Department Spotlight: Engaged Learning in Political Science

For Baylor political science students, studying government and politics need not be confined to the classroom. In a single semester, in fact, a student might draft committee positions for a Model United Nations conference, intern at a Waco law office, work full-time in a Texas House office during the legislative session, or research policy alongside a faculty mentor.

The Department of Political Science has now gathered those opportunities in one place. Its new Engaged Learning in Political Science page maps six pathways for Political Science and International Studies majors: engaged learning courses, study abroad, internships, undergraduate research, nationally competitive fellowships, and leadership programs through the Office of Engaged Learning (OEL).

“The engaged learning opportunities that our PSC and IST majors are afforded through the department and the OEL immeasurably enhance their experience, said Pat Flavin, PhD, chair of the department. “Our students intern for government agencies and nonprofits, study abroad around the world, conduct research alongside our faculty, and win prestigious national and international fellowships. All these opportunities contribute to the formation of global citizens who then thoughtfully engage in civil discourse and serve their fellow humans in an array of different capacities.”

Courses that count twice

The College of Arts & Sciences Core Curriculum includes an Engaged Learning Distribution List of nearly 60 courses. Nearly 10 of them are offered in Political Science, so majors and minors can satisfy a core requirement and earn hours toward their degree at the same time.

The department’s engaged learning courses take students well beyond the lecture hall:

• PSC 2306, Texas Civic Engagement & Politics in Action — student teams spend the semester building an engagement plan on a Texas policy issue, then carry it out at the state Capitol during the legislative session.
• PSC 3375, Model United Nations — students research the UN committees Baylor’s team will simulate at conferences, with a community component such as a Model UN for local schools or applied research for a UN agency or NGO.
• PSC 3372, Law, Justice and the Community — an introduction to legal practice that pairs community service with a required internship in a legal office.
• PSC 4330, Urban Political Processes — students study metropolitan politics, then apply it through engaged learning projects.
• PSC 4V89, Advanced Model Organization of American States — prepares experienced students to lead in a Model OAS simulation.

Internship courses in Waco, Austin and Washington, D.C., also fall on the list.

From Waco to Washington

Internships give students professional experience at every level of government, and many carry course credit.

• In Waco, students intern with a government office or nonprofit through PSC 3382, Public Service Internship, or in a law office through PSC 3372.
• In Austin, Bob Bullock Scholars and Texas Legislative Internship Program participants work full-time in a Texas House or Senate office during the legislative session, January through May of odd-numbered years, while remaining full-time Baylor students.
• In Washington, D.C., students can spend a fall or spring semester interning full-time through Baylor in Washington, or spend a summer with a congressional office, executive agency, advocacy group or think tank through the department’s Summer Internship Program and Mayborn Scholarship.
• Anywhere else, students can earn zero to three credits for a summer internship through PSC 2V90.

Funded, non-credit options add more reach. OEL’s Summer Fellows program supports internships and research experiences that promote the public good. The Summer Fellowship for Religion & Social Life brings students to Washington for two months of seminars, spiritual formation and a part-time internship.

Students who want to learn politics from abroad are encouraged to study abroad through the Center for Global Engagement, where many programs offer courses that count toward Political Science and International Studies majors. International Studies majors can also apply for the Heather Leann Dunnam Scholarship to help fund the experience.

A clear path into research

The department lays out undergraduate research as a sequence students can follow from their first year.

1. Build skills. PSC 2301, Research Writing: Political Science Methods, introduces research and writing methods and also fulfills the college’s Research Writing requirement.
2. Find a mentor. Students create a profile on ForagerOne, Baylor’s research-matching platform, where they can find faculty projects and faculty can find them.
3. Earn credit. Research courses PSC 1V9R through 4V9R allow students to earn up to six credit hours for mentored research.
4. Get funded. Students and mentors can apply for Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Achievement (URSA) grants through OEL.
5. Present the work. Baylor Student Research Week, hosted each year by OEL, gives students a stage for mentored, independent and class-based research.

Aiming for national awards

Political Science and International Studies majors have a track record of winning major fellowships, including awards that fund graduate study. The department points students toward the Boren Awards, Critical Language Scholarship, Gilman, Fulbright, Marshall, Mitchell, Schwarzman and Truman scholarships.

Because many applications begin a full year before the deadline, the department encourages students to start exploring in their first and second years. OEL’s Fellowships & Awards team helps students identify the right awards, build competitive records, draft and revise essays, secure letters and university endorsements, and travel to selection interviews.

For students seeking structured mentorship, OEL also offers two leadership programs, the Vardaman Scholars and Provost’s Scholars, built around Baylor’s mission of preparing students for worldwide leadership and service.

“The Department of Political Science is a leader in engaged learning,” said Andrew Hogue, PhD, associate dean for engaged learning in the College of Arts & Sciences. “In fact, it is a model for what is possible when departments partner well with our team in OEL and with other campus entities like the Center for Global Engagement. All of it, we believe, is to the great benefit of our students.”