MEREDITH RODRIGUEZ
Assistant News Editor
Many of Seaver’s 196 political science majors are angered at the dwindling number of upper-division political science courses offered next semester. Research opportunities are pulling professors out of the classroom, leaving upper and underclassmen struggling to fit into 11 upper-division classes spring semester.
“They basically cut our options in half,” senior Seth Allingham said.
The political science major offered 17 upper-division courses fall semester, according to Bob Escadero. Seniors are upset that they are losing some of the freedom they came to expect in the political science major, while underclassmen said they are worried that classes will be full by the time their turn to log onto PepXpress comes around.
“Everyone has been complaining about it in every class that I’m in,” senior Adam Ballek said. “It’s unfortunate because I’m on a tight schedule here trying to graduate. If they’re not offering lots of stuff, then it’s gonna be hard to put a schedule together.”
Allingham agreed.
“Basically I’m choosing from about five classes,” he said. “Basically the classes being offered that don’t conflict with each other and that I haven’t already taken are not classes I’m really all that interested in.”
“It’s disappointing because it’s a good division with great faculty,” Allingham continued. “It’s frustrating when you don’t have the classes and options.”
Heidi Laki said that as a senior she had hoped to tailor her major according to her specific interests, but now she cannot.
“I wanted to take certain classes to further my career and get a better depth of knowledge in the area that I wanted, but now I can’t do that,” she said.
Laki pointed out another annoyance — many of the few classes have overlapping schedules.
“They scheduled all of the good classes on Wednesday,” Laki said. “At like 11, 12, 1 and 2, and each one is like four hours long.”
Social Science Division Chair Chris Soper said he has not heard any student complaints.
“No one has come to me and said, “Why are so few political science courses being offered?” he said. “But I wouldn’t suspect I would be the first to know.”
Soper said this is a short-term issue.
“It won’t be a problem a year from now,” Soper said. “There are a couple of unique situations.”
The division is trying to fill a faculty position. Also, three professors have been rewarded research time, forcing them to cut their regular three course offerings to two.
“Which kind of bugs me,” Allingham said. “because we say we’re not a research school, and that we focus on students, yet they’re doing research.”
Third, according to Soper, one other faculty member is teaching a course in the Social Action and Justice program instead of the usual upper-division political science course. Soper concluded by saying that adjuncts are difficult to find.
“Again, I view this as a set of unique circumstances next semester,” Soper said.
Allingham said he agreed that this is the first time the pain of minimal class offerings has been this acute.
“Before, there weren’t as many (classes) as you would like, but you understand because it’s a small university,” he said. “This is the first time it is a real issue.”
Senior Kirk Henderson expressed concern for underclassmen.
“I’m lucky because I am a senior, and I’m basically done with what I need to take,” he said. “I feel bad for any underclassmen.”
Sophomore Chanell Carter is an underclassman who is already tailoring her degree to the class offerings instead of her interests.
“I am worried,” Carter said. “I need to take like two upper division classes next semester, but I’m only going to get to take one.”
She is going to have to make up for the missed units later.
“What will happen is that I’ll wind up taking like three Poli Sci classes next year and killing myself to try to do that, or going to summer school.”
Laki said no one as far as she knows has talked to the department about their concerns.
“There’s a Facebook group,” she said with a laugh. “But I don’t think there’s anything we can change about it.”
11-17-2005