Government

Government Department Class of 2009 Honors Students and their advisors

Aristotle described political science as the overarching science, arguing that it helps us understand who we are as human beings and how we can live happy and productive lives in communities. The Department of Government at Dartmouth maintains the ancient Greek concern with the nature of order and governance at every level of social interaction.   We are also attentive to communal failures and to the divisions, conflicts, and wars to which such failures give rise. We explore these issues from diverse perspectives. Faculty and students analyze texts, conduct surveys, experiments, interviews, and case studies, and collect and analyze quantitative data in their efforts to understand the political world.

The Department is committed to the proposition that outstanding scholarship and outstanding teaching are complementary and mutually reinforcing. Many of our faculty are prominent researchers, addressing enduring problems including, for example, the sources and resolution of international and civil conflicts, the development of representative institutions in new democracies, the defense of civil and human rights, the value of partisanship, gender bias in political campaigns, the persistence of mistaken beliefs in public opinion, the consequences of American power for the future course of international relations, the causes of genocide and prospects for its prevention, the detection of electoral fraud, and the proper level of autonomy for religious communities within liberal states. These issues attract students to Government classes in large numbers.

The department is committed to providing an outstanding curriculum, and opportunities for students to learn about politics outside the classroom. The department runs off-campus programs in Washington, D.C. and in London. We also sponsor lectures, seminars, and conferences, many in collaboration with the Dickey Center for International Understanding or the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center. Most of these events are open to students, providing opportunities for them to meet and interact with Dartmouth faculty and prominent visitors from other universities, the policy world, and journalism.