Resources

For all Students

Events and Opportunities: See this page for more information on:

Politics and Policy Lecture Series;
sending students to the Student Conference on US Affairs (SCUSA);
the Political Science email list.

Department Policies: See this page for more information on:

Political Science LibGuide: The library maintains a site that many students may find useful. It includes:

starting resources for a Literature Review;
additional E-Collections that students may find useful;
statistical data, spatial data, and other documents;
useful news sources;
important reference works; and
additional research links.

For all Majors

The Major Handbook and Library Subject Guide
Everything you need to know about being a Political Science Major at Reed College.

For all Students and Faculty

ALTA S. CORBETT FUND FOR PUBLIC POLICY RESEARCH

In 1977 the Alta S. Corbett Fund was established as an endowment by her five daughters to honor their mother’s service as a Regent of Reed College from 1919 to 1941. They wished also to recognize her significant contributions to building democratic institutions, as president of the Oregon Equal Suffrage Alliance that helped bring women the vote in 2020, and later as president of the Portland and then the National League of Women Voters. Involved in many civic activities, Alta Corbett was a strong community leader who cared deeply for our democracy. The Corbett Fund was initially established to offer lectures, symposia, and other programs in civic affairs, public policy, and government, and then was refocused in 1997 to support scholarly examination of public policy issues. Today the Corbett Fund supports faculty and student collaborative research, policy research focused on the Northwest, and political science lectures. Learn more about Alta’s impact on the Pacific Northwest and the nation on Wikipedia.

Opportunities supported by the Alta S. Corbett Fund

Faculty and Student Collaborative Research Corbett Grants have supported collaborative faculty and student research, providing Reed students and graduating seniors with paid summer internships in the area of public policy. In addition to salaries and wages, Corbett Grants have funded travel expenses and research supplies. Internships made possible by Corbett funding provide Reed students with vital, hands-on experience in the field of public policy. Each year, political science faculty members identify students who have demonstrated skills and interest and write collaborative research proposals which are reviewed by the department chair. Students interested in collaborative projects may also independently approach the department or individual faculty members with proposals. While most Corbett Grant recipients are political science majors, the program is open to all Reed undergraduates, regardless of major. Corbett funding also supports lectures, consulting visits, and financial assistance for thesis research expenses.

Support for the Northwest Policy Priorities Project (NWPPP)

The Corbett Fund has been a primary funder of the Northwest Policy Priorities Project (NWPPP). The members of the Political Science Department began this initiative in 2020 to elevate policy projects that have a Northwest focus drawing on the interest and energy of Reed faculty, staff, and students.

Political Science Lectures

Corbett Grants have continued to support lectures from experts in the field of public policy, providing a crucial foundation for understanding the complexities of governance, policy-making, and global affairs. A legacy of the original vision for the Fund, the lectures promote a dialogue on democracy and civic purpose, not only for Reed College but the wider community.

2024 Financial Report

Today the Alta S. Corbett Fund endowment totals nearly $750,000, the annual proceeds of which
provide financial support for the aforementioned three areas of research and dialogue.

For Juniors

To become a senior in Political Science, a student must pass the department junior examination, which consists of writing two critical essays. Each of the two critical essays should be about 1,500 words in length. Students will be expected to write their examinations over any seventy-two hour period of their choosing – from pick-up to submission – during an eighteen-day window that begins on the Friday immediately before Spring break and ends two weeks after the Monday of Spring break. (The equivalent schedule will apply in the Fall for Fall-semester second-semester juniors.) Examinations will be picked up and submitted electronically, and compliance with the seventy-two hour time-frame will be monitored and certified by the department’s administrative coordinator. For more information, see the Junior Qual page.

For Seniors

The Thesis Guide
Many resources are available for seniors writing theses in political science, including the Political Science Senior Thesis Handbook; we recommend that seniors also look at the general resources offered by the IT thesis page and the Reed Senior Handbook (PDF). A list of past theses in political science are available from the Reed College Library Catalog.

For Graduates

The Center for Life Beyond Reed
This site has a number of resources on graduate and professional school and other career exploration, internship, and job search tools. An archived copy of information on popular graduate school and career choices for Reed graduates who majored in Political Science, including names and contact information for several alumni volunteers who majored in Political Science, is available on archive.org

The Alumni Directory
Search the alumni directory by major to see where recent graduates are. For example, you can search for Political Science graduates in the last decade who have a post-graduate degree or are currently grad students.