Course Requirements

Introductory Courses

Of the ten courses required for the Political Science major, three must be introductory lecture courses at the 1000-level, or selected 3000-level courses, in three of the four subfields. These courses are designed to provide an introduction to the main subject matter and major theories of each subfield. They also serve to familiarize students with the analytic approaches that political scientists use. After taking lecture courses in the relevant subfields, students are eligible to take the three required colloquium courses. Any student taking a four introductory course may use that towards their elective requirement.

The subfields are:

Political Theory (PT): the study of the conceptual foundations of political systems and behavior.
American Government and Politics (AP): the study of all aspects of the American political system, including its development, institutions, procedures, and actors.
Comparative Politics (CP): the study of the political systems of other countries and regions, including the use of comparisons across cases in order to gain a broader and deeper understanding of events, institutions, and processes.
International Relations (IR): the study of relations between countries and the dynamics and development of the international system.

Advanced Placement Credit:

A student granted Advanced Placement (AP) credit by the College in either American Politics or Comparative Politics with an exam score of 5 will have fulfilled the prerequisite for courses that require the prior completion of POLS UN1201 or UN1501, respectively. If the student wants to take the introductory American Politics or Comparative Politics course, she may do so, but she then will forfeit her corresponding AP credit.

*AP credit does not count toward the number of courses required for the major or minor, in other words, the student still needs to complete the ten courses for the major or the five for the minor. Majors who wish to use their AP credit in American Politics or Comparative Politics may use any 3000-level lecture course (not a colloquium or seminar course) offered at either Barnard or Columbia in the corresponding subfield, as a substitute for the intro course requirement in that subfield.*

Approved Introductory Course Substitutes

Majors may substitute any of these selected 3000-level political science lecture courses for the required 1000-level course in the same subfield, in the subfields of Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Political Theory. No substitutes are allowed for the American Politics subfield introductory course (UN 1201). No petitions for alternative courses to those listed below will be considered.

NOTE: These requirements were updated in the Spring of 2020. Students who declared a Political Science major prior to Fall 2020 may still take courses that were approved under the old policy. Please email PolSci@Barnard.edu with any questions.

Comparative Politics:

1) BC V3401: Democracy and Dictatorship in Europe

2) BC V3620: Introduction to Contemporary Chinese Politics

3) BC V3560: The Politics of Urban Development in Latin America

International Relations:

1) UN 3625: Rising Great Powers in International Relations

2) UN 3604: Civil Wars and International Interventions in Africa

Political Theory:

1) UN 3100: Justice

2) UN 3190 Republicanism

Elective Courses

In addition to the three introductory courses and the three colloquia, political science majors choose four electives, normally at the 3000- or 4000-level. These courses are designed to deepen and expand students’ knowledge base and encourage them to apply social scientific reasoning and theories to the analysis of a broad range of political issues and problems. Any POLS class taken at Barnard or Columbia counts, as well as any class we have cross-listed to our department; you can see all of those courses here.

Please use the Major Audit to plan your program and to track your courses.

What fulfills the Four-Course Electives requirement:

All courses offered at Barnard or Columbia in political science with a POLS prefix satisfy elective course requirements, including introductory lecture courses, colloquia and cross-listed courses.
The Independent Study Option POLS BC3799. Students who wish to do an independent study project (ISP) should first speak to a political science faculty member willing to sponsor it and consult with this instructor as to workload and points of credit. The student must then apply to the Committee on Programs and Academic Standing (CPAS), which must approve all Independent Study requests. Once the request is granted, the Registrar creates a section and assigns a call number, and the student is notified of the call number so she can enter the course on her program. (Each instructor has a separate section and call number. Each instructor is limited to sponsoring one independent study per semester.) Independent study counts as a course for the purpose of the political science requirements, provided the project is approved for 3 or 4 points of credit. A project taken for 1 or 2 points does not count as a course toward the major, the minor, or the concentration requirement. A student may use no more than one instance of POLS BC3799 towards her major requirements. This course is typically used for seniors who wish to conduct advanced independent research (for instance, to further explore topics they studied in their capstone projects). It cannot be used to get academic credit for an internship or a job experience per sé.
With pre-approval, first from the individual Major Advisor and then from the Department Chair, student may substitute a course in another department for one of the four elective courses. This course cannot be an introductory course and it must have significant political science content (use the Course Approval Request Form and include a brief email from your adviser recording their approval and briefly stating their rationale for approval). Approval after the fact will not be granted.
Seven of the ten courses for the major must be taken from courses listed in the political science section of the Barnard Course Catalog (see #1 for specifics). Within the three-course limit of courses taken elsewhere, the following caps traditionally apply: three transfer courses; two Reid Hall courses; two study-abroad courses from one semester away or three study-abroad courses from a full year away; one summer session course. With the exception of transfer courses, these courses need pre-approval from the department. All of these courses, including transfer courses, also require approval after completion from the department to count toward the major, minor or concentration. Please use the Course Approval Form.

What does not fulfill the Four-Course Electives requirement:

The Independent Study Option POLS BC3799 does not satisfy the course requirement if the project is for 1 or 2 points.
College-granted AP credit for American Politics or Comparative Politics does not count as major course credit. (See Advanced Placement Credit.)
Courses taken at other colleges, in summer sessions, or abroad, which are not equivalent in rigor and workload to Barnard courses, as determined by the department, will not count toward the major, minor or concentration requirements.

Please use the Major Audit to plan your program and to track your courses. Please email polsci@barnard.edu if you have any questions.

Colloquia

Every Barnard Political Science major must take three colloquia. The third colloquium integrates the senior capstone requirement.

The colloquium format involves weekly discussion of readings, and development of research skills through completion of a 25- to 30-page research paper, constituting the major piece of written work for the course. See the course catalogue for a detailed description of the colloquium requirement. A colloquium, as with any course used for the major or minor requirement, cannot be taken Pass/D/Fail.

Prerequisite: Please make certain that, before enrolling, you will have successfully completed one lecture course in the relevant subfield or have received special permission from the instructor for that requirement to be waived. Colloquia are not suitable for first-year students. Sophomores will be admitted as room permits. When making your third colloquium selection, please keep in mind that it is to your benefit to choose one in the field of your anticipated senior essay topic.

Columbia seminars do not fulfill the colloquium requirement for political science (however, they do provide elective credit).

Each political science colloquium is limited to students who are assigned by the department, not by individual instructors. Preference is given in the following order: senior Barnard majors; junior Barnard majors; sophomore Barnard students who have declared the major and will be studying abroad during junior year; senior and junior majors from other undergraduate divisions of the University; non-majors from all undergraduate divisions of the university.

Application Deadlines

For the spring colloquia, Barnard Political Science majors must submit their applications by 5:00 p.m. on October 31.

Students will receive an email notifying them of their placement.

Please note that students are assigned to a colloquium by the Department and not by individual instructors. Be sure to attend the first class session in order to secure your place in the course.

Colloquium Application Process

The colloquium application for Spring 2023 is now closed.

Please note that we ask you to submit three colloquium choices. To the degree possible, the Department will try to honor one of your first two choices. If you list fewer than three choices, you will be assigned to a colloquium at random.

The number of semesters you have left at Barnard plays a role in the selection process. Therefore, if you are planning to study abroad or to participate in S.I.P.A.'s Joint Degree Program, be sure to indicate this.

Colloquium Placements

As of Spring 2017, we are no longer publicly posting colloquium placements. If you did not receive an email with your colloquium placements, you can email polsci@barnard.edu to follow up.

Spring 2023 Colloquium Offerings

Professor Cooley	POLS-BC3805 COVID-19 and International Relations. The onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic sent political shockwaves around the world, affecting almost every aspect of international political life. From how countries cooperate with one another to redefining what constitutes national security, to recasting pressures for globalization and de-globalization, the world as we knew it prior to February 2020 seemed to dramatically change. But to what degree and for how long? Scholars and policymakers are increasingly divided about how to understand and respond to these developments. Is the COVID era truly new or did it accelerate recent trends in international politics and global governance? What are the similarities between this pandemic and previous global health crises and what lessons should we draw for managing international order? What are the implications for the US-led liberal world order and how have strategic competitors like China dealt with the crisis globally? Finally, what are the tools, resources and networks available to researchers and policy makers interested in making more evidence-based assessments about international public policy? What are the challenges in conducting this research? Prerequisite Course: POLS-UN1601 (Introduction to International Politics)
Professor Cooley	POLS-BC3417 Sovereignty and its Challenges. The assumption that states maintain control over their sovereign affairs is still widely held in international relations theory and practice, yet in our era a variety of external actors regularly violate state sovereignty, pressure governments or challenge their domestic policy autonomy. This course explores the many ways in which the traditional political, economic and security functions of states are being undermined and reconfigured by contemporary external actors including international organizations, non-state actors and transnational challenges like climate change. In some cases, states quite willingly choose to cede their sovereignty, whereas others have conditions and policies externally imposed upon them. The course assesses the implications of these new sovereign influences for international policymakers, as well as domestic politics and the populist backlash. Prerequisite Course: POLS-UN1601 (Introduction to International Politics)
Professor Krimmel	POLS-BC3445 Gender and Public Policy. In this course, we will examine how notions of sex and gender have shaped public policies, and how public policies have affected the social, economic, and political citizenship of men and women in the United States over time. We will think in depth about equality and liberty—what these concepts mean in the context of gender and politics, to what extent they should be the primary goals of gender-related policy, and the role of government in their promotion. We will also consider descriptive representation from theoretical and empirical perspectives. To what extent and in what ways do men and women comprise meaningful, coherent political categories? What role have female lawmakers played in developing policy that disproportionately affects women? Throughout the course, we will discuss similarities and differences between sexism, racism, and heteronormativity, and special challenges created by their intersection. By the end of the semester, students should acquire a broad understanding of gender and public policy in the United States. Prerequisite Course: POLS-UN1201 (Introduction to American Politics)
Professor Marten	POLS-BC3118 Problems in International Security (Focus on Russia and Ukraine). This course focuses on the military and security-related actions and relationships of powerful states in the international system. It examines how states use tools, including alliances, economic sanctions, nuclear weapons, cyber weapons, and the natural resource of water, to attempt to preserve or enhance their own power and security, and what the (sometimes unintended) effects of their actions are. While we cannot cover the full gamut of relevant topics in the time available, this colloquium begins to approach these issues by analyzing selected current and recent events, using theories drawn from social science and the policy world. The course’s primary goals are to use examples of current international security issues to develop students’ ability to analyze and critique competing cause-and-effect arguments, and to pose their own causal arguments based on independent research of the existing secondary-source literature. The focus this term will be on the broad range of problems in international security raised by, or related to, Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Beyond discussing the invasion and war itself, we will be talking at a more general level about: NATO enlargement and its consequences; the psychology of decision-making and war; the causes of violent ethnic nationalism; theories of nuclear escalation; the China/Taiwan conflict and whether Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a parallel; international sanctions and their effectiveness; oil and natural gas as weapons; and the global grain trade and food security, among other topics. Prerequisite Course: POLS-UN1601 (Introduction to International Politics)
Professor Miller	POLS-BC3217 Blue Collar Politics (New Colloquium). Since 2016, scholars and journalists alike have been paying more attention to “Working Class Voters." While these voters have always been an important bloc within the American political system, recent events underscore the need to understand the political behavior of a broad swath of the voting public. Similarly, American political life is increasingly polarized by place, with Republicans concentrated in rural areas and Democrats in urban ones. Class and Place are therefore essential variables for understanding modern American politics. In this course—which is taught by an instructor from a rural, working-class background—we will examine the identity, opinions, behavior and power of the American working class. We will also consider the role of place in shaping American politics. We will employ sources from several social sciences, including political science, sociology, and economics. Along the way, we will consider several important questions about working class politics within the context of broader topics in these fields: Identity formation, parties, race, elections, and public opinion, to name a few. Prerequisite Course: POLS-UN1201 (Introduction to American Politics)
Professor Moncada	POLS-BC3501 Urban Violence. Cities serve as key nodes in an increasingly urban-centered global economy. And cities are sites of political contention and innovation as they assume many of the policymaking responsibilities that were once solely the domain of national or state governments. But they are also places where the monopoly over the legitimate use of violence typically viewed as a defining attribute of the state is instead contested daily. From state repression to organized crime to citizen vigilantes, the city is a key setting for a range of collective actors that engage in equally diverse forms of coercion and social control. In this course we will examine and critically assess existing theories of the drivers, functions, and consequences of different types of urban violence. Throughout the semester we will situate existing research within a broader range of classic and emerging political science research on state building, institutions, democracy, development, and conflict, among others. The empirical material will focus on urban violence in parts of Latin America, the United States, and Africa. These are obviously very different regions. But cities across these regions display both sharply contrasting and remarkably similar dynamics of violence (broadly defined). Establishing the conditions under which violence looks similar or different across these distinct contexts will require constant iteration between theory and empirics using a comparative lens. Prerequisite Course: POLS-UN1501 (Introduction to Comparative Politics)
Professor Silver	POLS-BC3369 Beyond Stonewall: The Dynamics of Queer Politics. #Prideparade #Stonewall #Pulse #Loveislove #Voguging Beyond Stonewall: The Dynamics of Queer Politics will examine the role of queer politics in the United States and beyond. This class will briefly introduce students to queer theory and the politics of collective action and then follow a case study approach to analyze the dynamics of queer politics. This class will start with the Homophile Movement and will end with contemporary discourses on Queer Activism. Therefore, this course will examine gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender struggles for security and equality. Prerequisite Course: POLS-UN1201 (Introduction to American Politics)
Professor Silver	POLS-BC3370 The Domestic Reality of American Foreign Policy (New Colloquium). Who determines American foreign policy? How does the CNN Effect impact choices in American foreign policy? This course seeks to answer those questions by focusing on how domestic politics can influence American foreign policy decisions. The Domestic Reality of American Foreign Policy will examine how formal and informal political actors affect the foreign policy process. The course will briefly review the determinants of American Foreign Policy, such as the role theory, external sources, and psychological and societal sources. This course will place a premium on the outer concentric circle of the American foreign policy process by examining how informal political actors can influence foreign policy decisions, such as the mass media, interest groups, and public opinion polls can sway presidential decisions regarding foreign policy issues. The course will rely on using the garbage can model to critically analyze how foreign policy decisions are decided that require public support. Moreover, this course will examine broad topics, including how internal matters in the United States, such as racial unrest, queer social movements, and other domestic considerations, can impact American foreign policy issues. Prerequisite Course: POLS-UN1201 (Introduction to American Politics) Prerequisite Course: POLS-UN1601 (Introduction to International Politics)
Professor Sherwin	POLS-BC3045 Transnational Feminism (New Colloquium). What do women need in order to thrive? Is it becoming a “girl boss”? Moving to a rich nation? Getting a loan? The opening of a new multinational factory in their town? Stricter laws punishing people who try to harm them? Removing their veil? This course examines the way transnational feminists challenge the limitations of so-called “white feminism;” make sense of intersecting oppressions; and propose transformative solutions to many feminist concerns. From a variety of global perspectives, we will explore topics including: electoral politics, sex work, borders, religion, land, abortion, domestic labor, and more. Our readings will focus on revolutionary feminist thinkers from across the globe who insist that in order to understand women’s lives—and properly diagnose what might remedy the harms they experience—we must root our inquiries at the heart of institutional overlap, or intersectionality. In other words, how do women’s race, class, gender, sexuality, nationality and more, shape their experiences of the world and their understanding of the transformations necessary to make them not only safe, but also free? Please note that this class is for more advanced students in the fields of race, gender and sexuality studies and presumes a level of familiarity with feminist theory. Prerequisite Course: POLS-UN1101 (Introduction to Political Theory)
Professor Sherwin	POLS-BC3052 Ruthless Criticism: Marx and Marxist Theory (New Colloquium). Thinkers in the Marxist tradition have grappled with topics as varied as colonialism, gender, race, art, sex, psychology, economics, medicine, ecology, and countless other issues. As such, this course makes no claim of being exhaustive; rather, it seeks to achieve three modest goals: to acquaint students with some key concepts in Marx’s sizable oeuvre, to familiarize students with some of the core debates of the field, and to demonstrate how of Marxist thought can help us make sense of some of today’s most pressing political issues, focusing particularly on Marxist analyses of climate crisis, and race and gender inequities. Prerequisite Course: POLS-UN1101 (Introduction to Political Theory)