Political science addresses some of the fundamental problems facing human society. Questions concerning world peace, government policies aimed at achieving economic stability and growth, the management of environmental quality, control over political competition, the possibility of using law to affect social and political change, and the gap between the rich and poor in the United States and abroad are all on the research agenda of contemporary political scientists. The general purpose of the major is to address these and other issues systematically, and, simultaneously, to raise the broad theoretical questions that can help students relate today's political debates to those debates about politics that have kept a theoretical tradition alive for over 2,000 years. The premise of our educational philosophy is that the best professional preparation for productive careers that we can provide is one that is broad, theoretical, and only indirectly related to the current job market. Our majors graduate into a wide range of career options.