<p>Now I do understand, but I think that as I said, it’s all there at Grinnell, but yes, you would have to put some effort into designing a major, but a) the school is familiar with working with students on developing Independent Majors and b) this one’s been done before, so it shouldn’t be rocket science putting it together. No matter what anyone majors in, there’s still planning to do to figure out prerequisites and balancing a variety of academic interests. Grinnell is all about the “individually advised curriculum” and if your advisor isn’t familiar with how to put an independent major together, I’m sure he / she would be happy to direct you to the proper source. </p>
<p>I also think that you should talk to a professor to get a better feel for the poli sci program, because when I look at the website I see something different as to what is required for the major, because it gives a much broader range of required courses than what you’ve listed above. It says poli sci 101 and ONE each from these areas: american politics, comparative politics and international politics (with a variety of courses offered in each). It says that 8 credits can be taken outside the department to count towards the required 32. It also says: “Political science majors should take statistics and courses in related social studies—anthropology, economics, history, philosophy, and sociology. They are encouraged to undertake interdisciplinary study combining social studies with the humanities.” Here’s where I saw this: [Political</a> Science - Catalog | Grinnell College](<a href=“http://www.grinnell.edu/academic/catalog/academic-program/courses/polisci]Political”>http://www.grinnell.edu/academic/catalog/academic-program/courses/polisci)</p>
<p>Let’s just say, for argument’s sake, that you decide not to bother with an Independent Major and instead go with poli sci. Would you have to take some courses you might prefer not to? Absolutely. but that’s the same with any major, or indeed anyone who has to meet prerequisites for upper level courses. That’s just the nature of designing a college curriculum. </p>
<p>Anyway, I do understand your point, but I still think that you can get what you want at Grinnell. But, you shouldn’t take it from me or anyone on this website, but from the college itself! </p>
<p>btw, I went to a “much higher ranked” and “better known” LAC than Grinnell and my advisor was a sports coach, not a professor. Needless to say, I got no advice on how to plan my curriculum, just a sign-off on my courses and to this day I regret that I had no coherency in my major (I took all my courses for the English major chronologically backwards because I took what I was interested in first). I hear that the advising at this school still stinks. I am incredibly impressed with the advising system at Grinnell. It doesn’t mean that a student has to do whatever their advisor says or even meet with them that often if they don’t want, but the resources are there to use. </p>
<p>What I’m trying to say is that for any college, no matter the major, there is navigating and compromising in order to develop a four-year plan. My S will not be able to take everything he wants (unless he goes to school for more than four years!) and he will have to take some things he doesn’t want. I also know of someone at Carleton who didn’t want to take foreign language, but had to for a requirement, and guess what, he loved it and it changed his direction completely! One hears those kinds of stories all the time.</p>