The study of politics is the study of how a society through government makes collective choices among competing ends, between taxing the wealthy or taxing the middle-class, between building a great military or providing sustenance to the poor, between preserving the peace or going to war. The complexity of these issues and the ways in which societies resolve them give students of politics a rich and extraordinary range of questions to consider. How do different forms of government make these decisions, and what are the consequences of different political institutions in determining who wins and who loses in political conflicts? How do the institutions themselves change, and what are their typical patterns of decline and resurgence? And how ought a society decide among competing demands and institutional structures? What is a just society or a just government?
We cannot promise that a political science major will be able to answer all of these questions at the end of her four years at Barnard College. But we can promise a fascinat ing and intellectual journey. It is fascinating because our department is devoted to good teaching and close consultation with students. Most of our introductory courses are taught by instructors of professional rank, and all of our faculty are readily available in their offices for discussion and guidance. We stress the opportunity to take small classes and do independent research. Each student, for example, takes two colloquia which are limited to sixteen students, and each takes two semesters of the senior research seminar which is conducted through individual tutorial sessions. The diversity of our faculty's intellectual pursuits and their concern for students make these courses interesting and ensure that, whatever your interests, from African politics to the American presidency, from the study of science and government to the United Nations, there is a scholar at Barnard who can teach the subject to you.
While they are at Barnard, our students also participate directly in politics and govern ment: some work at the United Nations, others in city government, and several each summer become interns for U. S. Representatives or Senators. Others work in the corrections and judicial systems. One of our students this year is an Urban Fellow, one of twenty in the nation, studying metropolitan government through practical experience. New York City is the home office for many public interest organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the NAACP, and the Environmental Defense Fund, and our students often volunteer for these organizations.
After graduation, our students find that their work in political science leads them to a vast number and variety of careers. Many of our students pursue careers in law, and each year our department sends students to the best national law schools, such as Harvard, Yale, and Columbia. Others attend schools of public and international affairs and prepare for careers as foreign service diplomats, as policy analysts in Federal or State governments, or as city managers or administrators. Some graduates choose to engage in politics more directly and serve as policy advocates in public interest groups, trade associations, professional societies, environmental groups, and civil rights organizations; as legislative aides in city, state, and national legislatures; or even as part of the growing number of women who are running for, and winning, elective political office. Still other graduates find that their knowledge of politics and skill at analyzing complex institutions offer an excellent preparation for a career in journalism. Finally, business institutions are employing more and more political science graduates from excellent liberal arts colleges like Barnard, largely because of our students' ability to communicate with others with precision and vigor, their familiarity with large organizations and difficult choices, as well as their understanding of foreign and domestic government institutions, which increasingly impinge on the decisions ad operations of U. S. and multinational cooperations.
All members of our faculty would be delighted to speak with you about your interests and the intellectual and career opportunities of a major in political science. Feel free to come by and talk.
A list of our names, room and telephone numbers, and office hours is available on our Faculty Pages.
© 1996-2000 Department of Political Science at Barnard College
Last updated on 4 March 1998 by
Nell Dillon-Ermers.
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