By: Hannah Austin
Starting in the Fall of 2012, Milligan College began to offer a political science major to its academic program. Previously, the subject had only been a minor but was recently added to the curriculum due to high demand from both faculty and students.
One may wonder what exactly is a Political Science major? What jobs are in political science? How practical is a degree in political science?
Although I am not a political science major myself, from studying its description and course requirements, it seems to offer extensive teaching of the relationship between government and culture. It teaches the governmental procedures required to run a state and explains how political policies play into our culture. The curriculum of the political science major ranges in subjects from economics, to public policy, to history.
According to The Princeton Review, the curriculum is meant to create in students “excellent critical thinking and communication skills and, more broadly, an understanding of history and culture.”
Offering students this course of study can lead to greater potential for public policy and government, especially in the United States. The political science major can develop students’ knowledge of all sociological aspects of governance and in turn create the innovative leaders that we need for the future. The ancient philosophers Plato and Aristotle studied this subject extensively and created ideologies in the politics of their day. If we can educate our own generation like Plato and Aristotle attempted to do, maybe more advising and planning could take place, resulting in less corruption in both national and international affairs.
Milligan’s political science major offers two different emphases: a general track and an international politsics track. The general track offers study in a broad range of subjects including governmental practices of the United States while the international politics track is meant for students aiming for an education in global political issues.
From my own research, political science majors, like economics majors, can be expected to take roles in advising and administration. Contrary to popular belief, political science majors can endeavor in other types of graduate work besides law school. According to The American Political Science Association, a degree in political science can also lead to careers in both local and state government, nonprofit organizations, journalism, campaign management, and other tracks. Examples of jobs held by political scientists include City Planner, Corporate Economist, Lobbyist, Communications Director, and Urban Policy Planner (the American political science association).
It seems that the political science major is what you make it to be. More importantly, a political science education enables anyone to help our society economically and politically and can truly transform Milligan graduates into competent “servant-leaders.” Having a major that emphasizes political policy will benefit Milligan College by not only “educating men and women to be servant-leaders” in the academic realm, but also socially through educating students about political awareness and increasing diversity of political opinion on campus. Milligan is notorious for being a social “bubble”, and I think more political involvement and awareness will help Milligan reach out to both the tri-cities community and to the world.
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