What's your major?

Political Science educates future leaders, lawmakers, and citizens

By: The Chase

Posted: 3/1/10

Political Science, according to Dr. Sue Strickler, "is both a classical discipline and one of the most recently developed social sciences." The origins of the study of politics can track back to the beginnings of human society, and knowing about the nature of governments, public policy and the political behavior of individuals and groups have always been important.

At Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU), the Political Science major also plays an essential role among all majors. "The Political Science major has always been an important part of ENMU," said Strickler, the professor of this major. "The study of Political Science is an important part of the liberal learning and freedom of inquiry that are part of the University's mission." According to her, this major is of particular importance as part of the University's focus on in two aspects: "(a) imparting citizenship and leadership skills and values; and (b) enabling students to respond to a rapidly changing diverse world."

A Political Science major at ENMU has three main strong features-- nationally standardized curriculum with internship opportunities, critical thinking emphasis, and a small department. Because of these three features, the majority of students applying for graduate or professional study are accepted into accredited programs; 85% of students perform at high level of critical thinking assessment exam; and strong interaction with fellow students and faculty will be allowed; hence as a Political Science major, according to ENMU's Website, you will be qualified for many different careers in both the private and public sector.

There are also many opportunities for students in this major outside of the classroom. "There are several student organizations that are active, especially during election cycles," Strickler said. These organizations, for example, are College Republicans, College Democrats, and Society of Political Scholars. Jamie Dickerman, a junior studying in Political Science at ENMU, said that she was involved in the College Republicans. "I have worked on several campaigns locally, and I am currently working a new and very exciting statewide race. Many people think politics is a boring subject, but it is far from boring." She has always been interested in politics and grew up watching the news, volunteering in elections, and just being excited by the political process. That is also why she is studying in Political Science now.

Dickerman is taking "Introduction to Comparative Politics" with Dr. Acheson-Brown and "Public Administration" now. She thinks that they are very enlightening and the homework is also quite reasonable.

According to Strickler, the curriculum of this major is designed to meet national standards of the Political Science discipline and the expertise of Dr. Acheson-Brown [Middle East and Africa] and herself [Legislative Behavior and Constitutional Law]. Dickerman said, "Political Science classes are among the most interesting classes I have taken on the ENMU campus." Her career goals are to do campaign work at the state and national levels or to be a political analyst.

There are also a lot of outstanding alumni in this major so far. According to Strickler, "our Political Science majors have been very successful with several obtaining Ph.D.'s in Political Science; many are now practicing lawyers, criminal justice practitioners, journalists, and public administrators at the local, state and federal levels."

The future of the Political Science major at ENMU appears to be bright with reason. "We continue to assess student learning in the major and annually examine our curriculum in terms of the national discipline and the needs of our students," Strickler emphasized. "It is exciting to see how our students move forward in their careers with an extremely competitive degree allowing them access and success in graduate work and the job market."