College of Social Sciences
Saunders Hall 640
2424 Maile Way
Honolulu, HI 96822
Tel: (808) 956-8357
Fax: (808) 956-6877
Email: polisci@hawaii.edu
Web: politicalscience.hawaii.edu

Faculty

*Graduate Faculty

*J. N. Goodyear-Ka‘opua, PhD (Chair)—Hawaiian politics, Indigenous politics, politics of education and culture
*J. Grove, PhD (Graduate Chair)—critical war studies, complexity theory and system theory
*E. Kimura, PhD (Undergraduate Chair)—comparative politics, political change, Southeast Asia
*R. Chadwick, PhD—international relations, global modeling, methodology
*K. Ferguson, PhD—feminist theory and methods; political theory
*P. Flowers, PhD—Japanese politics, international law, international relations
*J. Goldberg-Hiller, PhD—law and society, law and philosophy, sexuality politics, indigenous politics
*N. S. Grove, PhD— international relations, gender and sexuality, political theory, media, Middle East politics
*D. Halbert, PhD—public policy, political futures, law and politics, and politics of intellectual property
*M. Henningsen, PhD—European politics, genocide/Holocaust, political philosophy, political theory
*K. Heyer, PhD—law and society, disability politics, comparative law, social movement and civil rights
*S. Krishna, PhD—comparative politics, international political economy, South Asian Studies, and postcolonial studies
*C. Moore, PhD—American politics, public policy, politics of bureaucracy, institutional change
*L. Nitz, PhD—American government; methodology; political economy; public policy; research methods; topics in political theory
*J. H. Osorio, Ph.D— Kanaka Maoli Mo‘olelo, politics and history; Indigenous theory and politics; ‘Olelo Hawai‘i; and translation theory
*M. J. Shapiro, PhD—American politics; interpretive methods; politics of culture; media and popular culture; political theory; public policy
*N. Silva, PhD—Hawaiian politics, indigenous politics
*N. Soguk, PhD—international relations theory, comparative politics; international organization; international migration and diasporas, human rights, Middle East
*C. M. Stephenson, PhD—international relations; international organization; international environmental politics; international security; peace studies, conflict resolution
S. Wiebe, PhD—political ecology, environmental justice, decolonial and sustainable futures, interpretive research methods, community-engagement
*M. Yang, PhD—comparative politics, political economy of development, East Asia
*K. Zhou, PhD—comparative politics; Chinese & Asian politics; women and development, and public policy

Affiliate Graduate Faculty

W. Dissanayake, PhD—Asian cinema, film theory
F. Farhi, PhD—Middle East politics, comparative politics
B. Kerkvliet, PhD—Southeast Asian politics

Cooperating Graduate Faculty

L. Basham—Native Hawaiian and Indigenous politics
K. O. Kane, PhD—philosophy and theory, pedagogy, film and media studies, women’s studies
S. Kikiloi, PhD—Hawaiian studies, societal development, Indigenous resource management, archaeology, ethnohistory
C. R. Lawrence—anti-discrimination law, educational law and policy, Constitutional law
M. MacKenzie, JD—Native Hawaiian rights, advanced legal studies in Native Hawaiian law
B. McDougal, PhD—contemporary Hawaiian, Pacific, and Indigenous literatures

Emeritus Faculty

J. Dator, PhD—futures studies, media, Asian politics
G. Kent, PhD—human rights, international relations, peace, development, environmental mental issues
N. Milner, PhD—constitutional law, law & policy
D. Neubauer, PhD—public policy, politics of education and health

Degrees Offered: Undergraduate Certificate in Law and Society, BA (including minor) in political science, MA in political science, PhD in political science

The Academic Program

Political science (POLS) examines politics not only in government and among nations but also in private organizations, businesses, universities, families, language, and daily life.

Various methods are used to do this, ranging from the interpretive and historical to the quantitative and statistical. Political science graduates enter numerous professions: journalism, foreign service, social services, government, law, law enforcement, teaching, civil service, business, librarianship, and research. Undergraduate majors have done all of these and more. So have the department’s graduate students, many of whom come from abroad and return to their home countries to become leaders in their fields. The Department of Political Science provides a sound undergraduate education that helps prepare people to think critically and constructively about the world and to be active, concerned citizens in whatever walk of life they choose. Its internship program permits undergraduates to earn academic credit while working in community or governmental institutions and processes.

At the graduate level, the department stands out in the fields of Asian politics, comparative politics, futures studies, indigenous politics, international relations, law and society, policy analysis, and political theory. The department is an open, informal place where students, staff, and faculty alike are encouraged to participate in departmental affairs and governance. For further information, call (808) 956-8357 or write to the department.

Undergraduate Study

Bachelor’s Degree

Requirements

Students must complete 30 credit hours, including:

  • a prerequisite introductory course at the 100 or 200 level
  • 12 credit hours from courses distributed as follows: POLS 335; either POLS 301 or 302; either POLS 305 or 315; and one of either POLS 375, 376, or 385
  • POLS 390 (Political Inquiry and Analysis)
  • 3 credit hours from 100 level course
  • 6 credit hours from other 300 level courses, including 3×5 courses
  • 3-6 credit hours from 400 level courses

For information on a Bachelor Degree Program Sheet, go to programsheets/.

Minor

Requirements

Students must complete 18 total credit hours. 15 credit hours from the 300 level or above, including one course from POLS 305, 315, 335, 375 or 385.

Students should choose one of the 100 or 200 level political science courses, since a 100 or 200 level course is prerequisite for 300 level courses.

Undergraduate Certificate in Law and Society

Requirements

  • 15 credits will be required to be completed with a GPA of 2.5 or above. Three of those credits must come from the core course, POLS/SOC 374.
  • The remaining 12 credits can come from any 4 courses listed: AMST 365, AMST 431/HIST 477, AMST 435, AMST/POL 325, BLAW 200, COM 451, ECON 476, ES 340, ES 410, HWST 440, HWST 445, HWST 495, HWST 496, HIST 475, HIST 477/AMST 431, PHIL 317, PHIL 318, POLS 317, POLS 367, POLS 375, POLS 376, POLS 377, POLS 393, SOC 231, SOC 333, SOC 335, SOC 336, SOC 341, SOC 432, SOC/WS 435, WS/POLS/AMST 436

Note: You cannot double count your classes for both your certificate and your major. So, for example, if you are a Political Science major, you must count POLS/SOC 374 toward your Law and Society certificate and not toward your major.

BA to MA Degree Pathway

The Department of Political Science offers a Combined Bachelor’s & Master’s Degree (BAM) Pathway for highly motivated undergraduate majors who wish to complete both a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in five years. This is done by double-counting graduate course work (up to 3 courses) at the undergraduate tuition rate.

Program Details:

  • Year One: Students will take undergraduate courses in POLS; the prerequisite 100 level class in the first semester; one 300+ core course in the second semester.
  • Year Two: Take two more core courses; gateway class (POLS 390 must be passed with B+ or better).
  • Year Three: Take final core course; complete elective requirements; apply to MA program (January deadline); must have a minimum GPA of 3.0.
  • Year Four: Complete BA and begin graduate courses (at undergraduate tuition); complete POLS Caption (400+); begin graduate course work with POLS 600; take additional nine credits of graduate courses (at undergraduate tuition rates)
    –POLS 610 or 620
    –POLS 630 or 640
    –POLS 660 or 680
    BA degree conferred.
  • Year Five: Complete graduate course work (at graduate tuition rates); take two POLS 600+ electives; one POLS 700+ elective; remaining three POLS 600+ electives or equivalent 600+ courses in other departments.
    MA degree conferred.

For more information, see: manoa.hawaii.edu/bam or politicalscience.hawaii.edu.

Graduate Study

The department has three different graduate degree programs: master’s degree Plan A, for which a master’s thesis is required; master’s degree Plan B, for which a culminating experience is required; and the doctor of philosophy (PhD) program. The department offers specializations in alternative futures, Asian and Pacific politics, comparative politics, international relations, political theory, indigenous politics, and public policy.

Further information regarding the requirements for all three programs is available at politicalscience.hawaii.edu.

The application deadline is early January for admission in the fall semester. No Spring semester admissions are taken.

Master’s Degree

The department offers MA Plan A (thesis) and Plan B (culminating experience) degrees that can be tailored to a student’s interests and needs. The MA program invites applicants who are prepared to think critically and constructively about political phenomena. All MA students are required to take three of the following courses regardless of program (Plan A or Plan B): POLS 600, 610, 620, 630, 640, 650, 660, 670, and 680.

Doctoral Degree

The department’s PhD program encourages students to pursue specialized interests as well as to broaden their understanding of political phenomena. The department looks for students who are prepared to construct a successful course of study based on their individual interests, in conjunction with appropriate advising and course work. We encourage applicants who approach political questions in a critical and creative manner and who combine work from different specializations and disciplines to pursue their own particular projects.

Honors and Awards

The department has several teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and scholarships that are awarded to deserving qualified students.

Undergraduate

  • Thomas Hamilton Memorial Scholarship—$600 for a student with outstanding scholarship and all-around performance who has completed at least two courses in political theory.

Graduate

  • Norman Meller Award—$1,500 for fall semester to a graduate student with an outstanding academic record.
  • Harry J. Friedman Memorial Scholarship—$700 for outstanding work in comparative politics.
  • Jorge Fernandes Memorial Fellowship and Award—for spring semester to aid an outstanding graduate student to support the completion of his/her dissertation.
  • Glendon Schubert and James Neal Schubert Political Science Endowed Scholarship—for spring to a graduate student who specializes in public law, law and society.