Basic Structure of the Department
- The Government Department offers one major and one minor. Requirements for both can be accessed through the department's website.
- Most courses offered by the department fall into one of four subfields:
- American Politics (30s): This subfield focuses on the empirical and theoretical study of U.S. political institutions, processes, and behavior. People who study American politics study elections, Supreme Court decisions, social movements, Congressional politics, interest groups, political parties, federalism, state and local politics, public policy, and so on. GOVT 3 is the introduction to the subfield.
- Comparative Politics (20s and 40s): This subfield focuses on the study of politics and policy in other countries, often comparing the politics of one nation to that of another nation. In other words, Comparativists do for other countries what Americanists do for the United States. Comparativists also study democratization and dictatorship, revolution, political parties, economic development, nationalism, and so on. GOVT 4 is the introduction to the subfield.
- International Relations (50s): This subfield focuses on the study of interactions among sovereign states and other actors in the international arena. People who study IR study diplomacy, trade, war, international law and international organizations (e.g. the UN), and so on. GOVT 5 is the introduction to the subfield.
- Political Theory and Public Law (60s): This subfield focuses on the theoretical and philosophical questions raised by the ways human beings wield power and seek justice. GOVT 6 is the introduction to the subfield.
- Many courses, and the interests of most faculty members, span subfield divisions. Students are urged to identify a topic or puzzle of interest to them (e.g. “is globalization good or bad for democracy?” “Under what circumstances are disempowered people able to make their voices heard in politics?”), then chase that topic or puzzle across the subfields (and indeed, across academic departments and programs).
- The Government department sponsors two Foreign Study Programs, one to London, and one domestic program to Washington, DC. Prerequisites for the London program are GOVT 4 or 5 (or equivalent courses or course work). Prerequisites for the DC program are Govt 3 or other course work in American Politics. Most students who participate in the Government FSP have been Government majors.
Information for the First-Year Student Who Plans on Pursuing Studies in Government
- Each of the four introductory courses (3, 4, 5, and 6) is associated with one of the subfields described above. These courses are appropriate for first-year students, and are offered frequently. GOVT 6 (Political Ideas) is especially recommended, since the great texts of political philosophy (Plato, Aristotle, John Stuart Mill, and others) are an integral part of a liberal arts education. Majors are required to take at least two of the four introductory courses, and the sooner they are taken, the better.
- GOVT 10: Quantitative Political Analysis (or any other 10-series methods course including Government, Economics, Mathematics, Psychology, Social Sciences or Sociology, or Mathematical Social Sciences 15 or 45) is a prerequisite for the major. GOVT 10 is offered in the fall, winter and spring terms. (Note: due to the large overlap in material covered, no student may receive credit for more than one of the Social Science methods courses unless faculty permission is granted.)
- Students are urged to construct an academic program that weaves together courses from different departments and programs but speaks to a specific puzzle or topic.
Current Enrollments, Class Size, and Distributives
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