Political Science (POL)
This course is a political analysis of the constitutional principles and governmental organizations of England, France, and Germany. It is required of all political science majors. The requirements include a minimum of 10 to 12 pages of academic writing.
This course provides an overview of the principles, institutions, and decision-making processes of American government. The course focuses on the foundations of the American constitutional order and the development of contemporary American government at the national level. Topics are approached in a critical and analytical way, seeking to understand the trade-offs inherent in particular democratic choices. Historical, comparative, and analytical methods are employed. This course is required of all political science majors and minors. The course requirements include a minimum of 10 to 12 pages of academic writing.
This course surveys the theoretical foundations, approaches, and methodologies of political analysis, introducing students to the "science of politics" and providing a basic grounding in the social scientific study of political behavior and phenomena. The course equips students with the tools of inquiry (such as the description and analysis of quantitative data and the systematic use of case studies) most commonly used in the discipline of political science.
This course focuses on basic statistical methods used in the analysis of economic and political phenomena and decision-making. Emphasis is on the application of statistical techniques and the sound interpretation of statistical results. Topics include descriptive statistics, probability, sampling and sampling distributions, statistical estimation, hypothesis testing, simple regression, and correlation.
This course is an introduction to different concepts and aspects of public administration from a variety of theoretical viewpoints. Topics include: bureaucratic organization and leadership styles, program evaluation and productivity, budgeting, civil service, and public policy making. (Formerly titled "Public Administration.")
This course addresses an introduction to non-traditional and non-Western political systems. Content will vary from year to year and may include topics such as Asian political systems, Latin American systems, the political structures of ancient imperial organizations, pre-colonial African tribal organizations, etc. This course is required of all political science majors. A course requirement includes 12 to 15 pages of academic writing.
This course provides an analysis of the basic patterns and major factors underlying international politics. Consideration of current international problems will be addressed. The course is required of all political science majors. In addition, the course requires a minimum of 12 to 15 pages of academic writing.
This course focuses on an analysis of the major political writers from Plato to approximately 1550. Emphasis on each author's concept of the state and its function and end, as well as their solution to the problem of the reconciliation of the common good with individual freedom, will be addressed. The course is required of all political science majors. In addition, the course requires a minimum of 12 to 15 pages of academic writing.
As interests indicate, special programs may be introduced into the curriculum discussing highly specialized problems for group or independent study.
This course is a study of the state as a partner in the federal system; the states' constitutional development; and principles underlying state governmental organization, reorganization, and functions.
A case study approach utilizing Supreme Court decisions provides an analysis of the governmental structure of the United States. Principal topics include: judicial review, separation of powers, federalism, extent and limit of Congressional and Presidential authority, and the commerce and fiscal clauses of the Constitution.
A case study approach utilizing Supreme Court decisions provides an analysis of the individual's relationship to the government under our Constitution. Principal topics include rights under the early Constitution, the incorporating process, First Amendment rights, procedural rights of the accused, and equal protection and political rights. (Strongly recommended: Constitutional Law I)
Topics of this course address the role of Congress in the legislative process; its internal operations and external political relations, especially with the President. Comparison of the characteristics of Congress with those of state legislatures and European legislative bodies.
This course examines the growth, both in size and power, of the Executive Branch of the national government. Topics covered include: the mechanics and significance of presidential elections, the institution of the presidency, presidential-congressional relations, and the limits of presidential power.
This course provides a view of the political problems of the United States as revealed in the major and minor political parties that have arisen during the country's history.
This course is an introduction to the history and issues associated with the movement for women's political equality. Topics include: women's suffrage, equal protection and the ERA, job discrimination, and women in political campaigns and elected offices.
This course examines the influence of the mass media upon the American political process. Emphasis is on the role of the media in campaigns and elections.
This course examines an introduction to the rise of environmentalism in the United States. Addresses the major environmental statutes from the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts to the Endangered Species Act, RCRA and Superfund, and also integrates case studies and collaborative learning to evaluate the impact of scientific uncertainty on environmental planning while emphasizing the difficult choices faced in developing environmental policy.
This course offers an introduction to the development of the Common Law, tracing the rise of courts and the expanding role of judges in England and the United States from Magna Carta to the Constitution of 1789, discussing the rise of Judicial Review in the United States, and concluding with an exploration of the competing ways in which current Supreme Court Justices (Scalia, Roberts, Breyer, Ginsburg) view their role and their power in a democratic society.
This course is a study of the politics and government in the former Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact nations of Eastern Europe, including the rise and fall of totalitarian communism and the prospects for democratic development.
This course examines the political and economic conditions in SubSaharan Africa and provides a historical perspective on these conditions. Issues examined include the political and economic consequences of colonialism, post-independence political forces and economic policies, and U.S. foreign policy toward Africa.
This course begins by examining aspects of the indigenous societies prior to the arrival of Europeans in what has come to be called "Latin America." Throughout, it considers issues such as colonialism, militarism, race, gender relations, and religion that have shaped the societies, polities, and economies of nations from Mexico and the Caribbean to those of the Southern Cone. The goal of the course is to afford class members the opportunity to better understand Latin America's history as a basis for comprehending its likely future. Cross-listed with ECN 334 and HIS 334.
This course offers an analysis of the increasing functional obsolescence of the nation state under the pressures of transnational problems such as drugs, AIDS, and the environment. The emergence of regional and international organizations such as the European Community, the Organization of African States, and the Association of South East Asian Nations to meet these challenges are also addressed. The course is required of all political science majors. Formerly titled "Global Village." In addition, the course requires a minimum of 15 to 20 pages of academic writing.
This course is a study of the diplomatic and military instruments of American foreign relations, the formal and informal powers and processes by which policy is made, and the basic patterns of national interest and policy, both prior to World War II and into the present.
This course offers a study of modern Middle Eastern politics, with emphasis on the origins, issues, and present stage of the Arab-Israeli conflict; an analysis of Western and Soviet foreign policies in the area, with the emphasis on America's mideast diplomacy.
This course will define basic concepts related to terrorism, trace the history of terrorism since 1945, and compare and contrast various terrorist groups and their tactics, with particular emphasis on Islamic terrorist organizations, to equip students with tools for understanding and analyzing modern terrorism. Depending upon the semesters this course is taught, it may focus on different geographic areas as well as on the many variants of terrorism, including those developed since the 1979 Iranian revolution, with emphasis on state-supported terrorism and specific terrorist groups as well as the goals and tactics of terrorism and the causes of terrorism.
This course is an analysis of modern liberal democratic thought and the various criticisms of it from both the left and the right are topics to be addressed in this course. Emphasis is on the reading of original sources by Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, J.S. Mill, Rousseau, Burke, Marx, Nietzsche, etc. This course is required of all political science majors. The course requires a minimum of 15 to 20 pages of academic writing.
This course provides an inquiry into various religious and philosophical threads, from the Puritan "city on a hill" to the 1960s counter-culture, which combine to form the fabric of American political thought. Analysis of original source material is stressed.
As interests indicate, special programs may be introduced into the curriculum discussing highly specialized problems for group or independent study.
This course provides the student with an opportunity to do research with a faculty member. The student and the faculty member agree on the research project before the student registers for the course.
This course is a continuation of the 444 research course. It provides the student with an opportunity to continue to conduct research with a faculty member.
This course is designed to give students the opportunity to apply their academic interest to relevant positions in the community. Placements will be provided and the students will be expected to give a comprehensive report on their experiences. Required of all public administration majors. Does not count toward the minor in political science.
With the permission of the Chair, a second semester involving a different experience may be undertaken. Does not count toward the major or minor in political science.
As interests indicate, special programs may be introduced into the curriculum discussing highly specialized problems for group or independent study.
This course involves a study of methods of research and scholarly writing. Directed research and reports on individual assignments are expected. The course is open to political science majors only and constitutes a requirement for them. In addition, the course requires a minimum of 25 pages of academic writing.
This course involves supervised research and writing on a major topic. Weekly presentations and group discussions of individual papers are expected. A written thesis is to be submitted. This course requires a minimum of 25 pages of academic writing.