The Junior Independent Work (JIW) requirement in Politics provides majors with an opportunity to delve into their research interests and conduct a thorough examination. The goal is for students to produce a well-reasoned and analytical essay that scrutinizes a political issue using approaches from political science. Over the course of two semesters, students are required to undertake two research projects, consisting of a research prospectus in the fall and a junior paper in the spring. The Department views these as “building blocks” toward the preparation of a strong senior thesis. 

POL 300 & the Fall Research Prospectus 

Important note: Politics majors are required take POL 300 (Conducting Independent Research in Political Science) in the Fall semester of junior year.

As part of POL 300’s course requirements, juniors will develop a research prospectus. The prospectus is normally 12-15 pages, and will include a description of the significance of the topic with references to the relevant literature and a detailed research design. The prospectus should define a significant political question or problem and outline a design for answering it through a process of systematic research. The research, may, depending on the nature of the topic selected, involve detailing the relevant primary and secondary literature or original documents, interviews, or compilation and analysis of existing or to-be-collected data.

The range of subjects suitable for a prospectus is wide. Most projects involve the following elements: (1) defining a significant question, (2) formulating a hypothesis, (3) detailing the relevant evidence and outlining how it can be assessed, (4) reviewing critically the work of others on this subject, (5) evaluating alternative methods of inquiry, (6) showing critical awareness of the limits of one’s projected arguments, and (7) prospectively relating one’s inquiry to a larger context of issues in political science. The prospectus is not a passive review of the existing literature, nor a summary of facts, nor a long editorial. It sets out the framework for conduct of a critical and creative analysis of a question, problem or issue. A framework that would allow for the development of a student’s own well-reasoned views, should the prospectus be carried out, is an essential part of this exercise. 

During POL 300 precepts, graduate student preceptors will work with students on developing their research prospectuses. The POL 300 precepts will include multiple opportunities for Politics juniors to present, discuss, and receive feedback on various components of their research design. Effective with the Class of 2028, the research prospectus will be the final assessment assignment in POL 300, and will be due during the time-slot designated by the Registrar's Office.

Spring Junior Paper

In the Spring semester, juniors complete a junior paper (JP) under the supervision of a Politics faculty member. [A directory of available Spring JP advisers can be found at the bottom of this webpage.] 

A junior paper written in the Department of Politics is normally 20-35 double-spaced pages and clearly focused on one politics-related question, problem, or issue. Junior papers are supposed to define a significant political question or problem and to answer it through a process of systematic research which may, depending on the nature of the topic selected, involve reading primary and secondary literature or original documents, interviewing or consulting archival materials, or compiling and analyzing statistical data of various forms. The range of subjects suitable for such essays is very wide. Most projects involve the following elements: defining a significant question, formulating a hypothesis, gathering and assessing evidence, reviewing critically the work of others on this subject, evaluating alternative methods of inquiry, critically reviewing one's own arguments, and relating one's findings and conclusions to a larger political context of issues. The junior paper is not a passive review of the existing literature, nor a summary of facts, nor a long editorial. It presents a critical and creative analysis of a question, problem or issue. A presentation of the student's own well-reasoned views is an essential part of this exercise. Policy recommendations are welcome but not required.

Beginning with the Class of 2028, all juniors must enroll in POL 398 (Spring). Students will receive one POL 398 grade based 100% on the final version of the Spring JP which will factor into the Honors calculation. Although POL 398 carries 1.0 unit, please note this placeholder junior independent work course is not considered part of the 11 required departmental courses, however, it does count towards the University’s course minimum required for graduation. 

The rough draft deadline for the junior paper is the Friday before Spring Break. Faculty advisors are expected to submit extensive comments on the written work of the students whom they advise. However, faculty advisors are under no obligation to give detailed comments on preliminary versions of the spring junior paper if they are submitted after the departmental deadline. Faculty advisors may choose to read drafts after the deadline, and are encouraged to set their own preferred deadlines for preliminary work on the junior paper. 

The final version of the Spring JP must be submitted to the Department by 4:00 pm on the last day of classes. A penalty of 1/3 of a letter grade for every 48 hours that the Spring JP is late will be applied, beginning at 4:00 pm on the due date. Requests for Spring JP extensions without late penalty can only be approved by the student’s residential college dean in conjunction with the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

In general, the standards defined for senior theses apply in faculty evaluations of the Spring junior paper, with the understanding that the time available to work on a Spring JP is much less than the time available for the senior thesis.

Students are encouraged to direct their junior paper toward a possible thesis topic, and are allowed to use some of the same research for both. Nonetheless, the junior paper must be an independent piece of work which stands on its own, and it may not be incorporated directly into the thesis. The Spring JP may expand upon ideas explored in the research prospectus. A student may draw on and cite their own prospectus just like they would use other resources. In addition, the student may re-use a limited portion of their prospectus in the Spring JP, including the literature review. Whenever material from the prospectus is re-used, the student must add a footnote noting the duplication. This policy does not affect the standard University guidelines for attributing ideas and research findings, whenever appropriate.

NOTE: Special permission is required to submit the same paper both for purposes of Junior Independent Work and for a course. The Director of Undergraduate Studies and all instructors involved must give their consent in writing. This option is strongly disfavored, and permission will be given only in extremely exceptional circumstances. In cases where the course instructor is also the student’s junior advisor, it may be required that the paper be second-read by another faculty member of the Department.

• Writing a JP: The Handbook (from the Writing Program)
• Submission and Grading of Independent Work