FAQs
General
Advising
Honors Thesis
General
Why should I choose Government as my concentration?
Your choice of concentration should be based on your
interests, passions, and future career goals. Government is a very flexible
concentration. It develops your writing and analytical abilities, and offers a
wide variety of subjects to study. Its nearly universal applicability to
different fields ensures that concentrating in Government will provide you with
a base of knowledge and skills that will serve you well in whatever endeavor
you choose after graduation.
What can I do with a degree in Government?
Government graduates pursue work in graduate school (Master’s
and Ph.D. programs), professional school (law, business), and the business and
non-profit worlds. Government is a broad discipline, and it is up to you to
determine how to direct your studies. Concentration Advisors
are happy to talk to you about educational and professional opportunities for
Government concentrators. The Office of Career Services is an excellent resource for information on careers, internships, and
fellowships.
What is the benefit of taking an intro course (Gov 10,
20, 30 or HS A-12) rather than a 1000-level course to fulfill the distribution
requirement?
The introductory courses are designed to provide you with a
firm grounding in the fundamental concepts and themes of the subfield. If you
are unfamiliar with the subfield, or intend to study it in greater depth later,
you may find it useful to take the intro course rather than a 1000-level course
in order to ensure that you have a good overview of the subject matter. This
breadth of study will give you a foundation for upper-level work in the
subfield, and will help you if you need to take oral exams for your final
honors determination.
I’m a freshman interested in possibly concentrating in
Government. Is there anyone I can talk to about the concentration?
The staff of the Government Undergraduate Program Office can
offer you guidance in your choice of concentration. Four of the department’s Concentration
Advisors (CAs) hold office hours in the Government Undergraduate Program Office and can
provide information about different subfields and course selection (each CA
specializes in a different subfield). You should also feel free to talk to any
of the CAs in the Houses. The Coordinator of Undergraduate Studies and the
Student Services Staff Assistant can also answer many of your questions about
the concentration. Please do not hesitate to contact us, either by dropping by
the office at 1737 Cambridge Street, or via emailor phone 5-3249.
I want to change my concentration to Government. How can
I do that?
Come by the Government Undergraduate Program Office and talk
to a CA about changing concentrations. The CA can help you fill out a Change
of Concentration form and sign it for you. All Government classes you’ve taken
can apply to the concentration requirements (with the exception of Gov 91r).
If you want to get Gov credit for a non-Gov class (e.g. for Social Studies Sophomore
Tutorial), you will need to make an appointment with the Director of
Undergraduate Studies for approval. You will also need to fill out the Core
section of the form and have it signed by your Resident Dean.
What’s the best way to approach a professor?
Professors hold office hours weekly, and welcome students.
You may want to contact the professor beforehand to see if making an
appointment is necessary (there is an online list of contact information
for the faculty, including office hours). Many students feel intimidated by
approaching a professor, but remember that in most cases you must be proactive
in establishing a relationship with a faculty member; the faculty member most
likely will not seek you out. When you do meet with him or her, make sure you
are prepared for the meeting – discuss what you want to research, why you want
to work with the professor, or what advice you are soliciting and for what
purpose. If you need some guidance on approaching a professor, you can talk to
a staff member of the Undergraduate Program Office, particularly a CA.
How can I learn about Research Assistant/internship
positions?
Research Assistantships and internships are publicized via
the weekly “Events and Opportunities” email that is sent to Government
concentrators, and on the bulletin board in the Undergraduate Program Office.
The OCSand Student Employment Office (SEO) also
publicize these opportunities.
Can I double-count Core and concentration requirements?
In general, cross-listed Core courses taught by Government
faculty will count for subfield or elective concentration credit. The exception
to this rule falls under the Political Theory requirement. The only Core
courses that count for Theory credit are Moral Reasoning classes taught by
Government faculty. All other cross-listed courses under the Political
Thought and Its History section will count for Gov elective credit only. Core
Courses for Gov Credit lists Core courses accepted for concentration credit. In addition, a number of
Core courses count as related field courses if they are cross-listed in that
field's section of the catalogue (for instance, an Historical Studies course
that is cross-listed in the History Department will count for related field
credit). See the Additional Government and Related Field Courses and the Core Courses for Gov Credit lists for more information.
Does Government allow its concentrators to study abroad?
We not only allow it, we encourage it! See the Study
Abroad section for more details.
What’s the difference between a junior seminar and a
junior tutorial?
A junior seminar (Gov 90) is taught by a faculty member, and
is limited to 16 students. A junior tutorial (Gov 98) is taught by a graduate
student, and is limited to 8 students. The graduate students who teach junior
tutorials apply to teach them, and are chosen by the Faculty Concentration
Committee. Both Gov 90’s and Gov 98’s are similar in structure, in that they
are both seminar-style classes that allow significant interaction between the
students and the instructor, and explore a specialized subject in depth.
Honors concentrators must take two half courses of junior seminars or
tutorials, and must enter the junior seminar/tutorial lottery in order to
enroll. See the Junior Seminar and Tutorial page for more information.
What courses can I take pass/fail?
For Class of 2004 and beyond (honors or non-honors), only one of the Government
elective courses or one of the related field courses may be taken Pass/Fail. No
introductory courses, no courses taken to fulfill distribution requirements, and
no seminars or tutorials (except Gov. 99, which is graded SAT/UNSAT) may be
taken Pass/Fail.
Which courses count for the Political Theory subfield?
The courses under the section called Political Thought and
Its History (course numbers 1030-1099 and 2030-2099) count for the Politics
Theory. Courses under the section called Political Methodology and Formal
Theory (course numbers 1000-1029 and 2000-2029) DO NOT count for Theory credit.
Which cross-listed courses count for subfield and/or
elective credit in Gov?
Any cross-listed course printed in the catalog under the
subfields of American Politics, Comparative Politics, and International
Relations count for subfield credit OR elective credit. The Political Theory
subfield is a bit trickier. The only courses printed in the catalog under the
Politics Thought and Its History that count for subfield credit are Moral
Reasoning courses taught by Gov faculty. All other cross-listed courses in
that section count only for Gov elective credit.
How do I cross-register for a course at the Kennedy School, and does it count for Government Credit?
All Harvard undergraduates can cross-register for courses at other schools by filling out a cross-registration form, available at the registrar and your house office. The form must be signed by the instructor of the course, the DUS (only if you are requesting concentration credit), and your Resident Dean. While Government concentrators most frequently cross-register for courses at the Kennedy School of Government, those courses do NOT automatically count for concentration credit. If you are interested in receiving department credit for a Kennedy School Course, you will need to meet with a DUS/ADUS, who will decide on a case-by-case basis. You must get approval for Government credit for a Kennedy School (or any other non-FAS) course BEFORE you register for it on Study Card Day. Credit will not be granted retroactively for a non-FAS course, so make sure the DUS approves it for Government credit before you register for it.
Can I get credit for Government Courses taken at Harvard
Summer School?
As a Harvard undergraduate, any course taken at Harvard Summer School will
automatically appear on your transcript. If it is a Government course, it will
count just as it would if taken during the year. For instance, if you take an
American Politics course during the summer, that could count toward your
American field requirement. Note: Although they do not have the same title, for
the purposes of our requirements Government S-40 and Historical Studies A-12
are the same course and cannot both be taken for department credit.
Can I get credit for the AP Exam in political science?
No. However, Advanced Standing students who received a score of 5 on the AP
examination in American or European history can receive credit for one
half-course in History as a related field if they graduate in 3 years. If you
choose to stay four years, your AP credit will not count and you must take an
additional related field course.
How many Core classes may I double-count with Government,
with Gov as either a primary concentration or Gov as a secondary field?
If your primary concentration is Government, there is no limit to the number of Core classes you may double-count with Gov.
However, if your secondary field (minor) is Government, you are limited to double-counting only one Core (or any other class,
such as one for a Language Citation) with a secondary field requirement.
See the Secondary Fields website for more information:
http://www.secondaryfields.fas.harvard.edu/
Advising
Who is my advisor in the department?
Starting with the 2006-07 academic year, the Government Undergraduate Program
is pleased to announce that it is implementing a new advising system. We have
listened to undergraduates’ requests, and have designed an advising program
that combines in-House advising with more targeted subfield advising.
Every House will have a designated Concentration Advisor
(CA)
who acts as the departmental advisor for Government concentrators in that
House. In most cases, your CA will be the Government Resident Tutor in your
House. At the start of each semester you will be notified which advisor is
affiliated with your House, and their office hours, which they will hold
in-House, will be posted at the Undergraduate Program Office and on the Undergraduate
Advising homepage.
In addition, four of the CAs will also hold office hours in
the Undergraduate Program Office. Each of these CAs will have a subfield
specialty, so if you want to talk about issues specific to, for example, American
Politics, you could arrange to meet with the CA who studies American Politics
during his or her office hours. However, any CA can help you with any
questions or concerns you might have.
Although your assigned CA is your “official” advisor, any CA
will be happy to help you, and CAs are especially interested in talking with
first-years about the concentration.
What are the other advising resources in the department?
In addition to the CAs, there are the Director of
Undergraduate Studies, the Assistant Directors of Undergraduate Studies, the
Coordinator for Undergraduate Studies, and the Student Services Staff
Assistant. The online Guide to Advising explains their roles in more detail.
Honors/Thesis
What does it mean to be Honors?
Government concentrators who are honors-track (write a thesis) are eligible for
two types of honors. The first type, English Honors, is given by the Department
and is based on the Gov GPA, thesis grades, and an oral exam (if given). A
rank list is generated based on these averages and the Board of Senior
Examiners draw lines for Highest Honors, High Honors, Honors, and No Honors and
bring those recommendations to the full faculty for a vote. In general, about
40% of the senior class in Government will write a thesis.
The second type of honors, Latin Honors, is given by the
College and is based on the overall GPA in all courses. For more information,
see the Handbook for Students. Summa, Magna, and Cum Laude degrees are awarded based on percentages of the
class (therefore the cutoffs are different each year). Students will not
receive a higher honors recommendation than the Department recommends, but they
may receive lower. The one exception to this rule is for students who are not
recommended for honors by the department, but whose overall GPA is at or above
the Magna Cum Laude cut off for that year. Those students may earn Cum Laude
from the College, but this can be the case for no more than 10% of the entire
class.
I am trying to decide whether or not to write a thesis.
What are some good and bad reasons to write a thesis?
Writing a thesis will probably be your first experience
writing an extended piece of scholarly research. It can be an extremely
rewarding process to conceptualize, research, and write a senior thesis. It
will help you develop the necessary discipline for completing a complex
project, which can be good practice for conducting research at the graduate
level, if you choose that route after graduation. It will give you a chance to
work closely with an academic mentor. And it offers you the means of earning
honors in the department – which, it must be noted, should not be your primary
or only reason for writing a thesis.
You should not write a thesis simply to get honors. First
of all, writing a thesis does not guarantee an honors recommendation. It is a
serious commitment, and you should have a sincere interest in your research
beyond its ability to earn you honors. You should not write a thesis simply for
the purpose of being a resumé builder. There are other ways of increasing your
professional and academic experience besides writing a thesis, and you should
consider these options before committing to the thesis process. Ultimately,
you should write a thesis because you are genuinely interested in the subject
about which you’re writing.
The decision whether or not to write a senior thesis and
pursue an honors degree in Government will have important consequences for your
final year at Harvard. Writing a thesis may be quite different from anything
that you have done in the past, and therefore previous experience provides
little guidance. You may well be wondering whether you will be able to write a
thesis, or whether writing a thesis is the best way for you to culminate your
program at Harvard.
These are very real questions that have to be decided for
each individual. Students should not feel compelled to take the honors route;
many students of exceptional caliber spend a productive senior year pursuing independent
studies, taking graduate level courses, or throwing themselves into
extracurricular pursuits. The decision to write a thesis should not be taken
lightly, as it requires serious effort for eight months. The Department
encourages students to take the route - either honors or non-honors - that best
satisfies each student's academic and nonacademic needs. For more information
about thesis writing and the honors process, see the Senior Year Section
of the Government Undergraduate website.
How can I prepare for writing a thesis?
We recommend that students who intend to write a thesis take
at least one class in Political Methodology and/or Formal Theory. These
classes are invaluable for writers of both quantitative and qualitative
theses. Ideally, you should take these classes before you start researching
and writing your thesis. The Guide to Methods provides more information on choosing the Methodology and Formal Theory classes
that are right for you.
The Undergraduate Program sponsors a series of
thesis-writing seminars for juniors intending to write a thesis. These
mandatory seminars focus on narrowing your thesis topic into a specific
question, issues of methodology and research design, strategies to make the
most effective use of your summer months, and the process of research and
writing. If you decide to write a thesis, you will enroll in Gov 99 in your
senior year. This class is composed of small TF-led sections in a workshop
environment. There are certain deadlines (for your thesis prospectus and for
the first 30 pages of your thesis) throughout the course to ensure your timely
progress through the thesis-writing process. You will also have a thesis
advisor, either a faculty member or a graduate student.
The Honors Program and Senior Thesis section, including the Senior Honors Handbook, provides more in-depth information on preparing to write your thesis.
What courses count in my final department average for
honors?
All Government courses (and course-equivalents) except Gov 91r, and all cross-listed
courses- whether or not they are used to fulfill a concentration requirement -
are used to calculate the honors average. For students in classes prior to the
Class of 2004, all courses taken in their two chosen related fields are also
counted toward the Department course GPA, whether or not they are used to meet
Department requirements.
A special thank you to Kevin Papay, Teresa Grado, and Tim
Smith who served on the FAQ subcommittee of the Undergraduate Affairs Committee
(2005-2006) for their help in putting this document together.
