Quick List: Degree Requirements
Politics
- This major requires 41 Credits.
Basic Requirements:
- Pol 100, 105, 111
- Econ 101-102
- INTR 201, 202
Upper Level Requirements
- 15 additional CREDITS in at least two Politics Subfields: American, IR/Global, or Political Philosophy
- At least one Seminar (300-level course)
- Six additional credits from two of the following disciplines: Anthropology, Economics, History, Philosophy, Psychology, Religion, or Sociology
Specialization Option
- Students who wish to take four of their five upper level politics in one field may declare a specialization in that field when they declare the major.
Politics
General Information for Politics Majors
Degree Requirements
Politics Major Checklist
Download Checklist
General Information for Politics Majors
Major Requirements
The Politics major requires students to survey each of the subfields at the introductory level. All majors must therefore take Politics 100 (American Government), 105 (International/Global Politics) and 111 (Political Philosophy). In addition, majors must complete the introductory Economics sequence (101-102) and basic courses in Statistics (INTR 202) and information fluency (INTR 201).
Requirements for the major are flexible. Majors may spread their upper level courses across two or three of the subfields (General Study) or they may declare an area of specialization within one of them. A specialization requires that at least four upper level courses in one of the subfields. Majors may declare only one area of specialization.
Honors
Students with at least a 3.3 overall gpa and a 3.5 gpa in the Politics major may elect to write an honors thesis in the senior year and graduate with Honors in Politics. The thesis earns six credits for the satisfactory completion of a major independent research project supervised by two politics professors and a faculty committee. There is no specified length for the finished thesis, but recent projects have ranged from fifty to several hundred pages.
Juniors who think they may want to do an honors thesis in their senior year should consult with a prospective faculty supervisor of their choosing and complete POL 403, Directed Individual Study. The independent study will involve the development of a topic for a prospective thesis and the drafting of a prospectus that can be reviewed and approved by the whole department. Your faculty advisor has a sheet with additional information about the honors program.
International Relations
The study of International Relations is an integral part of the Politics Major. At Washington and Lee, we combine the study of International Relations and Comparative Politics under the more accurate heading “International Relations and Global Politics.” The department’s courses cover the entire range of global and international issues. Students considering further study or careers in international affairs should consult their advisers for more information.
ThePolitical Review
Students in the department edit and publish a journal called The Political Review. Copies are distributed for free in the Williams School once or twice a year. You should consider submitting papers, book reviews, or other political writing to the journal. Students interesting in serving on the journal’s staff or in submitting material should contact Professor Rush or the Political Review Editors, Beth Valentine and Jarrett Brotzman.
Internships
Internships can be a valuable addition to your education in politics and we encourage students to consider internships during the college years. The New York and Washington Programs provide a spring term opportunity for students, in all majors, to work in supervised internships at various New York or Washington locations while taking a class that enhances the internship experience. In some cases, students may continue their internship experience throughout the summer. Information and application materials for the Washington Term Program may be acquired from Professor Connelly. For more info on the New York Program, contact Professor Rush or Professor Robert Culpepper.Additional information about other summer internships and limited internship opportunities during the regular twelve-week terms can be found on the bulletin board outside Professor Connelly's office. Other professors in the department sometimes have information about internships related to their fields of study. The Career Services office can also be very helpful.
Pi Sigma Alpha Politics Honor Society
Washington and Lee sponsors a local chapter of the national political science honor society, Pi Sigma Alpha. Membership is by application and is open to any junior or senior Politics Major who has 1) at least a 3.3 overall gpa and a 3.5 gpa in the Politics major and 2) taken at least three courses in the major. There is a modest membership fee. The application deadline is usually announced during the winter term and new members are inducted at a lunch or dinner ceremony late in the winter or early in the spring. If you have questions about Pi Sigma Alpha contact Professor Dickovick.
Degree Requirements
Degree Requirements for the Politics Major (2008-09 catalogue)
A major in politics leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree requires completion of at least 41 credits as follows:
1. 100, 105, 111;Economics101 and 102; Interdepartmental 201, 202
2. Five additional courses of 3 credits or more in politics, including completion of one of the following four sequences and including at least 300-level seminar course which entails an independent research and writing component. All 300 level courses count towards the seminar requirement
a. General Study: completion of five courses chosen from at least two of the three subfields below.
b. American Government: completion of four courses chosen from POL 229, 230, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236, 250, 251 (SOC 251),342, 360, 370, 397, 466 and at least one course chosen from the remaining 200- and 300-level courses in international/global politics or political philosophy.
c. International/Global Politics: completion of four courses chosen from POL 214, 215, 221, 227, 240, 245 (SOC 245), 246 (SOC 246), 247,255, 272 (SOC 272), , 279, 327, 380, 381, 385, 392, 395 and at least one course chosen from the remaining 200- and 300-level courses in American government or political philosophy. d. Political Philosophy: completion of four courses chosen from POL 265, 266, 360, 370, 396 and at least one course chosen from the remaining 200- and 300-level courses in international/global politics or American government.
3. Six additional credits which must include courses from two of the following disciplines: anthropology, economics, history, philosophy, psychology, religion, or sociology.
Honors: An Honors Program in politics is offered for qualified students. Politics majors who have at least a 3.500 grade-point average in the major and at least a 3.300 cumulative grade-point average at the end of their junior year qualify to write an honors thesis. Prospective honors candidates should contact the department head and potential thesis advisers in the fall of their junior year.
Politics Major Checklist
Core Courses
The following courses are required for the major:
Course
Semester Taken
Course
Semester Taken
POL 100
ECON 101
POL 105
ECON 102
POL 111
INTR 201
INTR 202
Field Distribution
Majors must take at least five upper level courses, including at least one in two of the subfields listed below. Majors may also declare a field of specialization. To do so, majors must take at least four upper level courses in one of the subfields
Subfield
Course
Semester Taken
American Government
International/Global Politics
Political Philosophy
* N.B.: POL 295, 390 and 403, which vary in subject matter, may count as field distribution courses. Consult your instructor, or the department head, if you have any questions about how a particular special topic course should be counted.
Seminar Requirement
All majors must take one designated politics seminar course. Beginning in 2009-2010, all 300-level Politics courses count towards the seminar requirement. In prior years, the following courses were designated seminars:
2007-2008:
- Fall: Politics 340 (Rush--Constitutional Law) and Politics 360 (Morel--Lincoln)
- Winter: Politics 295 (Zarakol--International Security) 396 (Velasquez--Contemporary Political Thought) and 397 (Connelly--Tocqueville)
2008-09:
- Fall: Politics 340 (Rush-Constitutional Law), 355 (Le Blanc--Gender), 396 (Velasquez--Theological-Political Problem)
- Winter: Politics 295 (Zarakol--International Security), 397 (Connelly--James Madison)
Seminar
Term Taken
Courses in Related Departments
All Politics majors must take six additional credits (normally two courses) from those offered in anthropology, economics, history, philosophy, psychology, religion, or sociology.
Department
Course
Semester Taken
Comments/Questions:commerce@wlu.edu
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