Program Codes:
LAPOS.AA
Associate in Arts Degree
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This program provides graduates a foundation for lifelong intellectual development and college transfer following associate’s degree completion. A Liberal Arts degree also develops a set of critical thinking skills students may use over the course of their professional careers.
Below are required courses for program completion.
The study of Political Science is also the study of political philosophy and the study of government. It has a kinship with the sciences of psychology, sociology, and economics, and also with humanities such as philosophy, history, and literature.
Political Science at Middlesex addresses practical questions: “Who has power?” “How are governments organized?” “How are decisions made?” “Who gets what?” It also considers ideas and values such as democracy, liberty, order, equality and justice.
Successful completion of the degree is a prelude to a career in Public Service (Government), the Non-Profit Sector, or the Practice of Law.
Upon completion of this program, students will be able to:
Through a variety of writing projects requiring competence in clear, correct, and effective English, students use inferential and critical skills in the process of composing documented essays. Extensive reading materials serve as structural models and as the bases for discussion and for the writing of essays involving response, analysis, and synthesis.
RDG-011 may be taken as a co-requisite if not previously completed with a grade of "C" or better.
A grade of “C” or better in ENG-121
Introduction to the theory and practice of public address; the study of representative public addresses and the preparation and delivery of short speeches.
The development of clear, logical and effective speech communication is the goal of this basic discussion and debate course. The focus will be on reasoned decision making with the context of a free society. Topics will draw upon social values, personal responsibility and/or ethical behavior. Speech presentations will include large group discussions, panel discussions and debates that emphasize the ability to work in a team environment.
Take one of the two-course sequences below. Must take both courses in the chosen sequence.
The historical development of Western civilization from ancient times to approximately 1715 A.D. Emphasis is on the social, economic, political and cultural forces that helped to shape the West, beginning with the early Mediterranean civilizations and following through to the subsequent rise of European civilization.
Europe and the world since 1715. Emphasis is on the emerging nation-state political system, the Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century, and intellectual history of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the rise of totalitarianism in the twentieth century and the world balance of power since 1914.
Historical importance of the Puritan heritage, the American Revolution, the Constitution, Jacksonian democracy, Manifest Destiny and the Civil War to understand pre-Civil War America.
Historical importance of Reconstruction, the rise of big business, the Progressive Movement, the World Wars, the New Deal and the Cold War. Understanding American institutions and values from the Civil War to the present.
Choose one course designated in the course descriptions as General Education Humanities (GE HUM). Choose two modern language courses in sequence from either: CHN, FRE, GER, HIN, ITA or SPA. For students who completed at least two years of high school study in one modern language, their level of language will be determined by a placement test (excluding SPA-242).
Students must take 12-15 credits in General Education Mathematics, Science, and Technology courses. Choose one or two science courses (GE MST), one or two math courses (GE MST) and one technology course, in consultation with an academic advisor. For the technology elective, choose either CSC-105 or CSC-106.
Choose courses designated in the course descriptions as General Education Social Science (GE SS).
Choose one course designated in the course descriptions as General Education Diversity (GE DIV).
Choose one course from the following areas: AFS, AGD, ART, ASL, BIO, CHM, CHN, CJU, COM, COR, CPT, DAN, DMA, EDU, ENG, FRE, FSC, GER, GLS, HCS, HED, HIN, HIS, IDC, ITA, JOU, LNC, MAD, MAT, MUS, PCP, PED, PHI, PHY, POL, POS, PSY, SCI, SOC, SPA, SPE, SSD and THE.
Physical/Health Education Elective
Survey of politics as a concept and political science as a professional discipline. Specific emphasis is placed on development of democratic institutions and values, and the comparative role of public opinion and citizen participation in modern representative democratic systems. Historical and recent United States federal elections are used as case studies.
The organization, powers and procedures of the United States national government are presented along with such topics as the role of political parties, electorate behavior and interest groups as a continuing process of United States politics.
A comparative analysis of the state, county and municipal levels of government in the United States is offered. Particular attention is given to New Jersey government and politics, state party organizations, interest groups and electorate behavior, as well as the formal governmental structure.
A comparative global study of the development of the modern nation-State. Emphasis is placed on the effects of globalization on countries' political culture and governing institutions. Case studies come from Europe, North America, Latin America, The Middle East, and Asia.
Examines the principal methods by which United States Supreme Court Justices give meaning to Constitutional provisions in the context of individual cases. Particular attention paid to the fundamental importance of a full and coherent understanding of the principles, precedents and problems of America’s democratic system.
Contact Name: Timothy Hack, department chair
Contact Phone: 732.906.2590
Contact Email: HSS@middlesexcc.edu
Department Web: https://www.middlesexcc.edu/history-social-science/
A Liberal Arts education helps students develop strong and ordered minds as they explore the world’s collected wisdom in literature, history, mathematics, science, philosophy and the arts. It teaches them to recognize and construct arguments, to appreciate diverse cultures and perspectives, and to have a sense of scholarship about the lives and events that have gone before. Liberal Arts emphasis on language helps students broaden their cultural perspective and become more aware of their own identity. Courses comprising a Liberal Arts education at Middlesex County College are the core of all liberal arts programs at the bachelor’s level. Students may select the general degree, the most flexible of all our Liberal Arts programs, or one of the many specialized options.
Algebra I is a prerequisite for all majors. Competency in Algebra I may be verified with a passing score on the College’s placement test or by completion of the appropriate course. Students must also have a grade of “C” or better in one year of high school laboratory science.
Once students complete required developmental coursework (if any), the degree can be completed in two years of full-time study. Students may shorten the amount of degree completion time by taking courses in the summer and winter sessions.