Requirements for the Major
Enrollment Information
Honors in the Major
Distinction in the Major
Courses
110 North Hall, 1050 Bascom Mall, Madison, WI 53706; 608-263-2414; www.polisci.wisc.edu
Professors Burden, Canon, Coleman, Downs, Dresang, Franklin, Friedman, Goldstein, Hendley, Hutchcroft, Manion, Marquez, Martin, Mayer, Payne, Richardson, Schatzberg, Shafer, Tripp, Weimer, Witte; Associate Professors Gehlbach, Herrera, Kydd, Pevehouse, Schweber, Sinha, Straus, Walsh, Zumbrunnen; Assistant Professors Avramenko, Copelovitch, Ewig, Favretto, Kinsella, Klausen, Ringe, Shelef, Yackee
Undergraduate advisors in the major: Liane C. Kosaki, Ph.D., 101B North Hall, lkosaki@polisci.wisc.edu; Catherine Farry, 302 North Hall, cfarryth@wisc.edu. For appointments call 608-263-2414.
Faculty diversity liaison: Ben Marquez,
There are many definitions of political science. But whether a definition focuses on the analysis of governmental structures, or influences on voter choice, or the relationship between national governments, or the best form of government, at base, political science is about the systematic study of power. Whether power is exercised formally, as is the case between government and the individual, or informally, as is the case between individuals, it is the systematic study of power relationships that provides the subject matter for the discipline. Majors in political science obtain not only an understanding of the workings of government, but they also develop important skills in critical thinking and analysis. These skills make them ideal candidates for careers in law; in government at the state, national, and international levels; in business; in journalism; and in politics.
Courses counting in each group are:
Group I. Political Theory: 181, 185, 209, 218, 274, or any course at the 500 level
Group II. American Government: 100, 101, 102, 104, 181, 184, 202, 205, 213, 217, 219, 220, 230, 231, 267, 271, 297, 323, any course at the 400 level except 400, 401
Group III. Comparative Government: 106, 186, 220, 222, 230, 231, 244, 252, 253, 260, 261, 277, 297, 338, 368, 477, 505, 545, 690, any course at the 600 level below 680
Group IV. International Relations: 103, any course at the 300 level, 442, 639, 653
Political Science 400 and 401 Topics courses can be used to satisfy the distribution requirements as appropriate. Distribution requirements that will be met by a specific topics course will be announced prior to enrollment.
Declaration of the major is to be made in the office of the undergraduate advisors, Liane Kosaki, 101B North Hall or Catherine Farry, 302 North Hall.
All students are required to fulfill the L&S requirement of at least 15 credits of upper-level work in the major completed in residence. Political science courses numbered 300 or above count toward this requirement.
Political science majors who wish to enroll in the following courses must obtain prior consent/authorization: Directed Study—199, 698, 699; Thesis—681, 682, 683, 684, 691, and 692; Proseminars—695, 696 (check footnotes); Specific Topic—201; and graduate courses. Legislative Internship 427 and Washington Internship 478 (summer) are available by application only. Application for fall is due in March; application for spring is due in October. Specific deadlines will be announced each semester. Students with a classification making them ineligible for certain courses—e.g., class standing, retroactive or AP credits—may see the instructor for possible permission to enroll on a space-available basis. Appropriate consent forms are available in 110 North Hall.
All courses offered in summer sessions will carry only 3 credits unless noted otherwise. For graduate programs, see the Graduate School Catalog .
The Honors in the Major track in Political Science is intended for students who are eager to experience the excitement of original research and who wish to graduate with the best possible undergraduate training in the discipline. Honors in the Major is especially appropriate for students who are considering graduate work in political science or who want an especially rigorous training in research, reasoning, and writing skills useful to a wide range of career choices. Students should consult with the departmental honors coordinator and departmental advisor to determine the best way to fulfill honors requirements and how to make the most out of the Honors in the Major experience in the field.
Students working toward Honors in Political Science must complete the standard major requirements (e.g., 30 credits in political science meeting the normal distribution requirements for the major) as well as meet the following requirements:
Students not enrolled in the honors program may apply for "Distinction in the Major." Criteria include: