U-POLI-AB - Political Science (AB)

Political science aims at a systematic and rigorous understanding of politics, both in explaining political phenomena and in exploring their ethical and normative dimensions. The discipline covers a broad range of subjects, from authoritarian to democratic politics, from local governance to international relations, from formal rules and institutions to the psychology and behavior of individuals who participate in political processes. Political scientists make use of data ranging from ancient texts, to satellite images, to surveys, to millions of Facebook posts, and analyze them with a diverse set of methods and tools, including qualitative and quantitative approaches.

Our undergraduate curriculum is designed to give you a sophisticated understanding of political processes, critical and independent thinking, writing and communication skills, and an analytical skill set. Our majors are highly successful, and pursue careers in diverse fields, including non-governmental and public interest organizations, think tanks, consulting, journalism, communications, local, state, and federal government, polling firms, finance, and business management. Many also go on to pursue graduate study in law, political science, public administration, or business administration.

Interdepartmental Major. The Department does not normally accept applications for Interdepartmental Majors.

Departmental Graduation with Distinction

The department offers students majoring in political science an opportunity to achieve Graduation with Distinction in political science by the submission of an original research paper.

To be eligible for honors, students must have:

• taken four courses in the subfield of your proposed research;

• completed Statistical Science 198/199 or higher (Statistical Science 210 or the equivalent is recommended), the political theory requirement (Political Science 175), and a minimum of six courses in political science;

• the statistics requirement may be waived if students are pursuing honors in the area of political theory; or

• have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.3, and a major GPA of 3.5; this GPA must be maintained until graduation.

The goal of honors in political science is an original research paper of journal length (approximately 50 pages), which will be submitted to the Honors Thesis Committee by December 15 and March 1 of each year. The key criterion is that the paper must feature original research, and be conducted at a level that satisfies professional standards.

The Honors Thesis Committee will, in most cases, either accept or reject the paper for honors and the paper will be read by a minimum of two members of the committee. A revision may be requested by the committee (to be conducted by the student in the spring semester and due by April 1). If at all possible, students should start working on their honors research the spring of the junior year and over that summer.

Students may begin their honors research by producing a quality, journal-level paper in:

• a 400-, 500-, or 600-level political science seminar; or

• an independent study.

Often, the student will need to polish the paper during or after these options before submitting it to the Honors Thesis Committee. It is strongly suggested that the student submit a draft of the thesis before March 1.

Website: polisci.duke.edu/undergraduate/offerings/requirements