closely with a professor to create a thesis on a topic of your choice. Examples of recent honors thesis topics are:

LGBT Politics and Migration in Latin America: The Case of Argentina as a Safe Haven for Gender and Sexual Minorities
From Trials and Truth to Amnesty and Amnesia: Transitional Justice in Argentina and Spain
Anti-American Propaganda in Cuba: Stability through Fear
Theravada Buddhism’s Political Significance under the Military Junta (1992-2011) and President Thein Sein’s Democratizing Government (2011-) in Myanmar
Overriding the Tax Revolt: An Exploration of Why a Majority of the Voters in Some Massachusetts Cities and Towns Have Voted for Higher Property Taxes

The LEEP difference

An education merging knowledge, action, and impact

With Liberal Education and Effective Practice, lessons begin in the classroom but never end there. Your learning includes world and workplace experiences that forge your skills and shape your path.

Learn more

At Clark, your education extends beyond the classroom. LEEP Center advisers can help you choose from a range of opportunities that complement your coursework and put your political science knowledge into practice.

The political science major is designed to help you learn outside the classroom. Some students participate in Clark’s Model United Nations program — one of the top 15 in the country — and compete in conferences at Yale, Harvard, Mount Holyoke, and other colleges. You also might be interested in joining Clark’s Mock Trial team to gain insight into the American legal system.

Many students take advantage of internship opportunities during the academic year or over the summer to connect what they’re learning with their professional development.

Other opportunities include:

In alignment with Clark’s LEEP philosophy, participation in a Study Abroad and Away program is an opportunity to gain world and workplace experience to complement your on-campus work. Clark approves semester, yearlong, and summer opportunities to earn credit through academic coursework, internships, community-based learning, or research. Explore our Study Abroad and Away page, where you can search programs by academic interest, location, and language; after you’ve identified some appropriate programs, ensure they fit into your four-year plan by talking with your faculty adviser as early as possible.

'Torno' shoes Tan Jasper leather Derby Conran J by You can participate in Clark’s many clubs, organizations, and athletic teams to complement your academic work. Here are some student organizations that might be of interest to you as a political science student:

Internships

Local, state, federal and foreign governments, and international institutions
Office of the Mayor, City of Worcester, Mass.; Embassy of Papua New Guinea to the Americas; Bangladesh Permanent Mission to the United Nations
Think tanks
The Council on Hemispheric Affairs, Washington, D.C.; Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training, Arlington, Va.
Nonprofit organizations and public interest groups
Human Rights Watch; Boys and Girls Club of Worcester; American Civil Liberties Union
Elected officials
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren; former U.S. Senator Scott Brown; U.S. Representative Jim McGovern
Law firms and legal organizations
Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, Boston; Legal Aid for Low Income Clients, Worcester, Mass.

Clark is committed to action-based learning, which means as an undergraduate you can join faculty and graduate students in their research on democratization and political participation in developing regions, immigration policy, identity politics in the U.S., gender stereotyping and politics, arms control and international security, civil liberties, constitutional law, and more. In recent years, our students have worked as research assistants for faculty projects on sexism in U.S. election campaign advertisements, and on variations in health care coverage for infertility.

In addition, you can apply for funding to support your own research on a project of your choice during the academic year or during the summer. For example, one student conducted a comparative analysis of the asylum process in the United States and Germany, while another traveled to Myanmar to interview politicians and Buddhist monks about the changing impact of religion on that country’s politics over time. The Political Science Department’s Harrington Public Affairs Fellowship Program supports several political science majors each year as they conduct original research on politics and public policy, as well as service projects.

Present Your Research

Clark’s annual Fall Fest and Academic Spree Day are opportunities to share your research or creative work with the Clark community while you hone your presentation skills. Some projects political science students and recent alumni have presented are:

Healthcare Access in Cusco, Peru: The Urban/Rural Divide
Exploring the Use of Child Soldiers by Terrorist Groups in Mali
Africa and Institutions: South Africa’s Decision to Consider Leaving the International Criminal Court
Politico-Economic Evolution of Albania Post-Communism and Its Influence on the Present-Day Albanian Female: Analyzed Over the Eras of 1992-1997 and 1997-Present
The Arms Trade Treaty Conference: A Safer World
The Family Reunification Process for Undocumented Minors Detained at the U.S.–Mexico Border

You also can submit your research results for publication in our student-run Scholarly Undergraduate Research Journal.

At Clark you’ll get more than a great education; you’ll also be prepared for a long, productive career and life of consequence. And once you’ve completed your degree, you can join other Clark alumni who have gone on to work for great organizations and attend some of the best graduate schools in the world.

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Graduate School Placement
Graduate schools attended by political science graduates from Clark include:

George Washington University Law School, Washington, D.C.; J.D.
Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.; M.S. in foreign service
Columbia University, New York, N.Y.; M.A., School of International and Public Affairs
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md.; M.A. in global security studies
European University at St. Petersburg, Russia; M.A. in Russian and Eurasian studies

Career Outcomes

Law
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, research counsel; Rhode Island Superior Court, associate justice
Politics and government
U.S. House of Representatives, congressional member’s chief of staff; Massachusetts State House, legislative aide; Department of Housing Preservation and Development, New York, N.Y., project manager
Nongovernmental, nonprofit and international affairs organizations
United Nations Development Program, project coordinator; AmeriCares Foundation, director of Middle East and Africa partnerships; Enroll America, director of the office of the president; Credential Engine, partnership solutions lead; National Endowment for Democracy, associate director for Latin America and the Caribbean
Business
American Stock Exchange, senior vice president; Monster.com, associate manager for government solutions
Public administration, public affairs and public policy
Economic Progress Institute, policy analyst
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