Planning a Major or Minor in Government

Political science is a highly diverse field united around a core interest.  Political scientists study power, and especially power used for public purposes:  how it is created, organized, distributed, justified, used, resisted, and sometimes destroyed.  They study power both normatively and empirically.  They study it in different settings:  within states, among states, and in spaces that states do not (or no longer) control.  They consider past as well as contemporary patterns.  They use a wide array of approaches and methods to gain leverage on the even wider array of questions they pose.

The field of Government, or Political Science, is divided into four main "subfields." These are American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Political Theory/Public Law. We also have coures tha cover Political Analysis.  The course numbers for these areas are as follows:

• American Politics (Intro. 3, Upper-Levels 30’s, Seminars 83’s)
• Comparative Politics (Intro. 4, Upper-Levels 40’s, Seminars 84’s)
• International Relations (Intro. 5, Upper-Levels 50’s, Seminars 85’s)
• Political Theory/Public Law (Intro. 6, Upper-Levels 60’s, Seminars 86’s)
• Political Analysis (Upper-Level courses 11 – 19)
• Courses that Cross-Subfields (Upper-Levels 20's)

In order to plan your Government Major or Minor, please use the following Major Plan of Study Forms:

• Major Plan of Study Form 
• Minor Plan of Study Form 

Please see a permanent member of the Faculty to review and sign your major cards (3 copies). Completed major cards should be submitted to the Department Administrator, Christine Gex, in 216A Silsby Hall and to the Registrar's Office. The third copy is for your own records.

Special Provisions

• The prerequisite to the Government major is one course in statistics and the methods of social science: Government 10, Economics 10, or Math 10.  Another course in statistics and the methods of social science may be substituted for Government 10, with permission of the department chair, in consultation with the full-time department faculty members who teach Government 10. Advanced Placement credit for Mathematics 10 does not count as the prerequisite for the Major. In order for AP Credit to count you must get permission from the department by taking a Government 10 equivalency text.
• Under College policy, Government 7 (First-Year Seminar) may not be counted toward the major or minor.
• Transfer Credit information
• Transfer students will normally be expected to complete at least five of the ten courses required for the major (or at least four of the seven courses required for the minor) on campus, or in courses taught by members of the Department.
• Unlike other Departments whose higher course numbers indicate advanced level, Government courses numbered 11-79 are all of intermediate level. Higher numbers simply indicate different subfields.
• No course may count toward both the Major and a Minor.
• Major GPA is figured on all Government courses taken (not including the prerequisite).
• No Government courses may be taken under the NRO.

The Modified Major

The Department of Government does not offer a Modified Major. This includes both modified Majors in which Government may be the primary component (e.g., Government Modified with History) and those in which it may be the secondary component (e.g., History Modified with Government). Students who seek to modify a major in another department with courses in Government may do so by using the option of a Modified major without indication of the secondary department (e.g., History Modified).