Political Science Course Catalog

Undergraduate Courses: Introductory Courses, Political Theory, American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Politics, Special Courses

Graduate Courses: Core Seminars, Research Seminars, Special Graduate Courses

Many of the syllabi linked to this page are now in pdf format. If you are unable to access these, you may need to install Adobe Reader.

020. American Politics 3 sem. hrs. Problems of organizing and using governmental power at the national level. The principles of the U.S. Constitution. The Presidency, Congress and the federal judiciary. Public opinion, elections, political parties and interest groups. Issues of public policy. Offered every semester.

040. Comparative Politics 3 sem. hrs. Types of government, ranging from democratic to totalitarian. The parliamentary alternative to presidential democracy. Political modernization and revolution. Offered every semester.

060. International Politics 3 sem. hrs. Patterns of interaction among nations and subnational and supranational entities. Cooperation and conflict. National interest, elements of power and war. Morality and human rights issues; economic, environmental, and resource issues in world politics. Recent developments and their impact. Offered every semester.

080. Justice and Power 3 sem. hrs. The debate between ancients and moderns about the fundamental elements of political life; as seen in works by Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, and Hobbes. Should be taken by POSC majors during sophomore year. Offered every semester.

GROUP I: POLITICAL THEORY

080. Justice and Power 3 sem. hrs. Course description listed under Introductory Courses.

101. The Best Constitution 3 sem. hrs. What is the best constitution? The purposes, organizational principles, social bases, problems, and relative merits of ancient and modern types of kingship, tyranny, aristocracy, oligarchy, and democracy. Authors such as Xenophon, Aristotle, Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau. Offered annually. Prereq: POSC 080 or Jr. stndg.

102. Democracy and Its Problems 3 sem. hrs. Do democracies inevitably destroy themselves after a few decades or centuries, or can measures be taken to preserve them for longer periods? What factors affect their stability? Authors such as Thucydides, Machiavelli, "Publius," Tocqueville, and selected contemporaries. Offered occasionally. Prereq: POSC 080 or Jr. stndg.

104. Enlightenment Political Thought 3 sem. hrs. The Enlightenment's contribution to modern doctrines of individual rights, representative government, popular sovereignty, free enterprise, religious toleration, and freedom of speech. Authors such as Locke, Voltaire, Hume, Publius, Rousseau and Burke. Offered every two years. Prereq: POSC 80 or Jr. stndg.

106. Political Philosophy of Capitalism 3 sem. hrs. The Political Philosophy of Capitalism 3 sem. hrs. Political philosophy from the Enlightenment to 20th century on the questions: Is capitalism just or unjust? Does capitalism promote or inhibit virtue? What is the proper relationship between politics and economics generally?Prereq: POSC 080 or Jr. stndg.

107. Politics of Literature 3 sem. hrs. Great novelists of the past two centuries have offered important analyses of the grounds of order and the causes of disorder in human affairs. Achebe, Bellow, Conrad, Dostoyevsky, Mann, and Solzhenitsyn are among the writers selected for study. Offered annually. Prereq: POSC 080 or Jr. stndg.

108. Postmodern Politics 3 sem. hrs. Nietzsche and the thinkers following in his wake who have tried to create a postmodern world. Offered every two years. Prereq: POSC 080 or Jr. stndg.

GROUP II: AMERICAN POLITICS

020. American Politics 3 sem. hrs. Course description listed under Introductory Courses.

110. Business and Politics 3 sem. hrs. Business participation in the policymaking process; business as a political actor; the regulation of business; political influence of business; constraints on business power; business politics in historical perspective. Prereq: POSC 020 or Jr. stndg.

111. Politics and Regulation 3 sem. hrs. Politics and Regulation 3 sem. hrs. Economic and social regulation in America. Why we have regulations. Who is regulated. Who does the regulating. What the consequences of regulation are. Primary focus on business regulation and related topics. Prereq: POSC 020 or Jr. stndg.

112. Business in American Politics: An Historical Approach 3 sem. hrs. Political economy of U.S. history. Individuals, firms, and business associations and their role in politics. Economic development and conflict as sources of political change. Prereq: POSC 020 or Jr. stndg.

117. Urban Public Policy 3 sem. hrs. Conditions in American cities and the extent to which they can be improved by political activity. Race relations, ethnicity and class and their effects on housing, education and income. Offered every two years. Prereq: POSC 020 or Jr. stndg.

118. Urban Politics 3 sem. hrs. Urban governmental structures and techniques of gaining power in urban areas. The role of elected and appointed officials, political parties, economic elites, neighborhood organizations, and ethnic groups in urban politics. Offered every two years. Prereq: POSC 020 or Jr. stndg.

119. Politics of Race, Ethnicity, and Gender 3 sem. hrs. The role of African-Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanics, white ethnics, American Indians, and women in shaping American politics through elections, political parties, and public office. The nature and impact of political organizations representing these groups. Offered every two years. Prereq: POSC 020 or Jr. stndg.

121. Interest Group Politics 3 sem. hrs.How groups are organized around particular economic interests and political preferences in order to influence policy-making institutions. The internal incentive structure of political organizations, including business, professional, trade union, and "public interest" groups. Functions of, and biases inherent in, the group process. Offered annually. Prereq: POSC 020 or Jr. stndg.

122. Religion and Politics 3 sem. hrs. Religion and politics in contemporary America . The historic patterns and current interactions of religious movements, denominations, and individuals involved in American politics. Specific attention given to the rationales used for religious involvement in politics, the types of political behavior employed, and the consequences of that behavior. Offered occasionally. Prereq: POSC 020 or Jr. stndg.

123. Political Organizations 3 sem. hrs. Political parties, social movements, interest groups, and civic associations. How citizens organize themselves to participate in the political process. How democratic institutions resolve the tension between individual citizenship and collective action. This course explores theories of mobilization, questions of influence and explanations for political success. Prereq: POSC 020 or Jr. stndg.

124. Elections, Parties and Political Opinion 3 sem. hrs. The development, functions, and membership of political parties in the United States. The opinions Americans hold on various issues, and how these opinions are influenced by institutions, including the family, schools, and the media. Why Americans vote as they do, including the effect of political parties and issues. Voter apathy and alienation and their sources. Offered every two years. Prereq: POSC 020 or Jr. stndg.

126. Media and Politics in the United States 3 sem. hrs. Explores role and power of media in American political system; history and development of national press, including court interpretations of freedom of the press; quality and impact of political reporting, with emphasis on election coverage; and media’s relationships with other political actors . Prereq: POSC 020 or Jr. stndg.

128. The United States Congress 3 sem. hrs. Membership, legislative process, and internal distribution of power in the U.S. Congress. Congressional relationships with the presidency, executive bureaucracy, interest groups, and public. Offered annually. Prereq: POSC 020 or Jr. stndg.

129. National Security Policy 3 sem. hrs. Defense policy processes in the United States; issues in defense decision-making, including the roles of the public, interest groups, Congress, the President, and executive agencies, with emphasis on the defense establishment; U.S. strategic doctrines since World War II; budgeting; civil-military relations. Offered annually. Prereq: POSC 020 or Jr. stndg.

130. The United States Presidency 3 sem. hrs. The evolution and contemporary status of the American presidency. Presidential elections, policy-making, advisory systems, and relationships with Congress, the bureaucracy, and the courts. Problems and techniques of decision-making. Offered occasionally. Prereq: POSC 020 or Jr. stndg.

133. Constitutional Law 3 sem. hrs. Development of American constitutional law in the areas of judicial power, separation of powers, the presidency, state and national regulation of commerce, the taxing and spending power, and the rise and decline of due-process property rights. Same as CRLS 133. Offered annually. Prereq: POSC 020 or Jr. stndg.

134. Civil Liberties 3 sem. hrs. Development of American constitutional law in the areas of criminal defendants' rights, freedom of speech and religion, equal protection of the laws, and noneconomic due-process rights. Offered annually. Prereq: POSC 020 or Jr. stndg.

135. American Public Policy 3 sem. hrs. U.S. domestic policy with special attention to the politics of national policy in the areas of the economy, social welfare, and the environment. The stages of the policy process: agenda-building, formation, budgeting, implementation, and evaluation. Offered every two years. Prereq: POSC 020 or Jr. stndg.

136. Problems in Civil Liberties: Free Speech 3 sem. hrs. Examines the constitutional principle of free speech through a close study of the major Supreme Court precedents and traces the foundations of competing legal positions to their roots in varying works of political philosophy. Offered occasionally. Prereq: POSC 020; or Jr. stndg.

137. Problems in Civil Liberties: Privacy 3 sem. hrs. Examines the constitutional principle of privacy through a close study of the major Supreme Court precedents and traces the foundations of competing legal positions to their roots in varying works of political philosophy. Offered occasionally. Prereq: POSC 020; or Jr. stndg.

GROUP III: COMPARATIVE POLITICS

040. Comparative Politics 3 sem. hrs. Course description listed under Introductory Courses.

141. Public Policy in Industrial Democracies 3 sem. hrs. Politics of public policies in democratic political systems, with special attention to North America , Western Europe , and Japan . Alternative theoretical perspectives on the problem of social choice in democracies. Problems and policies in the areas of the economy, education, health, welfare, and the environment. Offered annually. Prereq: POSC 040 or Jr. stndg.

142. European Politics 3 sem. hrs. Nationalism and European identity; evolution of executive and legislative institutions; political parties; ongoing changes in the welfare state and state socialism; transformation of class structure; the challenge of post-industrial society. Include both Eastern and Western Europe . Offered annually. Prereq: POSC 040 or Jr. stndg.

143. Politics, Economics, and Democracy 3 sem. hrs. The relationship between capitalism and democracy. The impact of economic factors on politics. The political consequences of the organization and power of private business. The impact of democratic politics and political institutions on economic actors and performance in capitalist democracies. Prereq: POSC 040 or Jr. stndg.

145. Democracy, Authoritarianism and Totalitarianism 3 sem. hrs. Three"ideal types" of political systems, and their manifestations in countries at different points in time. Topics include power, legitimacy, ruling elites, institution and economics. Examination of political system change through coup, revolution and peaceful transition. Offered occasionally. Prereq: POSC 040 or Sr. stndg.

148. Modern Revolutions 3 sem. hrs. Types and causes of revolutions. Modern case studies. The American, French, Russian, German and selected "Third World; revolutions, with attention to ideas, institutions, socio-economic conditions, and the nature of actual changes. Offered every two years. Prereq: POSC 040 or Jr. stndg.

152. Russian and Post-Soviet Politics 3 sem. hrs. Developments in Russia and the other countries which emerge from the collapse of the Soviet Union . Brief coverage of tsarist and Soviet politics, with a particular emphasis on reasons for the USSR 's collapse and Soviet legacies, followed by an overview of domestic and international politics of the region. Offered every two years. Prereq: POSC 040 or Jr. stndg.

154. Chinese Politics 3 sem. hrs. Origins of the Chinese Revolution, political change and conflict in post-1949 China , and the contemporary political system and political developments. Offered annually. Prereq: POSC 040 or Jr. stndg.

155. Japanese and Korean Politics 3 sem. hrs. Political culture, unique patterns of modernization, and the contemporary political system in Japan and the two Koreas . Offered occasionally. Prereq: POSC 040 or Jr. stndg.

156. Latin American Politics 3 sem. hrs. Government and politics in major Latin American countries. The politics of social change and development, seizures of power and rule by the military, and the role of external factors. Offered annually. Prereq: POSC 040 or Jr. stndg.

158. Politics of the Indian Subcontinent 3 sem. hrs. The British in India; the Indian nationalist movement and the Hindu- Muslim struggle; political systems in India and Pakistan; the creation of Bangladesh; linguistic, economic, and social issues in South Asia. Offered every two years. Prereq: POSC 040 or Jr. stndg.

GROUP IV: INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

060. International Politics 3 sem. hrs. Course description listed under Introductory Courses.

165. International Law 3 sem. hrs. Law among states in peace and war. Historical background and political foundations of international law. The influence of judicial decisions, international courts and organizations, treaties, and practices of states upon the growing body of international law. Offered annually. Prereq: POSC 060 or Jr. stndg.

167. International Organization 3 sem. hrs. Development and characteristics of international organizations. Functions of the League of Nations , the United Nations, and other organizations. Major contributions to international peace. Main political and legal problems. Offered annually. Prereq: POSC 060 or Jr. stndg.

170. United States Foreign Policy 3 sem. hrs. Objectives of American foreign policy. Problems facing the United States in its relations with other countries. Trade, aid, propaganda and alliances as instruments of foreign policy. Offered annually. Prereq: POSC 060 or Jr. stndg.

173. International Politics of Europe 3 sem. hrs. Evolution of the post-war settlement in Europe . Western European and Eastern European integration, relations between Western and Eastern Europe, Europe and the superpowers, French- German and intra-German relations, Europe and the Third World, European security issues. Offered occasionally. Prereq: POSC 060 or Jr. stndg.

174. International Politics of the Middle East 3 sem. hrs. Historical and religious background of Middle East politics; comparative ideologies and political systems in the Middle East; Arab-Israeli relations; Persian Gulf politics; politics in the Maghreb; great power interests in the region. Offered occasionally. Prereq: POSC 060 or Jr. stndg.

176. United States-Latin American Relations 3 sem. hrs. United States response to reform and revolutionary movements and governments in Latin America . The politics of trade, foreign investment, foreign assistance, and human rights. Offered every two years. Prereq: POSC 060 or Jr. stndg.

177. Politics of the World Economy 3 sem. hrs. Political and economic dynamics of the world economy; historical and theoretical roots; international trade and monetary relations and the impact of hegemony, interdependence, regimes, and domestic politics; trade, debt, multinational corporations, and the dynamics of dependency and development; communism, capitalism, and change. Offered annually. Prereq: POSC 060 or Jr. stndg.

178. World Conflict and Security 3 sem. hrs. Classical and contemporary theories of war and peace; just and unjust wars; principles of strategic analysis, arms control, and security policy- making; the proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. The international trade in arms; nationalism, ethnic conflict, and wars of secession. Offered annually. Prereq: POSC 060 or Jr. stndg.

SPECIAL COURSES

182. Politics of the Internet 3 sem. hrs. The origins and growth of the Internet. Legal and regulatory dilemmas posed by the Internet. The impact of the Internet on politics, society and economics. Offered occasionally. Prereq: POSC 020 or Jr. stndg.

191. The Logic of Social Inquiry: The Kennedy Assassination 3 sem. hrs. The Kennedy Assassination. The question of who killed President John F. Kennedy, and whether there was a conspiracy. The physical evidence; eyewitness testimony; Lee Harvey Oswald, Jack Ruby, and suspected conspirators. The logic of social inquiry, and how we can approach "conspiracy" as an hypothesis to be tested. Offered annually. Prereq: POSC 020 or Jr. stndg.

193. Internship in Politics 1-4 sem. hrs. Practical learning experience in politics. Evaluation will require the student to relate the experience to literature on the subject. Arrangements to be worked out by student, faculty member and agency concerned. Normally may be taken once. A second internship may be taken in Washington , with permission of department chair or director of Les Aspin Center for Government. Second internships will count toward university elective credit, but not toward the political science major or minor.  The 4-credit section is limited to students in the Washington Program. Offered every semester. Prereq: POSC 020 or jr. stndg; 2.5 MU QPA; and cons. of dept. ch. and cons. of instr.

195. Independent Study 1-3 sem. hrs. Offered every semester. Prereq: Jr. or Sr. stndg. and cons. of dept. ch. and cons. of instr.

196. Undergraduate Seminar 3 sem. hrs. Designed to initiate a selected group of qualified undergraduates in the techniques and discipline of scholarly research by concentrated work in a restricted field. Students pursue course reading in preparation of reports, while working under close supervision of a professor. Course intended primarily for Political Science majors, but other qualified students may apply. Specific subjects of seminars to be announced in the Timetable of Classes. Offered occasionally. Prereq: Jr. stndg. and cons. of instr.

198. Topics in Political Science 2-3 sem. hrs. Lectures and discussion in a broad area which, because of its topicality, is not the subject of a regular course. May be taken a maximum of three times. Offered occasionally. Prereq: Jr. stndg.

199. Senior Thesis 3 sem. hrs .Preparation of a thesis by approved students under the direction of an adviser. Offered every semester. Prereq: Sr. stndg., cons. of dept. ch., and three sem. hrs. of POSC 195 (may be taken concurrently).

GRADUATE COURSES

CORE SEMINARS And CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL RESEARCH

200. Political Philosophy 3 sem. hrs. Selected classics and commentaries in Western political philosophy. Extensive reading, oral presentation, short papers. Offered alternate years.

202. American Politics 3 sem. hrs. The development of the field of American politics. Currently used concepts and approaches. Extensive reading, short papers, and discussion. Offered alternate years.

204. Comparative Politics 3 sem. hrs. The development of the field of comparative politics. Currently used concepts and approaches. Extensive reading, short papers, and discussion. Offered alternate years.

206. International Politics 3 sem. hrs. The development of the field of international politics. Currently used concepts and approaches. Extensive reading, short papers, and discussion. Offered alternate years.

208. International Political Economy 3 sem. hrs. The development of the study of international political economy. Currently used concepts and approaches. Extensive reading, short papers, and discussion. Offered alternate years.

209. Contemporary Political Research 3 sem. hrs. Approaches to the scientific study of politics; data-collection techniques; case studies, the comparative method, statistical analysis. Offered alternate years.

RESEARCH SEMINARS

229. Research Seminar in Political Philosophy 3 sem. hrs. Student research in a broad area of political philosophy. Seminars will focus on individual thinkers (e.g., Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Rousseau) or on contemporary problems. May be taken more than once. Offered alternate years.

231. Elections and Voters 3 sem. hrs. Why voters vote the way they do, including policy preferences, partisanship, and retrospective assessments. The dynamics of elections including the role of the media, other elites, money, and interest groups. Offered occasionally.

233. Interest Groups 3 sem. hrs. How various kinds of organizations attempt to exercise political influence, including the use of incentives to attract members, lobbying, attempts to influence public opinion, involvement in electoral politics, and litigation. Offered occasionally.

237. Congress and the Presidency 3 sem. hrs. Examination of major literature, theories and concepts used to understand the relationship between the Congress and the presidency. Offered alternate years.

241. Women and Public Policy 3 sem. hrs. The development of public policies to advance the status of women throughout U.S. history, with an emphasis on 1961 to date. The role of women's groups and social movements. Offered occasionally.

249. Research Seminar in American Politics 3 sem. hrs. Student research in a broad area of American politics. Potential topics include but are not limited to: metropolitan politics, the American political economy in comparative perspective, and problems in civil liberties. May be taken more than once. Offered occasionally.

252. European Politics 3 sem. hrs. The evolution of the European nation state system. The origins, evolution, and transformation of electoral and party systems, modes of interest representation, and national political institutions. The ascent and crisis of the Keynesian welfare state. Variations in national models of capitalism and their impacts on politics. The evolution and contemporary politics of European integration. Globalization and European political economies. Offered alternate years.

256. Chinese Politics 3 sem. hrs. China's problems and prospects. Economic and political reforms. International relations. An overview and history of relevant literature. Offered occasionally.

260. Comparative Democratization 3 sem. hrs. Definitions of democracy and democratization; causes of regime transition and consolidation; market economics and democracy. Offered occasionally.

261. Comparative Political Economy of Advanced Industrial Societies 3 sem. hrs. The relationships between capitalism and democracy. The impact of economics on the development and operation of democratic institutions, political behavior, and public policy. The impact of politics on economic development, performance, and policy. The political economy of the welfare state. The transition to postindustrial society. Globalization and the democratic nation state. Offered alternate years.

262. Politics of Development 3 sem. hrs. The interplay between economic growth and the development of political institutions and practices, looking at both the historical experiences of advanced industrial societies and those of developing countries currently attempting to expand the capabilities of both their economies and their political institutions. Emphasis on the political factors and conditions on which economic development depends, and on how such growth and expansion in turn affect the political order. Offered occasionally.

263. Political Economy of East Asia 3 sem. hrs. Considers topics in the Political Economy of East Asia such as the rise of Japan and the Four Tigers, the Japanese economy in the 1990s, the East Asian Financial Crisis, the reform of the Chinese economy, economic relations among the East Asian Countries, and the relationship between East Asian economies and the world economy. These topics are considered in light of various theories of political economy and theories of political economy are evaluated in light of developments in East Asia. Offered occasionally.

264. Comparative Nationalism 3 sem. hrs. Definitions of nation and nationalism; causes of nationalism; nationalism and democracy; modern nationalism in Europe , Asia , and Africa . Offered occasionally.

269. Research Seminar in Comparative Politics 3 sem. hrs. Student research in comparative politics. Seminars will focus on traditional comparative politics or contemporary problems. May be taken more than once. Offered occasionally.

271. U.S. Foreign Policy 3 sem. hrs. Policies of the United States toward other nations; policy formation. Offered occasionally.

273. International Politics of Asia 3 sem. hrs. Security issues among Asian states. The political economy of Asia . Offered occasionally.

278. International Political Economy 3 sem. hrs. The development of the study of international political economy. Currently used concepts and approaches. Extensive reading, short papers, discussion, and a final research paper. Offered occasionally.

Faculty teaching this course:
Jeffrey Drope	syllabus

283. Nations, States, and Nationalism 3 sem. hrs. Explores the origins and nature of nations, states, nationalism and violent secessionist movements. Differing concepts of the ethnic and civic nations, the rationale for nation-states as against multiethnic states, and the sources of violent nationalisms, will be addressed. The core of this research seminar will address the conflicting principles of the right of national selfdetermination as demanded by various ethnic groups, as against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states as invoked by national governments. Students will be expected to write a research paper on a selected topic that relates to the above issues. Offered occasionally.

285. Globalism and Crime 3 sem. hrs. Theories of globalization, state sovereignty; and transnational organized crime; politics of gray and black markets; spatial dimensions of transshipment, global cities; organized crime and state power; intersection of public and private authority in managing transborder flows; drug trafficking, money laundering, and migrant smuggling and trafficking are among the subjects explored. Offered occasionally.

287. International Security 3 sem. hrs. Covers the theories, concepts, and issues underlying conflict and security in the contemporary world. It will include classical and modern perspectives on war and peace, the sources and causes of civil wars and regional conflict, and the prospects for arms control and world peace-keeping operations. Students will be expected to write a research paper on a selected topic concerning contemporary international security. Offered occasionally.

289. Research Seminar in International Politics 3 sem. hrs. Student research in international politics. Seminars will focus on traditional international topics of international politics or contemporary problems. Seminar topics may include Japanese and German Foreign Policy. May be taken more than once. Offered occasionally.

SPECIAL GRADUATE COURSES

292. Part-time Continuous Enrollment No Credit Fee.

293. Full-time Continuous Enrollment No Credit Fee.

295. Independent Study 1-4 sem. hrs. Offered every semester.

299. Master's Thesis 1-6 sem. hrs. Offered every semester.

Return to Political Science Department Home Page