Page 199 of Boston College 2005-2006 University Catalog by Boston College University

Undergraduate Program Description Students majoring in Political Science are prepared for political and administrative careers, foreign service, law, business, journalism, graduate work, and teaching in the social sciences. Political Science Majors The Political Science major at Boston College consists of ten courses: two introductory courses, four subfield courses, and four electives. The normal introductory sequence is a two-semester course entitled Fundamentals of Politics (I and II). Following this sequence, students are required to take eight more courses, with at least one course in each of the four subfields of political science (American politics, comparative politics, international politics, and political theory). The Fundamentals sequence is not like the introductory courses in other majors, such as economics or the natural sciences. That is, it does not present a single curriculum which all students are expected to know before moving on to higher level courses. Rather, the Fundamentals course is designed to introduce the student to the study of politics in a variety of ways, and each faculty member who teaches Fundamentals has his or her own particular style of doing so. There is, however, some common ground. Fundamentals I, usually taught in the fall, is devoted principally to a study of some of the classic texts in political theory, while Fundamentals II, usually taught in the spring, takes as its focus an understanding of the modern state and modern politics, using the United States as a central example, but teaching American politics from a comparative perspective. Classroom discussion is central to the way Fundamentals is taught and is encouraged by the diverse and seriously provocative works read in class (e.g., Plato and Aristotle, but also more modern authors, such as Tocqueville), and by the small size of the classes. We general limit enrollment in the Fundamentals courses to no more than 35 students. That is small enough to foster not only conversation, but close associations among students and with faculty that often endure. The Fundamentals courses are all taught by regular, full-time faculty and not by graduate assistants. Honors Program The Department of Political Science has established its own Honors program to encourage and reward high academic achievement among its majors. Admission to the program is by invitation from the Department. Each year 15 to 20 Political Science majors who have completed their sophomore year are invited to join the Honors program. Selection is based on their academic records within the major and overall. The Honors program seeks to provide additional opportunities for intellectual exchange and friendship, among students as well as with the faculty. The Department hopes that the spirit of the Honors program will in turn extend to all our classes and our students. The Department offers special Honors Seminars on a variety of topics to members of the program. These are topics not ordinarily available in our course offerings, and they frequently focus on the special interests of faculty in important policy questions or intellectual puzzles. Members of the Honors program must take at least two Honors Seminars during their Junior and Senior years, in addition to the ten courses otherwise required for the major. Students seeking to complete the Honors program and graduate with Honors must, therefore, take at least twelve Political Science courses in all. Honors Seminar: One Honors seminar is given each semester. The seminars are scheduled a year in advance so that students can plan their programs (especially important for students who will be studying abroad for one or two semesters). These seminars are considered electives in the major, and so they do not exempt the student from the requirement of taking one course in each of four subfields in Political Science. Honors Thesis: As a culmination of the Honors program, members are strongly encouraged to write an Honors Thesis during their senior year, and in recent years almost all seniors in the Honors program have done so. An Honors Thesis is generally a two-semester project, for which students earn credit for two elective courses in the major. Although the challenges of a senior thesis can seem daunting at the outset, the rewards upon completion are satisfying and enduring. For further information on the Political Science Honors Program, contact Professor Kenji Hayao. Special Programs PO 200 State and Local Government Internship Seminar This is a regular course, supervised by Professor Marie Natoli, that places students in legislative, executive, and interest-group offices in Boston, in carefully supervised internships. The one-semester course confers six credits. Students work for 16 hours each week, attend a weekly seminar, and prepare a lengthy research paper, among other requirements. Entrance into the Internship Seminar is by competitive application, and decisions are announced each semester during registration week. Application forms are available in the Department office, in McGuinn 201. Advanced Independent Research Advanced Independent Research is a special designation conferred at Commencement on seniors who have successfully completed particularly creative, scholarly, and ambitious Advanced Independent Research projects during their senior year, while maintaining an overall cumulative grade point average of A- or better. For more information, consult the website for the Advanced Independent Research program. Undergraduate Research Fellowships Program The Undergraduate Research Fellowships program enables students to gain firsthand experience in scholarly work by participating with a faculty member on a research project. Faculty members select students, and students receive a monetary award based upon the scope and duration of the project. Students do not receive academic credit for these fellowships. Their value lies in the close mentoring relationship students can form while working with a faculty member. All fulltime undergraduates are eligible. Fellowships are available for the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters. For more information on the program and application deadlines, consult the website for the University Fellowships Committee, or inquire with faculty directly to express your interest in being involved in their research. Study Abroad Study abroad is an excellent way for Political Science majors to gain a comparative and cross-cultural perspective on politics. Study abroad is encouraged by the Department, so long as students have prepared themselves with a strong academic background and choose their study abroad location with care, to assure that the courses taken abroad meet the Departments expectations with respect to quality and content. Students planning to go abroad will be given a form by the Center for International Partnerships and Programs office, which must be filled out in consultation with the Departments study abroad adviser. The purpose of this consultation is to make sure that a student is far 196 The Boston College Catalog 2005-2006 ARTS AND SCIENCES

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