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Senior Comprehensive:
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POLSC 299 Senior Seminar*
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3 hours
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*In some cases, senior research may be completed instead through a project undertaken in conjunction with Political Science 197.
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Political Science majors must also complete one or more minors of at least 18 hours. Students pursuing a double major may substitute their second major for the minor requirement.
POLSC 001 United States Government and Politics (3 hours)
An examination of the context, processes, institutions, and outcomes of the U.S. political system. This course introduces the student to basic concepts and theories central to the study of political science.
(Normally offered each semester.)
POLSC 009 Introduction to International Relations (3 hours)
This course provides an introduction to a basic understanding of the concepts of international relations. It focuses on the interrelationship of nations and how they coexist and interact with each other. It will expose the student to the theories of international relations and how these theories apply to current problems and experiences.
POLSC 020 Introduction to Comparative Politics (3 hours)
This course provides an introduction to the concepts and methods of comparative politics. It highlights those factors that are common to all political systems and the ways in which political behavior and institutions differ between nations. It will achieve these goals by examining the problems that all political systems face: political violence, power transfer, public policy, and what role the government plays in the society.
POLSC 100 Introduction to Statistics and SPSS (2 hours)
This course introduces students to the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences and its statistical procedures. The course will teach students how to run programs with the software and to interpret the output from those programs. Students will enter, edit, and learn how to analyze data using SPSS.
Corequisite(s): POLSC 200 Research Methods in Political Science.
(Normally offered each fall semester.)
POLSC 200 Research Methods in Political Science (3 hours)
An examination of social science research with an emphasis on the development of research skills and methodology.
Prerequisite(s): Junior standing or permission of the department chair.
Corequisite(s): POLSC 100 Introduction to Statistics and SPSS.
(Normally offered each fall semester.)
POLSC 103 Political Parties and Interest Groups (3 hours)
A study of the role of political parties and interest groups in national, state, and local government, and of elections in the United States.
Prerequisite(s): POLSC 001 United States Government and Politics.
POLSC 109 Public Policy (3 hours)
The focus of this course is the development and implementation of public policy. The course will consider the actors constituting the environment in which policies are formulated. Next it will survey the major areas of public policy to understand the processes that constrain ongoing policy implementation. Finally, it will study one or two particular factors that influence the development and implementation of policy.
Prerequisite(s): POLSC 001 United States Government and Politics and sophomore standing or permission of the instructor.
POLSC 120 Minority Politics (3 hours)
An examination of the political role of minorities in U.S. society. The course will focus on the historical evolution of minority rights with emphasis on current debates and controversies. It will also apply political science theories to the relationship between majority and minority communities in the U.S.
POLSC 135 Judicial Politics (3 hours)
In this course students will examine the organization, functioning, and impact of courts in the United States. Attention will be paid to the role of lawyers in the judicial system, trial and appellate court procedures, selection of judges, and the relationship of courts to other elements of the U.S. political system. Topics will include the nature of law, the role of juries, plea bargaining, alternative conflict resolution, court workload, and proposals for reform.
Prerequisite(s): POLSC 001 United States Government and Politics.
(Normally offered alternate years.)
POLSC 140 Legislative Politics (3 hours)
This course examines the functioning of legislatures in the United States, chiefly but not exclusively the U.S. Congress. Legislatures' place in the political system, the forces acting on them, and their impacts on other actors in politics will be examined, as well as the behavior of legislators and the internal structures of legislatures will be considered.
Prerequisite(s): POLSC 001 United States Government and Politics or permission or the instructor or department chair.
POLSC 146 Media and Politics (3 hours)
This course examines the impact of the contemporary mass media on politics in the United States, focusing most directly on the effect of news gathering and reporting practices on political processes and institutions, and on the responses of political actors to those journalistic norms. Questions about the nature of democracy in a media society will arise and be addressed over the course of the semester.
Prerequisite(s): POLSC 001 United States Government and Politics.
POLSC 221 Constitutional Law (3 hours)
An advanced course focusing on an examination of the basic principles of U.S. constitutional law, based on study of U.S. Supreme Court cases. Trends in interpretation of the Constitution and the role of Supreme Court decisions in U.S. politics will be stressed.
Prerequisite(s): POLSC 001 United States Government and Politics and junior standing or permission of the instructor.
POLSC 190 Selected Topics (3 hours)
A topical course designed to investigate relevant subject matter not included in any of the standard courses. The title, content, and credit will be determined by current mutual interests of students and faculty.
POLSC 290 Selected Topics (1-3 hours)
A course designed to treat subject matter not covered in other departmental courses or to provide advanced study of subject matter introduced in other courses. The title, content, and credit hours will be determined by current mutual interests of faculty and students.
POLSC 160 South Asian Politics and Society (3 hours)
A study of the social, historical, and political factors that have affected the countries of South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal). The course will examine the historical origins of the culture; the development of Hinduism and Buddhism; and the current political, economic, and social problems that the countries of the region face.
Prerequisite(s): POLSC 009 Introduction to International Relations or POLSC 020 Introduction to Comparative Politics.
POLSC 161 Politics of Europe (3 hours)
This course will examine the current state of politics in the sustained democracies of Western Europe as well as the new democracies of Eastern Europe. Attention will be given to the challenges of political and economic transition in the former communist countries. The course will also examine issues of ethnicity and nationalism in Europe. Implications of the enlargement of NATO and the deepening and widening of European integration will be studied.
Prerequisite(s): POLSC 009 Introduction to International Relations or POLSC 020 Introduction to Comparative Politics or approval of the instructor.
POLSC 170 Women and Power (3 hours)
This course examines the participation of women in society and politics, and their ability to influence the policy decisions related to the issues of concern to them. The course will take a cross-national perspective, although primary emphasis will be women in Middle Eastern and South Asian societies.
POLSC 210 Modernization and Development (3 hours)
The problems faced by the political systems of the countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Specific topics will include their attempts to maintain political stability and resolve such issues as the food and population problems.
Prerequisite(s): POLSC 009 Introduction to International Relations or POLSC 020 Introduction to Comparative Politics and junior standing or permission of the instructor.
POLSC 270 International Law and Organization (3 hours)
In this course the sources, content, and impact of international law will be examined in detail. Special attention will be given to some of the modern substantive areas of international law such as human rights, international economic relations, and the international environment. This course is also designed to familiarize the student with the rise and role of public international organizations since 1945.
Prerequisite(s): Junior standing or permission of the instructor.
POLSC 275 International Security (3 hours)
In this course the student will examine the theoretical body of literature on international security. We will consider traditional topics in international security, such as the role of conventional and nuclear weapons, arms control, the impact of alliances and collective security agreements, and the stability of bipolar vs. multipolar international systems. We will also broaden our definition of security politics to include environmental degradation, ethnic conflicts, and even organized crime.
Prerequisite(s): Junior standing or permission of the instructor.
POLSC 155 Classical Political Thought (3 hours)
Analysis and discussion of two major works of classic Greek political philosophy by Plato and Aristotle. This course introduces students to the kind of close reading and thoughtful writing necessary to deal effectively with such works.
POLSC 156 Modern Political Thought (3 hours)
An examination of significant works of political philosophy in the modern era, including pieces by Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, and Mill with emphasis on close reading of and thoughtful writing about these works.
PHIL 140 Social-Political Philosophy (3 hours)
This course will begin with a close examination of some classic works of social and political philosophy, which may include but are not limited to Aristotle's Politics, Hobbes' Leviathan, Locke's Second Treatise on Government, Rousseau's Social Contract, Marx's Grundrisse, and Mill's On Liberty. Once this historical foundation is put in place, students will move on to examine current trends in social and political philosophy that may include but are not limited to: what is the best form of government, the social contract, socialism, the nature of justice, democracy, nationalism, and environmentalism.
POLSC 299 Senior Seminar (3 hours)
A research seminar in which students conducting their research to satisfy the senior comprehensive requirement meet regularly to share insights, progress, and problems encountered along the way.
Prerequisite(s): POLSC 200 Research Methods in Political Science and senior standing or permission of the department chair.
(Normally offered each spring semester.)
