In the United States, nearly every important political issue eventually ends up in the courts. The law and politics major at Southern New Hampshire University provides you with a solid foundation in the art and science of politics, and insight into what it means to "think like a lawyer," both in the United States and around the world.
The law and politics major prepares students for careers in electoral or interest group politics, political and public policy consulting, the civil service, and the diplomatic corps, and in any of the vast array of public- and private-sector fields that require a broad liberal arts education and the skills that the political science major provides, such as journalism, business, and education. The major also prepares students for graduate study in political science, public policy, or public administration, for post-undergraduate paralegal studies, and for law school, as well as for a lifetime of citizenship in a politically and legally complex and increasingly globalized world.
For more information about career opportunities for law and politics majors, see "Careers and the Study of Political Science: A Guide for Undergraduates," which is available at SNHU's Shapiro Library or through the American Political Science Association (www.apsanet.org).
- Major Requirements
- Semester In Washington, D.C.
- New Hampshire Presidential Primary
- Environment, Politics & Society Faculty
Required Core Courses
School of Arts and Sciences Required Courses
HIS-110: Western Civilization since 1500
This course traces the growth of Western history from the 16th century and the rise of the nation state through the modern era The ideologies and political developments that shaped modern Europe receive careful study Required for majors in history and social studies education with a concentration in history Writing Intensive Course
HIS-114: United States History II 1865 Present
The second half of the United States history survey course covers the period following the Civil War The economic political and ideological developments that allowed the United States to attain a position of the world leadership are closely examined Required for majors in History and Social Studies Education with a concentration in History
HIS-301: World History and Culture
This course is designed to offer the student a historical and cultural understanding of Africa India China and Japan in their interactions with the western world Offered every year in the fall Recommended for majors in History and Social Studies Education with a concentration in History Global marker
Law and Politics Major Courses
GEO-200: World Geography
This course examines the implications of global location and topography for the people of planet Earth Students will explore how geography shapes the dynamics of human societies with an emphasis on the geoenvironmental geopolitical and geosocial phenomena that help to define the modern world Global marker
MAT-240: Applied Statistics
This is a fundamental course in the application of statistics In this course students will learn to apply statistical techniques to a variety of applications in business and the social sciences Students will learn how to solve statistical problems by hand and through the use of computer software Topics will include probability distribution functions sampling distributions estimation hypothesis testing and linear regression
POL-210: American Politics
This course offers a broad introduction to the structure and function of the American political system at the national level including the roles played by the president Congress the courts the bureaucracy political parties interest groups and the mass media in the policy making and electoral processes This course places special emphasis on how the efforts of the framers of the Constitution to solve what they saw as the political problems of their day continue to shape American national politics in ours
POL-211: International Relations
This course offers a broad introduction to the study and practice of international relations including the roles played by states and nations non state actors national interests power morality and international law This course places special emphasis on realism and idealism as alternative approaches to the study and practice of international relations and on their implications for ongoing efforts to construct a peaceful and prosperous global political system in the aftermath of the Cold War Global marker
POL-306: The American Legal Tradition
This course offers a broad introduction to the American legal tradition including the structure and function of the courts the legal profession legal education and the politics of judicial selection As an introduction to what it means to think like a lawyer in the United States students learn how to write parts of a predictive legal memorandum of the type that first year law students learn how to write in which they analyze a legal issue of concern to hypothetical clients by applying the reasoning and conclusions in selected judicial opinions to the facts of the clients case
Prerequisites:
GOV-110
POL-314: Political Theory
This course explores the diversity of conceptions of the individual the state and the good life that animate contemporary societies and their critics with an emphasis on the contributions of Western political theorists of both ancient and modern times to contemporary currents of political thought This course places special emphasis on the social and cultural contexts in which these theorists lived and worked as factors that helped to shape their political ideas The theorists covered may vary from semester to semester Writing intensive course
Prerequisites:
ENG-121
POL-326: World Legal Traditions
This course explores the history and contemporary significance of the world s major legal traditions including the common law civil law and other municipal legal traditions and the international law tradition Students compare and contrast the essential features of these traditions and explore how they shape what it means to think like a lawyer in the United States in many foreign countries and internationally
Prerequisites:
POL-211
SCS-224: Social Science Research Methods
This course offers a broad introduction to research methods in the social sciences including surveys case studies experiments and quasi experiments Students learn to spot design flaws in research intended to generate scientifically sound conclusions about social phenomena and to evaluate critically the interpretations of social science research results by third party observers such as reporters Students also learn how to draft a research proposal that would satisfy the requirements of peer review within the community of professional social scientists
Prerequisites:
MAT-240
SCS-444: Capstone Colloquium
This colloquium serves as the capstone course for students in the sociology law and politics and environmental management majors Students learn from their instructor and from each other as they apply the knowledge and skills acquired in their other course work to a directed research project in the appropriate discipline or field Prerequisite Senior standing in the sociology law and politics or environmental management major
Select 12 Credits of the Following:
ENV-319: US Environmental Law and Politics
How can businesses governments and public interest groups achieve environmental sustainability goals in legal and political contexts that were designed with other goals in mind This interdisciplinary course explores the options in the United States and provides a comprehensive point of comparison for topics explored in ENV 329 and ENV 349 Students spend about half of the course learning how to spot facts that give rise to compliance issues for businesses and other private parties under a full spectrum of federal environmental laws and to identify opportunities for achieving broader sustainability goals within the constraints imposed by the law In the other half students learn both how to predict environmental law and policy outcomes and how to shape them adaptively in pursuit of sustainability goals in a fragmented system of governance that was designed to privilege special interests and to favor the status quo
Prerequisites:
POL-210
ENV-329: International Environmental Law and Negotiation
How can we resolve environmental disagreements without picking winners and losers or merely agreeing to disagree This interdisciplinary course explores the most effective strategy for doing so in negotiating agreements of all kinds using the multilateral agreements that are at the center of international environmental law as illustrative examples Students spend about half of the course exploring the nature of international law salient features of the international system and the content of multilateral environmental agreements of interest to them In the other half students first learn the art of win win negotiation and then put their skills to work as they assume the roles of member states of the International Whaling Commission to negotiate the fate of a controversial proposal to end the international ban on commercial whaling
Prerequisites:
ENV-349
ENV-349: Comparative Environmental Law and Sustainable Development
How effective is environmental law as a strategy for achieving sustainable development How does its diversity across countries and cultures constrain the ability of businesses governments and civil society organizations to achieve environmental sustainability goals in an increasingly globalized world This interdisciplinary course examines the many legal political cultural and other factors that shape the answer to these questions using China India Russia and the European Union as illustrative examples Students explore the implications of these factors not only for businesses governments and civil society organizations pursuing sustainability goals within their own countries but also for their counterparts in other countries to whom the former are linked through bilateral trade relationships and global supply chains Students spend the last third of the course playing and critiquing their own performance in Stratagem a computer assisted simulation game in which they assume the roles of government ministers in a less developed country and try to chart a course of environmentally sustainable development for that country over a period of sixty years
Prerequisites:
POL-219
POL-305: State and Local Government
This course explores the structure and function of state and local governments in the United States with an emphasis on their roles as partners with the federal government in a system of cooperative federalism This course places a special emphasis on how the peculiar features of the American political system shape the ability of state and local governments to cope with issues of pressing public policy concern such as educational quality racial discrimination poverty and environmental protection The issues covered may vary from semester to semester
Prerequisites:
GOV-110
POL-316: Legal Reasoning and the Constitution
This course explores the reasoning process by American courts in resolving constitutional disputes It is modeled on a first year law school course The readings consist almost exclusively of abbreviated U S Supreme Court opinions in civil liberties and civil rights cases Students learn how to write brief formal summaries of these opinions of the type that first year students in American law schools learn to write and are expected to participate actively in the type of in class Socratic dialogues that are the standard method of instruction in American law schools
Prerequisites:
POL-306
POL-317: Campaigns and Elections
Campaigns and elections are central features of the American democratic process This course will provide students with a deeper appreciation of how campaigns and elections set the rhythm of American political life and shape the functioning of our governmental system Students will develop an in depth understanding of the mechanics of political campaigns with a special emphasis on electoral strategy media relations and voter mobilization Students will use these concepts to analyze key elections during pivotal moments in our nation s political history The course will also include considerable discussion of the role that our own New Hampshire Primary plays in the electoral process
Prerequisites:
GOV-110
POL-324: Congress and the Legislative Process
This course explores the structure and function of the Congress of the United States with an emphasis on its role as a legislative body in a system of government characterized by the separation of powers and checks and balances The topics covered include the congressional leadership structure the committee system major rules and procedures legislative executive relations congressional elections and representation and may vary from semester to semester
Prerequisites:
POL-210
POL-336: Advocacy and the Law
This course aims to dispel some of the myths about lawyers as advocates that are perpetuated by popular culture and the mass media in the United States Students spend much of the course exploring case studies that illustrate the ethical dilemmas faced by lawyers as advocates in the American legal system the ethical rules that govern their behavior as a condition of their license to practice law and the fates that befall them when they fail to fulfill their ethical obligations In addition students learn how to write parts of an appellate legal brief of the type that first year law students in American law schools learn how to write and how to make an appellate oral argument on behalf of hypothetical clients in a moot court setting
Prerequisites:
POL-316
POL-362: The American Presidency
This course highlights central themes in the historical development organization and functioning of the American presidency From the origins of our Constitution through two centuries of institutional development and up to the present day this course will provide students with an in depth understanding of the dynamics of presidential behavior Special emphasis will be placed on the growth of presidential power in both foreign and domestic policy and on the central role that presidential elections play in our national politics Students will learn to view the American presidency as a complex institution one that requires the president to simultaneously play multiple political roles including commander in chief legislator communicator civic leader and candidate
Prerequisites:
POL-210
POL-410A: Semester in Washington D C Politics Field Experience
This course is the vehicle through which students receive POL course credit for participation in all but the seminar component of SNHU s Semester in Washington D C in the field of politics The program promotes experiential learning through civic engagement and other activities The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars which hosts the program provides students with housing and places them in internships appropriate to their interests Space in the program is limited so students must notify the SNHU law and politics program coordinator of their intention to enroll a year in advance of SNHU course registration for the relevant semester For more information about the program see the Washington Center s web site www twc edu and the SNHU law and politics program coordinator This course is taken concurrently with POL 410B
Prerequisites:
POL-210
POL-410B: Seminar in Washington D C Politics Seminar
This course is the vehicle through which students receive POL course credit for the seminar component of SNHU s Semester in Washington D C in the field of politics The Seminar in Washington is hosted by the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars Space in the program is limited so students must notify the department chair or program coordinator of their intention to enroll a year in advance of SNHU course registration for the relevant semester For more information see the Washington Center s web site www twc edu and the SNHU department chair or program coordinator This course is taken concurrently with POL 410A
Prerequisites:
POL-210
POL-413A: Semester in Washington D C Pre Law Field Experience
This course is the vehicle through which students receive POL course credit for participation in all but the seminar component of SNHU s Semester in Washington D C in the field of pre law The program promotes experiential learning through civic engagement and other activities The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars which hosts the program provides students with housing and places them in internships appropriate to their interests Space in the program is limited so students must notify the SNHU law and politics program coordinator of their intention to enroll a year in advance of SNHU course registration for the relevant semester For more information about the program see the Washington Center s web site www twc edu and the SNHU law and politics program coordinator This course is taken concurrently with POL 413B
Prerequisites:
POL-306
POL-413B: Seminar in Washington D C Pre Law Seminar
This course is the vehicle through which students receive POL course credit for t he seminar component of SNHU s Semester in Washington D C in the field of pre law The Semester in Washington is hosted by the Washington Center for internships and Academic Seminars Space in the program is limited so students must notify the department chair or program coordinator of their intention to enroll a year in advance of SNHU course registration for the relevant semester For more information see The Washington Center s web site www twc edu and the SNHU department chair or program coordinator This course is taken concurrently with POL0413A
Prerequisites:
POL-306
MAT-240 is taken as part of the BA/BS Core (Required Courses may differ based on program).
See the course descriptions for non-POL prerequisites for these interdisciplinary courses.
Students who spend a semester in Washington, D.C., count twelve of the fifteen credits awarded for either POL 410A and POL 410B or POL 413A and POL 413B combined toward the requirements of the major, and the rest as free electives.
Semester in Washington D.C.
Beginning in their junior year, political science majors may elect to spend a semester in the nation's capital as a student in SNHU's Semester in Washington, D.C., program. The Semester in Washington, D.C. program promotes learning by doing among SNHU political science majors and minors and other SNHU students through for-credit internships and academic seminars hosted by The Washington Center in Washington, D.C. The Washington Center is an independent, not-for-profit organization that since 1975 has provided internship programs and academic seminars to college students from throughout the United States and around the world, and is affiliated with more than 850 colleges and universities nationwide. The Washington Center provides students with housing and places them in internships appropriate to their interests. For more information, see the course descriptions for POL 410A through 413A and POL 410B through 413B,, email Paul Barresi (Political Science Chair), or visit The Washington Center.
New Hampshire Presidential Primary
Southern New Hampshire University's location in the largest city of the state with the first-in-the-nation presidential primary offers political science majors a unique opportunity to observe and participate in presidential politics at the grass-roots level. In POL-317, which is offered during the height of the New Hampshire presidential primary season, students not only study presidential politics at the grass-roots level, but acquire hands-on experience as interns with presidential campaigns. For more information about the New Hampshire presidential primary, see The New Hampshire Political Library.
University Accreditation
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