Why Choose a Concentration in Law?

Courses in the Law major concentration prepare you law school and related legal careers, as well as graduate study in Political Science with a focus on public law.

Requirements for the Law Major Concentration

Requirement for the Political Science Major - 36 Credits

Required Major Core – 9 Credits

Required Courses

• POLS 0101 - American National Government
• POLS 0206 - Political Analysis

One of the following political theory courses

• POLS 0215 - American Political Thought
• POLS 0301 - Classical Political Thought
• POLS 0302 - Modern Political Thought
• POLS 0335 - Feminist Political Thought
• POLS 0340 - Politics and “The Family”

Required Major Concentration - 12-18 Credits

12 credits in one of the Political Science concentrations.18 credits for students pursuing Law interdisciplinary option or International Studies interdisciplinary option.

Required Electives - 9 -15 Credits

15 credits of additional political science course work. 9 credits of additional political science coursework for students pursuing the Law interdisciplinary option or International Studies interdisciplinary option.

For Selected Topics courses (POLS 0323) to count toward the field of concentration, the courses must be within that field.

Students transferring from another college must complete a minimum of 18 credits in Political Science at Westfield State University.

The Department of Political Science encourages students to participate in internships. Students may apply up to 6 credits of internship toward the 36-credit major, 3 of which may be applied to the field of concentration. Up to 3 credits of internship may be applied toward the 18-credit minor. For details, see the department internship manual on the web page or pick up a copy in the department.

Law

Courses for students interested in preparing for law school and related legal careers, as well as graduate study in Political Science with a focus on public law (12 credits; choose 4).

• POLS 0105 - Law, Courts and Politics
• POLS 0208 - Constitutional Law
• POLS 0212 - The U.S. Supreme Court
• POLS 0220 - International Law and Human Rights
• POLS 0327 - Administrative Law
• POLS 0309 - Civil Liberties
• POLS 0323 - Selected Topics in Political Science
• POLS 0397 - Political Science Internship
• POLS 0398 - Washington Internship
• POLS 0399 - Independent Study

Additional Graduation Requirements

All students must meet the University Graduation Requirements and complete a common core of studies, distributed among the different academic areas as detailed in the Common Core .