Politics and Values Program

What is the proper relationship between the individual and society? Do societies have shared values? Is politics the proper arena for enforcing values, or are values best left to individual choice? Are there any shared values that can be enforced internationally?

In the Politics & Values community, a select group of students has the opportunity to explore these questions while living and studying together in an intensive year-long course. Taught by Professor Steven Kelts, the course covers Political Theory, American Politics, Comparative Politics and International Relations – all at an accelerated pace, with each field studied in great depth.

On this page, you will find an explanation of the intellectual focus of the course; the professor’s teaching approach; the students’ engagement with each other, the GW community, and DC; and finally some of the opportunities that P&Vers have beyond their freshman year. For any further questions, you can look at our FAQ.

Intellectual Focus

Politics & Values fulfills a number of requirements for both Columbian College and Elliott School students. But more importantly, the course encourages elite-level intellectual development in a small-class environment. We engage solely with primary texts, reading classic works from John Locke to the present day (including four Nobel prize winners), with significant faculty interaction to guide students through interpreting these difficult texts. And we apply these ideas to contemporary problems, writing research papers that bring together theory and practice.

During the fall semester, we examine the view of the American Founders (James Madison in particular) on issues of values (like rights, responsibilities, virtues and freedoms) by studying some of the classic texts that Madison was reading as he prepared for the US Constitutional Convention. Then we move on to study the skepticism of modern political science about the project of democratic virtues, asking what made us so skeptical about the very same values that Madison thought were at the core of American beliefs. Finally, we study Supreme Court cases that address some of the most difficult questions about values and rights.

In the spring, we look at the connection of values with cultures and nations; the problems of national and ethnic violence; traditional political science theories about the causes of war; the religious, moral and political origins of the current conflict between the West and Islam; international attempts to curb violence and establish boundary-crossing values; and the values that underlie our efforts to encourage development in impoverished areas of the world.

How P&V is Taught

Politics & Values is writing intensive. Before Thanksgiving of their freshman year, students are asked to write a high-quality 25-page paper about the concept of liberty found in James Madison. Few freshmen in the country can boast of such an accomplishment. Working closely with the professor (and a TA dedicated to giving writing instruction), students build this paper piece-by-piece, revising each section as they go.

Through the rest of the year students write four 15-page research papers applying contemporary political science theories to issues of their own choosing. The second semester of P&V (PSC 1012W) will be designated a WID course, helping students to fulfill their G-PAC Literacy requirement. Working with their TA, they craft these topical papers to address different audiences, undergo processes of peer review, and improve both their analytical skills and their expository style.

To learn a bit about the P&V experience, read this article from one of GW’s official publications.

Living and Learning at GW and in DC

Politics & Values students are housed together in Somers Hall, as part of GW’s elite academic experience on the Mount Vernon campus. As they live and grow together, they have the opportunity to develop leadership skills within their own community, to encourage each other to work hard and think deeply, and to enjoy all of the social options that GW has to offer. They also interact with other students interested in politics, sharing their knowledge and broadening their experience of GW and of Washington, DC.

Politics & Values students also interact with the Washington policy community. In the past, for example, they have heard scholars from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum speak about modern genocides, talked with high-level staffers from Congress about the educational preparation needed for a career on the Hill, visited sessions of the U.S. Supreme Court, and toured DC’s monuments to learn about the ideology behind the architecture. Future plans include a trip to Montpelier, where students will learn more about the life and times of James Madison, a cornerstone thinker in our first-semester curriculum; and briefings from State Department officials as we study international problems in our second semester.

Future plans include a trip to Montpelier, where students will learn more about the life and times of James Madison, a cornerstone thinker in our first-semester curriculum; and briefings from State Department officials as we study international problems in our second semester.

Politics & Values provides an opportunity for elite intellectual development within the context of a community that fosters personal growth and leadership. P&V students have long been recognized as the most accomplished students in the Political Science department. Recent graduates have gone on to positions in the Senate and the House; in non-profit organizations as varied as the American Enterprise Institute, Teach for America, Americorps and the Peace Corps; and to some of the very best graduate schools, including Harvard, Columbia, Chicago and Oxford.

P&V Beyond the Freshman Year

Each year, P&V freshmen hear speakers from past P&V cohorts – past speakers have included college professors, newspaper writers, successful lawyers and bankers, and many others who trace their roots back to P&V. Beyond the freshman year, P&V students have the exclusive opportunity to participate in career development seminars that link them with members of the extended P&V family, including influential alumni across the country. P&V students also have unique access to research opportunities within the Political Science department, helping to build research and writing skills at the highest level.

To Apply

Submit a photocopy of your common application (GWU Supplement not required), along with an essay you wrote for a high school class on any political topic, to Professor Steven Kelts, Monroe Hall #415, 2115 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20052. You should be able to download a PDF of your common app by logging onto your online account.

There is a firm deadline of Monday, May 14th. Therefore, it may be best to send your application materials by overnight service, UPS or FedEx. In circumstances of financial need, we will accept an application by email.

Notification of admission will be given May 16th. Students not admitted to the program will be notified at a later date.

» Frequently Asked Questions
» Requirements fulfilled by the program
» About Professor Steven Kelts
» Profiles of past P&V students

Undergraduate Program