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advising
You probably know by now that the Government Department is one of the largest departments at Harvard. We have close to 600 undergraduate concentrators, which makes us second in size only to Economics. There are lots of advantages in this: We have many more faculty members, graduate students, and visiting scholars than most departments do, and consequently the human resources within the department are abundant. On most any matter that interests you in politics, you can find somebody here who has expertise in it. So in terms of people, there are terrific resources available to you. Our large numbers also allow us, in conjunction with our related centers, to sponsor far more talks and events every semester than any human being (even a Harvard undergrad!) could possibly attend. But being a large concentration also has a drawback, which is that it's easy for students to feel as if they've gotten lost in the shuffle. Our mission at the Undergraduate Program Office is to make sure that this doesn't happen to you. We have a variety of people and resources in place to help you get the information and support you need -- at every stage -- to navigate your way successfully through the Gov concentration. This guide to advising will help you identify who those people are, what you can expect from them, and where to find them. Hang onto it for future reference. And if at any point you have a question about advising and you're not sure whom to ask, just give us a call at the Undergraduate Program Office (5-3249) or stop by (CGIS Knafel Building, Room 151, 1737 Cambridge St.) or send us an email (govtutorial@latte.harvard.edu). Whether you're new to the concentration or an old hand, we're looking forward to seeing you at CGIS!
Concentration Advisors (CAs ):
The Concentration Advisors are the Government Resident Tutors in the Houses. Your official advisor is the Government Resident Tutor in your House (if there is no Gov resident tutor in your house, another CA will be assigned as a non-resident tutor). They hold office hours each week in the House. Additionally, four CA’s hold office hours each week in CGIS. Whenever you have a question about requirements, about course selection, about the direction of your program - whatever it might be - please contact your CA or stop by the office. Though we recommend that you meet with your assigned Concentration Advisor, any CA will be happy to help you. In addition, if you have questions about a particular field it may be helpful to see the Concentration Advisor whose graduate work is in that field. In addition to signing your study card and any other forms, your CA will serve as your primary resource in the Undergraduate Program. While anyone on the Undergraduate Program staff is available to help you, we strongly encourage you make an effort to meet with your assigned CA so you can become familiar with each other and you will be able to call upon an advisor in the department who knows you. Each CA has regular weekly office hours and can be reached by email.
Faculty advising : You should consider all the professors in the department as supplementary advising resources for you. What this means is that you are free to go to any professor at any time during his or her office hours to talk about your interests in political science, whether or not you've taken a course with that professor. Students frequently report feeling shy about doing this, but faculty members often complain that students never come talk to them in office hours. We post the office hours for all our faculty members on the Government Department website every term. Keep in mind that you should go to a Concentration Advisor (CA) for specific advice on department requirements and regulations. Don't depend on faculty members for this! Gov professors know many things, but the specific points of the undergraduate concentration requirements are not always among them. The supplementary advising that faculty members can offer you may include, for instance, suggestions about academic sources for a research project you have under way, or advice about grad schools, or recommendations about good courses to take on topics that interest you. Sometimes faculty members are looking for undergraduate research assistants to work on their current projects, and so they may also be able to offer you research experience in an area that interests you.
Senior thesis advisors : If you decide to write a senior thesis, one of the first things you'll need to do is find a thesis advisor. This can be either a faculty member or an advanced graduate student with teaching experience in the department. Here again, you should consider all faculty members in the department (who are not on leave) to be potential thesis advisors, and you should make a point of going to office hours to talk with all those whose interests are close to your own. You may in the end decide on a graduate student instead; the most important thing here is to find someone whose interests and mentoring style are compatible with your own interests and needs as a student. Advising styles vary, but what you can expect from your thesis advisor in general terms is someone who will help guide you through the early stages of identifying a worthy question and a sound methodological approach, and in the later stages will read your chapters and provide comments. Look at the Senior Honors Handbook or talk to a CA for more advice on finding the right thesis advisor.
Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS)/Assistant Directors of Undergraduate Studies (ADUS) : The DUS and ADUS are the professors in the department who are in charge of undergraduate studies. The DUS and ADUS’s hold regularly scheduled office hours every week during the term and are available for advising then. If you need to meet with the DUS or ADUS, you should make an appointment in advance by calling the Undergraduate Program Office.
Coordinator of Undergraduate Studies/Student Services Staff Assistant : The Coordinator of Undergraduate Studies and the Student Services Staff Assistant are usually the first faces you see when you walk in the door of the Undergraduate Program Office. They are a wealth of information about the concentration and can always get you hooked up with the right person for whatever it is you need. These are the people you need to know about to get the most out of advising in the department. Here are a couple of other advising resources that you should keep in mind: Thesis writers' workshop for seniors: meets regularly throughout the year to provide advising and support for seniors who are in the process of writing a thesis. Thesis writers' seminars for juniors: meet several times each year to help juniors who are planning to write a thesis get ready for their projects. Upcoming Events / Opportunities: the Undergraduate Program Office will send you an email every week with information about talks and upcoming events and opportunities related to politics. Undergraduate Affairs Committee: student reps from the Houses meet regularly with the DUS and Assistant DUS’s to discuss undergraduate matters. Contact the Undergraduate Program Office if you're interested in getting involved. Government Department website (www.gov.harvard.edu and click on "Undergraduates"): provides information about concentration requirements and course sequencing as well as offering links to political organizations on campus; related centers (e.g., Center for American Political Studies, the Center for European Studies, the Fairbanks Center for East Asian Research, the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, etc.); study abroad; research opportunities; and upcoming events.
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Page Last Updated: July 10, 2006, 9:09 am |
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