Selecting an Advisor

You select a major advisor when you declare a major in Political Science – or a double or combined major – usually in the second semester of your sophomore year, or any time thereafter. Please note that the functions of major advisor and senior seminar advisor differ:

• Your major advisor is the professor with whom you plan the courses you will take according to your interests in order to fulfill the requirements for the College and the major. You have a major advisor from the moment you declare your major until you graduate, including during any semester of study abroad, though it need not be one and the same person;

• Your senior essay sponsor or thesis sponsor, is the professor who leads your third and final colloquium and who guides you through the process of writing the senior essay, also called senior thesis.  Therefore, in the fall semester of your senior year, you have both a senior thesis advisor and a major advisor, preferably not one and the same person.

If you are interested in declaring the major and did not get the chance to attend our recent program planning meeting, you can view a recording of it here. 

To select your major advisor, please do the following:

Check the list below of Political Science Faculty who are accepting advisees. Some faculty members may have their quota filled already. If your first-year advisor is a political science professor, you may ask her or him to continue as your major advisor.

Introduce yourself to the faculty member who you would like to have as your advisor (either during office hours or by making an appointment) and obtain an email from them stating that they can serve as your advisor. Submit the online Major Declaration form and upload that email along with it. 

Due date:

Take the steps above by the Major Declaration deadline, typically March 1. To be certain, please check the Registrar's calendar.

Changing an Advisor:

You may change your advisor at any time by submitting this form through Slate.

When Your Major Advisor Goes on Leave . . . .

When your major advisor goes on research leave, or is otherwise unavailable in the coming semester, she or he will inform you beforehand. It is your responsibility to contact a new advisor and submit a change of advisor request through Slate. You may ask to switch back to your original major advisor when she or he becomes available again.

Due date:

Ideally immediately after getting your program for next semester signed by your current advisor, but in any case at least two weeks prior to program-filing for the following semester.

Major Advisors, Fall Semester 2023:

We encourage students to reach out to any faculty member who shares their particular interests and is not currently on leave; while advising ability is currently limited, we will do everything we need to in order to find you the right fit. If you are having trouble finding an advisor, please reach out to the Department Administrator (polisci@barnard.edu).

Ayten Gündoğdu, Political Theory

Katherine Krimmel, American Politics

Sheri Berman, Comparative Politics

Xiaobo Lu, Comparative Politics

Alyssa Battistoni, Political Theory

The following professors are currently unavailable for advising:

Alexander A. Cooley, International Relations

Séverine Autesserre, International Relations

Michael Miller, American Politics

Eduardo Moncada, Comparative Politics

Kimberly J. Marten, International Relations