Department Chair: Larry Baas , Ph.D.
Huegli Hall 308 |
219-464-5266
Larry.Baas@valpo.edu
Majors
offered:
Political Science, B.A. (three
concentrations: international relations, legal
studies, public policy and public administration)
Links
to Web sites:
Catalog: Department of
Political Science
Department of Political Science
(department
maintained)
VALPO POLITICAL SCIENCE MAJORS majors have extraordinary opportunities for hands-on learning through the Community Research and Service Center and the Community Outreach Partnership Center, as well as many internship opportunities.
What Is Distinctive About Valpo's Program?
Community
Research and Service Center (CRSC):
While
Valpo stresses normal text book learning, we
are committed to the process of community based
learning; that is, using the community as a
laboratory for learning.
The Political Science Department runs the Community Research and Service Center (CSRC). The goals of CRSC are to do research and provide service for government and not for profits in northwest Indiana and involve undergraduate students in the process. Over the past five years more than 100 students have helped with over 30 different community projects. These projects have included an analysis of the Portage Duneland Trail for the Portage Parks Department, a survey on affordable housing for the Community Development Corporation, an evaluation of the medical and day care clinics at Hilltop Neighborhood House, assistance with the development of an economic plan for the town of Hebron, and an analysis of the potential ridership of a commuter rail line from Valparaiso to Chicago to name just a few.
To the best of our knowledge, we are the only University in the nation that runs a research center using exclusively undergraduate students. Students work on these projects either as paid part-time assistants during the school year, as part of class projects, as volunteers, or as paid full-time interns in the summer. Students can begin to work on these projects as early as their freshman year.
Community
Outreach Partnership Center:
We
have recently been awarded a grant from the
Department of Housing and Urban Development
to establish a Community Outreach Partnership
Center (COPC). The $400,000 grant is designed
to help harness as many University resources
as possible to help us revitalize neighborhoods surrounding
Valparaiso University. Students are involved
in this as either volunteers, paid part-time
or full- time assistants, or as parts of class
projects. We anticipate getting hundreds of
students involved over the life of the grant
in a variety of activities ranging from research,
to mentoring, to building houses. The COPC grants
are extremely competitive; 114 applied and only
16 were granted. Valpo was the only school to
get a grant on the first try.
Concentrations:
Valpo’s
political science program combines all the benefits
of a small school while, at the same time offering
a wide range of opportunities for the student
to concentrate in certain areas of the discipline.
We offer concentrations in: legal studies, international
and comparative politics, and public policy
and public administration.
Research
Opportunities:
As
attested to in the above sections, undergraduate
students at Valpo are regularly involved in
research in an applied setting. More than adequate
computer facilities and databases are available
for students to be involved in more theoretical
types of research. Valpo students present their
research findings at graduate research conferences.
What Can You Do with a Political Science Major?
Degree, Skills or Experience Needed for
Beginning a Job in This Field:
Many
positions in politics and administration require
work beyond the Bachelor’s degree. Useful skills
to acquire with a degree in political science
are: expertise with a computer, proficiency
in a foreign language, grasp of statistical
analysis. Advanced degrees that would be helpful
include the Master of Arts, the Ph.D., or the
Juris Doctorate.
Kinds of Work Available
to Graduates in this Major:
A
major in Political Science may lead to many
careers including, but certainly not limited
to, the following: law, criminal justice, business,
education, government service at the state,
national, local and international level, politics,
policy analysis, campaign management, and work
for private interest/public policy groups.
Potential Hiring Institutions:
Governments at all levels
including state, local, federal and international, "think tanks" and
organizations doing policy and planning research, special interest
organizations, lobbyists, not-for-profit organizations, campaign
organizations, public opinion research organizations, environmental
groups, newspapers and other media organizations, as well as many aspects
of business.
What Beyond-the-Classroom Opportunities Does Valpo Offer You in
Political Science?
Extracurricular Groups: Students can participate in Pi Sigma Alpha – Political Science National Honor Society, as well as groups that may be of particular interest, such as College Democrats, College Republicans, and Student Senate.
Off-Campus Opportunities
Internships / Study Abroad:
Students have many off-campus learning options,
including programs in Africa and China in addition to Valpo’s European and
Latin American opportunities. Many of our students also take advantage of
our relationships with programs in Washington, D.C. In particular, our
affiliation with the Luther Institute has allowed us to offer students
exciting and challenging internships in Washington that have ranged from
the Justice Department, the White House, the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, and many "think tanks." We also have relationships with other
Washington and United Nations programs for students who have other
interests. A special relationship exists with our local Congressman, whose
office is run by Valpo graduates and regularly employ our
interns.
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