POLITICAL SCIENCE
Assessment Plan 

Students presenting Political Science as a major at Minnesota State University Moorhead are expected to have a basic understanding of the issues, concepts, and principles in each of the major fields of the discipline, and to have a more complete, sophisticated understanding of knowledge and research in at least one field. In addition, students are expected to be able to read analytically, think critically, and organize ideas about the subject matter of the discipline in oral and written form so that information is communicated intelligently, intelligibly, and professionally. 

The introductory courses in each field of the discipline include requirements explicitly designed to assess student mastery of the learning outcomes (e.g., problem sets, short written assignments, papers, essay questions). Assessment of the introductory learning outcomes relies on course-embedded assessment. Each faculty member will designate and use the relevant items to assess political science majors. Upper-division learning outcomes will be assessed using the upper-division course rating form and the student exit questionnaire.

Each year the Department will designate one set of learning outcomes to be the focus of assessment for that year.

Student Learning Outcomes

I)    Required of all majors

A)      American

1)       Students should have a basic understanding of the institutions, influences and processes that make up American government and politics. Course-embedded assessment

2)       Students should have a basic understanding of the vital role citizen participation in American politics. Course-embedded assessment.

3)       Students should have a basic understanding of the influence of the electoral system on American institutions and policies. Course- embedded assessment.

B)      Public administration/public policy

1)       Students should have a basic understanding of influences on bureaucrats and bureaucratic institutions in American politics. Course-embedded assessment.

2)       Students should have a basic understanding of the institutions, influences, and processes that affect policymaking in the United States. Course-embedded assessment.

3)       Students should have a basic understanding of the interaction between institutional behavior and policy decisions. Course-embedded assessment.

C)      Public law

1)       Students should have a basic understanding of the world’s major legal families, institutions, theories, and philosophies. Course-embedded assessment.

2)       Students should acquire knowledge of the Anglo-American legal system, including specific characteristics of private law, public law, and criminal law. Course-embedded assessment.

3)       Students should have a basic understanding of roles of the various legal professionals and the effect of legal ethics on the practice of law. Course- embedded assessment.

D)      International relations/comparative politics

1)       Students should have a basic knowledge of the processes and principles guiding relations between international actors. Course-embedded assessment.

2)       Students should have a basic knowledge of the interaction between global economics and international and domestic politics. Course-embedded assessment.

3)       Students should have a basic understanding of politics and political systems other than those of the United States. Course-embedded assessment.

E)      Theory and methodology

1)       Students should have a basic understanding of the normative concepts and arguments that have been important in the study and practice of politics.  Course-embedded assessment.

2)       Students can understand and apply the principles of research design.  Course-embedded assessment.

3)       Students can use basic statistical methods for data analysis. Course-embedded assessment.

F)      Skills 

1)       Students are capable of using the library and other resources. Upper-division course rating form.

2)       Students demonstrate technical writing skills applying the APSA format.  Upper-division course rating form.

3)       Students can write engagingly and interestingly. Upper-division course rating form.

4)       Students can make appropriate oral presentations. Upper-division course rating form.

II)     Elective. Students should have a more sophisticated understanding of knowledge and research in political science in at least one sub-field of the discipline.

A)      American politics

1)       Students should be able to use their understanding of principles, theories and practices of institutions to analyze how policy is made in the United States. Upper-division course rating form.

2)       Students should be able to analyze influences from political parties and interest groups on U.S. electoral and political systems. Upper-division course rating form.

3)       Students should be able to apply knowledge of government institutions and the behavior of political actors to analyze current U.S. politics and policies.  Upper-division course rating form.

B)      Public law

1)       Students should have a sophisticated understanding of U.S. criminal law and procedure, including Constitutional protections for the criminally accused.  Upper-division course rating form.

2)       Students should have a sophisticated understanding of U.S. Constitutional law, including the development of the federal commerce power, the history of federalism, and current trends in civil rights and liberties. Upper-division course rating form.

C)      International relations/comparative politics

1)       Students should have a knowledge of principles and theories of international relations. Upper-division course rating form.

2)       Students should have a knowledge of principles and theories of comparative politics. Upper-division course rating form.

3)       Students should be able to analyze evidence in international relations and comparative politics. Upper-division course rating form.

4)       Students should be able to apply knowledge in international relations and comparative politics to current world problems. Upper-division course rating form.

D)      Theory and methodology

1)       Students should have a sophisticated understanding of the principles and challenges of establishing valid scientific conclusions. Upper-division course rating form.

2)       Students should have a sophisticated understanding of the major philosophical and evaluative traditions of human political experience. Upper-division course rating form.

3)       Students should demonstrate the ability to apply items 1 and 2 in their roles as citizens and students of politics.  Upper-division course rating form.

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