Democracy

This course will examine the context, processes, institutions, and outcomes of the U.S. political system. Through writing, building, social science skills,and examining democratic principle, this course will introduce students to basic concepts and theories central to the study of political science. A special focus will be placed on the concept of civic engagement, and the importance of citizen participation to a robust democracy.

The emphasis of this class is understanding the way that the U.S. government and politics implements concepts and theories of democracy. This course will examine the context, processes, institutions, and outcomes of the U.S. political system. Through writing, building social science skills, and examining democratic principle, this course will introduce students to basic concepts and theories central to the study of political science. Students will engage in multiple forms of developing strong first year academic writing skills over the course of this class.

A survey of United States history beginning with post-Civil War Reconstruction period, tracing economic, social, and cultural development to the present, emphasizing the emergence of a dominantly urban-industrial society, multiple civil rights movements, the expanded role of government, increasing government in the lives of individuals, and the increasing involvement of the United States in the world. No P/F.
This is not a First Year Writing course.

A survey of United States history beginning with post-Civil War Reconstruction period, tracing economic, social and cultural development to the present, emphasizing the emergence of a dominantly urban-industrial society, multiple civil rights movements, the expanded role of government in the lives of individuals, and the increasing involvement of the United States in the world. No P/F.
(Normally offered each spring semester.)

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.
(Normally offered yearly.)

A study of the development of types of media including books, newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and film. The interaction of these media and their impact on society and the individual are included.
(Normally offered each spring semester.)

A survey course providing an overall view of the criminal justice system, the law, law enforcement, the courts, and corrections.
(Normally offered each fall semester.)

This course helps future teachers and coaches recognize and understand biases experienced by groups and individuals due to race, ethnicity, gender, social class, religion, exceptionality, sexual orientation, and language background to help them work effectively with a diverse student or student-athlete population. This course meets the Nebraska Human Relations Training requirement for teacher certification and for the NSAA coaching certification
Pre or Corequisite(s): EDUC 1010 Introduction to Education in the United States or declared Coaching minor, or permission of instructor.
(Normally offered each semester.)

A survey course providing a historical perspective on the culture of the United States through the study of its literature from its historical beginnings to the present.
Prerequisite(s): First Year Writing
(Normally offered every spring semester.)

Each course in the Topics in World Literature group will study a selection of literary works that engage the chosen topic--texts of different genres, from historical eras, and from different cultural traditions. The selected readings will present both abstract principles involved in the topic and its immediate, lived realities.
Prerequisite(s): Any First Year Writing course.

Since its publication in 1831, Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America has remained a classic text in sociology, political science, and American cultural studies, both as a document of what the United States was like in the half-century before the Civil War and as a dissection of our national character. The course will be devoted to reading, discussing, analyzing, and writing about Tocqueville's influential study.
Prerequisite(s): POLSC 1000 United States Government and Politics, POLSC 1010 Intro U.S.Govt/Politics: Civic Engagemt, or POLSC 1010FYW Intro To U.S. Govt/Politics and junior standing or permission of the instructor.
(Normally offered alternate fall semesters.)

This course examines liberalism and conservatism as dominant ideologies in the American political tradition focusing on the modern framework beginning with the New Deal era while devoting attention also to the traditions from which each ideology draws, including both within and outside of the United States. The course will examine the historical context and evolution of American liberalism and conservatism, the way each has been informed and shaped by radical movements, the ways that marginalized groups have employed each tradition, and the intersections of ideology with grassroots politics.

This thread culmination course asks students to synthesize learning from previous Democracy Thread courses. Students will put what they have learned in those courses into action by identifying a local, national, or global problem and creating a plan to address that problem. This course meets twice a week for eight weeks. The course will culminate with group presentations about each action plan.

Prerequisite(s): Junior standing or instructor permission.

See Thread Coordinator.

An introductory course in journalism concentrating upon basic techniques of news gathering and writing, including a basic history of news media.
(Normally offered every fall semester.)

A study of various aspects of mathematics pertinent to a democracy including voting methods, logic of argumentation, statistics in the media, and financial mathematics.
(Normally offered each spring semester.)

A survey of teaching vocal music in the secondary schools (grades 7-12). Emphasis is on administration, organization, rehearsal procedures, materials, and the philosophy of music as a public school subject.
Prerequisite(s): Acceptance in the Teacher Education Program or by permission of the chair of the Department of Education. Must have passed piano proficiency and PPST exam.
Corequisite(s): MUSIC 3530L Secondary Instrumental Methods Lab.

This course is designed for students who want to engage the ideas of ancient Greek philosophers alongside the cultural and political contexts that make up Magna Graecia. We will study Athenian and non-Athenian philosophers in relation to the varieties of social customs and political systems throughout the ancient Greek world, including the development and collapse of Athenian democracy. We will be able to discern and evaluate a variety of concepts and practices integral to political life, including the defining features and cultural requirements of a democracy, different historical instantiations of these features and requirements, and multiple accounts of citizenship and "justice."

This course will be an examination of elections in the United States, particularly focusing on the elections of presidents, members of congress, political behavior, campaigns, and gender in elections. You will learn how behavior is influenced by campaigns, what leads people to vote the way that they do, the role the media plays in influencing elections, and what part gender plays in how elections are decided. Some attention will be given to campaign finance and law related to elections. Recent elections will receive a good deal of attention, along with key elections of the past where lessons may be learned from their outcomes.

Prerequisite(s): POLSC 1010/POLSC 1010FYW Intro To U.S. Govt/Politics (or POLSC 1000)

Racial politics is one of the most important, contested, and complicated issues in American society today. This course provides an introduction to the topic of minority politics. We will study the way that Black and Latino/a writers and thinkers understand the intersection of race and politics. We will explore the way that race is socially constructed, interrogate concepts of ideology, identity, and intersectionality, and examine the relationship between institutions and racism. At the end of the class, I hope you will have an appreciation for the complexity of racial politics in America. 

Congress is established in the U.S. Constitution as the chief legislative body, responsible for making national laws and serving as a check on the executive and judicial branches. In this course, we examine the development of the Congress, the rules and procedures by which laws are made, and the policies it produces. We also explore how members of Congress are elected and factors influencing their behavior once in office.

In democracies, the attitudes and beliefs of the public are expected to influence government policy and action. The formation and expression of public opinions, therefore, is central to understanding democratic governance. This course examines public opinion in contemporary America. We will discuss how attitudes can be conceptualized and measured, how they form, how Americans evaluate key public policies, and the influence these attitudes have on government operation.

Pre-requisite(s): POLSC 1010 Intro U.S.Govt/Politics: Civic Engagemt or POLSC 1010FYW Intro To U.S. Govt/Politics; POLSC 2000 Introduction to Political Science Statistics or equivalent statistics course approved by instructor.

Religion in the U.S. is vital and diverse and its study illuminates not only early American society, but also the current pluralism within our contemporary culture. This course will introduce religious traditions in the U.S. through thematic, historical, denominational, and cultural considerations. Though the Puritan roots of U.S. religious history will be considered, this course emphasizes the variety and diversity of religious experiences in the U.S., including Native American, Protestant, Catholic, African-American, Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, and Buddhist traditions.
(Normally offered every year.)

The Pulitzer Prizes are regarded as one of the most prestigious awards that a writer or composer can win. The Pulitzer Prize in Drama is awarded "for a distinguished play by an American author, preferably original in its source, and dealing with American life". Given the emphases on American authorship and American life, this speaking-instructive dramatic literature course examines Pulitzer Prize winning plays such as Angels in America, The Kentucky Cycle, Topdog/Underdog, Disgraced and others to investigate questions about the features of a democracy and what it means to be a citizen of a democracy. The plays also serve as the basis for a series of oral presentations. The course also asks: To what extent is the representation of democratic principles and ideas a contributing factor in what plays win the Pulitzer Prize in Drama.

Dating from 1947, the American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards have been presented annually to honor excellence in commercial theatre on Broadway. It is a high honor for a writer or composer to win the award for Best Play or Best Musical, and usually results in financial and career gains. This speaking instructive dramatic literature course examines this U.S. awards tradition, considering how the procedural structures incorporate elements of democratic ideals and principles. Students will read examples of Tony Award winning plays and musicals in order to consider how democratic ideals are represented in those plays and will consider whether such representation is contributing factor in what works with the awards. The plays also serve as the basis for a series of oral presentations.

Is nurturing the subversive comic impulse in expression vital to a democracy? This speaking-instructive dramatic literature course examines the comic tradition in U.S. dramatic writing, focusing primarily on how democratic principles and ideals have been represented. One primary topic to be considered involves the ways that comic plays, whether overtly or subversively, can serve as a contributing factor to stimulate political change in a democracy. A range of plays from early national to contemporary will be read and discussed to draw conclusions about features of a democracy and what it means to be a citizen of a democracy. The plays will also serve as the basis for oral presentations.

Why does censorship occur in democracies that champion freedom of expression as an ideal? What are the tipping points that trigger the impulse to ban and/or censor? Does censorship or the threat of censorship present an obstacle to full participation of writers and readers in a democracy? Students seek the answers to these and other questions in this speaking-instructive dramatic literature course by looking at example of dramatic works that have been banned or censored in democratic nations. The selected texts will also serve as the basis for a series of oral presentations and will be utilized to discuss how the defining features of a democracy and the meaning of what it means to be a citizen in a democracy are represented in dramatic texts, as well as the broader question of how the arts shape how a nation defines itself as a democracy.

U.S. Cinema/U.S. Culture is a Creative and Performing Arts class that investigates the long-standing historical and contemporary ties between the cinema industry in Hollywood and the U.S. Government. By doing so, it provides a historical perspective on the culture of the U.S. through the study of its cinema from Edison's early experiments in the 1890s to the present. The class also asks students to consider what distinguishes U.S. cinema from other national cinemas. Through viewing and discussion of such classic Hollywood films as Birth of a Nation, Citizen Kane, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Casablanca, On the Waterfront, Tax Driver, etc. students will consider how the "defining features of a democracy" and "what it means to be a citizen of a democracy" have been represented in cinema. Throughout the semester, students will learn introductory video making vocabulary, principles and techniques and will make their own videos that communicate the principles, ideals, and theories of democracy. Note: There will be weekly viewing assignments outside of class.
(Normally offered each spring semester.)

An integral factor in the study of the history of theatre is the impact that governments, democratic or otherwise, have on the development and sustenance of the arts. World Theatre History I is a Writing-Instructive course that covers early theatre through the Renaissance, so will investigate principles and ideals of Athenian democracy associated with Classical Greece, republican Rome, and the Italian republics of the early Renaissance, as well as more authoritarian forms of rule in early civilizations in India, China, Japan, and Meso-America.  Key questions will include: In what ways are artistic freedoms and practices linked to structures of governance?  How has theatre over time been a force for political change? Why does theatre flourish in some democracies (and in some authoritarian governments) and not in others? 
Prerequisite(s): POLSC 1010 Intro U.S.Govt/Politics: Civic Engagemt/POLSC 1010FYW Intro To U.S. Govt/Politics or HIST 1020 United States Society and Culture Since 1877 or  PHIL 2400 Social-Political Philosophy or THTRE 1010 Theatre Appreciation or THTRE 1020FYW Script Analysis or THTRE 1030 Script Analysis.
(Normally offered on even fall semesters.)

An integral factor in the study of the history of theatre is the impact that governments, democratic or otherwise, have on the development and sustenance of the arts. World Theatre History II is a Writing-Instructive and Diversity-Global Instructive course that covers the span from late 17th C through present day, so will investigate the Age of Reason and the movement toward representative democracy as well as contemporary developments. One focus will be on the theatre histories of selected Latin American and African countries. Key questions will include: In what ways are artistic freedoms and practices linked to structures of governance?  How has theatre over time been a force for political change? Why does theatre flourish in some democracies (and in some authoritarian governments) and not in others? How are principles/ideals of democracy represented in dramatic literatures and theatrical endeavors at specific historical moments?
Prerequisite(s): POLSC 1010 Intro U.S.Govt/Politics: Civic Engagemt/POLSC 1010FYW Intro To U.S. Govt/Politics or HIST 1020 United States Society and Culture Since 1877 or  PHIL 2400 Social-Political Philosophy or THTRE 1010 Theatre Appreciation or THTRE 1020FYW Script Analysis or THTRE 1030 Script Analysis.
(Normally offered on odd fall semesters.)

U.S. Theatre and Cultural Pluralism is a Discourse-Instructive and Diversity-U.S.-Instructive course that considers drama and theatre by ethnic and racial minority writers, gender and sexual minority writers, and writers with disabilities, within the context of historical and contemporary cultural circumstances including economic class. The primary focus of this class is the examination of cultural pluralism as one of the ideals/principles of a democracy as embodied in dramatic works and theatre production practices. It seeks to investigate how theatre in the U.S. has served as a venue for voices that have been historically silenced and/or marginalized, while acknowledging that theatre has sometimes been used as an instrument of oppression. The dramatic works read will allow discussion of topics including: features of a democracy, structures of power, principles of cultural pluralism, what it means to be a citizen in a democracy, and obstacles to full participation in a democracy.
Prerequisite(s): POLSC 1010 Intro U.S.Govt/Politics: Civic Engagemt/POLSC 1010FYW Intro To U.S. Govt/Politics or HIST 1020 United States Society and Culture Since 1877 or  PHIL 2400 Social-Political Philosophy or THTRE 1020FYW Script Analysis or THTRE 1030 Script Analysis or instructor permission.

A survey of United States history beginning with precontact cultures, examining the varied colonial and native cultures, and tracing the political, economic, social, and cultural development of the United States, and concluding with Reconstruction. No P/F.
This is not a First Year Writing course.

Effective Fall 2018 this course counts toward the Innovation thread. Students who took the course previously may count the course toward the Democracy thread.

A survey of United States history beginning with precontact cultures, examining the varied colonial and native cultures, and tracing the political, economic, social, and cultural development of the United States, and concluding with Reconstruction. No P/F.
(Normally offered each fall semester.)

Effective Fall 2018 this course counts toward the Innovation thread. Students who took the course previously may count the course toward the Democracy thread.