Political Science Department

A comparative survey of government and politics in Latin America, focusing on illiberal democracies, political participation, and clientelism in the region.

Occasionally courses will be offered on special topics. Students are encouraged to bring to the attention of the Department Chair topics they wish to have offered. Students may take this course more than once provided the topics vary.

A study of the successes and failures, strengths, and weaknesses of parliamentary democracy in various European countries. (Also listed as GRST 3470.) (Offered every other year)

A comparative study of the relationship between the public and private sectors in North America, Europe, and East Asia, with special emphasis on the extent to which government intervenes in the economy. (Also listed as GRST 3471.) (Offered every other year.)

A comparison of the political systems of major Middle Eastern countries, emphasizing the socio-economic and cultural characteristics of selected cases. Prerequisite: Junior standing or consent of instructor.

An examination of the political tensions surrounding increased immigration to and diversity in Berlin and Germany during the past and the present. (Also listed as GRST 3435.)(Offered every other year)

An examination of US foreign policy and actions in a globalizing world. Prerequisite: PLSI 1342 or consent of instructor.

Occasionally courses will be offered on special topics. Students are encouraged to bring to the attention of the Department Chair topics they wish to have offered. Students may take this course more than once provided the topics vary.

Through the analysis of forms of artistic expression and contemporary questions about human rights violations, this course will assess the impact performance has on the understanding of human rights violations, on the reconciliation of societal conflicts and on the restitution of human dignity to victims of repression. This course typically includes a study abroad component. (Also listed as THTR 3444.) Prerequisite: Consent of Instructor

An examination of core debates and arguments with respect to international security in East Asia. Topics include important cases in past and current dynamics in East Asia, such as Chinese hierarchy, Japan's political role in Asia, the Korean Peninsula, growing interactions in Southeast Asia, and U.S foreign policy in East Asia. (Offered every other year)

An introductory survey of public international law as practiced by states and international organizations, with an emphasis on philosophical and theoretical perspectives, and on different subfields of international law such as international criminal law, law of the sea, human rights, economy, and international humanitarian law.

An examination of Chinese foreign policy by focusing on leadership, economic conditions, political settings, public opinion, and China's relations with other countries. Includes a brief exploration of the historical role of China in international politics. Taught in English. (also listed as CHIN 3443).

An examination of international relations in the Middle East with an emphasis on domestic, regional, and global factors in shaping the foreign policies of major countries of the region. Prerequisite: Junior standing or consent of instructor.

Through a gender analysis of international politics and a study of feminist approaches to international relations, this course offers students the opportunity to discover how gender and ideas about masculinity and femininity shape the different areas of global politics including war, peace, diplomacy, international law, and international justice.

A study of theoretical and empirical studies on the nature of international conflicts and alliance. Topics include the causes of war, crisis management, escalation of conflicts, termination of war, and the role of alliances in war and peace. (Offered every other year) Prerequisite: One lower division course in Political Science or consent of instructor.

An analysis of the birth and development of International Criminal Justice and the international crimes leading to the creation of International Criminal Tribunals. (Offered every other year)

An examination of the historical, legal, and political evolution of international human rights law. Topics include the history of human rights violations, the legal development of the major human rights instruments, and the work of human rights activists. (Offered every other year)

An examination of the relationship between international politics and international economy. Particular attention is given to the explanation of political decisions based on economic determinants. Emphasis will be given to concepts of power, interdependence, poverty, imperialism, justice, and development.

An examination of the nature of politics, justice, and civic virtue in ancient Greek, Roman, Christian, and Renaissance thought. Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, and Machiavelli.

Occasionally courses will be offered on special topics. Student are encouraged to bring to the attention of the Department Chair topics they wish to have offered. Students may take this course more than once provided the topics vary.

An examination of freedom, authority, and democracy through the writings of the great political thinkers of the modern age. Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Marx, Mill, and de Tocqueville, and feminist thinkers such as Mary Wollenstonecraft and Simone de Beauvoir. Prerequisite: Junior standing or consent of instructor.

A study of many of the sharpest contemporary thinkers who have been opposed to democracy or pessimistic about its prospects. This course examines some of these thinkers and then takes up the work of other prominent contemporaries who have sought to defend democracy. (Also listed as GRST 3472.) (Offered every other year)

A study of the U.S. Supreme Court's role in defining the nature and scope of national judicial, executive, and legislative authority. Additional topics include federalism, commerce power, and economic substantive due process. Emphasis on the development of basic legal research skills.

A study of the U.S. Supreme Court's role in defining the meaning of the Bill of Rights, selective incorporation, privacy doctrine, and the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses. Emphasis on the development of basic legal research skills.

An examination of the functions and roles of courts in the American political and legal system. Topics include legal education/profession, group litigation strategies, methods of judicial selection, theories of judicial decision-making, and judicial philosophy.

Occasionally courses will be offered on special topics. Students are encouraged to bring to the attention of the Department Chair topics they wish to have offered. Students may take this course more than once provided the topics vary.

Individual work under supervision. Varies in credit from one to six credit hours. Prerequisites: Junior standing with 6 hours upper division credit and consent of instructor

Occasionally courses will be offered on special topics. Students are encouraged to bring to the attention of the Department Chair topics they wish to have offered. Students may take this course more than once provided the topics vary.

Students enrolled in PLSI 3-97 will be assigned to various party, governmental or law offices on the basis of individual preferences and the availability of the assignments. The nature of the student's responsibilities will vary with the assignment involved and subject to the approval of the supervising faculty. Must be taken Pass/Fail. Permission from the instructor required.

Individual work under supervision. Varies in credit from one to six credit hours. Prerequisites: Junior standing with 6 hours upper division credit and consent of instructor

Occasionally courses will be offered on special topics. Students are encouraged to bring to the attention of the Department Chair topics they wish to have offered. Students may take this course more than once provided the topics vary.

Students enrolled in PLSI 3-97 will be assigned to various party, governmental or law offices on the basis of individual preferences and the availability of the assignments. The nature of the student's responsibilities will vary with the assignment involved and subject to the approval of the supervising faculty. Must be taken Pass/Fail. Permission from the instructor required.

This course covers most significant issues of contemporary policies and public policy in China. It explores the forces changing the lives of nearly a fifth of humanity, the 1.1 billion people of China. This course is designed to be experimental in both subject and teaching methodology. In order to explore the political, economic, and social processes of liberalization that have created this new era of the increased circulation of people, ideas, commodities and technologies across national boundaries, seminar participants must use materials and methods from many scholarly disciplines and traditions: urban studies, political science, sociology, history, anthropology, economics, and media/cultural studies. In order to study these increasingly mobile populations that often fall outside the boundaries of conventional area studies approaches, students must develop innovative comparative case study and survey methodologies. (Also listed as CHIN 3366, URBS 3366)

An introduction to quantitative political science with emphasis on epistemology, falsifiability, research design, and statistical analysis. Students will produce an original empirical research paper by the end of the semester. Prerequisite: One lower division course in Political Science or consent of instructor

Individual work under supervision. Varies in credit from one to six credit hours. Prerequisites: Junior standing with 6 hours upper division credit and consent of instructor

Occasionally courses will be offered on special topics. Students are encouraged to bring to the attention of the Department Chair topics they wish to have offered. Students may take this course more than once provided the topics vary.

Students enrolled in PLSI 3-97 will be assigned to various party, governmental or law offices on the basis of individual preferences and the availability of the assignments. The nature of the student's responsibilities will vary with the assignment involved and subject to the approval of the supervising faculty. Must be taken Pass/Fail. Permission from the instructor required.

Individual work under supervision. Varies in credit from one to six credit hours. Prerequisites: Junior standing with 6 hours upper division credit and consent of instructor

Occasionally courses will be offered on special topics. Students are encouraged to bring to the attention of the Department Chair topics they wish to have offered. Students may take this course more than once provided the topics vary.

Students enrolled in PLSI 3-97 will be assigned to various party, governmental or law offices on the basis of individual preferences and the availability of the assignments. The nature of the student's responsibilities will vary with the assignment involved and subject to the approval of the supervising faculty. Must be taken Pass/Fail. Permission from the instructor required.

Students enrolled in PLSI 3-97 will be assigned to various party, governmental or law offices on the basis of individual preferences and the availability of the assignments. The nature of the student's responsibilities will vary with the assignment involved and subject to the approval of the supervising faculty. Must be taken Pass/Fail. Permission from the instructor required.

Students enrolled in PLSI 3-97 will be assigned to various party, governmental or law offices on the basis of individual preferences and the availability of the assignments. The nature of the student's responsibilities will vary with the assignment involved and subject to the approval of the supervising faculty. Must be taken Pass/Fail. Permission from the instructor required.