Government Major
Students declaring the Government Major in 2025-2026 are under the requirements for the 2024-2025 Government Major.
The major consists of ten or more semester courses, at least eight of which must be at the 200-level or above. The courses should be distributed as follows:
Fields of study:
At least one course must be taken in each of the four subfields: Comparative Politics, International Politics, Political Theory, and US Government.
Levels of study:
100-level: May include up to two 100-level introductory courses. NOTE: You may take more than two 100-level courses to gain foundational knowledge in a subfield; only two will count towards the ten-course total.
200 and 300 levels: Eight courses must be taken at the 200-level or above. At least two of these eight must be at the 300-level (and two must be at the 400-level—see next comment).
400-level: Two 400-level seminars taken in the junior or senior year.
Summary of course distribution: up to, but no more than, two 100-level courses; a minimum of two 300-level courses; a minimum of two 400-level courses.
NOTE: The number of 200- and 300-level courses will vary depending on the distribution of courses at the other levels (i.e. students could take only one 100-level course; or they could take three 300-level courses).
NOTE: A 300- or 400-level independent study can count towards the ten-course total, but cannot satisfy the 400-level seminar requirements.
NOTE: Students writing an honors thesis (GOV 497/498) will complete eleven courses in the major for graduation (with one semester of the thesis work counting towards the regular ten courses).
NOTE: Students with AP US or Comparative Government scores of 4 or 5 are exempt from having to take GOV 111 or 112. They can, but are not required to, enroll directly into 200- level US or Comparative politics courses. They may also take the 100-level course if desired. They must still complete a minimum of ten courses in the major.
NOTE: Normally the department will count up to two courses (approved by an advisor) from a one-semester program taken elsewhere, and up to three courses from two semesters taken elsewhere. Other than transfer students, no more than three courses taken outside Connecticut College can be counted towards the major.
NOTE: Students undertaking independent research, including a one-semester independent study, or a two-semester honors thesis, or who plan on attending graduate school are highly recommended to take a research methods course, such as GOV 275, in the sophomore or junior year.
Requirements
Each major must include at least one semester course in each of the following fields:
Political Theory:
Comparative Politics:
International Politics:
Advisers: T. Borer, M. Borrelli, W. J. Coats, E. Fleury, A. Levin, D. Moak, D. Patton, C. Sayej, M. Suttmann-Lea, J. Tian