MAJOR

The major requires 10 4-point courses (40 points) in the department chosen in consultation with a departmental adviser and completed with a grade of C or better. At least two of these should be designated core courses (V53.0100, V53.0300, V53.0500, and V53.0700) and should be taken before completion of the sophomore year. At least one course must be taken in three of the five fields. Only courses with a V53 number, which are not also counted toward another major or minor, can be counted toward the politics major.

The following internship and reading and research courses do not count toward the major in politics: V53.0401, V53.0402, V53.0970, V53.0971, and V53.0990.

The department also administers the major in international relations. For a description of this new major, see the Program in International Relations (52).

HONORS PROGRAM

For admission to and completion of the department’s honors program, students must have a GPA of 3.65 overall and in the major. The deadline for applying to the honors program is March 1 in the spring of the junior year. Admission to the honors program will permit students to register for Senior Honors I (V53.0950) in the fall of their senior year. In Senior Honors I, students will prepare a research proposal for their thesis, which they will write in the spring of their senior year while taking Senior Honors II (V53.0951). The thesis has to be approved by both the instructor teaching Senior Honors II and the second reader of the thesis, including approval of an oral defense. Successful completion of all honors requirements permits students to graduate with honors in politics. Detailed information about the program may be obtained at the department.

MINOR

The minor requires five 4-point courses (20 points) in the department chosen in consultation with politics departmental advisers and completed with a grade of C or better. A minor program may reflect a special emphasis in one of political science’s four fields or subfields such as prelaw. Only courses with a V53 number, which are not also counted toward another major or minor, can be counted toward the politics minor.

PRELAW

Although law schools do not require any particular major or course of study, political science is an especially useful field for students planning legal study and a later career in law. For this reason, it is not surprising that, over the years, more law students have majored in this field than in any other. The Association of American Law Schools has suggested that among the areas of importance in prelegal education are the study of the political organization of societies; the democratic processes of Western societies; the freedom of individuals; and the art of peaceful, orderly adaptation to change. The association also suggests that students develop the power to think creatively and analytically.