Political Science

Departmental Information

Director of Undergraduate Studies
Prof. Robert Y. Shapiro
730 IAB
(212) 854-3944
rys3@columbia.edu

Departmental Office
736 IAB
(212) 854-3707

Departmental Web Site
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/polisci/

The discipline of political science is focused on issues of power and governance, and in particular on political institutions, both formal and informal. It also focuses on political behavior, political processes, political economy, and state-society relations. The field consists of four substantive subfields: the largest is the American one, which covers such topics as national and local politics, elections, and constitutional law. The second is comparative politics, which aims at understanding the political systems of other countries, both by studying individual states and by engaging in cross-national comparisons. The third, international relations, deals with the ways that states and other political actors behave in the international arena, including such topics as security, foreign policies, international organizations, and international economic relations. Political theory analyzes the history of normative political thought as well as of analytic concepts such as the nature of justice or of liberty. Other broad topics, such as “political economy” or the study of the relationships between economic and political processes overlap with the subfields, but also constitute a separate program (see below). Methodology, including statistical analysis and formal modeling, also occupies an important place in the discipline.

Advising System

The Political Science Department has adopted a diversified advising system in order to meet the needs of prospective and current majors and concentrators. What follows is a list of advising resources.

• The director of undergraduate studies, Prof. Robert Shapiro; rys3@columbia.edu; 854-3944.
• The undergraduate coordinator is available for advising during business hours in 710 IAB or at 854-3707.
• Graduate student advisers are available for several hours each week on a walkin basis in 735 IAB. Please consult the advising page on the department Web site for information about their hours.
• Students are welcome to contact political science professors during their office hours or by arrangement. The director of undergraduate studies, the undergraduate coordinator, and the graduate advisers can refer students to an appropriate faculty member.
• Economics–political science majors should consult Prof. David Epstein, 706 IAB; de11@columbia.edu; office hours by appointment. These students should also consult an adviser in the Economics Department.
• Statistics–political science majors should consult Prof. Andrew Gelman; gelman@stat.columbia.edu.

Students interested in majoring or concentrating in political science should take one or two of the required introductory courses in their first or second years. In the spring of the sophomore year, prospective majors or concentrators should see the undergraduate coordinator (736 IAB) for information about the process of declaring a political science major, and to consult an adviser about the program. Majors and concentrators should periodically consult advisers to ensure that their program requirements are being filled in a timely manner. Advisers can also be consulted about law or other graduate schools.