Minor in American Politics

Duquesne's American Politics minor examines how the U.S. political system actually works: from Congress and the presidency to elections, media, immigration policy, and public administration. Students complete 15 credits chosen from an approved list of courses covering national government, campaigns, policy analysis, and American political thought.

The minor is open to non-Political Science majors, making it a strong complement for students in multiplatform journalism, business, history, pre-law, sociology or health sciences who want a deeper understanding of American government and policymaking.

What you'll learn with an American Politics Minor

With an American politics minor, you will have the skills needed to achieve your bigger goals, regardless of industry or area of expertise within the politics realm and will be able to:

• Understand how the U.S. political system works, including Congress, the presidency, elections, media and public administration.
• Analyze how power is distributed and exercised across Congress, the presidency and the courts in American politics.
• Evaluate how public policy is developed and implemented at the federal, state and local levels.
• Interpret election results, polling and voting behavior to explain political outcomes, and assess how media coverage shapes political discourse.
• Build evidence-based written arguments on American policy and political issues.