GOVERNMENT
2013-2014
Professors: Marc Eisner; John E. Finn; Giulio Gallarotti; James McGuire, Chair; J. Donald Moon; Peter Rutland; Nancy Schwartz
Associate Professor: Douglas C. Foyle, Mary Alice Haddad, Elvin Lim, Sarah Wiliarty
Assistant Professors:
Adjunct Lecturer: Louise Brown, Dean for Academic Advancement
Departmental Advising Experts
The Government Department offers courses in four different concentrations of study within political science: American politics and public policy, comparative politics, international politics, and political theory. We offer a comprehensive Introduction to Political Science (GOVT101), introductory courses to each concentration (numbered 151-159), a range of upper-division courses (201-368), and research seminars (369-399). In addition, we offer courses in research methods in political science, tutorials, and education in the field. Courses numbered 201-368 are ordered according to field of study, not level of difficulty.
If a statement on the major in this catalog is inconsistent with a regulation on the Government Department Web site, the Web site is authoritative.
Major requirements. To complete the major requirements, a student must take a minimum of nine approved government credits, of which at least eight must be upper-division (courses numbered 201 or higher). At least five of the eight upper-level credits for the major must be earned in courses numbered between 201 and 399 and taken in the Government Department at Wesleyan. The remaining three credits can consist of a combination of: (a) tutorials in the Department of Government - non thesis tutorials (a limit of two) or a thesis tutorial (a limit of one); (b) course in a cognate discipline at Wesleyan (a limit of one, with advisor’s approval); (c) non introductory courses taken at other institutions (a limit of two); or (d) additional Wesleyan government courses in the range 201-399. Teaching apprenticeships and student forum courses are not counted toward the fulfillment of major requirements. Under certain circumstances and with advisor's approval, all three of the non-Wesleyan upper-division courses can be from a program abroad. See the Government Department regulation on Approvals of Credits from Study Abroad Programs on the department Web site.
Concentration. Majors must also complete a concentration program. Four courses are required within the concentration. Each concentration has different requirements for the major. Some courses may count toward more than one concentration. For a list, see the Government Department Web site.
Admission to the major.Admission to the major requires that students have completed at least one government course (preferably an introductory-level course, including GOVT101) with a grade of B- or better and have completed, additionally, Stage I of the general education expectations. Students who have NOT satisfied these requirements may apply for the government major, provided that, at the time they apply, they are enrolled in their first government course and/or in a course that satisfies Stage I expectations. Students will not be formally admitted to the major, however, unless they successfully complete the requisite course or courses by the end of the semester in which they apply.
In addition to all of the stipulations above, majors must also meet the following requirements:
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Depth in and breadth across the concentrations. The minimum number of introductory and upper-division courses required to complete a concentration is four, with the stipulation that no fewer than three of the four courses counting toward the concentration must be completed at Wesleyan. Majors must take at least one upper-division course in three of the four concentrations. -
General Education Expectations. Satisfaction of Stage 1 the general education expectations is required for admission to the major. Students who are currently enrolled in classes satisfying the expectations at the time of application to the major may be admitted to the major provisionally. Note that satisfaction of both Stages 1 and 2 of the general education expectations is required to receive honors in government. -
Pacing of courses in the major. Students who have not completed at least four courses for government credit by the end of their junior years must drop the major. -
Double majors. No student with a University GPA below B+ (88.33) may declare or maintain a government major if he or she also has another major. This requirement will be enforced through the end of the semester before the student is scheduled to graduate, i.e., normally through the end of the fall semester of the senior year.
American politics and public policy. GOVT151, 201-259, 366, 369-380. This concentration includes the introductory course, (GOVT151) and the following set of upper-division courses: survey courses (GOVT201-209), advanced upper-division courses (GOVT210-259); and seminars and tutorials (369-380, 401-412). The concentration requires GOVT151. GOVT366 Empirical Methods for Political Science, may be credited toward the concentration. Ideally, prospective majors in American politics and public policy should take GOVT151 in their first year. One or more of the survey courses, GOVT201-209, should be taken next. The survey courses require either GOVT151 or sophomore standing. It is strongly recommended that concentrators take at least one course each in American history and in economics.
Comparative politics. GOVT157, 260-305, 381-385. The comparative politics concentration consists of an introductory course (GOVT157), survey and intermediate courses (260-305), and seminars (381-385). A concentration in comparative politics requires GOVT157. Students are encouraged to design a program that will provide depth in a particular subfield: modern liberal democracies, one-party socialist regimes with developed economies, or Third World developing societies. Courses for the concentration should include one or two survey courses and two or more intermediate courses and seminars.
International politics. GOVT155, 306-336, and 386-390. A concentration in international politics requires GOVT155. Students are encouraged to distribute other department courses required for the major among the other concentrations. They should also consider the Certificate in International Relations awarded by the Public Affairs Center.
Political theory. GOVT159, 337-360, and 391-399. A concentration in political theory requires four upper-division political-theory courses; two of these should be drawn from the GOVT337, 338, 339 sequence, which provides a survey of major political theorists in the Western tradition. GOVT159 is strongly recommended.
Honors program. Starting with the Class of 2013, students become eligible to stand as candidates for honors in government if they meet the following requirements: (1) completion of a major in government; (2) a University grade point average of 90.00 or above calculated at the end of the spring semester of the junior year; (3) completion of Stage I and Stage II of the general education expectations; and (4) completion of an original research and writing project, culminating in a thesis that is judged to be of honors quality.
Please note that meeting the above requirements is necessary but not sufficient for a student to become a candidate for honors in government. Those requirements determine eligibility, not candidacy. To become a candidate for honors in government, a student meeting the eligibility conditions must also speak with a government faculty member (tenured, tenure-track, or full-time visitor) about the proposed research topic, preferably in the spring semester of the junior year, and obtain that faculty member's agreement to tutor the honors thesis. Each government faculty member is entitled to decide for whom he or she will serve as a thesis tutor. Students who meet the eligibility requirements but who are unable to find a full-time Government Department faculty member to tutor the thesis may not be able to stand as candidates for honors in government.
Department activities. Please see the Government Department Web site for more information, www.wesleyan.edu/gov