General Information

The Washington Semester program can be tailored to fit a variety of academic objectives. Program components can be counted simply as Level II course electives, or they can be used to meet specific major, concentration, or General Education requirements. Some Washington Semester programs are suitable for more than one major or concentration. A student majoring in Political Science with an Environmental Studies concentration, for example, may wish to apply two credits from the International Environment and Development track to her major and two credits to her concentration. A double-major in English and Political Science participating in the Journalism semester may seek credit toward both majors. Students complete a separate Request for Credit Toward a Major form for each component of their Washington Semester experience, which allows flexibility in how the credits are counted.

Before you complete a Request for Credit Toward a Major form, consult with the Washington Semester Program Adviser to determine what kind of credit arrangements might be possible and whose signatures you will need to secure. Then consult with the chair(s) of the department(s) or program(s) toward which you would like your Washington Semester credit(s) counted to determine which requirements within the major or concentration your Washington Semester experience might satisfy.

A copy of each signed Request for Credit Toward a Major form(s) must be provided to the Washington Semester program advisor, your academic advisor, and the Academic Administrative Assistant in the department(s) or program(s) from which you are seeking credit. If a component of your program changes after you begin your semester in Washington -- if, for example, you end up in a different course elective or a different kind of internship than you expected -- you can submit a new application for that component. You can contact the Washington Semester program advisor by telephone or e-mail and he or she can arrange for the appropriate signatures while you are still in Washington. Unless you have a completed and approved Application for Credit Toward a Major or Concentration on file with your advisor and the AAA in your major or program, you can’t be guaranteed that your program components will count toward your preferred major or concentration in the way you are hoping.

Information for Political Science Majors

The Political Science Department has developed a policy on Credit Toward the Political Science Major for Courses Completed at Other Institutions, available on the departmental website or in the Department of Political Science (Holland 103). Students may apply up to two Washington Semester credits toward a political science major, depending on the number of other courses from other institutions (including advanced placement, off-campus, and transfer courses) they have already counted toward their major. A Request for Credit Toward a Major form must be completed for each credit to be applied to the major, signed by the Political Science department chair, and provided to the Academic Administrative Assistant in the Department of Political Science, the Washington Semester program advisor, and the student’s academic advisor.

If a student has not counted any other advanced placement, off-campus, or transfer courses toward his or her major in political science, he or she may apply to have the Washington Semester credits counted as follows:

One Level II credit for the seminar. This credit may be used to satisfy a subfield requirement, depending on the track in which the student is enrolled. Below is a list of the subfield requirements that may be met by each of the tracks:

Ø American Politics and Public Policy: American Politics; Economic Policy; Journalism; Justice; Public Law; Transforming Communities

Ø Comparative Politics: International Environment and Development

Ø International Relations: Foreign Policy; International Business and Trade; International Environment and Development; Peace and Conflict Resolution

· One Level III credit with WRI for the independent research project. The St. Olaf Political Science Department has established explicit criteria for Level III work in the major. These criteria may or may not be reflected in the Washington Semester program’s expectations for the independent research project; as with any independent research experience, this varies with the specific faculty member supervising the project. Therefore, students should consult the department policy on Credit Toward the Political Science Major for Courses Completed at Other Institutions, and design their research project to meet the criteria for Level III work in the St. Olaf Political Science Department as well as the criteria established by their Washington Semester instructor. In order to receive Level III credit, students must submit their final paper to the Washington Semester program advisor, who will arrange to have the paper reviewed by a faculty member in the department to determine whether it meets departmental expectations for Level III work and WRI credit. The research project may also be counted toward a subfield requirement.

Internships completed through off-campus programs may not be counted toward a St. Olaf political science major, although they may still be counted as electives toward graduation.

Students are encouraged to consult with the Washington Semester Program Advisor for assistance in planning their program credits.