In a move that reflects years of gradual reform, the department of government and foreign affairs changed its name to the department of politics.
The Board of Visitors approved the change at their Jan. 25-26 meeting before forwarding the proposal to the State Council of Higher Education. The Council staff automatically will approve the proposal as an item "for the purposes of internal management only."
However, the Council approval is a formality - the change went into effect after the Board approved the proposal.
Government and foreign affairs majors will not face changes in course offerings or to major requirements.
The new name reflects the department's belief that the field is more unified than the former name implied.
"We believe that there is an academic discipline, a body of knowledge, that can explain political phenomena," Department of Politics Chairman Robert Fatton said. "The distinction [between government and foreign affairs] was artificial."
The name change also reflects the department's development over the past 15 years.
One of the more visible differences between the current department and those from years past is the faculty. Nearly 70 percent of the current faculty came to the University in the 1990s, Fatton said.
"We have fairly young faculty members," he said. "The change was a generational issue."
The personnel turnover resulted in professors who are more professionally oriented, more active in the academic community and regard the study of politics as a science.
"The name change indicates that we are more of a professional school," Fatton said.
"More department members attend professional conferences and publish articles in magazines and university presses," Politics Prof. Gerard Alexander said.
In addition, the course offerings have gradually changed, introducing scientific method to the curriculum.
"Fifteen years ago, you didn't need to know quantitative analysis," Alexander said. "Now you do. Exams have radically changed in the past few years. New courses have been introduced in the graduate school. The name is a signal to ourselves and the community that we're moving forward."
On the whole, however, the department will not undergo any major overhauls because of the new name.
"The change was more cosmetic than anything else," Fatton said.
Course mnemonics also will change from GFAP, GFCP, GFIR and GFPT to PLAP, PLCP, PLIR and PLPT.
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