The Major: Learning Goals & Requirements

专业学习目标
  • 通过包括它的四个子领域的课程获得政治学学科的广泛背景：美国政治和法律，比较政治，国际关系和政治理论。通过高级工作探索至少两个子场中的至少两个。
  • 制定批判性地思考当地，国家和全球政治的能力，并为其展开的重要政治发展的理解和评估理解和评估后果。
  • 成为一个人的社区和国家的知情和反思性，并了解影响政治生活的形状和内容的全球动态。
  • 在政治学中获得重要的技能，包括密切阅读复杂文本的能力;写出明确且有效的论文，包括短篇论文和实质性研究论文;批判性地和分析思考经验证据和理论主张;生成和测试假设;使用适合特定研究问题的方法;并采取并抵御最强烈的反作用机的地位。

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR

This方便的图表summarizes the requirements.

政治学中的一个主要部分包括至少九个单位。100级的课程可以计入主要，但不是对子场分布要求（见下文）。
The Department of Political Science divides its courses beyond the introductory level intofour subfields:
  • American Politics and Law (POL1)
  • Comparative Politics (POL2)
  • International Relations (POL3)
  • 政治理论（POL4）
In order to ensure that political science majors familiarize themselves with the substantive concerns and methodologies employed throughout the discipline,all majors must take one 200-level or 300-level unit in each of the four subfieldsoffered by the department. NOTE: Students who have taken POL4 107 between Fall 2018 and Spring 2021 may count it toward the POL4 subfield distribution requirement. Beginning in AY21-22 POL4 107 will be changed to a 200 level course POL4 216. Students who have previously taken POL4 107 will not be eligible to take POL4 216 for credit.
Recommendedfirst coursesin the four subfields are:
  • 美国政治和法律：POL1 200
  • Comparative Politics: POL2 202, POL2 204
  • International Relations: POL3 221
  • 政治理论：P OL4 201,POL4 216.
In addition to the subfield distribution requirement,all majors must do at least two units of advanced work (300 level) in two of the four subfields. A minimum of one of these units must be a seminar, which normally requires a major research paper. Admission to department seminars is by permission of the instructor only. Interested students must fill out a seminar application, which is available on the department web site prior to preregistration for each term. Majors should begin applying for seminars during their junior year in order to be certain of fulfilling this requirement. Majors are encouraged to take more than the minimum number of required 300-level courses.
A minimum of five units for the major must be taken at Wellesley, as must the courses that are used to fulfill at least two of the four subfield distributions and the seminar requirement.
Transfer Credit

A minimum of five units for the major must be taken at Wellesley, as must the courses that are used to fulfill at least two of the four subfield distributions and the seminar requirement.

该部门在专业或大学学位要求的300级没有授予转移信贷。本政策适用于麻省理工学院所采取的课程。

Normally, to be counted toward the major, a course taken elsewhere should be taught by a political scientist or in department of political science or its equivalent.

Courses in theUndergraduate Research Opportunities Program(UROP) in Political Science at MIT can count towards the Political Science major at Wellesley if the student writes a substantive research paper as part of her UROP work and that paper is evaluated by the UROP supervisor as part of the final grade. The supervisor must inform the Political Science Transfer Credit Advisor at Wellesley by email that the paper has been evaluated.

For the purpose of meeting a subfield distribution requirement in the major, a student may count a course taken elsewhere provided that it transfers as at least .75 Wellesley units.

For information about how to submit a transfer credit request, see the registrar's转移信贷指南。

转移信用顾问：Prof. Nancy Scherer
Honors
The only route to honors in the major is writing a thesis and passing an oral examination 。被录取到 thesis program, a student must have a grade point average of at least 3.5 in all work in the major field above the 100-level; the department may petition on her behalf if her GPA in the major is between 3.0 and 3.5. Majors who are interested in writing a senior honors thesis are urged to discuss their ideas and plans with either their advisor or the department chair as early as possible in their junior year.
Graduate Work
学生有限公司nsidering going to graduate school for a Ph.D. in political science should talk with their advisors about appropriate preparation in quantitative methods and foreign languages.