An Invitation to Apply

(Application in Adobe PDF--Fill out online and print, or download, fill out, and print)

Admission into the Political and Social Thought Program

We invite interested students now in their fourth semester in the College of Arts and Sciences to apply for admissions in this interdisciplinary program. As a distinguished majors program, P.S.T. admits only 17-20 new students a year. A 3.2 cumulative grade point average is generally required for admission. It is highly desirable (but not mandatory) that a student applying for the P.S.T. program should have at least one of the courses listed under the Foundations of Political and Social Thought by the end of their second year (see Requirement 2 below).

Students interested in becoming P.S.T. majors should submit the following:

  1. A completed P.S.T. application form.
  2. A Letter of recommendation from a faculty member.
  3. A 300-500 word essay. This essay should address the following two questions:
    a) Why are you interested in becoming a P.S.T. major?
    b) At this (tentative) point, what three area studies would you select in constructing your P.S.T. curriculum? (see Requirements below). Your answer does not commit you to a particular course of studies if you are accepted into the program, but it should represent a thoughtful presentation of your program.
  4. A photocopy of a previously graded essay or term paper. This should represent work that you believe fairly demonstrates you analytic and expository skills.
  5. An official (i.e. sealed) transcript from the Registrar, available for a small fee from Carruthers Hall.
  6. A brief (not more than one page) statement of your one or two most important extracurricular actitivites, stating why you find the commitement worthwhile.

Students should deliver all these materials to the Prof. Smith's office in Gibson S-396 (South Lawn) by March 4.. Recommendation letters may be delivered in three ways: (1) via e-mail to mjsmith@virginia.edu, (2) sent to the office by the recommender, or (3) included with the application in a sealed envelope with the recommender's signature across the flap. Candidates should hear from the committee by the end of March.

 

Requirements for Major

The major has four basic components:

  1. PST Seminars (8 credits)
  2. Foundation Courses (6 credits)
  3. Area Studies (18 credits)
  4. Thesis (6 credits, full year)

PST Seminars - Credits: 8

Open to majors only, consisting of PST 4850, 4870 (3 credits each), and PST 4980 and 4989 (the fourth-year thesis workshop) 1 credit per term; 2 credits total.

Foundation Courses

Each student must complete at least six credits from the following list of courses, or equivalents approved by the director, dealing with political and social thought or its historical foundations:

Area Studies

Each student is required to define three different area studies. An area is defined as a particular intellectual theme or subfield of interest to be investigated in the course of the student’s studies. These areas can be derived from within, between, or outside traditional disciplines. Some examples of area studies might include aspects of modern (or contemporary) political thought; ethical issues in modern economic development, human rights; religion in world politics; identity politics in modern social movements; state-building in third world societies; the modern welfare state; mass media and contemporary social communication.

For each area, the student must complete two relevant courses at the 3000 level or above. The total of six courses necessary to fulfill the area requirements must be drawn from at least three different disciplines, programs, or departments. In brief: 3 areas; 2 courses per area; 3 disciplines; Total credits:  18.

Taken together, the three areas of study should be well thought-out and intellectually coherent, and form the general basis of study for the fourth-year thesis. The three areas of study define the interdisciplinary character of the student’s program and must meet a rigorous standard of coherence. In consultation with their advisors and the program director, students are expected to articulate the rationale of their choices in a brief written statement due by the end of the third year.

Fourth-Year Thesis - Credits: 6

 

Direct any questions to Prof. Michael Joseph Smith, PST Director, in Gibson S-396, email mjsmith@virginia.edu. Y


Introduction

The Major, the Faculty and the Students: An Overview of the Political and Social Thought Program

Course Descriptions and Program Requirements

Contact the PST Program

Application

An Invitation to apply to the Political and Social Thought Program

Download an Application in HTML or PDF Format

Seminars

Third Year Seminar
Fall 2002 Syllabus

Third Year Seminar
Spring 2003 Syllabus

Majors

The Class of 2004

The Class of 2005

The Class of 2006

Topics

Papers

Theses

Events

Related Sites

The University of Virginia

The College of Arts and Sciences

 
 
   

 

INotice: This Website was designed by Cheyenne Sheafe and is maintained by the Director of the Political and Social Thought Program. Copyright (c) 2001 The PST Program at the University of Virginia. Contents may not be copied and/or published electronically or in print without prior written consent. All rights reserved.