So I'm sure many of you know what the Gen Ed requirements are for college.

 

I propose that they require ATLEAST 9 college credit hours of PSC classes.

 

Honestly I think it should be 12 hours including American Politics, State and Local government, International politics, as well as International Political Economy. However I'd settle for just the first three.

 

I've done some research and reading, and nearly 65% of all of the future jobs in the US will require some sort of college or secondary education. This to me is a huge opportunity for US, as in the voters, to makethings better for future generations, by requiring the ones that choose to, to truely be educated.

 

What say you???

Any chance a mod could fix "classes" in the thread title?

Any chance a mod could fix "classes" in the thread title?

 

And spelling should be a college requirement too! Just kidding.

 

I do agree with your thought. I would just hope that the professors teaching the poly sci classes would do it in a non biased way. From my experience, college professors (and law school professors too) can have a tendency to push their political beliefs (even when they aren't trying to do so).

And spelling should be a college requirement too! Just kidding.

 

I do agree with your thought. I would just hope that the professors teaching the poly sci classes would do it in a non biased way. From my experience, college professors (and law school professors too) can have a tendency to push their political beliefs (even when they aren't trying to do so).

 

I had only two professors that taught poli-sci that didn't seem to throw any bias out there that I could tell. Sadly both of them were interim professors until someone else got hired.

I'm not sure I agree with 9-12 hours, when you take all of the other things into consideration. There is much to be said for having a broad survey of a variety of subjects. I might go with six hours. When I went to WKU back in the 90s, you had to take so many hours in certain categories of classes. There was no PoliSci requirement, though I did take Intro to PoliSci. This was during the OJ trial. We were actually in class listening to that as the verdict was read.

I disagree completely. At NKU, we're required to take one PSC class, which I'll be taking this fall, and I think that's one too many. I don't need some biased professor trying to tell me what I should or shouldn't believe. I can form my own opinions.

I was one class short of a PoliSci minor and I liked all my classes... even the nightmare known as International Law and Organization. But I don't know that I'd require those classes. As much as we'd like to idealize the concept of voter awareness, people who vote tend to be people who at least pay some modicum of attention to the political landscape to begin with.

 

When we have people leaving college who can barely put a complete thought down on paper without being totally incomprehensible, I'd say an overhaul of the way students are taught composition is as necessary as anything. And if any new class were to be mandated for students across the country, I'd say it should be the study of a foreign language.

I love Poli Sci, but my Biology major is large enough without adding more Gen Eds!

I got a Pol sc/historydegree in the early 80's, so I dont think it has changed that much. There is really no opportunity to interject a prof.'s opinions until you get into upper division classes. 100 and 200 level classes will deal with, state and local government, foreign governments, American government, civil rights, etc.

Civics should be a required high school class.

Civics should be a required high school class.

It was in my high school.

I agree that Poly Sci should be required but only 3 or 6 hours worth.

Why should Poly Sci be required in college? You don't have to have a college education to vote.

Why should Poly Sci be required in college? You don't have to have a college education to vote.

I think of a lot better reasons why Poly Sci should be required than I can for Biology/Chemistry, Math, World Civ, Humanities, Communications etc.

At my alma mater all undergraduates were required to take at least 12 credit hours or either philosophy or religion regardless of major. Since I majored in engineering that left only two completely "free" electives. I picked intro to political science as one of those two.