Juniors


(Preregistration) (Grades) (Absence and Late Papers) (Double Majors)

 

COLLEGE  OF  SOCIAL  STUDIES

REGISTRATION  NOTES 2026-2027

Juniors

 

 

If you registered last spring for the fall semester at Wesleyan, it is the time to review your selections. Please discuss your schedule with your advisor and make whatever changes on which you agree during the Drop/Add period. 

If you will not be on campus this semester, please keep in touch with your advisor by email.  Please keep in mind the requirements and other considerations given below. 

Your CSS Advisor for this year will normally be the same as last year, but due to sabbaticals and leaves, this person may be replaced over the summer. Please check your WesPortal in late August to see if your advisor has changed and, if so, to whom you may have been reassigned. Please plan to seek advice from her or him during preregistration in late October/early November for your spring courses at Wesleyan.

 

CHOOSING COURSES FOR THE JUNIOR YEAR

In the second semester, you are required to take the Junior Colloquium, CSS 371 (Social Theory). In addition, you will take a two-tutorial sequence that is equivalent to two course credits, choosing two of the three Junior Tutorials (Economics, Government, and History) that are offered. The preliminary syllabi for these tutorials will be emailed to you in early October. We ask that you send your tutorial preferences to Martha by e-mail no later than Friday, October 9. You will be pre-enrolled in your CSS classes prior to the spring semester planning period in early November.

Here are some factors to consider and to discuss with your advisor when choosing your electives: 

General Education Expectations:  If you have not done so already, you should fulfill Stage I Gen Ed Expectations by the end of your junior year. You must be Stage II Compliant by the end of your senior year. If you have not yet satisfied Stage I and Stage II Expectations, please submit such a plan (with the assistance of your CSS Faculty Advisor) to Martha by Wednesday, September 9 for the approval of the CSS co-chairs.

Methods Courses: CSS students are required to take a Social Science course that teaches methods and/or research design prior to the start of the senior year. We recommend taking the course during junior year with some idea as to what field you wish to focus on for your senior year capstone research project. Each of the departments tailors its methods/research design courses to address topics of research in that particular field. Hence thinking about what general field your capstone project will be in will help you choose the proper course. Alternatively, you can take one of the general statistical or data analysis courses offered by the Quantitative Analysis Center (QAC) with CSS approval. Qualifying Methods courses are listed in Stellic and can be viewed here. 

Research Papers: Many CSS students begin the senior year without having previously written substantial research papers. While the Junior Tutorials often require a research paper, you may wish to consider taking one or two courses in some social science discipline that require a major research paper, e.g., an upper-level seminar, during the junior year.

Additional preparation for the CSS Capstone Requirement: Senior Thesis and Senior Essay: You may not know your Senior Thesis or Senior Essay topic a year in advance, but it is wise to be thinking about it so that you may plan to take any appropriate courses. Without the relevant courses in a particular discipline, you may find it difficult to find an advisor willing to work with you. If you are thinking about asking a non-CSS faculty member to be your advisor, it is especially important to contact her or him early in your junior year. Many faculty members agree to advise a senior thesis only if the student has already taken a course or worked with him or her in some capacity prior to the thesis tutorial.

A Senior Thesis/Senior Essay Proposal will be due to the CSS Co-Chairs in the spring of your junior year. The co-chairs will hold a meeting with juniors at the beginning of the spring semester to discuss planning for senior year.

Please pay attention to the announcement of the Davenport Grant applications in the spring semester. The Davenport Study Grants are made available through the Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life. CSS students writing theses are often strong candidates for this grant; a well-written Davenport Proposal could earn up to $3,000 in summer research funds.  Students who wish to apply to the CSS for capstone research funding must first have applied for a Davenport Grant.

 

GENERAL NOTES

Spring Preregistration: You will be pre-registering for the spring semester during the pre-enrollment period beginning in early November. Please note that you will be pre-enrolled in THREE credits for the CSS classes (the Colloquium and two sequential Tutorials). Normally, you would be taking one additional outside course, or two additional courses with the permission of your CSS faculty advisor.

Grades:  Unlike Sophomore work, your CSS courses in the junior year are graded on the usual scale of A to F.  You may take other courses either graded or CR/U if the instructor gives you this option. The grades in all courses will be recorded on your transcript by the Registrar's Office in the usual way.

Incompletes and Late Work:  Junior Tutorials as well as the Junior and Senior Colloquia are graded and operate under normal University rules for the submission of all outstanding work although the tutor has the option of imposing more stringent requirements. In addition, any absence or late work from a CSS Tutorial or Colloquium will usually have an adverse impact on your final grade. Repeated violations may result in failure in the course and separation from the major.

Double Majors: Please discuss any plans for a Double Major with your CSS advisor and inform Martha and the CSS Co-Chairs of your intentions.