Assessing an Undergraduate Curriculum: The Evolving Roles of Subfields, Methods, Ethics, and Writing for Government Majors

Assessing an Undergraduate Curriculum: The Evolving Roles of Subfields, Methods, Ethics, and Writing for Government Majors

by Andrew A. Szarejko and Matthew E. Carnes, both of Georgetown University

In this article, Andrew Szarejko and Matthew Carnes share the results of a semester-long undergraduate curriculum assessment they conducted for Georgetown University’s Department of Government. Here they detail five lessons they learned, but they also discuss three lingering questions that similar departments surely face. These lessons and questions cover topics such as the role of subfields in the major, the methodological training students receive, the opportunities students receive to practice writing, and the way students can best be encouraged to reflect on their normative commitments. They conclude with one overarching lesson—although student needs may be quite diverse, an emphasis on core aspects of the program can yield better training for all undergraduates.

Read the full article. 

PS: Political Science & Politics / Volume 51 / Issue 1 / January 2018