Government Major and Minor Requirements

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Major Requirements (Beginning in Fall 2024)

These Government major requirements apply to all students enrolling in Fall 2024 and after.  For students who enrolled prior to Fall 2024, you may elect to follow these new major requirements or you may continue to follow the previous major requirements that were in place when you entered St. Lawrence (which are listed below).  If you choose to follow the previous requirements and wish to complete one Introductory level course as a Writing Intensive class, please enroll in a regular section of that Introductory course and speak with the professor about doing additional/alternative assignments in that class that will fulfill the Writing Intensive benchmarks.

The major in government requires the completion of nine units distributed as follows:

Core Courses (three units): GOVT majors must complete each of the following introductory courses: American Government (103), Comparative Politics (105), International Relations (108). College credits earned though the AP United States Government and Politics and/or the AP Comparative Government and Politics exams in high school will count toward the American Politics (103) and Comparative Politics (105) requirements, respectively. College credit from the IB Global Politics course may count toward the Introduction to International Relations (108) requirement.

Political Thought (one unit): GOVT majors must complete one course designated as “political thought.”

Research Seminar (one unit): GOVT majors must complete the research seminar in political science (GOVT 290).

Elective Courses (four units): The remaining four units may be earned through a selection of elective courses, one of which must be 300/400-level course taken on campus. Students with a strong interest in a particular area of Government may choose to concentrate their elective courses around one of five areas of focus, though this is purely optional and students who wish to gain broader training across the discipline may take diverse range of elective courses which pique their interest that do not align with any one area.   The five foci are:

  • International Relations, Development, and Diplomacy
  • Law and Policy
  • Representation and Governance
  • Social Justice and Identity
  • Self-Designed theme

Click here to see regularly offered courses that align with each area of focus.

At least 6 courses for the major must be taken on the SLU Canton campus. No more than two of the elective courses may be taken off-campus. Students may count up to one unit of internship coursework and one unit of independent study toward the elective requirements. Students who complete the two-course SYE: Honors Thesis may not also use an internship or an independent study course to meet the major requirements, although such courses do count toward the units required for graduation. 

The academic work of transfer students in political science is evaluated upon entry into the department for determination of credit. In no case may a transfer student majoring in government take fewer than five government courses at St. Lawrence

Prior to Fall 2024 Major Requirements

Students entering St. Lawrence with an interest in government and politics are strongly advised to enroll in two of the 100-level core courses (103, 105, 108) during their first year, one of which should be taken as a writing-intensive version (103W, 105W, 108W). Students should also seek early advising from a government department faculty member. Students who are matriculated prior to Fall 2024 may opt to complete the major under these requirements. 

The major in government requires the completion of nine units distributed as follows:

  1. Core Courses (4): Government majors must complete the introductory course for each of the four disciplinary subfields: American Politics (103), Comparative Politics (105), International Politics (108) and Political Theory (206). One of the three 100-level courses must be designated writing-intensive (WI) and is recommended to be completed by the end of the sophomore year. These four introductory courses must be taken in residence on the St. Lawrence campus, meaning students who have received credit for the AP American and/or Comparative Government exams must still enroll in GOVT 103 and GOVT 105 at SLU (though the college credit they earned through these AP classes will still count toward their overall credits for graduation).
  2. Research Seminar (1): During the sophomore or junior year, ideally after completion of the writing-intensive course, majors must take one of the government Research Seminars (290, 291, 292, 293). Students may take only one research seminar.
  3. Elective Courses (4): The remaining four units may be earned through a selection of elective courses at the 200, 300, 400, 3000 and/or 4000-level, one of which must be 300/400/4000-level course taken on campus. Students may count up to one unit of internship coursework and one unit of independent study toward the elective requirements. Students who complete the two-course SYE: Honors Thesis may not also use an internship or an independent study course to meet the major requirements, although such courses do count toward the units required for graduation. No more than two of the elective courses may be taken off-campus.

A major may elect no more than four out of nine units for the major in any one subfield of the discipline. The academic work of transfer students in political science is evaluated upon entry into the department for determination of credit. In no case may a transfer student majoring in government take fewer than five government courses at St. Lawrence.

Combined Major Requirements

Minor Requirements (Beginning in Fall 2024)

These Government minor requirements apply to all students enrolling in Fall 2024 and after.  For students who enrolled prior to Fall 2024, you may elect to follow these new major requirements or you may continue to follow the previous major requirements that were in place when you entered St. Lawrence (which are listed below). 

The minor in government requires the completion of five units distributed as follows:

  1. Core Courses (2).  Government minors must complete two of the following introductory courses: American Politics (103), Comparative Politics (105), and International Politics (108). College credits earned though the AP American and/or Comparative Government exams in high school will count toward the American Politics (103) and Comparative Politics (105) requirements. The IB Global Politics may count toward Introduction to International Relations (108).
  2. Elective Courses (3).  The remaining three units may be earned through a selection of upper-level (i.e. non-introductory) elective courses at the 200, 300, 400, 3000 and/or 4000-level. This may include a GOVT 290- Research Seminar course but this is not required. The department will credit one upper-level government course taken in a St.  Lawrence-sponsored off-campus program. Internships in government do not count as courses toward the minor.

At least 3 courses for the minor must be taken on the SLU Canton campus, at least one of which must be an introductory level core course.

Prior to Fall 2024 Minor Requirements

The minor in government requires the completion of five units distributed as follows:

  1. Core Courses (2).  Government minors must complete two of the following introductory courses: American Politics (103), Comparative Politics (105), International Politics (108) and Political Theory (206). These two introductory courses must be taken in residence on the St. Lawrence campus, meaning students who have received credit for the AP American and/or Comparative Government exams must still enroll in GOVT 103 and GOVT 105 at SLU if they want to count those courses toward the minor (though the college credit they earned through these AP classes will still count toward their overall credits for graduation).
  2. Research Seminar (1).  During the sophomore or junior year, minors must take the government Research Seminar (290, 291, 292, or 293).
  3. Elective Courses (2).  The remaining two units may be earned through a selection of upper-level (i.e. non-introductory) elective courses. The department will credit one upper-level government course taken in a St.  Lawrence-sponsored off-campus program. Internships in government do not count as courses toward the minor.

Honors

Departmental honors are awarded at graduation to majors who have achieved a minimum grade point average of 3.5 in government courses and who have also received an “honors” designation on the senior thesis. Additional information regarding the senior honors thesis can be found on the departmental website. (See Honors in the Curriculum chapter of this Catalog.)