Political Science
Courses
PSCI 100 Introduction to Political Science 4.0 Credits
Studies the political process, which determines who gets what, when, and how in society.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
PSCI 110 American Government 4.0 Credits
Introduces the elements of the American political system.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
PSCI 120 History of Political Thought 4.0 Credits
Introduces the Western tradition of political thought, examining a selection of works by major political thinkers. Draws on primary sources, with a textual and conceptual emphasis.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
PSCI 131 [WI] Research Design for Political Science 4.0 Credits
Introduction to basic principles of political science research design. Examines the process of formulating research questions in political science, developing theories with testable implications, and hypothesis testing. Students produce a research proposal including research question, literature review, and research design.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
PSCI 140 Comparative Politics I 4.0 Credits
Examines methods used to compare state political systems with respect to world order values in varying geographic and cultural settings.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
PSCI 150 International Politics 4.0 Credits
Analyzes nation-states in their external relations, including the interaction of the great powers with each other and with emerging areas.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
PSCI 210 American Political Development 4.0 Credits
Focusing on long-term processes, the course examines state formation, institution-building, institutional competition, and policy-making in the American context. The course provides historical and political background that makes sense of vital present-day issues like national security, racial and ethnic politics, and health care policy.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Prerequisites: PSCI 110 [Min Grade: D]
PSCI 220 Constitutional Law I 4.0 Credits
Introduction to Constitutional law and the federal courts. Examines the emergence of judicial review, the judiciary's role in the system of check and balances, and the powers and limitations on each branch of government.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Prerequisites: PSCI 110 [Min Grade: D]
PSCI 223 Comparative Political Thought 4.0 Credits
Provides an introduction to comparative political theory by studying non-canonical texts originating both within Europe and the United States and outside those areas, generally in colonized or formerly colonized countries. Specific theories include those of DuBois, Fanon, and Mariategui.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Prerequisites: PSCI 120 [Min Grade: D]
PSCI 229 Theories of Justice 4.0 Credits
Examines the nature and realization of justice over time, with special attention to the ways that justice has been conceptualized and re-conceptualized over time.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
PSCI 231 Qualitative and Mixed-Methods Research in Political Science 4.0 Credits
Considers the theoretical and methodological challenges and opportunities associated with qualitative and multi-method research designs. Includes issues of causation, explanation, and inference, as well as practical considerations of specific research designs and methods. The qualitative research designs considered include “small-n” historical case studies and process tracing. Specific techniques include focus groups, structured and semi-structured interviews, oral histories, archival research, participant observation, ethnographic investigations, action research, and the use of memoir and journalistic sources as data.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
PSCI 232 Quantitative Research Methods in Political Science 4.0 Credits
This course provides students with concepts, principles and tools of quantitative research methodology for political science. Core concepts include quantitative measurement of political topics, survey research, and linear regression analysis.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
PSCI 240 Comparative Politics II 4.0 Credits
Uses the tools of comparative politics to examine key political issues across democratic and non-democratic countries.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Restrictions: Cannot enroll if classification is Freshman
Prerequisites: PSCI 140 [Min Grade: D]
PSCI 250 American Foreign Policy 4.0 Credits
Examines current issues in American foreign policy, including the assumptions underlying policy goals, the means of achieving them, and the decision-making machinery.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Prerequisites: PSCI 150 [Min Grade: D]
PSCI 252 Global Governance 4.0 Credits
Introduces students to the theory and practice of international organizations. Focuses on three broad questions: Do international organizations matter? How do they matter? Should they matter? Course begins with an overview of major theoretical perspectives and continues with an examination of the United Nations system and its role in security, development, human rights, global health and environmental politics.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Prerequisites: PSCI 150 [Min Grade: D] or PSCI 140 [Min Grade: D]
PSCI 255 International Political Economy 4.0 Credits
The overarching theme of this course is the process of globalization, the factors leading to a single world economy tied together by technology, trade, and investment, and the factors keeping up independent economic zones and nations in economic competition and sometimes in open political opposition.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
PSCI 260 [WI] Power in Protest: Social Movements in Comparative Perspective 4.0 Credits
This course considers theoretical approaches to comparative social movements by closely examining evidence about specific movements. Questions include: When and why do people mobilize to make demands against their states and societies? What contextual conditions enable such mobilization, and under what conditions does mobilization decline? Finally, do movements actually matter for bringing about change? This course is designed to gain leverage on these questions by surveying an eclectic literature from international relations and comparative politics.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Prerequisites: PSCI 140 [Min Grade: D] or PSCI 150 [Min Grade: D]
PSCI 284 Environmental Politics 4.0 Credits
Examines environmental politics, focusing on the United States. Solving environmental problems is not simply a question of using available science and technology; rather, proposals to combat environmental degradation confront political context that may or may not favor the aims of environmental policy. Understanding politics is therefore indispensable for effective environmental problem-solving.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
PSCI 289 Technology and Politics 4.0 Credits
How do technologies shape politics, and how do human interests produce particular kinds of technologies? This course will examine the life of many different kinds of technologies through the lens of human use, institutional practice, economic interests, policy, and social movements. Case studies will include the data rescue movement, smartphones and surveillance culture, Hurricane Harvey and infrastructure, inclusive/barrier-free design, and the ethics of human enhancement, among other topics. A core part of the course will be learning and developing skill in social science research through fun micro-assignments.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
PSCI 305 Social Development: A Global Approach 4.0 Credits
This course is a general introduction to issues posed by the notions of development and progress of societies. Issues to be discussed include indices of social development, economic growth, and health progress, and their significance in relation to general views on social development and human progress. The concept of standard of living, the human development index, the demographic transition and the gender and political aspects of development will be also discussed. As a general introduction to the issues implied by the relationships between economic progress, population growth, health, and politics, as major concepts involved in the notion of social development, the course has links with demography, sociology, history of political thought, economics, anthropology, and the health sciences.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
PSCI 310 Civilians in Armed Conflict 4.0 Credits
What happens to civilians in times of war? What are the responsibilities of militaries and rebel groups to people under their control -- and do they meet them? Who counts as a "civilian," anyway? This course considers these questions and more. We examine the definition and causes of armed conflict, before turning to key issues such as civilian coping strategies during armed conflict, common patterns of violence against civilians, legal and policy remedies for human rights violations, and the politics of human rights advocacy.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
PSCI 313 State & Local Government 4.0 Credits
Examines major political, social, and economic problems of state, local, and metropolitan governments.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Restrictions: Cannot enroll if classification is Freshman
PSCI 320 The United States Congress 4.0 Credits
An overview of politics and policy-making in the US Congress. Topics include: How are laws really made? What determines who is elected to Congress, and who leads once members are in place? How much does money matter in Congressional politics? How effective is Congress at passing legislation, and how effective is the legislation that eventually passes?.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Prerequisites: PSCI 110 [Min Grade: D]
PSCI 321 The United States Presidency 4.0 Credits
This course is designed to introduce the student to the concepts, principles, and history of the United States Presidency. Emphasis will be directed toward the concepts in the social sciences and political science in particular. In addition to lectures, there will also be a number of scholarly and general publication readings, films, and slide presentations for the course. A variety of exercises to enhance the course experience will be employed.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
PSCI 324 Feminist Political Theories 4.0 Credits
While the last three decades (at least) could be characterized as fundamentally challenging for feminist thought and practice, more than ever, feminist praxis is needed to critique and oppose systematic oppression, and build new structures, relations, and practices that can create a more justice, equitable world -- all the while critically examining the shifting terrains of power. This course will examine a selection of themes and topics in feminist theory and research, including violence against women, black feminist thought, transnational feminism, trans rights, and heterosexism, among others. Language, borders, economic inequity, and racism are key levers of power that we will explore in-depth.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
PSCI 330 Public Opinion & Propaganda 4.0 Credits
Examines public opinion and propaganda from a variety of perspectives, including the process of opinion formation and change and its role in the development of public policy and methods of measurement and analysis of public opinion.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Restrictions: Cannot enroll if classification is Freshman
PSCI 334 Politics of Environment and Health 4.0 Credits
Examines political aspects of environmental health issues. Students will examine how “environment” and “health” are defined by different stakeholders. How, according to these political actors, is health impacted by environment, and how are environmental factors addressed in healthcare? How do scientists study human exposure in everyday environments? What institutions are responsible for regulating hazardous materials? How is community health impacted by pollution and what actions do communities take to protect health? Using historical and contemporary case studies, students will engage with these questions at different scales of analysis, learning about the politics of knowledge, social movements, the medical establishment, and the ethics of health in late industrialism.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
PSCI 335 Political Communication 4.0 Credits
Introduces an investigation of the relationship between politics and communication, with the goal of developing an understanding of political communication's role in election campaigns, news coverage, political debates, political advertising, and "normal" portrayals of the political system through media and interpersonal communication.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Restrictions: Cannot enroll if classification is Freshman
PSCI 336 Political Economy of Climate Change 3.0 Credits
It is increasingly accepted that climate change is one of the major threats for human society. Without going into the depths of geoscience and historical climatology, this 3-credit course briefly surveys the evidence of climate change and anthropogenic global warming, as a prelude to analyzing the economic aspects of greenhouse gases emissions, the politics of controversies about climate change, and the proposals to deal with it.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
PSCI 338 Cities and Climate Change 3.0 Credits
In this course we will survey the known and emerging impacts of climate change on cities. We will learn key concepts and paradigms that are used by urban climate change experts. We will examine case studies that highlight the interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral approaches used to address urban climate change. These include local and regional policies, nongovernmental and governmental research, and experiments at the intersection of health, ecology, and infrastructure.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
PSCI 351 The United Nations in World Politics 4.0 Credits
This class is an introduction to the study of international organizations in world politics, focusing on the United Nations (UN). We will study a major theoretical problem: how international organizations attempt to govern a planet made up of self-interested, sovereign states. We also consider the practical issues that confront the UN and other international organizations.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
PSCI 352 Ethics and International Relations 4.0 Credits
Are ethics relevant in world politics, or are power and survival the only concerns? This course considers the main moral issues facing the international community. Topics include the "just war" tradition, human rights, humanitarian intervention, and what rich countries owe the poor.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
PSCI 353 International Human Rights 4.0 Credits
This course examines the origin of the international human rights movement after World War II, and discusses key issues confronting the international community today. These include genocide, political repression, the rights of women, and religious and cultural minorities. It also considers the moral basis of the rights ideal.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
PSCI 361 The Politics of LGBT Movements and Rights 4.0 Credits
In many countries, the subject of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans) rights has entered the political discourse with unprecedented speed and suddenness. This course is designed to gain leverage on the processes that explain this rapid global expansion of LGBT rights by surveying an eclectic literature on comparative and transnational LGBT politics. Specially, we will ask: What factors have facilitated the mobilization of LGBT people? How and why have public opinion and laws towards LGBT people changed differently across various countries? To answer these questions, we will take an in-depth empirical look at movements representing LGBT people and their successes/losses—as well as those of their opposition—across time and place, from the late 1800s to present day and across the globe.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
PSCI 363 Constitutional Law II 4.0 Credits
Examines protections for civil liberties afforded by the First Amendment of the Constitution, specifically those related to speech, the press, religion, and assembly.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Restrictions: Cannot enroll if classification is Freshman
PSCI 364 Constitutional Law III 4.0 Credits
Examines Constitutional civil rights claims arising under the Fourteenth Amendment equal protection and due process guarantees. Focuses on claims concerning discrimination on the basis of race, gender, and sexual orientation, as well as those asserted under an individual right to privacy in matters of reproductive rights, sexual conduct, and end of life decisions.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Restrictions: Cannot enroll if classification is Freshman
PSCI 366 Supreme Court and American Politics 4.0 Credits
This course focuses on the workings of the modern Supreme Court: theories of judicial interpretation; internal decision-making processes; the interplay of law and politics on the Court's personnel, agenda, and rulings; and the role of interest groups in shaping the Court's jurisprudence.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Restrictions: Cannot enroll if classification is Freshman
PSCI 369 The Politics of Food 4.0 Credits
This course examines how politics shapes our diet. Though cultural and personal preferences influence what we eat, our food choices unfold in the context of public policies such as agricultural subsidies, trade agreements, and food safety regulations, etc. The first part of the course describes and analyzes the US food system, with a focus on regulatory policies and interest group politics. The second part of the course examines the ideas and practices of food-based social movements that seek to create a food system that is less harmful to human and international health and more socially just than the existing system.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
PSCI 371 Science, Technology, & Public Policy 4.0 Credits
Examines the political effects of technological change, including public policy efforts to affect the impact of scientific development. Covers topics including atomic energy, electronic communications, and weapons development.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Restrictions: Cannot enroll if classification is Freshman
PSCI 372 City in United States Political Development 4.0 Credits
Course examines the role of the American city in the larger project of state-building. Topics covered include the changing functions of cities over American history; the role of cities in national political coalitions; and the construction of ethnic, racial, and class identities as a process or urbanization.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
PSCI 373 Animal Politics 4.0 Credits
This course examines the politics of human-animal interactions. Human relationships with animals vary by time and place: the same species might be a pet at one time, a food at another, and somewhere else, a model organism for experimental research. Understanding those relationships, and why they change, can help elucidate what it means, ethically, politically, and biologically, to be human. Topics in this course include animal rights and experimentation, the livestock industry, animal intelligence, and environmental legislation.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Restrictions: Cannot enroll if classification is Freshman
PSCI 374 Politics of Sport 4.0 Credits
The material in this course comes from a variety of disciplines and schools of thought with political science serving as an overarching framework. Issues covered include ethnicity, gender, race, nationalism, globalism, economics, and class.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
PSCI 375 Politics of Immigration 4.0 Credits
This course is designed to introduce the student to the issues associated with immigration from both a US and international as well as a historical and contemporary perspective. Emphasis will be focused on the theory, public policy and philosophical issues that are associated with this area of inquiry.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
PSCI 376 Running for Political Office 4.0 Credits
This course is designed to introduce the students to both the theory and practice of running for political office. Emphasis will be placed upon both the theoretical and applied aspects of political campaigns. The course will use a combination of readings, a text, films, lectures, and guest speakers.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
PSCI 492 Political Science Thesis I 4.0 Credits
Students develop and begin an in-depth research project under the supervision of a political scientist. Course is restricted to seniors with a minimum 3.30 GPA. Can be continued as PSCI 493.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Restrictions: Can enroll if major is PSCI and classification is Senior.
PSCI 493 Political Science Thesis II 4.0 Credits
Students complete an in-depth research project under the supervision of a political scientist.
Repeat Status: Not repeatable for credit
Restrictions: Can enroll if major is PSCI and classification is Senior.
Prerequisites: PSCI 492 [Min Grade: D]
PSCI I199 Independent Study in PSCI 0.0-12.0 Credits
Self-directed within the area of study requiring intermittent consultation with a designated instructor.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated multiple times for credit
PSCI I299 Independent Study in PSCI 0.0-12.0 Credits
Self-directed within the area of study requiring intermittent consultation with a designated instructor.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated multiple times for credit
PSCI I399 Independent Study in PSCI 0.0-12.0 Credits
Self-directed within the area of study requiring intermittent consultation with a designated instructor.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated multiple times for credit
PSCI I499 Independent Study in PSCI 0.5-12.0 Credits
Self-directed within the area of study requiring intermittent consultation with a designated instructor.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated multiple times for credit
PSCI T180 Special Topics in Political Science 0.0-12.0 Credits
Topics decided upon by faculty will vary within the area of study.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated multiple times for credit
PSCI T280 Special Topics II 0.5-12.0 Credits
Special topics in political science at the intermediate level. See department for details of current offerings.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated multiple times for credit
PSCI T380 Special Topics III 0.5-12.0 Credits
Special topics in political science at the intermediate/advanced level. See department for details of current offerings.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated multiple times for credit
PSCI T480 Special Topics IV 0.5-12.0 Credits
Special topics in political science at the advanced level. See department for details of current offerings.
Repeat Status: Can be repeated multiple times for credit
