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Guide to the Undergraduate Major in Government
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Introduction Entering students often begin taking the introductory course on the government of the United States. Students whose interests are more internationally focused may take Introduction to International Relations or Introduction to Comparative Politics, while those who want to reflect on questions of political philosophy might begin with the introductory course that deals with political theory. Students who continue their study of government beyond the introductory level can choose from many upper level and seminar-style courses. There are also courses that cover issues in Latin America, Europe (Western, Central and Eastern, including Russia), the Middle East, and East, South and Southeast Asia. The department offers special opportunities within the major such as the concentration in International Relations, the Cornell in Washington program, the Study Abroad program, and the option to do an independent study project of your own design with a faculty member. A number of government majors participate in the department's honors program. Students in the honors program take an organized seminar in their senior year, and work with an individual faculty member on their senior thesis. Graduates with a major in government have entered business, law, journalism, government service, politics, teaching, graduate school, and a host of professions. The study of government has one major purpose: to teach how to think and to write rigorously and creatively about issues of public life. Back to Contents.
Requirements To complete the major, a student
must: To summarize, a total of
10 government courses and an additional 11 credits of upper-level related
courses are required to complete the major. When registering for government courses, please keep in mind that the course catalogue is not always the most reliable guide to the courses that are actually offered in a given semester. A more up-to-date listing of courses offered in any particular semester may be found by clicking on the Courses menu at the top of this page. This worksheet can be used
to assess your progress in the Major: Checklist for Government majors:
doc format; pdf
format.
Double
Major Please visit the Government Department website to review other 400-level courses that would fulfill your senior seminar requirement. Students interested in taking these courses may be asked to get permission to enroll from the instructor during the pre-enrollment or add/drop period. Cornell in Washington seminars do not count toward this requirement.
Independent
Study
Internships Credit is granted when internships are integrated into the Cornell in Washington Program. Back to Contents.
Honors
Program Each fall, a small number of highly qualified seniors enter the Government Honors Program. The Honors Program is open to Government majors who have excelled in performance, and who want to devote a substantial part of their senior year to independent research and to the writing of a thesis. Prerequisites Applicants must have a minimum grade point average of 3.5 in the Government Major. They are also strongly encouraged to complete coursework in the relevant subfield before filing an application. Students in the second semester of their Junior year are eligible and should submit an Honors Program application by March 14, 2008. The Undergraduate Office will send an email to students and post a flyer listing the deadline and requirements for the Program. Honors
program application form, pdf format Program Structure The Honors Program involves two courses taken during the student's senior year. Participants enroll in Government 494, the Honors Thesis Writing Seminar, during the fall semester. Students begin to conduct their own research on an independent basis under the supervision of their thesis advisor during the fall. Participants then enroll in Government 495 during the spring semester and work on a one-on-one basis with their thesis advisor. Students submit the thesis for evaluation in mid-April. Each of these courses carries four credits and each receives a separate grade. Government 494 also fulfills the senior seminar requirement. The Government Department's Undergraduate Committee meets in early May to determine the level and honors, if any, for each student. The final decision about honors is based on the quality of the thesis and the grade record in the major.
The purpose of the International Relations Concentration is to provide a structure for undergraduate students who will go on to specialize in careers in international law, economics, agriculture, foreign trade, international banking, government service, international organizations, or other cultural or scholarly activities. Some students major in one of the traditional departments such as History, Government, or Economics; still others major in different disciplines, while seeking to gain a basic understanding of important international problems. Students choosing to concentrate in International Relations should see the International Relations Concentration Coordinator in 156 Uris Hall for further information. Back to Contents.
Cornell
Abroad Before students go abroad, the Government Department requires that majors meet with their advisor to go over the following points: 1. Determine the courses that
interest you and will count towards your major requirements. Students
are advised to try to find courses that are similar to or compatible with
courses that are offered at Cornell. Courses that have unusual requirements,
duplicate course work already taken at Cornell, or do not meet the standards
of upper level Cornell courses should be avoided. To count as a four credit
course for the major, the course taken should have reading and writing
requirements commensurate with our upper level courses. 3. Students are required to bring back a complete record of the courses that they took while abroad. This record should include: course syllabi, copies of any papers written while abroad, copies of exam questions or a statement from the faculty member explaining the course requirements, and the official transcript.
University College of London University College of London (UCL) does not have a bona fide Politics Department. We will not extend GOVT credit for UCL coursework; we will typically offer only upper-level related course credit.
Studying in a host country where the official language(s) is not (do not include) English The Department warmly encourages students to study in non-English speaking countries. However, we will only extend credit for GOVT coursework in a non-English speaking country under the following conditions: Our Majors should only go abroad
to non-English speaking countries if they have achieved near-native fluency
in that country's language of instruction. This requirement may in fact
be much more rigorous than the admission standard imposed by the host
institution upon foreign students. It is our intention that our Majors will be fully integrated into the student body of the host country, and that they will receive instruction at or above the Cornell level. The Department expects our Majors to select their courses carefully, and to ensure that they are not segregated with foreign students in any credit-earning activity in any GOVT course at any time. Any student who has a concern relating to this rule ought to consult with the Director of Undergraduate Studies of the Department immediately. We will not give any credit for a course that is specifically tailored for foreign students.
Students are reminded that we do not grant transfer credit for any course in which a student fails to obtain a grade of a B- or better. On returning from study abroad, students must make an appointment to see the Director of Undergraduate Studies who will review all pertinent materials and make the final determination regarding whether courses will count towards the government major. This should be done as soon as a student returns to campus so that the credits for work done abroad can be properly recorded. Students are required to enroll in GOVT 500, Politics and Policy: Theory, Research, and Practice. This course is the core of the program and involves a research project carried out in conjunction with an externship which is a major part of the program. GOVT 500 may not be used to satisfy the seminar requirement. However, it does count toward two courses toward the major-for a total of 8 credits. Students may serve as externs with congressional committee offices, executive-branch agencies, interest groups, research institutions and other organizations involved in the political process and public policy, among others. Students are expected to work three days a week and carry a full academic load of 12 to 16 credits. No course credit is given for the experience aspect of the externship. Students also enroll in additional seminars which are offered in areas of government, history, economics, sociology, natural resources and architectural history at the Cornell in Washington Center. This course listing changes each semester. All seminars are taught by Cornell faculty and carry appropriate credit toward fulfillment of the major. More information, as well as application forms, are available from the Cornell in Washington web page (http://www.ciw.cornell.edu) or the Cornell in Washington office located in McGraw Hall.
Transfer
Students and Transfer Credits Cornell students who wish to use coursework taken from another institution should meet with the Director of Undergraduate Studies for transfer credit approval. For more information on transfer credit policies, please consult the FAQ page.
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