Nine-Course Degree Requirements for the Class of 2005 and Earlier ONLY

Please note that as of 1 September 2004, new ten-course requirements will go into effect for the Class of 2006 and later. For the Class of 2005 and earlier, the nine-course requirements described on this page continue to apply.

Departmental requirements introduce you to at least two subfields of political science. You then can specialize in a subfield, continue a broader mix of courses, or work out interdisciplinary programs enabling you to double major, or major and concentrate, in additional fields.

You develop disciplinary and research skills in the introductory courses, and then you are eligible to take the two required colloquia courses, which are limited to sixteen students. The colloquia introduce you to methods of research and provide opportunities to develop skill in discussion and analysis. The two-semester senior seminar, run either as a tutorial or in small group sessions, requires that you complete a major research paper, and further develops your skills in framing a research question, using formal analytical methods, and developing primary research sources.

The Department believes that introductory courses, colloquia, and research seminars define the experience of the major. You take Dynamics of American Politics and Introduction to Political Theory at Barnard with instructors in the department, and the Introduction to Comparative Politics and the Introduction to International Relations with either Barnard or Columbia instructors, as listed in the Barnard catalog (unless you are a transfer student receiving credit for introductory courses). You should take courses offered by the Columbia department that are listed in the Barnard catalogue if they fit your more specialized interests. Various study-abroad options and summer courses may also meet your specialized interests, but these require prior consultation with your major adviser, as well as prior approval by the Department Chair (a form is required) and subsequent approval by the Department Chair once you apply to transfer the credit to Barnard (approval form).

  1. Introductory Course in American National Government

    This course is required of all majors and concentrators (including minors). It is offered in sections for which no sign-ups are required. The vast majority of students enrolled are from Barnard, which facilitates discussion of topics involving the role of women in American politics. Under exceptional circumstances (see B and C below) other courses may be substituted for this requirement with the approval of the Department Chair.

    What fulfills the requirement:

    1. POLS BC 1001x or y, Dynamics of American Politics

    2. Substitution of an equivalent course from another undergraduate college. This requires approval of the Department Chair. (If the course you took elsewhere is not equivalent, you must take an advanced course in American politics listed in the Barnard catalogue. Upon completion of the advanced course you will satisfy the introductory course requirement.)

    3. Score of 5 on Advanced Placement (AP) Examination, followed by successful completion of an additional advanced course in American National Government listed in the Barnard College catalogue. This provides you with an exemption from a requirement, but the AP course itself does not count as one of the nine courses for the major or five courses for the minor.

    What does not fulfill the requirement:

    Political Science W1201, American National Government, offered at Columbia College, may not be used to satisfy this requirement. A summer session course offered at Columbia or elsewhere may not be used to satisfy this requirement.

    If you took W1201 or a summer session introductory course prior to declaring a major in Political Science at Barnard, you may apply to the Department Chair for permission to substitute an advanced course in American national government offered by the Barnard department in lieu of the introductory requirement. Upon completion of the advanced Barnard course, you will fulfill the BC1001 requirement, and will receive credit for both courses for the major and for college credit.

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  2. A Second Introductory Course.

    3. Introductory courses in various subfields of political science are offered by the department in conjunction with the Columbia Department. These courses are lecture format with large enrollments, including a considerable number of Columbia undergraduates.

    What fulfills the requirement:

    1. Choose one of the following courses:

      BC 1013 Introduction to Political Theory

      V 1501 Introduction to Comparative Politics

      V 1601 Introduction to International Politics

    2. Substitution of an equivalent course from another undergraduate college. This requires approval of Department Chair. (If the course you took elsewhere is not equivalent, you must take an advanced course in Comparative Politics, International Relations, or Political Theory, which are listed in the Barnard catalogue. Upon completion of the advanced course you will satisfy the introductory course requirement and will receive credit for both of these courses.)

    3. Score of 5 on Advanced Placement (AP) Examination in Comparative Politics, followed by successful completion of an additional advanced course in Comparative Politics listed in the Barnard College catalogue, will result in completion of the introductory requirement.

    What does not fulfill the requirement:

    A summer session course offered at Columbia or elsewhere may not be used to satisfy this requirement. An introductory level course offered by Columbia, which is not listed in the Barnard catalogue under departmental major requirements, may not be used to satisfy this requirement.

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  3. Colloquia (Two semesters required)

    4. Colloquium format involves discussion of readings and development of research skills through completion of a 25- to 35-page research paper, constituting the major piece of written work for the course. Admission is limited to sixteen students who are assigned by the department, not by individual instructors. Two colloquia must be completed to fulfill the major requirement.

    What fulfills the requirement:

    1. Both courses are to be taken at Barnard from offerings listed in the Barnard catalogue under the colloquium subheading, which are asterisked.

    2. With the Departmental Chair's approval, a student may substitute for one colloquium an equivalent course taken in a study-abroad program or transferred in from another undergraduate college. This substitution requires the student to provide a course description indicating a limited enrollment and a discussion format. The research paper completed for the course must be the equivalent of the Barnard colloquium. This paper must be submitted to the Department Chair. Only one such substitution is permitted.

    What does not fulfill the requirement:

    Note: No summer school course offered at Columbia or elsewhere may be used to satisfy this requirement. No Columbia College course listed as a colloquium or seminar may be used to satisfy this requirement unless listed and asterisked in the Barnard catalogue under the colloquium requirement.

    If you plan on spending part or all of junior year abroad:

    Plan to take a colloquium during the second semester of your sophomore year. This means applying for the colloquium near the end of first semester of your sophomore year. Note on your colloquium application that you plan to be abroad during junior year.

    If you plan to be away for the entire junior year, plan on taking one colloquium in your sophomore year and one the first semester of senior year. You should e-mail or write both your academic major adviser and the departmental administrator by the end of March of your year abroad, in order to apply for colloquia in your senior year.

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  4. Senior Research Seminar (Two-semester sequence required)

    5. A two-semester course involving group or individual tutorials. Students complete the Senior Essay, a paper (60-page minimum) involving research using primary sources. You are required to have taken at least one course in the subfield of your proposed topic.

    What fulfills the requirement:

    1. Both semesters of senior seminar are to be taken at Barnard from offerings listed in the Barnard catalogue under the subheading "Senior Research Seminar."

    2. The semesters may not be taken concurrently, but must be taken sequentially (Fall-Spring or Spring-Fall).

    3. The senior seminar counts for two of the nine courses required for the major.

    4. If you double-major you may complete the senior essays in both departments, you may double-major with a single-essay option, or develop a combined major with a single essay. In the latter two cases you will have an essay adviser from each department. For a combined major you need to petition the Committee on Programs and Academic Standing (CPAS), unless it is listed in the Barnard Catalogue (such as a combined major with Women's Studies).

    What does not fulfill the requirement:

    1. Independent Study Options may involve registration in a Senior Seminar section, but such registration does not count as a semester of senior seminar.

    2. No summer school course offered at Columbia or elsewhere, no course receiving transfer credit toward the degree, and no Columbia College course listed as a colloquium or seminar may be used to satisfy this requirement.

    If you plan on spending junior year abroad:

    You should e-mail or write both your academic major adviser and the departmental administrator by the end of March of your year abroad, in order to apply for a section of senior seminar (application).

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  5. Overall Nine-Course Requirement for the Major

    6. A total of nine courses are necessary to complete the major. These include the two introductory courses, the two colloquia, and the two semesters of senior seminar.

    What fulfills the additional three courses required:

    1. All courses offered at Barnard or Columbia in political science which are listed in the Barnard catalogue satisfy course requirements. Courses listed in Columbia catalogues which are not listed in the Barnard catalogue require approval by the Barnard Department Chair to count towards the major or concentrate.

    2. Additional introductory or colloquium courses may be taken after major requirements have been met to satisfy the nine-course requirement.

    3. The Independent Study Option.

    4. A maximum of two courses offered at Reid Hall in Political Science satisfy the course requirements. These must be approved by the Department Chair.

    5. Six of the nine courses for the major must be taken from courses listed in the Barnard catalogue. For the majors graduating in 2000 and 2001, any combination of three courses from summer sessions, transfer credits, and study abroad may be used to satisfy the nine-course requirement. Students graduating in 2002 and thereafter, see F, G and H, below.

    6. With approval of the Department Chair, a maximum of two transfer courses may be used to satisfy major distribution and nine-course requirements (Class of 2002 and thereafter).

    7. With approval of the Department Chair, a maximum of two study abroad courses may be used to satisfy major distribution and nine-course requirements (Class of 2002 and thereafter).

    8. With approval of the Department Chair, a maximum of one summer-session course may be used to satisfy the nine-course requirements. (Class of 2002 and thereafter).

    What does not fulfill the requirements:

    1. The Independent Study Option BC3799x-y does not satisfy the course requirement if the project is for 1 or 2 points.

    2. College-granted AP credit for American Politics or Comparative Politics does not count as major course credit. (See I C and II C above.)

    3. Courses taken at other colleges, in summer sessions, or abroad, which are not equivalent in rigor and workload to Barnard courses, as determined by the Chair in consultation with members of the department, will not count toward the major or minor requirements.

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