Bachelor of Arts in Political Science

Curriculum

The BA Political Science curriculum consists of 138 units which can be completed in four years or eight semesters:

Foundation Courses (12 units)

The foundation courses equip students with competencies in qualitative and quantitative analysis, technical writing, and ethics and accountability in public service, which they will need in the study and practice of Political Science.

CODE

TITLE

DESCRIPTION

UNITS

Comm 12

Technical Communication


3 units

Econ 11

Introductory Economics

Basic principles, economic institutions; the national economy in a development setting

3 units

PA 107

Ethics and Accountability in the Public Service

Ethical questions and behavior in the public service and the issue of administrative accountability

3 units

Stat 102

Statistical Methods in Research


3 units

Core Courses (30 units)

The core courses introduce students to the fundamental concepts and frameworks in Political Science and the subfields of the discipline.

CODE

TITLE

DESCRIPTION

UNITS

Pol Sci 101

Fundamentals in Political Science

Concepts, theories, principles and debates around the politics of public choice or contested decisions with collective implication

3 units

Pol Sci 106

Political Analysis

Frameworks of political analysis and approaches in and for understanding and explaining political phenomena

3 units

Pol Sci 120

Introduction to Political Theory

Political ideas in relation to practice, political analysis and political theory; human nature, relationship between individual, the state and society; power, legitimacy, law, justice and obligation; freedom, social welfare, property and utopia

3 units

Pol Sci 150

Introduction to Philippine Politics

Approaches to the study of Philippine politics; development, organization, and functioning of the Philippine political system

3 units

Pol Sci 160

Introduction to Political Dynamics

Theories and methods on individual and collective political behavior, within the context of culture; values, beliefs, attitudes, ideological formation and concepts of power, that inform political participation and dynamics

3 units

Pol Sci 170

Introduction to Comparative Politics

Introduction to theories, concepts and methods in comparative politics

3 units

Pol Sci 180

Introduction to International Relations

Interplay of political forces in the global system; national power, national interests and goals, and settlements of international disputes; the dynamics between state and non-state actors

3 units

Pol Sci 195

Practicum in Political Science

Internship in government offices and civil society organizations with faculty supervision. Minimum of 200 practicum hours with 9 hours of class instruction.

3 units

Pol Sci 199.1

Research Methods in Political Science

Research design; surveys, polls, focus group; use of statistics in political science, comparative method, case study, interviewing, documentary, archival and discourse analysis

3 units

Pol Sci 199.2

Research in Political Science

Guided research implementation, manuscript writing, and research defense

3 units

Major Courses (39 units)

The major courses delve into important research areas in the subfields of Political Science. One set of major courses deal with Philippine Politics and Political Dynamics and another set of major courses deal with Comparative and International Politics.

CODE

TITLE

DESCRIPTION

UNITS

Pol Sci 122

Ancient and Medieval Political Theory

Ancient and medieval political thinkers from Plato to Niccolo Machiavelli

3 units

Pol Sci 123

Modern Political Thought

Political thought from Machiavelli to the contemporary thinkers

3 units

Pol Sci 126

Philippine Political Thought

Main currents of Philippine political thought

3 units

Pol Sci 151

Philippine National and Local Administration

Principles, practices and problems of public administration; historical, behavioral, and institutional analysis and evaluation of the national and local bureaucracy and administration in the Philippines

3 units

Pol Sci 153

Philippine Local Politics

Origins, development, and context of local politics and governance in the Philippines; local politics and decentralization, and impacts on the provision of public services and social welfare at the local level

3 units

Pol Sci 157

Disaster Governance and Politics in the Philippines

Concepts and principles of disaster governance, and social, political, and ethical dimensions of disaster management

3 units

Pol Sci 162

Politics of Development

The political implications of development; the process of political growth in developing countries; the relationship between the nature, organization, dynamics of government and development

3 units

Pol Sci 163

Political Behavior: Processes and Movements

Belief systems, nature and development of political processes and movements

3 units

Pol Sci 164

Gender and Politics

The theory and practice of gender and politics, a study of feminist theories, women’s movements and gender in governance

3 units

Pol Sci 171

Comparative Southeast Asian Politics

Political systems of Burma/Myanmar, Brunei, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Timor-Leste

3 units

Pol Sci 172

Comparative Northeast Asian Politics

Political systems of Japan, the People’s Republic of China, North Korea, Nationalist China, and the Republic of South Korea

3 units

Pol Sci 185

 International Political Economy

Fundamentals in international political and economic analysis; analysis of the workings of the global economy and the interaction of political and economic forces in shaping the global order

3 units

Pol Sci 189

Human Rights and Peace

Fundamental concepts and principles related to international human rights, conflict, and peace; tensions, debates, and ethical and practical issues in operationalizing a human rights approach in peacebuilding

3 units

Elective courses (18 units)

Students can take as electives Political Science courses that are not classified as core or major courses and upper-division courses (i.e., numbered 100 and above) in any discipline (such as Literature, Media Arts, Economics, Psychology, Sociology, and Management). Students may opt to use their 18 units of elective courses to earn a minor from among the approved minor areas offered in UP Tacloban College.

Other required courses

BA Political Science students must likewise complete 12 General Education courses, the legislated PI 100 course (The Life and Works of Jose Rizal), four Physical Education (PE) courses, and two National Service Training Program (NSTP) courses.