Government Major

Notes:

• GOVT 020 CM - Introduction to American Politics  is a prerequisite for all other CMC government courses.
• Normally not more than one course taken at another college may be counted toward the major.
• Courses offered by members of other departments and cross-listed as government courses may be counted as elective courses but not as core requirements.

Suggestions for Concentrations

Students should consult with one or more department members to choose their electives coherently and with a view to their goals after graduation. The following concentrations illustrate several coherent options for students majoring in government:

• Public Policy and Organization: core courses plus two courses in business and public management; two more electives. This program is useful for future administrators, policy makers, and policy analysts.
• American Government: core courses plus two courses in American government; two more electives. This option is useful for students of politics and public policy.
• Foreign Affairs and International Relations: core courses plus two courses in comparative politics or international relations; two more electives (often taken in area studies). This combination serves the needs of students interested in foreign policy and conflicts and problems of international scope.
• Public Law: core courses plus two courses in constitutional law or legal studies; two more electives. This concentration is attractive to students preparing for legal or paralegal careers.
• Political Philosophy: core courses plus two courses in political philosophy; two more electives. This option is useful for students especially interested in the great issues and traditions of politics.
• Public Affairs: core courses plus two courses in American government and public policy; two more electives during a semester on the Washington, D.C. internship program. This focus is designed for students interested in government work and practical field experience.

Dual Majors

A dual major including government requires a minimum of seven government courses distributed as follows:

1. GOVT 020 CM - Introduction to American Politics 
2. One core course in political philosophy and theory (see above)
3. One core course in comparative politics or international relations (see above)
4. Elective Courses: at least four other government elective courses. At least two electives must be advanced courses (numbers 100 and above).

Students with a dual major including government are encouraged to write their senior thesis on a topic in government. For further information, see Senior Thesis in Government above.

Please note the restrictions on honors in the major for students with a dual major under Honors in Government below. For further information on dual majors and the requirements for the other discipline of the dual major, please check the appropriate sections of this catalog.

Research Institutes

The three research institutes associated with the Government Department are:

• The Henry Salvatori Center for the Study of Individual Freedom in the Modern World
  The Salvatori Center seeks to understand the relationship between individual freedom and the economic, social, moral, political, and legal conditions essential for its preservation. Within the general study of individual freedom, the Center’s work focuses particularly on the American Constitution - its founding principles and consequent judicial construction - and on questions of applied ethics. See Special Programs  for details. For further information, contact Professor Blitz.
• The Rose Institute of State and Local Government
  The Rose Institute of State and Local Government is a public policy institute that focuses on state and local government issues, especially in Southern California. Current research areas include: survey research; fiscal and economic analysis; geographic information systems (GIS) and demographics; and legal and regulatory analysis. The Institute educates students by involving them in policy-oriented projects that result in scholarly research of value to the community, the state, and the nation. See Special Programs  for details. For further information, contact Professor Busch.
• The Keck Center for International and Strategic Studies
  The Keck Center’s main goals are to engage students in the sophisticated analysis of contemporary international and strategic issues; and to encourage and support students and faculty to conduct research on critical issues in world affairs. The Center offers three student fellowships in international strategic studies and Asian studies. See Special Programs  for details. For further information, contact Professor Minxin Pei.

Accelerated Degree Program

For information on the accelerated master’s program at Claremont Graduate University, see MA Program in Political Science  in  the Special Programs section of the catalog.

Honors in Government

Each year the Government department conducts a Government—International Relations senior honors program. Students are eligible for honors if they:

• Complete a two-semester, two-unit thesis in government with a grade of “A-” (11.00) or better;
• Satisfactorily participate in a series of non-credit, co-curricular thesis preparation programs conducted by the department of Government;
• Attain a grade point average of 10.50 or better in the major at time of graduation and;
• Complete a thesis defense and attend a specified number of Government-International Relations thesis defenses.

Dual majors are eligible for honors in government if they:

• Have completed all requirements for a full major in government and are granted honors, or
• Qualify and receive honors in both disciplines of their dual major. See Academic Honors at Graduation  for details.

For additional information on the honors program, contact Professor Appel or the chair of the Government department.

Learning Goals

The learning goals of the Government major are :

1. To place students in the midst of controversy over the great issues of politics and the differing understandings of those issues;
2. To equip them to deal rationally and prudently with these issues; and
3. To assist them to communicate effectively.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students in government are taught with the goal of enabling them

1. To demonstrate an understanding of and the ability to apply the literature and methods of ancient, modern, and contemporary students of politics and government to these issues, be those issues domestic or international.
2. To substantiate their arguments soberly and logically.
3. To inform their arguments with philosophic, theoretic, and constitutional principles and with an in-depth knowledge of relevant political institutions and public policies.
4. To employ quantitative and qualitative evidence where appropriate.
5. To express themselves effectively orally and in writing.

The Government Department faculty has agreed to assess their students every year. Assessment includes a careful assessment of senior theses. To assure consistency and objectivity, faculty will assess senior theses using a rubric (online at the Government department website) to determine students’ levels of understanding and mastery of these objectives.