Political Science Department

College of the Sciences
Ellensburg
Farrell Hall, room 409
Mail Stop 7578
Phone: 509-963-2408
https://www.cwu.edu/academics/political-science/

Faculty and Staff
Chair
Todd Schaefer, PhD

Professors
Barb Rieffer-Flanagan, PhD, political theory, comparative politics, politics of the Middle East, international human rights, religion and politics
Bernadette M.E. Jungblut, Ph.D., international relations, international and comparative political economy, research methods, militarized interstate conflict, comparative public policy, education policy
Todd M. Schaefer, PhD, American politics, public opinion, Congress, campaigns and elections, African politics, American presidency

Associate Professor
Gilberto Garcia, PhD, Latino politics and studies, Latin American politics, comparative politics, and U.S.-Mexico border relations

Lecturer
Joshua Zender, PhD, American politics, state and local government, public budgeting, governmental accounting and finance, program evaluation, and public administration

Emeritus Professors
Robert C. Jacobs, PhD, American law and politics
Michael A. Launius, PhD, comparative politics, Asian politics, international political economy, international politics
Bang-Soon Yoon, PhD, comparative politics, public policy, women and politics, Korean politics, East Asia politics, globalization studies
Rex Wirth, PhD, public administration and public policy, international politics, Western Europe

Staff
Allyson Fogle, secretary senior

Department Information
The department provides an opportunity for students to become knowledgeable about the general subject matter of political science, while also offering a variety of courses that can provide depth in an area of the student’s interest. Flexibility in the selection of courses is stressed.

The department requires all political science majors to participate in the end-of-major assessment exercise at the conclusion of their senior year. Information on the assessment requirement may be obtained from the department’s main office.

Students must earn a grade of C- or higher in order for that course to count in their political science major.

Political Science Honors
Political science majors will qualify for honors at graduation with an overall GPA of 3.00 and a GPA of 3.50 in all political science courses.

Students may choose either a 47-credit major or a 62-credit major. Those who have a second major or who have a minor in another discipline may opt for the 47-credit major.

Political Science Core Requirements
POSC 101 - Introduction to Politics    5
POSC 210 - American Politics    5
POSC 260 - Comparative Politics    5
POSC 270 - International Politics    5
Political Science Core Total Credits: 20

Course Offerings
Frequency of course offering information can be found at the department website: https://www.cwu.edu/academics/political-science/ or by contacting the department directly.