<p>So I will be joining Michigan this fall as a member of the Class of 2016 and I'm in the Honors program at LSA. Obviously my major plans are a tad premature and subject to change (possibly drastic), but for now I'm interested in pursuing a pre-law path with a double major in Political Science and Brain, Behavior and Cognitive Science (subset of psychology). For the Political Science major, students must complete two out of the four intro courses as pre-reqs. The four options are Political Theory, American Government, Comparative Politics, and World Politics. I'm taking AP US Government this year and I'm expecting to get a 4/5, but the results won't come until July and my orientation is the first week in June. So, I won't be taking intro to American Government as a freshman, but I want to take 2 of the intro courses (one each semester). I think I'm leaning towards Comparative Politics and Political Theory, but if any students with experience could give me a synopsis on the three intro classes and the pros/cons of each that would be fantastic. </p>
<p>Some specific questions:
What's the main difference between comparative politics and world politics???
Idk why, but I have a feeling that political theory would just be boring, any thoughts haha?
Also, just a general question, when we register for classes at orientation, do we sign up for both winter and fall semesters?</p>
<p>You sign up only for fall at orientation. I’ve met the professor for POLSCI 101. He is interesting. I can’t say first hand about the class. His lectures are simulcast on the internet and you can attend in person or by internet. Some students gather together separately and watch the lecture together. He also has an instant message system where you can ask questions in class.</p>
<p>You can always register for POLSCI 111 and drop it if you get a 4 or 5 on the AP.</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about world politics or comparitive politics.</p>
<p>This is not directly related to the OP’s question, but worth noting. Michigan now has a new major call Philosphy, Politics and Economics. This one should be sick!!!</p>
<p>I’ve taken 101 and 160 this year. I’d recommend 160 definitely. 101, on the other hand, I do not like. I find it very boring and uninteresting. I’ve heard good things about Comparative politics, though.</p>
<p>@stewta4 Hey, i also got accepted into LSA for this fall, and i’m an international transfer applicant from singapore so i’ve already done about 2 semesters of political science courses here and planning to major in PS too. Just want to ask how did you get accepted into the honors program at LSA? Did you apply beforehand and if so, through where? Thanks in advance :)</p>
<p>I thought 101 was interesting when I took it as a junior. <em>shrug</em></p>
<p>Something to think about… you have to take classes from at least 3 of the 4 categories total for your degree, theory, comparative, world, and methods I think they are… I graduated a while ago so my memory here may be fuzzy, but I think that’s what they are. Personally, I ended up taking 101 to get a theory credit because the “methods” classes were somewhat math oriented and that was not for me, so I had to take a class from all of the other three categories. I was originally registed for a higher level theory course, as 101 was only an advisory prereq and not required and I assumed it would be too easy and boring, and I got slammed and had to drop it and take 101 instead-- maybe it was just the professor I had but it was WAY too hard and I couldn’t keep up at all. I found my 101 class fascinating even as a junior and learned a lot of valuable info, but again, that may depend on the professor teaching the course. My point is, consider that you will eventually need to take classes from 3 of the 4-- if you want to opt out of something other than theory, take 101. You can always take it later if you want, too, like I did. It should be an easy A and the other theory courses may not be.</p>
<p>Take 101 with Mika Lavaque Manty. It’s an insanely easy class, and it’s unique because you can choose what assignments to do and how you want them to be weighted. Mika is a great lecturer and really funny.</p>