12/03/08 9:44 PM






 
Academic Programs

Political Science


Spelman's Sophomore Summer Policy Institute

NEWS

The Sophomore Summer Policy Institute (SSPI) of the Department of Education/UNCFSP-funded Institute for International Public Policy (IIPP), commenced on Spelman’s campus on Monday, June 2.

Thirty-two college sophomores with an interest and expertise in international relations have come to Spelman from colleges and universities across the nation, to further their passion by engaging in five weeks of lectures, discussions and debates on subjects as varied as international conflict, international public health and statistics, with faculty drawn from the AUC campuses and guest speakers from all over.

The institute, co-directed by Margery Ganz, Ph.D., professor of history and director of the study abroad program; and Tinaz Pavri, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of political science, will culminate with a site visit to international organizations in Washington, D.C. and New York City before the students return to their homes on July 19. Colleges and universities represented this year include Johnson C. Smith, Brown, Harvard, Amherst, University of Washington and Spelman.


The political science department is organized into two primary tracks: American Institutions and Processes and International Relations. The general core curriculum and electives are
consistent with the requirements for an excellent department as outlined by the American Political Science Association.

The goal of the department is to equip students intellectually to comprehend and analyze political information no matter what the career choice or the talent or interests. Political Science courses provide good grounding in the substantive content of the discipline. Courses in the major also emphasize the development of good writing skills. In addition, the department offers off- campus experiences where students can participate in "real world" political activities.

The political science department at Spelman College was inaugurated in 1966. Prior to that year students majored in social science with a concentration in Political Science. Many of the political science courses were taught at Morehouse College and
Atlanta University (now merged with Clark College to form Clark/Atlanta University.

The Department began with only one faculty member. It soon grew to two members; one member taught all of the courses in the American Institutions and Processes track and the other taught the courses in the International Track. The department has grown to seven full time faculty members.

Departmental Objectives

Upon completion of courses in the political science major program students should be able to:

  1. Demonstrate an understanding of the concepts and principles of political science in the structures, institutions, and processes of the United States and other nations.
  2. Apply the knowledge of the discipline, using technology as well as traditional methods, to contemporary
    questions.
  3. Organize ideas and focus them effectively on the issue in question.
  4. Demonstrate outstanding verbal and written
    communicative, analytical, and critical thinking skills in various academic and professional settings.
  5. Recognize their personal value systems and apply these to their social and political worlds.
  6. Provide content for integrating skills for teacher
    preparation, graduate, and professional schools.

Faculty

Departmental Honors and Activities

Political Science Society
Pi Sigma Alpha
Model UN

Departmental Requirements
Course Check-off Sheet
Research Links

 

 

 

Faculty

Course Descriptions

Tinaz Pavri, Ph.D.
Chair

Romona X. Wright
Admin. Assistant
404.270.5652