{"id":8801,"date":"2026-02-09T15:57:35","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T20:57:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/academics\/?page_id=8801"},"modified":"2026-04-23T15:30:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T19:30:14","slug":"politics","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/academics\/majors-and-minors\/politics\/","title":{"rendered":"Politics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Visit the full Politics site<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Politics is the study of the way in which power, authority, and values are defined, produced, and distributed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Courses within the department focus on analyzing political processes at individual, local, national, and international levels through studying topics as diverse as political institutions, social movements, conflict, war, and diplomacy.  By using a range of research methods and employing various forms of evidence, both qualitative and quantitative, students develop new ways of viewing the power structures inherent to our society.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Contact Us<\/h5>\n\t

Pettengill Hall
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What You Will Learn<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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How to evaluate and interpret a broad range of evidence to assess competing claims<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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To develop written and oral arguments through the rigorous evaluation of ideas and evidence<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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How to exchange ideas both generously and critically<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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How to design and complete original research<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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To present ideas and arguments individually or as a group verbally, through writing, and with visuals<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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To uncover unstated assumptions behind how information is presented<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Life After Bates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Graduates from the Politics department embark on careers in a wide range of fields, including government, economics, and medicine. Students also go on to continue their education by attending law school and through post-graduate degrees in a variety of topics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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94%<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

of 2020-2024 Bates graduates are employed and\/or attending graduate school \u2014 settled into their next opportunity within 6 months of graduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“I majored in Politics and French with a concentration in Class, Inequity, Poverty, and Justice, and participated in the Bonner Leadership Program through the Harward Center. These academic and community\u2011based experiences shaped my commitment to education as a catalyst for expanding opportunity. As a teacher, I led a study abroad program to France for my high school students. I later transitioned into talent acquisition, focusing on recruiting educators for hard\u2011to\u2011fill roles in public schools. Today, I oversee educator pipeline programs and licensure compliance for DC Public Schools, serving over 50,000 students across 117 schools.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014 Nathalie Sharp \u201813<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Selected Places of Employment\/Service<\/h6>\n\n\n\n