Government

Political Science is a highly diverse field united around a core interest. Political scientists study power, and especially power used for public purposes: how it is created, organized, distributed, justified, used, resisted, and sometimes destroyed. American political science is traditionally divided into four subfields: American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Political Theory and Public Law. We also have courses that cover Political Analysis. Students may choose to study within one of these subfields or may choose courses according to some other intellectual plan.

Prerequisite: One course in statistics and the methods of social science: GOVT 10 (Quantitative Political Analysis), ECON 10 (Introduction to Statistical Methods), or MATH 10 (Introductory Statistics).  Another course in statistics and the methods of social science may be substituted for GOVT 10, with permission of the department chair, in consultation with the full-time department faculty members who teach GOVT 10.
Requirements: The Government Major comprises at least ten courses chosen to constitute an intellectually coherent program. (The prerequisite is not considered one of the ten courses). These courses should include:
Two introductory courses.
Six additional courses at any level.
An advanced seminar or the Honors Program as the Senior Culminating Experience.
An additional advanced seminar. The Culminating Experience. To meet the requirement of an integrative academic experience in the Major, all Majors will be required to complete one of the following:

• Advanced Seminar. To complete the Major in Government, a student must take an advanced seminar consistent with the goals of the student’s program. Seminar requirements will include a research paper in which each student has the opportunity to integrate material from the study of political science in the analysis of a specific issue or phenomenon. It is expected that under normal circumstances seminar size will not exceed 16. Students are encouraged to take additional advanced seminars. 

OR

• Honors Program. The Department offers an Honors Program. Seniors participating in the program and completing the thesis (whether or not they receive honors) will thereby fulfill the culminating experience requirement. Those who enter the program and do not finish the thesis, but complete at least one term of the program, may, with the approval of the Director(s) of the Honors Program, be given credit for GOVT 80 (Readings in Government).

OR

• Third Upper-Level Course. This option is available only to students who can show that neither the Honors Program nor an advanced seminar will be available or appropriate for meeting the requirement. A student may petition to satisfy the requirement by writing an extensive paper (approximately 25 pages) in an additional upper-level course consistent with the student’s program. This option requires both Departmental permission and the written approval of the instructor and must be recorded before the term in which the course is taken. Instructors will not approve these requests unless they will be able to devote time outside class meetings to directing the student’s work.

Requirements for the Minor
The Minor in Government shall consist of:
Two introductory courses;
Four upper-level courses, chosen to constitute an intellectually coherent pro-gram (GOVT 10 may count as one of the upper-level courses);
One advanced seminar consistent with the goals of the student’s program.

1.       SAT Reasoning or ACT (with Writing);

2.       2 SAT Subject Test Scores;

3.       The common application essay;

4.       Within the Common Application, Dartmouth’s writing supplement requires that applicants write a brief response to one of the following supplemental essay prompts. Candidates choose one topic and respond;

5.       A counselor recommendation and two teacher recommendations. In addition, a peer recommendation is strongly encouraged;

6.       Resume;

7.       Brief abstract of an independent research project;

8.       IELTS or TOEFL (no minimum scores).

Dartmouth Scholarships are need-based and are given without expectation of repayment. Amounts range from $1,000 to over $50,000, depending on our determination of your eligibility. Some Dartmouth students will be selected as recipients of one or more of our over 750 endowed scholarship funds. These awards are not additional money, but indicate that the aid already awarded will come from a specific endowed fund. No separate application is required. Students who receive scholarships from external sources can use these funds to reduce the loan and/or job portions of their financial aid packages. Veteran's benefits are included as a resource in the determination of eligibility for Dartmouth scholarship awards. Dartmouth College currently participates at 100% in the Yellow Ribbon Program which supplements GI Bill benefits. For U.S. citizens or permanent residents, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the only form required to apply for Federal Financial Aid. The federal government provides Pell Grants to students who qualify on the basis of financial need as determined by their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG) are awarded by the College to the most needy students. They vary in amount but do not exceed $4,000 a year. When you apply for financial aid, your parents' country of residence will determine which documents you need to submit. Parents living outside U.S. and Canada should provide income/benefits statement from employer.