Replication Data for: Wither the Political Science Major? A Cross-Institutional Analysis of Curricular Design and Program Learning Outcomes at 110 Colleges and Universities

In 1991 a group of political scientists led by John Wahlke helped redefine disciplinewide standards for the undergraduate political science major, providing recommendations for key structural elements to be adapted and incorporated into political science programs of all types and sizes. Although the “Wahlke Report” avoided proposing a “model curriculum” in recognition of varying degrees of institutional resources and capabilities, three general models of undergraduate political science programs have emerged during the past three decades: the distribution model, focusing on broad exposure to the discipline’s subfields; the sequential learning model, favored in the Wahlke Report; and learning outcomes model, driven by accreditation processes. In this paper we survey 110 U.S. political science undergraduate programs to estimate the diffusion of these models, identifying core program requirements, overall structure, and goals. We gathered publicly-available information from department websites and university catalogs and performed content analysis on program (or student) learning outcomes, and analyzed the data using bivariate and multivariate measures. Overall we find that a majority of departments favor the distribution model, and less than 20 percent require all three of the Wahlke elements for which we tested. The likelihood of implementing the sequential model is negatively associated with the number of full-time faculty, but not related to region, public/private status, or institutional ranking, among other variables. Fewer than half of institutions in our sample publicize learning outcomes, and knowledge and critical thinking are primary goals. Having learning outcomes is also negatively related to the number of full-time faculty and some regional accreditation organizations.