As the only liberal arts institution within the UNC system, UNC Asheville overlaps many topics within a single major, creating open minds and open opportunities. The Political Science major is just one of the UNCA majors and offers a wide range of overlapping topics.

Ashley Moraguez, associate professor and co-chair of UNC Asheville Political Science, said, “By asking students to think critically about political processes, institutions, prejudices, and behavior, political science can tap into this thinking in the liberal arts.” I think it will fit,” said Department.

Moraguez said this year will be his eighth year teaching at UNCA. The associate professor said he gained teaching experience as his doctorate before UNCA. He is a student at Emory University.

“We hope our students will gain skills, gain real-world experience, and learn important lessons about the world of politics from their degree,” said Moragues.

Moragues said their political science professor fundamentally changed their way of thinking about the political and social world.

“I hope that I will have at least a fraction of the impact that undergraduate professors have had on me,” said the UNCA professor.

Moraguez said working with students was personally the best part of the job.

“I am always in awe of how hard my students work,” Moraguez said. But I still find time to participate.”

The co-chairs said the department seeks to provide many opportunities for students to participate outside the classroom through internships, service learning classes, and research assistant positions.

“In my view, the goal of a liberal arts education is to develop critical thinkers who are active members of the community and engage with society’s big problems, questions and ideas,” Moraguez said.

According to Moragues, liberal arts education often emphasizes the importance of being an active citizen.

“I hope that a liberal arts education will help develop the next generation of leaders for a more equitable and inclusive society,” said the co-chairs.

UNCA provides job and leadership opportunities not only for students on campus, but also for alumni and other members of the Asheville community.

“There are opportunities to use your knowledge of the media to feel like you are making an impact,” says Alexis Douglas, student assistant in the Department of Political Science.

Douglas said their job is to support long-term projects and goals and also collaborate with the sociology and anthropology departments.

“There are some voting-related events, some of which happened last year,” said Douglas.

The Political Science major promotes voting, engages with the university and surrounding communities, and provides information on voting and registration during the semester.

“There is a lot of respect between faculty and students,” says Douglas. “The environment is comfortable and everyone seems to be of mutual benefit.”

UNCA students studying Political Science require 34 core credit hours, alongside other commonly required classes such as Humanities, Arts and Ideas, Second Languages, and Social Sciences. The UNCA requirements offer students a variety of worldviews and topics of immersion.

“I think my worldview has expanded since studying political science, and I have learned a lot of history and background on topics that were not previously taught to me,” said UNCA student Ona Elkins. rice field.

Since studying political science, Elkins said he has been immersed in new information about the Rwandan genocide, examples of systemic racism, and the impact of the U.S. Census and other international bodies. Elkins says he learned new tools, such as coding, using Excel and the R programming language.

“I think we understand a lot more about the political processes in the world today and in the past, and the impact of these policies around the world,” Elkins said.

Elkins says that since studying political science, he has become more knowledgeable about history and consumes current local and international news.

“I think the most fun part of studying political science is learning different skills within your major,” said Elkins.

UNCA students say they immersed themselves in political science because they love history and government and want to change the world.

“Public officials make decisions on our behalf, and those decisions affect everything from our rights, to funding important things like education, infrastructure, and health care, to enforcing and passing laws. It makes an impact,” said Elkins. “We plan to encourage people to vote, take the census and be more active in their communities.”

Elkins said that political science majors have many different topics to study. Political science students focus more on international politics and human rights than on American politics, he said.

“I think it’s a great way to get involved in the community and learn about the policies that affect our daily lives,” says Elkins.