Course Descriptions

Politics, Government, and Law and Public Policy & Administration

Politics, Government, and Law students have an opportunity to complete an internship for academic credit in addition to their regular course work. Interns, at the local, state or national level, have long been a part of the political science curriculum. In some areas, former interns have risen to a level in their organizations where they are employing current interns. National internships are arranged in cooperation with The Washington Center.

Each Public Policy and Administration major is required to complete an internship for academic credit as part of the integrative experience portion of the major. Internships are available in a wide range of city, state and national government offices, private businesses and non-profit organizations. Recent public policy and administration majors have served in district congressional offices and in numerous Wisconsin city management offices, including those in Whitewater, Janesville, and New Berlin.

Among the varied internship opportunities are:

• State legislative office
• Congressional offices
• Area city managers and city government
• Area district attorneys
• Area judges
• Area attorneys
• State agencies such as the DNR

Government Internships

Federal:

• US Senator Russ Feingold
• US Senator Herb Kohl
• US Representative Tammy Baldwin
• US Representative Paul Ryan
• US Representative Jerry Kleczka (retired)

State of Wisconsin:

• Former Governor Tommy Thompson
• Former Governor Scott McCallum
• Several State Senators (including Judy Robson & Dale Schultz)
• Several State Assembly people (including Steve Nass, Mike Powers & Sheryl Albers)
• Wisconsin Department of Transportation

Local Governments:

• Whitewater
• Janesville
• Beloit
• Lake Geneva
• Delevan
• Lake Mills

Potential Internship Opportunities:

• The Washington Center
• Capital News Service
• Public Policy Forum
• NAACP
• Wisconsin Housing Alliance

Legal Studies

Students in legal studies supplement their course work with an internship experience. Internship opportunities can occur at the national level through the Washington Center and locally at area law firms, district attorneys' offices, and with county judges. Among the varied law-related internship opportunities are:

• Walworth County Courthouse
• Jefferson County Courthouse
• Rock County Courthouse
• Walworth County District Attorney
• Jefferson County District Attorney
• Rock County District Attorney
• Milwaukee County District Attorney
• State of Wisconsin State Public Defender program (& other PD offices)
• Several local attorneys (Whitewater, Jefferson, Madison, Milwaukee, Mukwonago, Janesville and other southeast Wisconsin law offices)

Additional information about internships may be found at the Career & Leadership Development Internship Resources site.

• GOVERNMENT, POLITICS, AND LAW DEPARTMENT WRITING AWARD
• DR. JOHN F. KOZLOWICZ SCHOLARSHIP IN LEGAL STUDIES
• DANIELE D. DIPIAZZA POLITICAL SCIENCE SCHOLARSHIP
• PAUL A. MILLER FAMILY ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP IN POLITICAL SCIENCE
• JOHNSON-RICHTER POLITICAL SCIENCE SCHOLARSHIP 
• JOHN C. OH POLITICAL SCIENCE SCHOLARSHIP

The department of Politics, Government, and Law has a number of scholarships and awards that are available to students each year. The application for each award is due on the first Friday of March by 4pm. The application for each award is submitted via survey, which can be reached here. Please email Dr. Larry Anderson at andersol@uww.edu with any questions. Decisions are announced before the end of the spring semester.

Please click this link to apply: https://uwwhitewater.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9vEJrgPb4nzLpiu

The Politics, Government, and Law Department Writing Award is an award of up to $250 given to a student with a Legal Studies, Political Science, or Public Policy and Administration major or minor.

The Dr. John F. Kozlowicz Scholarship in Legal Studies is a $500 scholarship awarded to a student interested in pursuing a career in law or legal studies. Applicants must be a Legal Studies, Political Science, or Public Policy and Administration major. Additional requirements include a minimum 70 credits at time of application, a minimum of 15 units in Political Science coursework at UW-W, and a minimum 3.5 GPA in Major and 3.3 combined GPA overall.

The Daniele D. DiPiazza Political Science Scholarship is a $1000 scholarship awarded to declared political science majors who will have junior or senior status at the time of the granting of the award and who possess an overall GPA of 3.2 or higher and who show evidence of financial need.

The Paul A. Miller Family Endowed Scholarship in Political Science is a $400 scholarship awarded to a full-time student who is majoring in Political Science or a related program and who has demonstrated progress toward completion of their degree. Winners must have graduated from a high school in Wisconsin and priority is given to graduates from Racine County. Winners must possess a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater.

The Johnson-Richter Political Science Scholarship is a $500 awarded to student with majors housed in the Government, Politics, and Law department (Legal Studies, Political Science, Public Policy and Administration, etc.). Scholarship winners must have a GPA of 3.0 or above. Priority is given to students who graduated from high school in Illinois.

The John C. Oh Political Science Scholarship is a $1000 scholarship awarded to declared political science majors who will have junior or senior status at the time of the granting of the award and who possess an overall GPA of 3.2 or higher and who show evidence of financial need.

The Institute for Democracy and Civic Engagement provides grants and awards to our students who are engaging in scholarship and/or co-curricular activities that enhance democratic values and civic engagement.  Recipients in the past include students who are studying and interning through The Washington Center program in Washington D.C., students who are studying abroad at universities that include civic engagement or democracy enrichment in their programs, and students participating in Model United Nations.   If you have questions regarding this fund, please contact the department chair at emreyj@uww.edu.

Please contact the Politics, Government, and Law Department at polisci@uww.edu  with any questions.

To apply for the scholarships listed above, click here.

The Political Science Student Association offers a variety of social and professional opportunities for students. Eligible students are encouraged to join Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honors Society. Also, political science and pre-law majors participate in the Law Society, including field trips to such places as local courthouses.

2013 Legal Eagles Learning Community

The members of the Legal Eagles Learning Community, including Taylor Schneider, Kayle Cox and Olivia Kelly, enjoy a cake in their honor.

Pi Sigma Alpha

Kenneth Penzkover and Johanna Klay are inducted into Pi Sigma Alpha.

Careers

Politics, Government, and Law graduates are prepared to enter graduate and professional schools as well as a wide range of career options, including:

• Business
• State, local, and national government
• International employment
• Journalism
• Law
• Law enforcement and criminal justice
• Lobbying
• Teaching
• Paralegal certificate

International Studies

The interdisciplinary liberal arts curriculum strengthens written and oral skills and thereby prepares students for the widest variety of career opportunities. The primary career goal of the international studies major is to provide students interested in either international careers or graduate/ professional training in international affairs with the proper foundation. The globalization of the world economy and the dominance of multinational corporations make the program especially attractive. Students who major in international studies often go into:

• Law, especially international law and international business law
• The Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State
• International business
• Journalism in international politics or current affairs
• Foreign language instruction or translation

Paralegal

Career opportunities include attending law school, legal research activities in a law firm or working in a law-related field such as criminal justice or social work. Since it is quite common for many students to work a few years between obtaining their undergraduate degree and attending law school, the legal studies minor and the paralegal certificate provide employment entry into law firms for a variety of legal responsibilities such as legal research, legal writing, document and other preparation for court cases, and assisting the resolution of legal problems.

Public Policy

Depending on the concentration students choose, the public policy and administration major prepares them for careers in the administrative, legislative or judicial branches of local, state and national governments; business organizations, such as public utilities or defense contractors, which work closely with government; hospitals, charitable organizations and other non-profit organizations; and for law school or graduate school admission.

What is undergraduate research in political science?

Undergraduate research involves a non-classroom, in-depth research project, conducted by an undergraduate student, done with the supervision of a faculty mentor.

There are numerous opportunities within the department of political science to conduct undergraduate research. This provides an opportunity to work on an issue, question, country, or case in a great deal of detail. In addition, conducting undergraduate research allows a student to work more closely in a collaborative and mentoring context with a professor. It is an opportunity that provides skills that a student can use regardless of their future career or educational path.

On top of the academic and collaborative benefits that come from undergraduate research there are tangible benefits, as well. The university can provide grants that support the research, stipends to support students over the summer, and numerous opportunities to present the results of the research. The department provides willing mentors who can ably guide students in their undergraduate research experience. In addition, the department is working on developing a scholarship geared toward participants in undergraduate research.

What sorts of undergraduate research projects have political science students completed?

Lots! Here's a short list of some of the topics that have been covered:

• The Electoral College
• Interest groups in state politics
• Comparative State Budget Crises
• Women in the West Wing
• The Role of Ideology in Foreign Policy
• Media Coverage of Politicians

Where can I learn more about undergraduate research?

Start at UW-Whitewater's Undergraduate Research program homepage. Here, you will find a great deal of information on deadlines, grants, and other opportunities related to undergraduate research.

In addition, you also might have a look at the homepage of the National Conferences of Undergraduate Research (NCUR). NCUR holds an annual undergraduate research conference at which UWW students are well represented.

Finally, have a look at a list of the faculty on the political science website. Perhaps one of them shares a research interest with you. Or you might simply talk to a professor with whom you share a research interest. You might learn something, develop skills that you can use in the future, or decide that you, too, would like to be a political scientist!