Department of Political Science
Frequently Asked Questions

GENERAL

1. I'm a Political Science major and I'm interested in meeting with the DUS. How do I make an appointment to meet with him or her?

2. I'm not a Political Science major, but I would like to meet with the DUS. How do I make an appointment to meet with him or her?

3. I'm a senior. How do I know if I have fulfilled or will soon fulfill all of the requirements for the Political Science major?

4. If I take a Political Science course for credit, instead of a letter grade, is it possible to count it as a course towards my major? Are there any restrictions on these courses?

5. If I take a course that is cross-listed with Political Science, but the course is listed on my transcript under another department's course number, does it still count as a credit toward my Political Science major requirements?

6. How can I find out if a course I took is cross-listed with Political Science?

7. Is it possible to count courses from outside the Political Science department toward my major? If so, how do I petition for approval of these courses?

8. How many non-Political Science courses can I count toward my major?

9. Does one semester of Directed Studies (Historical and Political Thought) automatically count towards the Political Science major?

10. Can a residential college seminar count as one of my DUS Approved Exceptions? If so, can this course count as one of my 2 Political Science seminars?

11. When is the deadline to submit my DUS Approved Exceptions form?

12. I took Political Science courses abroad or at another American university. Can I get these courses to apply to my major requirements? If so, what is the process I need to follow?

13. Is there a limit to the number of non-Yale courses I can apply toward my major requirements?

14. How can I tell what the field distribution is for a particular Political Science course?

15. Can I petition to change the field distribution of a Political Science course from, for example, American Government to International Relations?

16. How do I know if a Political Science course is a lecture or a seminar?

17. How do I get permission from an instructor to take his or her course?

18. How does the pre-registration process work?

19. I missed the pre-registration deadline. Is this deadline flexible and can I still participate in pre-registration?

20. If I do not get into a seminar through pre-registration, what should I do?

21. Does the Political Science department provide any funding for majors who, for example, wish to take on a project that will help advance their academic program?

22. I'd like to join the UAC (Undergraduate Advising Committee). How do I do this?

ADVISING

23. Do I have to have an advisor?

24. How do I find an appropriate faculty member in the Political Science major to advise me during my time at Yale?

25. I am a Political Science major and I would like to have an advisor from outside of the Department. How do I get approval for this?

DIRECTED READING COURSES

26. I'm planning to take a directed reading course. What steps should I follow?

27. When is my coursework due for my directed reading class?

SENIOR ESSAYS

28. I'm planning to write my senior essay in a seminar. How do I proceed?

29. I'm planning to write my senior essay in PLSC 480 (One-Term Senior Essay). How do I know if this is a good option for me?

30. If I write my senior essay in PLSC 480 (One-Term Senior Essay), does this course count toward my major requirements?

31. Do PLSC 480 (One-Term Senior Essay), PLSC 490 (The Senior Colloquium), and PLSC 491 (The Senior Essay) count as Political Science seminars?

32. Is it possible to write a senior essay in a lecture course instead of in a seminar?

33. What is the penalty for a late senior essay?

INTERDISCIPLINARY CONCENTRATION (IDC) MAJORS

34. I'm planning on becoming an Interdisciplinary Concentration Major. What are the steps I should take?

35. As an Interdisciplinary Concentration (IDC) major, how many courses do I need to take total and how many courses do I need to take in my field of concentration?

36. How many non-Political Science courses can I count toward my IDC major?

37. How do I petition for non-Political Science courses to count toward my Interdisciplinary Concentration?

38. When is the deadline to submit my IDC Exceptions form?

39. Is there a list of Interdisciplinary Concentrations and the non-Political Science courses that other IDC majors have applied toward their IDC?

40. Is there a list of Political Science courses that other IDC majors have applied toward their IDC?

41. Can I do a concentration on one of the Department's five subfields ((1) American Government, (2) Comparative Government, (3) International Relations, (4) Analytical Political Theory, and (5) Political Philosophy?)

42. Do the classes that count toward my IDC also help me fulfill my field distribution requirement?

43. Does my Interdisciplinary Concentration appear on my transcript or in any other written form?

44. Does my senior essay count as one of my 7 IDC courses?

DOUBLE MAJORS

45. What are the requirements of the Double Major?

46. I'm planning to double major. What process do I follow?

47. How many overlaps am I allowed to have between my two majors?

48. I want to write a joint senior essay between my 2 majors. How do I get this approved?

49. If I have 2 overlaps between my 2 majors, am I still allowed to count non-Political Science courses toward my major requirements?

50. If I put courses I plan on taking in the future on my Double Major form, am I required to then take those courses?

51. What is the deadline for the Double Major form?

INTENSIVE MAJOR

52. I'm thinking about pursuing the Intensive Major. How do I know if this is the right option for me?

53. What are the requirements for the Intensive Major?

54. What process do I follow to apply to the Intensive Major?

55. When is the deadline to apply for the Intensive Major?

DISTINCTION

56. Does Political Science calculate GPA within the major?

57. What do I need in order to qualify for distinction in the Political Science major?

58. I took a Political Science course Credit/D/Fail. Does that affect my chances of receiving distinction in the major?

59. If I take a course that is cross-listed with Political Science, but the course is listed on my transcript under another department's course number, does it still count toward distinction in the Political Science major.

60. If I take more than the 11 or 12 classes that I need to fulfill the major requirements, can I decide not to count the classes I took Credit/D/Fail or received non-A grades in for purposes of distinction?

61. If I get approval to count a non-Political Science class toward my major requirements, does that class affect my chances of receiving distinction?

62. If some of my DUS approved non-Political Science classes are considered excess (meaning I do not need them to fulfill the requirements of the major), do they still count toward distinction?

63. If I get approval to count a non-Political Science class toward my major requirements, but receive a non-A grade in the class, can I indicate that I do not want this course to affect my chances of receiving distinction in the major?

64. I am a transfer student. Do my grades from my previous institution count toward distinction in my major?

65. I took courses at another institution during my Junior Year or Term Abroad. Do my grades from this institution count toward distinction in my major?

66. I am deciding whether to write my senior essay in one term in PLSC 480 (the One-Term Senior Essay) or to write a year-long essay in PLSC 490/491 (The Senior Colloquium/The Senior Essay). How would my grades in these classes factor into my distinction calculations?

67. I wrote my senior essay in a seminar. How does my grade on the essay and my grade in the course factor into my distinction calculations?

BA/MA PROGRAM

68. I'm thinking about pursuing the BA/MA program. What steps should I follow?

 

 

last Updated 01-13-12