UD - PSIR major

Summary

In the transcript, a junior PSIR major named Sangrong delivers a presentation detailing the Political Science and International Relations major (PSIR) at UD. The goal of the PSIR major is to provide students with theoretical and practical knowledge in politics, focusing on understanding political systems both domestically and internationally. Sangrong discusses the curriculum, which includes subfields like political theory, comparative politics, international relations, and Korean politics. He compares PSIR with IS majors, describing career prospects across various sectors including public service and international NGOs. The presentation also includes details about major course requirements, descriptions of specific courses like Korean Politics, Public Choice, International Organizations, and Chinese Politics, as well as tips for managing course selections and leveraging school policies.

Highlights

• The PSIR major focuses on teaching students about political norms, institutions, and analytical skills. 📘
• Key differences between PSIR and IS majors help students choose the right path based on interests. 🔍
• Sangrong explains how PSIR majors can work in public service, law, politics, journalism, and NGOs. 🌍
• Highlighting course specifics helps students prepare for engaging in debates and examinations. 🗣️
• Understanding the unique academic structure helps in navigating the major course requirements efficiently. 📊
• Emphasizing the importance of reading syllabuses and understanding grading methods to succeed. 🧐

Key Takeaways

• Understand the core goal of the PSIR major: equipping students with theoretical and practical political knowledge. 🎓
• PSIR curriculum includes political theory, comparative politics, international relations, and Korean politics subfields. 📚
• Sangrong highlights differences between PSIR and IS majors and career opportunities available to graduates. 🌐
• Courses require varied skills, from discussions to written exams, offering a range of challenges. 📝
• Utilizing course codes and school policies effectively can enhance your educational journey. 🗂️
• Networking with fellow PSIR majors can aid in academic and social aspects of university life. 🤝

Overview

The PSIR major at UD, as presented by junior student Sangrong, offers a structured curriculum aimed at helping students understand and engage in high-level decision-making processes within politics. The coursework emphasizes theoretical and practical knowledge, preparing graduates for diverse roles in both public and private sectors.

Sangrong breaks down the PSIR curriculum into political theory, comparative politics, international relations, and Korean politics, providing a comprehensive understanding of both domestic and international political frameworks. This diverse academic curriculum enables students to tailor their studies to their individual interests and career aspirations.

Throughout the presentation, Sangrong offers valuable advice on navigating the course selection process, effectively utilizing course codes, and maximizing school policies to aid in successful enrollment. He also emphasizes the importance of networking within the PSIR community to enhance learning and career development.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to PSIR The introduction to PSIR (Political Science and International Relations) is presented by Sangrong, a junior majoring in PSIR. Sangrong is set to provide an overview of what is covered in the PSIR major. Additionally, he will share various tips and strategies for undertaking PSIR courses and guidance on the application process for these courses.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Overview of PSIR Major This chapter is an introduction to Political Science and International Relations, commonly referred to as PSIR. It begins with clarifying the acronym PSIR and sets out to explain the primary aim of the discipline. The goal of PSIR involves understanding political systems, behaviors, and the intricate relationships between multiple nations.
• 01:00 - 02:30: Goals and Focus of PSIR The PSIR (Political Science and International Relations) major aims to provide both theoretical and practical education for participants in high-level decision-making processes in Korean and global contexts. Its goal is to prepare students through essential political theories and practices, focusing on both domestic and international politics, thus equipping graduates to become leaders.
• 02:30 - 04:00: Comparison of IS and PSIR Majors The chapter discusses the comparison between Information Systems (IS) and Political Science and International Relations (PSIR) majors. It highlights the focus of the PSIR curriculum on teaching conceptual tools and analytical skills necessary for understanding and analyzing political norms, institutions, processes, and behaviors in various political systems and international contexts. The program prepares students for roles in both the public and private sectors, combining theoretical knowledge with practical skills for a comprehensive educational experience.
• 04:00 - 05:00: Career Paths for PSIR Graduates The chapter titled 'Career Paths for PSIR Graduates' begins with an introduction to the four subfields of PSIR: political theory, comparative politics, international relations, and Korean politics. It addresses a frequently asked question by freshmen about the difference between an IS major and a PSIR major. The speaker reflects on how they also pondered this question during their freshman year, and shares their personal opinion on the distinction between the two majors.
• 05:00 - 06:00: Major Requirements for PSIR The chapter titled 'Major Requirements for PSIR' discusses the curriculum requirements for the PSIR (Political Science and International Relations) program. It mentions that the program encompasses a variety of courses across different fields, including CLC, economics, and unique courses tailored specifically for PSIR. The focus of the PSIR courses is primarily on political theories and politics, and the ways in which these can be applied in real-world scenarios.
• 06:00 - 07:30: Korean Politics and Democracy Course The chapter discusses the application of political theories in the real world, with a special focus on international relations (IR). It suggests that individuals interested in expanding their knowledge related to politics, economy, literature, and other fields, specifically in IR, would benefit from delving into these areas. The emphasis is on broadening understanding of worldwide phenomena through the lens of IR.
• 07:30 - 09:00: Public Choice Course The chapter focuses on the decision-making process related to choosing a major in the field of Political Science (PS). It highlights the importance of understanding the interrelationships between Political Science and other areas such as International Relations and Economics. The course encourages students to explore these linkages in order to enhance their knowledge and perspective in Political Science.
• 09:00 - 11:00: International Organizations Course This chapter discusses the importance of International Organizations within the field of political science, particularly for students majoring in Political Science and International Relations (PSIR). It highlights the potential career paths for graduates, which often include public service roles such as law, diplomacy, politics, and journalism. Moreover, a considerable number of graduates find career opportunities in international non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
• 11:00 - 13:00: Understanding Chinese Politics Course The chapter discusses the influence and success of graduates from Chinese political science programs, highlighting prominent positions held by alumni including a Prime Minister, National Assembly Speakers, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Ministers of Education, and a UN General Assembly Chairman. It underscores the impact of these alumni in various sectors including private firms, investment banks, and management consultancies, suggesting the value and potential incentive in understanding Chinese politics.
• 13:00 - 18:00: Tips and Strategies for PSIR Major The chapter covers the major requirements for students pursuing a PSIR major, emphasizing the flexibility of the program. It clarifies that all courses in the PSIR major are electives and not mandatory core courses. For a single major in PSIR, students need to complete 42 credits from these elective courses. Additionally, it briefly mentions the option of pursuing a double major alongside PSIR.
• 18:00 - 19:30: Conclusion and Contact Information The chapter discusses the credit requirements needed for a major and minor in PSIR (Political Science and International Relations). For the major, students need to complete 36 credits from major elective courses. If PSIR is chosen as a minor, an additional 18 credits from major electives is required. The chapter emphasizes the total requirement of 126 credits, with 42 credits specifically designated for major courses.

UD - PSIR major Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 um hello everyone um my name is sangrong and i'm currently a junior in psir major and i will be giving a presentation about what we learn in psi or major and several tips and strategies regarding psir courses and um applying for psir courses as well um
• 00:30 - 01:00 so rc 101 introduction to psir so um all of you guys know that psir stands for political science and international relations so what is um the goal of psir well
• 01:00 - 01:30 um the goal is to the goal of psir major is to provide a theoretical and practical education for those who intend to participate in decision-making processes at the highest levels in various fields within korean society and the world psir aims to educate students in the essential theories and practices of politics both domestic and international so as to prepare its graduates to take on leading
• 01:30 - 02:00 positions and roles in the public sector as well as the private sector the curriculum focuses on teaching conceptual tools and analytical skills through which students can understand and analyze political norms institutions processes and behaviors across different political systems and international contexts so um the curriculum mainly consists of
• 02:00 - 02:30 four subfields which are political theory comparative politics international relations and korean politics so one of the most common questions that freshmen ask is what is the difference between is major and psir major and this was also the question that i asked when i was a freshman so in my personal opinion i think is major
• 02:30 - 03:00 deals with a variety of courses in many fields um and actually i think is course is courses deal with all ud courses generally from you know clc econ psir and is unique courses but for psir it mainly deals with political theories politics and how we can apply those
• 03:00 - 03:30 political theories into our real world and the actual worldwide phenomena so to put simple simply if you are only interested in ir and you want to expand your knowledge related to international relations um in terms of you know politics economy literature and you know other fields and your main focus is ir then i would personally recommend
• 03:30 - 04:00 you to take um to choose is major but if your main interest is in ps so political science but you want to learn about various linkages um with other studies um with your main element as political science so political sciences relationships with um international relations or um economy and you want to
• 04:00 - 04:30 in your main focus is political science then i think um psir would be a very good major for you um to take courses that you want to take um for um careers the majority of graduates seek careers in public service including law diplomacy politic politics and journalism and a significant number of joint international ngos
• 04:30 - 05:00 private sector firms from investment banks to management consultancies and among the political science programs most notable graduates in korea include one prime minister two speakers of the national assembly four ministers of foreign affairs two ministers of education and one chairman of the un general assembly so we do have these wonderful graduates so i think this could be one another incentive to
• 05:00 - 05:30 join psi our major and most importantly there are the major requirements so we do not have a particular major courses that you need to take all of them are electives not um the must must take courses call and if you choose psir as your only major it's 42 credits from among the major elective courses and if you choose double major meaning you choose another major
• 05:30 - 06:00 and psir you need to take 36 um credits from among the major elective courses and lastly if you choose psir as your minor then you need to fulfill 18 credits from among the major elective courses so you all know the magic number 126 credits in total so um so um the major courses will then comprise of 42 credits um for your if you choose psi as your
• 06:00 - 06:30 only major um asides the cc courses and other electives that you take so this is the chart so what subjects that i took when i was sophomore and junior the first course is called korean politics and democracy so in this course um i mainly learned about um the political economy and development of
• 06:30 - 07:00 korea how the governance and policy making works and also the election systems party politics and civil movements occurring in korea and this course was mainly um discussion based and the professor um evaluated us by holding um debates and we have to do three debates um related to specific motions about korean politics
• 07:00 - 07:30 and for finals we did a group research paper um about um the topics that the professors um assigned to us and i remember writing about um the relationship between korea and japan regarding the comfort woman issue and the forced labor issue during the korean colonial period and yeah this course is recommended for students who like discussions and app engaging
• 07:30 - 08:00 actively and during classes and it didn't have a lot of workload related to um you know exams or lectures so yeah and i was able to learn a lot about korean politics the second course is called public choice and i learned about mainly theories related to politics in this course so we learned about political theories
• 08:00 - 08:30 and also the different types of voting procedures and the agenda setting and this course was mainly related to american political system and but we still learned how um to apply the political theories in korean politics as well and also in international relations and this course was both um exams in for midterms and finals and it was a lecture-based course
• 08:30 - 09:00 so this course is recommended for students who don't like to talk and would prefer to take exams um and the third course is international organizations so this course was kind of challenging for me at first because i was mostly interested in learning about um domestic so korean politics or east asian politics or just you know political um theories but i wasn't that
• 09:00 - 09:30 informed about um international organizations and how international organizations operate so it was a good chance for me to learn about a new field and i learned about how ios first originated and what are the structures of each ios and we also learned about the purposes and roles of international system based on the international political theories so this course was also i think
• 09:30 - 10:00 um exam based but it wasn't a multiple choice exam but it was um an essay exam so the professor gave us several questions and we had to write essays as response and we also did um a project called i o conference a mock io conference so we had to choose a particular i o that we were interested in and then we had to um analyze how it
• 10:00 - 10:30 operated and the possible limitations and predictions of how this io would serve in the future so i chose um iaea and this court this um io is mainly about nuclear um cooperation and nuclear examinations and inspections within each countries so i was able to learn about this particular io and international political theories in
• 10:30 - 11:00 general and lastly i learned about understanding chinese politics because i after learning about korean politics i was also interested in learning about east asian politics in general so this course was also lecture based but we also had a lot of discussions near the end of the semester and um so for during lectures the professors the professor um taught us about
• 11:00 - 11:30 um the history of china chinese politics so like pre-1949 revolution process the era of maoist and the reform period since 1978 and the current dynamics and transitions of political development going on in china um regarding the xi jinping regime and how the current military and trade conflicts between china and u.s as long as well as um hong kong um
• 11:30 - 12:00 security law so we all we both dealt with the historical um parts and also the contemporary um um political issues regarding china so yeah it kind of widened my scope so i only talked of talk uh knew about korean politics but i was able to learn about how other countries politics work and since i was interested in learning about china this course was very intriguing and
• 12:00 - 12:30 interesting for me and this course was also an exam based but this course examinated gave exams based on what we learned in class and the readings that we read and then we had to write a long response essay essay response regarding the exam questions so lastly i'm going to talk about several tips and strategies regarding psir major
• 12:30 - 13:00 first of all identifying the course code before applying for a specific course is very important because as you see um i also wrote down course codes here um to show you this but um courses that start with two are mostly for courses recommended for sophomores whereas courses that start with three are recommended for juniors and courses that start with four are recommended to
• 13:00 - 13:30 seniors so if you are a sophomore just taking psi course and you take a course with a course code starting with four um it is kind of evident that it's that course will be challenging for you and difficult because most of your classmates would be seniors who are taking the course so i think identifying the course code could be important so that you don't get too terrified with that course and actually meet um your fellow classmates who are taking
• 13:30 - 14:00 you who are in the same position as you second is utilize uic first course policy so this policy is only provided to uic econ students and uic psir students because we sometimes take the same course as um the econ and psis departments um in the who take courses in korean um courses but sometimes we also take the same courses and
• 14:00 - 14:30 um that turns into a very competitive process during course application periods so in order to ensure that you uic psi courses take courses that they want to take this policy is provided so as long as you put 12 mileages you are automatically in that course enrolled in that course and this is very very advantageous um because the courses provide um are very very competitive
• 14:30 - 15:00 and even if you put like maximum mileage you might not be able to take that course so please utilize this policy wisely um it is a good head start for you uicpsr students i've also received a lot of um benefits from this policy because there were several courses that i really wanted to take but it became really competitive but i was able to be enrolled with just 12 mileages and also read the syllabus
• 15:00 - 15:30 and the grade evaluation methods carefully because as i said before each course has different evaluation methods whether it is lecture based debate based discussion based and i think compared to is psir provides a wider varieties of the exam methods so sometimes the professors would only be you know only take exams whereas for other courses they are more discussion based
• 15:30 - 16:00 and debate based so it's i think it's a biased bias to say oh psi psir courses are only you know discussion related or just you know debate related so if you're not that good at speaking then you shouldn't take psi courses it's actually not there are a lot of professors who give you exams or papers and try to make the course of uh grade evaluation fairly for students so i think reading
• 16:00 - 16:30 the syllabus carefully and knowing which subjects and which evaluation methods are you know comfortable for me before actually enrolling in and also keep in mind of the course credits although um there's not an absolute or you know um rule absolute rule for which amount of courses you need to take per semester if you don't calculate the course credits you might end up with having you know
• 16:30 - 17:00 tons of major courses to take at the end of your senior year and that is very burdensome because major courses are more difficult than other elective courses or um cc courses so it's best to you know arrange the number of courses that you you take per semester so i recommend you to take about two uh two or three um major courses per semester so that you could and um finish um taking all the credits
• 17:00 - 17:30 you need and lastly it's really good to make many psi or friends because um because it's psr major um only the major students take the courses right so you always meet the same person every time you go to psi or you take psi or courses right so it's better to be comfortable with them and you know know a lot of them so that you know you could do group projects together or
• 17:30 - 18:00 um you know you could study together and help each other out and i also made a lot of friends while taking psir courses because we always meet each other same time um so yeah um you know if if you have many friends with you um who are in psir then you know you could also you know take the same courses during the um course application period and you know that's less lonely so that's my last advice um thank you
• 18:00 - 18:30 for listening to my presentation this is the end for intro to psir if you have any other questions um this is my email address and you can ask questions freely about you know the concerns or questions regarding psir major so um thank you
• 18:30 - 19:00 you