I prefer the subject itself of Political Science, but I want to take Econ because of the teacher and because I know the political science class will be a joke.
Is there any reason I should take Political Science over Econ? I was planning on taking Econ, but my counselor recommended I take Political Science to show my passion for the subject. I thought that colleges determined your passion by looking at your extracurriculars, not your courses? I thought colleges just wanted applicants to take the most difficult classes available in high school, with disregard to field of interest?
You thought correctly.
Most HS will not have a wide range of PSci electives (if at all), so taking a “joke” class will not boost your chances.
If you are planning on being a political science major, then taking a poli course would indicate some interest (if not passion) for the subject. Taking an econ course would also presumably demonstrate passion for econ. Not sure what your advisor was getting at but it sounds like you should take the best course for you.
I think micro could potentially be more useful to you because most political science majors end up taking at least a semester or two of econ, and it’s pretty consistent across introductory courses. If political science is your goal, then there will be much better electives that are better taught in high school that you will probably get more out of than a “joke” class.
Micro is very useful in politics so I would go for that. You will learn more relevant information than from your joke class.