Requirements

Government and Legal Studies Major

The major consists of nine courses.

• no more than two courses taken at Level A; no more than one of these a first-year writing seminar
• a field of concentration, selected from the list of subfields, in which at least four courses including one Level C course and no more than one Level A course are taken
• at least one course taken in each of the three subfields outside the field of concentration

American Politics: GOV 1000–1009, 1037–1039, 1100, 2000–2199, 2700–2799, 3000–3199, and 3700–3799

Political Theory: GOV 1007–1019, 1040–1045, 2100–2399, 2800–2899, 3100–3399, and 3800–3899

Comparative Politics: GOV 1017–1029, 1400, 2300–2599, and 3300–3599

International Relations: GOV 1025–1045, 1600, 2500–2899, and 3500–3899

Government and Legal Studies Minor

The minor consists of five courses from at least three of the departmental subfields.

• no more than two courses taken at Level A; no more than one of these a first-year writing seminar

Additional Information and Department Policies

• To fulfill major or minor requirements, a grade of C- or better must be earned in a course. Courses used to fulfill major or minor requirements must be taken for regular letter grades (not Credit/D/Fail).
• A total of two credits from outside Bowdoin can normally be applied to the government major or minor. Only one credit can be applied (as a Level B course) to the four-course major concentration requirement. The Level C concentration requirement must be completed at Bowdoin.
• The following courses, while not fulfilling the requirement for any of the four fields of concentration, may be counted toward the total number of courses required for the major or minor: GOV 1046–1049, 2900–2969, 2990–2999, 3900–3999, 4020–4029.
• Majors and minors may double-count one course cross-listed with Government and Legal Studies to another department or program.
• Majors and minors may not double-count any courses taken outside Bowdoin to another department or program.
• Only one semester of independent study work, at any level (intermediate or advanced), may count toward the major or minor. An advanced independent study or honors project may be used to fulfill the Level C major concentration requirement.
• No major or minor credit is given for AP scores. Students who received a minimum score of four on the US Government AP exam or the Comparative Government AP exam are eligible to receive up to one general credit toward the degree after completing a Level B course in government and legal studies in the same subfield as the AP exam and earning a minimum grade of B-. Applicable subfield course numbers are: for American Politics (GOV 2000-2199, 2700-2799); for Comparative Politics (GOV 2300-2599). If a student has scores for more than one exam, only one total credit will be awarded. In order to receive credit for AP work, students must have their scores officially reported to the Office of the Registrar by the end of their sophomore year at Bowdoin.

Honors Projects and Independent Study

Students seeking to graduate with honors in government and legal studies must petition the department. Interested students should contact the honors director for specific details. Students must prepare an honors paper, which is normally the product of two semesters of advanced independent study work, and have that paper approved by the department.

Only one semester of independent study work, at any level (intermediate or advanced), may count toward the major or minor. Therefore, graduation with honors normally requires a student to complete at least ten courses in the department. An advanced independent study or honors project may be used to fulfill the Level C major concentration requirement.

• Intermediate independent study courses are numbered based on the area of focus: GOV 2970-2974 is for American Politics, GOV 2975-2979 is for Political Theory, GOV 2980-2984 is for Comparative Politics, and GOV 2985-2989 is for International Relations.
  • An intermediate collaborative study course is numbered GOV 2999.
• Advanced independent study courses are numbered based on the area of focus: GOV 4000-4004 is for American Politics, GOV 4005-4009 is for Political Theory, GOV 4010-4014 is for Comparative Politics, and GOV 4015-4019 is for International Relations.
  • An advanced collaborative study course is numbered GOV 4029.
• Honors project courses are numbered based on the area of focus: GOV 4050-4051 is for American Politics, GOV 4055-4056 is for Political Theory, GOV 4060-4061 is for Comparative Politics, GOV 4065-4066 is for International Relations. 

Information for Incoming Students

First-year students interested in government and legal studies are encouraged to take one of the department’s first-year writing seminars, all of which are offered during the fall term. These range across the subfields of political science, including American politics, political theory, international relations, and comparative politics. Another option appropriate for students seeking a solid background in a specific area of concentration within the discipline is to take one of the department’s introductory lecture/discussion courses. In the 2024-2025 academic year:  GOV 1100 Introduction to American Government will be offered in the fall term; GOV 1400 Introduction to Comparative Government and GOV 1600 Introduction to International Relations are expected to be offered in the spring term.

More advanced students may wish to consider enrolling in a 2000- level course, and many are open to first-year students. Students should be aware that enrollment pressures, particularly during the fall term, mean that only a limited number of first-year students will be able to get into many higher-level courses. Thus it is important to have alternative courses in mind when registering.