Distinction in Political Science

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Last updated: Oct 25, 2024 by Cristie Tamoutselis
4 min read

The department’s distinction program offers a valuable opportunity for highly qualified PSC majors to work on a senior research project under the guidance of a faculty advisor.

Students participate in a seminar during fall and spring semesters to ensure the successful completion of their projects. Professor Erin Hern teaches the seminar and guides students through the program. For more information, please contact Erin Hern or read about the program information below.

In the spring, students present their findings during a poster session at the Maxwell School Celebration of Undergraduate Scholarship and may submit their paper for the Outstanding Student Research paper award.

 

Quick Info

  • You need a 3.5 GPA both overall and within Political Science to be eligible.

  • You must enroll in PSC495 (fall) and 496 (spring).

  • If you are in the honors program, your honors thesis can also count as your Distinction thesis, but you must enroll in PSC 495 and 496.

  • Your advisor must be a professor in the political science department. Most students reach out to a professor they have had a class with who shares their research interests.

  • You should find an advisor by the end of April.

  • You do not need to have a fully developed proposal until mid-fall. Rather, you should have decided on the research area you are interested in and start to think of what types of questions interest you.

  • The thesis involves original research. It is substantially more involved than a typical paper.

  • Theses range in length from about 35 – 75 pages.

  • Students use a range of methodological approaches, including case studies, content analysis, experiments, surveys, and interviews.

  • Many students who are undertaking quantitative analysis as part of their thesis also enroll in PSC400: Data Analytics for Political Science, which is offered in the spring. This class offers extra support for analysis.

  • Over the summer, you should begin reading on your topic (ideally with a list of recommended reading from your adviser)

 

Eligibility
The student must have at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA both overall and within Political Science to enroll in the program, and s/he must maintain both the department and university cumulative GPA at 3.5 or higher through graduation. Students whose GPA drops below this threshold will receive course credit for PSC 495/6, but will not receive Distinction.

Thesis
The program requires the student to produce a senior thesis that reflects an understanding of the contemporary literature relevant to the thesis topic, advances an original argument, and presents evidence appropriate to the underlying inquiry. The thesis should generally be modeled after a typical academic journal article in the field of Political Science. Theses reflect a range of methodological approaches and are typically 35-75 pages.

Advisor and Committee

The thesis will be read and evaluated by a committee or three, consisting of the main advisor and two additional readers.  Two of the readers, including the advisor, must be members of the Political Science department.  Two of the readers, including the advisor, must be faculty members.  The third member may be a graduate student.  An oral defense will determine if the thesis meets the departmental requirements for Distinction. 

Timeline

April (junior year): The student is responsible for locating a faculty advisor who will approve the topic and supervise the thesis process; departmental application form for the distinction thesis program, with advisor’s signature, must be submitted to the Department by the first Monday of the third week of April of the junior year.

Early November (senior year): A draft thesis proposal (5-10 pages) is due to your adviser and second reader. After the first semester, the student or advisor have the right to terminate the thesis process.

Beginning of April (senior year): The thesis is due to your committee by the beginning of April.

End of April (senior year): The thesis must be completed, defended, and approved by the last week of classes in the spring. The committee will determine at the completion of the defense if the thesis is “satisfactory” or “not satisfactory” in meeting the Department’s standards for Distinction and determine whether any revisions need to be made prior to filing the thesis with the department (in early May)

Coursework/thesis credits

Distinction students may earn six credits (3 for each semester) for thesis work towards their Political Science major. Students register for the courses PSC 495 for fall and PSC 496 for spring (three credits each semester). These courses will involve regular meetings with a faculty member and the other participants in the Distinction program. For each of these semesters, the seminar leader and the student’s advisor will agree on a grade that accounts for both their work on their research project and their contribution to the Distinction seminar. If the thesis is not completed on time or the committee determines that it does not meet the requirements for Distinction, the advisor and seminar leader will determine the appropriate grade for the spring semester’s coursework but Distinction will not be awarded.

Connection to Renee Crown University Honors Program

Students in the Honors Program may arrange to have their Political Science thesis count as their Capstone Project. The Honors Program “will typically accept that work as also suitable for submission toward completion of the depth requirement.” Consult both the Honors Program and the Political Science Department if you are following this path. The Honors Program requires the submission of a proposal in the fall semester of junior year, but following the PSC schedule (application submitted in April of junior year) is acceptable with notification of the Honors Program.

 

For additional information on Distinction and Thesis requirements, please contact Associate Professor Erin Hern in Political Science