Political Science

About the Political Science & Law Program

Political Science courses at San Joaquin Delta College are designed to accomplish several aims. First, the courses provide general information on political processes in the United States, California, and in the arena of international relations. Second, the courses expose students to the discipline of political science as a separate body of academic scholarship, and to the dominant methods of inquiry in the discipline. Finally, the courses serve the purpose of enhancing critical thinking skills to foster informed political participation and engagement in social and political affairs. We believe that the study of political science helps produce citizens who are more keenly interested and aware of the political processes that shape their daily lives. Because political science is a discipline most interested in the authoritative allocation of values in societies, we bear an important responsibility of educating students about those value choices, and how governmental and extra-governmental institutions shape those choices. We believe our courses are central to the process of imparting generalized knowledge about how politics influences the lives of citizens, and are central to the process of creating political citizens able to understand the political world and participate in it.

The Political Science Associate in Arts for Transfer degree is designed for students planning to transfer to a California State University (CSU) with a major in political science. Majors in political science learn to think critically, express their opinions in a thoughtful manner, analyze political events, evaluate political ideologies and make informed decisions on how to participate in political processes. The goal for study as a political science major is to maximize students' capacity to analyze and interpret the dynamics of political events and governmental processes and their significance.

Learn more about our program!

This Zoom orientation covers the following topics:

Watch the Zoom Political Science Orientation