Politics Major

Requirements for the Major in Politics

The core major has three requirements, including nine courses and a senior examination.

1. Eight general courses: Eight graded courses from those numbered POLI 1-POLI 189, including one course from each of the four subfields of politics. No more than four introductory courses (POLI 1-POLI 9) may count toward this total without approval from the department chair. Courses not taken at Pomona may be approved by the department chair.
2. Senior Seminar (POLI 190): One of the two or more seminars offered during senior year. Although no previous exposure to the substantive issue taken up in the seminar is assumed, majors must have completed at least one other course in the seminar’s subfield before enrolling. At least two seminars, which are geared toward developing in-depth expertise in a particular topic, are offered each academic year.
3. Senior Examination (POLI 193 PO ): An oral examination, based on a list of books supplied by the student and covering three topics chosen by the student, taken in the senior year.

Students desiring greater depth in a particular area of politics may utilize one or both of the following options:

1. Subfield Specialization (POLI 195 PO ): A coherent collection of five courses, comprising three of the nine courses required for the major and two additional courses, in one of the four subfields of politics. Registration for POLI 196, which does not confer course credit or meet as a regular course, allows for recognition of one’s subfield specialization on the permanent transcript.
2. Senior Thesis (POLI 191 PO ): A year-long independent project undertaken during the senior year. The thesis offers majors the chance to work under the immediate supervision of Pomona faculty members (at least one of whom must be in Politics) to produce a substantial, original contribution to the study of politics.

Requirements for a Public Policy Major in Politics

The requirements for this major include the five course public policy sequence plus POLI 090 PO . In addition to the three required courses, six courses distributed across three of the four subfields. No more than two introductory courses numbered POLI 1 - POLI10. One elective must be an advanced course numbered 100 or above.