Undergraduate
An undergraduate major in Political Science provides a foundation for careers in politics, public administration, international service, law, business, and journalism, as well as a foundation for graduate work and teaching in the social sciences.
An undergraduate major in Political Science provides a foundation for careers in politics, public administration, international service, law, business, and journalism, as well as a foundation for graduate work and teaching in the social sciences.
The Political Science major at Boston College consists of:
- 10 courses (30 credits)
- 2 introductory courses
- 1 course in each of the four subfields of political science: American Politics; Comparative Politics; International Politics; and Political Theory
- 4 electives from any of the subfields
The Introductory Sequence
With some exceptions as noted below under Qualifications, Exceptions, and Special Rules, all majors must take one of the following introductory courses: Fundamental Concepts of Politics (POLI 1041) or How to Rule the World (POLI 1021). After taking one of these two courses, students will be able to choose from among Introduction to Modern Politics (POLI 1042); Introduction to American Politics (POLI 1061); Introduction to International Politics (POLI 1081); or Introduction to Comparative Politics (POLI 1091).
NB: It is not essential to take Fundamental Concepts of Politics or How to Rule the World before Introduction to Modern Politics, Introduction to American Politics, Introduction to Comparative Politics, or Introduction to International Politics; nor is it essential to take either or both of the introductory courses in the freshman year. Many students do not begin their major until the sophomore year, and they have no difficulty finishing it on time. Students who scored a 4 or 5 on either of the AP exams in Government and Politics (American or Comparative) may place out of the requirement for the second introductory course (but not the first). It will still be necessary to take 10 courses (30 credits) in the major. You will need to get a form from the Office of Student Services signed by the Director of Undergraduate Studies in order for this waiver to be reflected on your Degree Audit.
The introductory curriculum in political science is not like that in other majors, such as economics or the natural sciences. Ours does not present a single curriculum that all students are expected to know before moving on to higher-level courses. Rather, the introductory curriculum is designed to expose students to the study of politics in a variety of ways. For example, each faculty member who teaches POLI 1041 Fundamental Concepts has his or her own particular style of doing so.
There is, however, some common ground. 1041 Fundamental Concepts and 1021 How to Rule the World, usually taught in the Fall, are devoted principally to a study of some of the classic texts in political theory. 1042 Introduction to Modern Politics, 1061 Introduction to American Politics, 1081 Introduction to International Politics, and 1091 Introduction to Comparative Politics, all emphasize philosophical, conceptual, and analytical foundations for understanding their substantive domains. Critical dialogue—in the classroom and in some cases, in discussion sections—is central to the way these introductory courses are taught.
Some introductory courses—POLI 1061 and similar courses to be offered in the future—are open to non-majors as well as majors, and satisfy the University Core Social Science requirement. The latter is also true of POLI 1041 and POLI 1042.
To summarize: Students will be required to take two introductory courses: Fundamental Concepts or How to Rule the World; and one additional course from the introductory list: Introduction to Modern Politics (POLI 1042); Introduction to American Government (POLI 1061); Introduction to International Politics (POLI 1081); and (POLI 1091) Introduction to Comparative Politics.
Beyond the Introductory Courses
Students go directly from introductory courses into upper-level electives. These electives do not have to be taken in any particular order, and the course numbers do not indicate a preferred sequence or level of difficulty. The second number indicates the category in which the courses fall: courses with a “3” in the second digit are in American Politics; courses with “4” in the second digit are in Comparative Politics; courses with “5” in the second digit are in International Politics; and courses with “6” in the second digit are in Political Theory. Students must take eight courses (24 credits) beyond the introductory courses, and at least one course (3 credits) must be taken in each of the four subfields: American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Politics, and Political Theory. All courses (credits) that do not fulfill the subfield or introductory requirements will be counted as electives in the major. The subfield requirements must be satisfied by courses taken (credits earned) in the department; courses taken (credits earned) abroad or transferred from other institutions may be used to fulfill elective requirements, or the second introductory course. To fulfill the major, at least six courses (18 credits) of the ten courses (30 credits) required must be taken at Boston College.
There is a considerable variety in these elective offerings, because each faculty member has a rotating set of courses and usually teaches four of these each year. There are approximately 100 courses open to undergraduates over a four-year period. Some of these courses are seminars, which meet once a week, and are usually limited to 19 members so that there is much more opportunity for sustained and intense analysis of texts and problems than there is in a conventional lecture/discussion format. With the exception of the special Sophomore Seminars, seminars are open only to juniors and seniors.
The amount of work required in all of our courses is generally high. Clarity of thought and writing are two sides of the same skill, and for this reason, our courses place special emphasis on writing skills. In addition, most courses encourage classroom discussion on a regular basis, so that students may be graded on their participation in class as well as on their writing and exams.
Degree Requirements
Fields and Electives
Two introductory courses (six introductory credits) including, Fundamental Concepts of Politics (POLI 1041) or How to Rule the World (POLI 1021) and one course 3 credits from the list of other introductory offerings: Introduction to Modern Politics (POLI 1042); Introduction to American Politics (POLI 1061); Introduction to International Politics (POLI 1081), or Introduction to Comparative Politics (POLI 1091).
At least one course (3 credits) in each of the four subfields of Political Science: American Politics (POLI X3XX), Comparative Politics (POLI X4XX), International Politics (POLI X5XX), and Political Theory (POLI X6XX), for a total of four subfield courses (12 subfield credits).
Four electives (12 credits) from among any courses offered by the department that are not introductory courses.
NB: POLI 1021 (How to Rule the World) may also satisfy the subfield requirement in Political Theory. It may not, however, satisfy the Introductory requirement and the Political Theory subfield requirement at the same time.
Note: Courses designated as POLI X200-X299 count as electives toward the major but do not fulfill any of the four subfield distributional requirements. Courses numbered POLI 7700 and above are graduate courses.
Qualifications, Exceptions, and Special Rules
Introductory courses do not have to be taken in any particular sequence, and students entering the major late may have to take one of the “second” Introductory courses before Fundamental Concepts or How to Rule the World.
Students who join the major after their sophomore year are not required to take Fundamental Concepts or other Introductory courses. With department permission, they may substitute other courses (credits) for the standard introductory courses (credits) (POLI 1021, 1041, 1042, 1061, 1081, 1091). Students who have scored at least a 4 on the American Government or Comparative Government AP exams may place out of the second introductory course (1042, 1061, 1081, 1091). In either of these cases, students will still need to take ten courses (30 credits) and will need to see the director of undergraduate studies in order to get this waiver recorded on their degree audits.
There are courses in Political Science offered in the Woods College of Advancing Studies (WCAS). These courses may only be used to fulfill elective requirement in the major, and only with the prior approval of the Department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies. As a general rule, the Department will only approve for major credit WCAS courses taught by regular faculty or teaching fellows in the Political Science department.
Students may transfer up to four courses (12 credits) from other institutions, including foreign study programs. But in no case may a student earn a degree in Political Science without taking at least six courses (24 credits) in the department. Transfer credits and foreign-study credits may not be used to satisfy the four subfield distributional requirements.
Note: Even after the University has accepted a transfer or a foreign study course (credits) for your MCA&S requirements, you will still need to see the Director of Undergraduate Studies or one of the Foreign Study Advisors for special forms to move those classes (credits) into the appropriate categories on your Degree Audit.
Course Offerings
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Sample readings
Plato, The Republic; Protagoras; Meno
William Shakespeare, Richard III, Coriolanus, Julius Caesar
Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America
Xenophon, The Education of. Cyrus
Nicolo Machiavelli, The Prince
John Locke, The Second Treatise
J. J. Rousseau, On the Social Contract
J. S. Mill, On Liberty
Karl Marx, The Communist Manifesto
Sigmund Freud, Why War?
Eric Hoffer, The True Believer
Robert Conquest, The Great Terror
F. Dostoevsky, “The Grand Inquisitor”
Arthur Koestler, Darkness at Noon
Abraham Lincoln, “Lyceum Address”
Robert Alter, The David Story: A Translation with Commentary of 1 and 2 Samuel.
Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War
Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth
Booker T. Washington, “The Atlanta Exposition Address”
W.E. B. Dubois, “Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others”
Cornel West, “The Ignoble Paradox of Modernity”
William Allen, The Nazi Seizure of Power
Robert Art & Robert Jervis, International Politics
Henry Kissinger, Diplomacy
Aristotle, Politics
Bertrand de Jouvenel, The Pure Theory of Politics
Paul Johnson, Churchill
David Frum, The Right Man: An Inside Account of the Bush White House
Robert Dahl, How Democratic is the American Constitution?
Publius, The Federalist, Nos. 10, 51, 84
Edmund Burke, “Speech to the Electors of Bristol”
Milton Friedman, Capitalism and Freedom
Hugh Heclo, On Thinking Institutionally
Melissa Lane, The Birth of Politics
Melissa Schwartzberg, Counting the Many: The Origins and Limits of Supermajority Rule
E. E. Schattschneider, The Semi-Sovereign People
Jan Muller, What is Populism?
Saul Alinsky, Rules for Radicals
Albert O. Hirschman, Exit, Voice, and Loyalty: Responses to Decline in Firms, Organizations and States
Martin Diamond, “The Declaration and the Constitution: Liberty, Democracy, and the Founders”
Henry David Thoreau, “Civil Disobedience”
Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
Herbert Storing, “The Case Against Civil Disobedience”
Articles of Confederation
The United States Constitution