Political Science courses
Director of undergraduate studies: David Cameron, 115 Prospect St., 432-5236, david.r.cameron@yale.edu
FACULTY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
Professors Bruce Ackerman, Akhil Amar, Seyla Benhabib, Paul Bracken, David Cameron, Bryan Garsten, Alan Gerber, Jacob Hacker, Oona Hathaway, Jolyon Howorth (Visiting), Gregory Huber, Stathis Kalyvas, Joseph LaPalombara (Emeritus), David Mayhew, Douglas Rae, John Roemer, Susan Rose-Ackerman, Frances Rosenbluth, Bruce Russett (Emeritus), Nicholas Sambanis, James Scott, Prakash Sethi (Visiting), Sallama Shaker (Visiting), Ian Shapiro, Stephen Skowronek, Steven Smith, Susan Stokes (Chair), Alec Stone Sweet, Peter Swenson, John Wargo, Steven Wilkinson, Elisabeth Wood
Associate Professors Thad Dunning, Susan Hyde, Ellen Lust, Karuna Mantena, Andrew March, Jennifer Ruger
Assistant Professors John Bullock, Daniel Butler, Seok-ju Cho, Allan Dafoe, Alexandre Debs, Samuel DeCanio, Ana De La O, Eitan Hersh, Sigrun Kahl, Hélène Landemore, Adria Lawrence, Jason Lyall, Nuno Monteiro, Paulina Ochoa Espejo, Ato Kwamena Onoma, Eleanor Powell, Kelly Rader, Elihu Rubin (Visiting), Thania Sanchez, Tariq Thachil, Vesla Weaver, Jessica Weiss
Senior Lecturers Boris Kapustin, David Smith
Lecturers Harry Blair, Elizabeth Carlson, Thomas Donahue, Alexandra Dufresne, Michael Fotos, Elizabeth Hanson, Cynthia Horan, Pablo Kalmanovitz, Matthew Kocher, Jean Krasno, Paul Lagunes, Stephen Latham, Christopher Lebron, Nikolay Marinov, Gwyneth McClendon, Mark Oppenheimer, Danilo Petranovich, Alan Plattus, David Simon, James Sleeper, Sean Smith, John Bryan Starr
Advising Students majoring in Political Science are expected to choose a member of the Political Science faculty as an adviser. Majors should consult the department's Web site to find an adviser whose research and teaching coincide with their own interests. Students are also encouraged to seek advice from other members of the department who work in their particular field of interest. Majors must secure written approval of course selections each term from the adviser or another member of the department. All subsequent changes in a student's major program must also be approved. Seniors' schedules must be approved by the director of undergraduate studies.
Students are urged to take the initiative in shaping a coherent program suited to their interests. If they intend to write a senior essay requiring substantial empirical analysis, they should plan to acquire sufficient training in statistics or other methods, as appropriate. Students should consult with their advisers frequently. The director of undergraduate studies and other members of the department can give advice about special programs or problems. Opportunities for two majors, study abroad, and work-and-study arrangements are normally discussed with the director of undergraduate studies. More information on advising can be found on the department's Web site.
The standard major Eleven term courses of political science are required. (One term of Directed Studies, DRST 005 or 006, may count as a political science course, with the approval of the director of undergraduate studies.) To fulfill the standard major's distributional requirement, students must take two courses each in three of the five departmental fields—international relations, American government, political philosophy, analytical political theory, and comparative government. Students expecting to major in Political Science should take several introductory-level courses in the department early in their college careers. This allows a student to make an informed choice of a field for specialization. Introductory courses count toward the overall course requirement and toward the distributional requirement.
Beginning with the Class of 2016, students may apply no more than two Political Science courses taken Credit/D/Fail toward the major. Students are allowed to take related offerings in other departments, and may petition to have up to three appropriate courses from other departments count toward the requirements of the major. College seminars count only when taught by a member of the Political Science faculty.
Senior requirement Students majoring in Political Science are required to take at least two seminars taught by members of the Political Science department. One seminar must be taken in the senior year. Admission to seminars is at the instructor's discretion. Students must complete a substantial paper, as described in "Senior essays" below, in at least one course taken during the senior year, either a seminar or a course specifically designated for that purpose (e.g., PLSC 480). Fall-term senior essays are due by 4 p.m. on November 30, 2012; spring-term and yearlong senior essays are due by 4 p.m. on April 19, 2013. In order to graduate from Yale College, a student majoring in Political Science must achieve a passing grade on the senior essay.
Seminar preregistration Political Science majors are given first preference for admission to departmental seminars. The department has instituted a preregistration system that allows instructors of seminars to preregister up to twelve majors prior to the start of each term. The system is administered by the office of the director of undergraduate studies. For fall-term seminar preregistration, a notice is sent to majors in July; for spring-term preregistration, it is sent in November. Only students who are declared Political Science majors at the time the initial preregistration notice is sent are eligible to participate.
Senior essays The senior essay provides an appropriate intellectual culmination to the student's work in the major and in Yale College. It should ordinarily be written on a topic in an area in which the student has previously done course work. It should rest on extensive research that is appropriate to the subject matter. Essays must be at least twenty-five double-spaced pages. At the beginning of the term in which the essay is written, students must have their senior essay topic approved by a faculty member who has agreed to advise them. The student must consult regularly with the seminar instructor or adviser and take the initiative in developing a mutually acceptable plan of research, regular meetings, and preliminary drafts. More extensive information about the senior essay can be found on the department's Web site.
The yearlong senior essay Students who wish to undertake a more extensive research project than is possible in a single term may fulfill the senior requirement by enrolling in the two-term course sequence PLSC 490, The Senior Colloquium, and 491, The Senior Essay. In PLSC 490 students develop a research prospectus for the senior essay and begin their research. PLSC 490 counts as a seminar in the major. In PLSC 491 students write the essay under the supervision of a member of the faculty who specializes in the area being investigated. Yearlong senior essays are expected to be substantially longer than a regular term paper. While there is no fixed length, they are normally fifty to sixty pages long. Yearlong senior essays are due by 4 p.m. on April 19, 2013.
Admission to the yearlong senior essay Majors who wish to enroll in the yearlong senior essay apply for admission in the spring of their junior year. The deadline for the Class of 2014 is 4 p.m. on March 28, 2013. Students should submit to the office of the director of undergraduate studies: (1) the yearlong senior essay prospectus form signed by a faculty adviser who has agreed to supervise the student's essay, (2) a two-page statement of project, and (3) an up-to-date transcript. Normally a successful candidate will have at least an A– average in political science courses and a B+ average outside the major. It is expected that no more than fifteen students will be admitted.
The major with an interdisciplinary concentration Students majoring in Political Science may choose an interdisciplinary concentration, which allows them to pursue an area of study that crosses conventional disciplinary and department boundaries. Examples of interdisciplinary concentrations are international studies, urban studies, health politics and policy, and political economy. Students choosing such a concentration are required to take twelve term courses toward the major, at least seven of which must be in the field of concentration. As many as three courses in the concentration may be taken in other departments, with the approval of the director of undergraduate studies. In addition to taking seven courses in their field of concentration, interdisciplinary concentration majors must take two courses in each of two other fields in the department. Two of these courses may be taken in other departments with the approval of the director of undergraduate studies. The senior requirement is the same as for the standard major, with the proviso that the essay must be written on a subject that falls within the field of concentration.
Admission to the major with an interdisciplinary concentration Students who wish to pursue the major with an interdisciplinary concentration must submit an application and meet with the director of undergraduate studies to discuss their proposed program of study. The application is due prior to the beginning of fall recess in the student's final year.
The intensive major The intensive major gives students an opportunity to undertake extensive research on a topic of interest. To carry out this research, the student takes PLSC 474, a directed reading and research course, in the sixth term of enrollment. In the seventh term the student takes PLSC 490, The Senior Colloquium (see above under "The yearlong senior essay"). In the eighth term the student takes PLSC 493, the independent senior essay course for intensive majors. All other requirements for the intensive major are identical to those for the standard major or interdisciplinary concentration major.
Admission to the intensive major Juniors wishing to pursue an intensive major must apply to the director of undergraduate studies by 4 p.m. on November 16, 2012. Students should submit to the office of the director of undergraduate studies: (1) the intensive major application signed by the faculty adviser who has agreed to supervise the student for his or her final three terms, (2) a plan of study for those three terms, and (3) a senior essay topic. Admission is based on performance and promise. The director of undergraduate studies and the prospective senior essay adviser serve as advisers to intensive majors in the junior year.
REQUIREMENTS OF THE MAJOR
Prerequisites None
Number of courses Standard major—11 term courses; Interdisciplinary concentration—12 term courses
Distribution of courses Standard major—2 courses in each of 3 of the 5 departmental fields; Interdisciplinary concentration—2 courses each in 2 fields in addition to 7 in field of concentration
Substitution permitted Standard major—relevant courses by petition to DUS; Interdisciplinary concentration—up to 3 courses in other depts with DUS approval; other courses by petition to DUS
Intensive major 11 term courses; 2 courses in each of 3 fields; PLSC 474, 490, 493; Intensive major with interdisciplinary concentration—12 term courses as specified, up to 3 of which may be from other depts; PLSC 474, 490, 493
Senior requirement 2 seminars, 1 in senior year, and senior essay
