at some point years and years ago we humans began living together in groups and that's helped us do amazing things like create intricate cultural elements like languages and music and accomplished big tasks like putting people on the moon but it's also had its challenges like somewhere along the way we had to decide who was going to go out and hunt and who was going to figure out how to invent the wheel and then we had to decide where different shops were located and how we divide up natural resources and how to settle feuds over land and how it should be used and collect taxes and and the list goes on and on yet somehow we've created all sorts of different systems to solve these problems and well make our world work but that doesn't mean it's been easy or that there still aren't a lot of questions to answer like just how do we go about creating these systems what types of systems are there which ones work best how do we know and what happens when a group of people with one system of government clash with a group of people under another system hi i'm erica brazovsky and welcome to fast guides a study hall series presented in partnership with arizona state university and crash course in this episode let's talk about what you'll study in a political science degree [Music] if you're thinking about majoring in political science you're in good company as of 2022 political science majors have been getting more and more popular in recent years political science which we often affectionately call poli sci is the study of politics or governments it's part of the social sciences which means it focuses on the relationship between people and societies and brings together topics from history psychology philosophy and more to study systems of governance and analyze political activities and laws so we study how current events are playing out on the world stage and all of the different factors that might have led us to this point like why borders between different countries are the way they are such as a long history between the different enclaves and divisions of armenia and azerbaijan or how the relationships between different governments have made cobalt minds in the democratic republic of the congo super important to making computers overall political science courses tackle issues related to public policy globalization terrorism the environment civil rights political development international affairs foreign policy resource allocation and theories of ideal government we explore how citizens like us interact with their governments and how all levels of government create policies to serve those citizens so poli-sci majors often graduate with knowledge of current affairs and the ability to think critically and independently while analyzing different viewpoints really what political science teaches us is how to be effective citizens of different governments and how we can take action and be part of our communities in nations in fact as we get older and we're exposed to new ideas and viewpoints many people often find that they're more interested in politics and current events and being civically engaged which sparks many to choose political science as their major after all there's a lot going on in the world today like recent data from the global peace index shows that civil unrest doubled from 2010 to 2020 and what we think was the largest protest in recorded world history just happened in india in 2020 with more than 250 million people participating so studying political science can help us make sense of what's going on and how we can make a difference to get started you'll most likely begin your studies with introductory courses that give a general overview of the subject terminology and methods you'll study things like poli-sci's greatest thinkers throughout history and learn how to analyze contemporary issues and discuss questions like what are power structures and how do they form and what types of governance are best from there you move on to more specific courses on topics like political theory and ideologies international relations and legal studies so things like justice power and democracy and what those mean how different nations interact with each other now and throughout history and how the law works some programs also require or encourage students to enroll in a statistics course to help you understand how to interpret data and toward the end of your undergraduate years you may even complete an independent study or research project which allows you to explore topics you find interesting in greater depth under the guidance of a professor and from the very beginning political science courses give us knowledge and skills that can be applied to real world problems so it's often recommended that students also do internships to expand their learning beyond the classroom these internships may be with local political organizations or in government offices and they provide excellent experience that can help you land a job after graduation another option for rounding out your studies is to participate in a study abroad program which lets you spend time studying in another country so for political science majors study abroad can be a great way to gain a more international perspective in general majoring in political science gives students a variety of courses and opportunities to study politics and policies at the local national and global levels so if you like keeping up with current events you get excited when a presidential debate airs you have your own political aspirations or you just want to make the world a better place then political science might be the major for you political science also appears nicely as a co-major or minor with things like global studies philosophy justice studies and history these are all topics that also show up in political science and can help you gain deeper knowledge in a specific area though some schools or professors say the best double majors are two wildly different fields as this gives you experience that really stands out from the crowd so always remember that your studies are your own and talk with your professors and advisors about what works for you and your school schedule ultimately anyone can study it but to do well as a political science student it helps to have good analytical and communication skills a lot of studying political science involves presenting and arguing different ideas using evidence and reasoning and it helps if you have a natural drive to drill down to the fine points of a topic or claim people who are good at organization and planning perform well because those skills help with sorting out ideas completing large projects and making decisions but interest is the most important qualification for any major so don't worry if you're still working on some of these skills the important thing for any major is not to get discouraged and to prepare for obstacles that are within our power to control like one of the biggest pitfalls students encounter with any major happens when they approach their studies by just going through the motions taking the courses and not engaging on a deeper level or seeking opportunities to gain experience outside of the classroom but this isn't the experience lots of poly sci students have because these students are often active in different extracurriculars so look for opportunities to join student organizations or get involved with campus leadership or seek out summer internships or jobs that support what you're learning or some political science majors volunteered to help with local state and national election campaigns or serve as interns or pages for government officials time is precious and it can be hard to balance school and extracurriculars and other life demands like families but if you're able to getting experience outside the classroom helps you connect your learning to the real world and test out different career options and if at some point during your studies you decide political science isn't right for you keep in mind that many of the courses you will have taken can count towards a degree in a related field like you might be able to slip seamlessly into lots of other social science majors like american studies ethnic studies journalism economics sociology criminology urban studies and more and studying political science doesn't mean you have to go into politics though it's great preparation if that's something you see in your future the skills developed through political science courses like writing communication or analytical and data skills are applicable to a wide range of career paths like policy analysts might work in governments think tanks consulting firms and more examining current public policies identifying problems and then possibly creating and evaluating appropriate solutions they look closely at the impact current and proposed laws have on specific groups or individuals and are responsible for writing up reports that summarize research findings and talking about salaries is hard because so much can change year to year or depending on what location you're in but as of 2021 on average policy analysts earn over 60 thousand dollars per year or if you want to work in politics even if you don't want to be a politician legislative assistants support legislators by drafting different laws conducting research offering advice and monitoring pending legislation they may offer general assistance or help with particular areas of expertise such as education or environmental policy the average legislative assistant earned somewhere between 40 and 50 000 per year as of 2022 or if global politics are more your thing diplomats negotiate immediate relationships with other governments they often live overseas in the country they're mediating with and oversee peace deals trade and economics human rights and environmental issues depending on where you are and what you're doing diplomat salaries are super variable but as of 2022 us diplomats with bachelor's degrees usually start out around 55 000 per year a political science degree is a great stepping stone on the path to becoming a lawyer too lawyers are responsible for advising and representing their clients in court before government agencies and in private legal matters though we often think of lawyers in the courtroom it's worth noting that most of their work is done outside the courthouse researching advising filing motions and preparing legal documents becoming a lawyer will take more school but as one of the higher paying career paths for poli sci majors lawyers start out with an average of seventy four thousand dollars per year as of early 2022 and there are so many other career paths out there like journalists make use of political science skills to investigate stories and communicate them in thorough engaging ways or becoming a public relations specialist is a great career for anyone who loves the communication side of political science and lobbyists use their deep understanding of how the government works to advocate on behalf of an individual or organization with a goal of influencing political decisions so as you're deciding what major will help you be successful in college and life remember the strong critical thinking and communication skills you develop as a political science major could lead to jobs in business education marketing intelligence regulatory affairs and more not only that but it will boost your understanding of current affairs and the world around you because these systems that help our world function didn't just get created overnight and there's still so many problems to solve if you're motivated or feel called to influence political and public issues in today's world or you long to develop knowledge and skills that apply to real world problems then political science might be the major for you thanks for watching i hope this video answered your questions about political science as you navigate your major decision and check out our other videos to look into more majors to find the one that's right for you this series is part of the study hall program a partnership between arizona state university and crash course if you like this video or found it helpful give it a like and comment and let us know how you chose your degree or how you're struggling to choose a degree or what you wish you'd known before you started your degree