Political Science Courses (POL)
POL 1101 - Pop Culture and Politics (3)
Politics and popular culture have always been closely connected. Politicians seek to show how connected they are to the public, and try to use media and popular culture to do this. In this class, we will spend time learning how to define 鈥減olitics鈥 and 鈥減opular culture鈥 so that we can understand how they interact. We will identify examples of politics being expressed in popular culture, and explore times when popular culture appears to have affected politics. There is an emphasis on the historical progression of mass media, as well as the influence of the media on politics and policies.
POL 1110 - Social Media and Politics (3)
The digital age has revolutionized the way that people get information and communicate. Where communication and information-gathering once took time and expertise, in the digital age, information and communication is now virtually instantaneous. This is both a benefit and hindrance to politics. On the one hand, candidates can have instant communication with supporters and the people that they represent. On the other hand, the ease of sharing information and communication lends itself to false narratives and presenting alternative truths. This class will examine digital media as a political tool. Students will learn how different digital media is from traditional media. They will learn positive and negative aspects of politics in the digital age. Students will be expected to actively engage in the political process through digital media. This class is a general studies course and will fulfill the general studies requirement.
POL 2240 - Honors American National Government (3)
This course explores the stable political values that frame the US Constitution and have guided our societal environment for two hundred years. The course is intended for superior students and political science majors.
POL 2241 - American National Government (3)
A study of the Constitution, federalism, the Presidency, Congress, the courts, and politics on the national level.
POL 2260 - World Politics (3)
An investigation of the development, nature, and process of political actions across national boundaries in the global system. Topics include international security, comparative government, international political economy, international organizations, and new global issues.
POL 2270 - Terrorism and Counterterrorism (3)
This introductory course introduces students to the study of terrorism and a discussion and critique of common counterterrorist strategies. It conceives terrorist violence as a politically motivated act employed to yield calculated political results. Thus, the goal of the course is to examine theoretical explanations of terrorist violence, the history of terrorism as a political strategy, and the difficulties encountered by states seeking to engage in counterterrorism.
POL 2275 - Elections (3)
Students taking this course will learn to apply critical thinking skills to the task of understanding the process by which citizens of democratic societies elect their political leaders. Not limited to elections in the U.S., and among other things, this course emphasizes the role of elections in democratic theory, the electoral process and how it has changed over time, how citizens process the information needed to make decisions in elections and the role of the media, as well as the impact that gerrymandering and demobilization efforts have on electoral outcomes. We will explore the impact of elections on public policy, and the impact of public policy on elections. Discussion topics will include political parties, interest groups, voter fraud, voter intimidation, candidate-centered campaigns, campaign advertisement, ethics, and the role of rhetoric in elections.
POL 3300 - Foundations of Political Science (3)
An introduction to the discipline of political science, this course offers an overview of the sub-fields and methods within the discipline.
POL 3330 - Political Theory (3)
An examination of selected advanced sources of classical and modern political theory. Theoretical perspectives, which are prominent in contemporary political science, are investigated.
POL 3338 - Women in Politics (3)
This course identifies and analyzes, from a historical and contemporary point of view, the political, social, and economic trends and issues facing women. The course analyzes political theories and public policies that shape women's political participation in the Unites States and elsewhere. This includes and examination of political institutions and processes at the national, state, and local governmental levels facing women.
POL 3339 - African-American Politics (3)
This course identifies and analyzes, from a historical and contemporary point of view, the political, social. Economic trends and issues facing African-Americans. The course analyzes political theories and public policies that shape African-American political participation in the United States and elsewhere. Topics will vary to include the Civil Rights Movement, Black Presidential Bids, racism in American public policy, and U.S. Courts and Congress.
POL 3340 - U.S. Government 鈥 Executive Branch (3)
An analysis of the American Presidency in the context of the Constitution, American political processes, national security, public opinion, and other branches of American government.
POL 3341 - U.S. Government 鈥 Legislative Branch (3)
An analysis of the structure and dynamics of the U.S. Congress in the context of its relationships to the Constitution, the presidency, the judiciary, political processes and subordinate levels of government.
POL 3342 - U.S. Government 鈥 Judicial Branch (3)
An analysis of the American federal judiciary in the context of its relationships to the Constitution, American political processes, the legislative and executive branches, state governments, and public opinion.
POL 3343 - American Political Processes (3)
This course examines key topics in U.S. politics, specifically looking at national problems, actors and proposed solutions.
POL 3351 - International Relations (3)
This course provides a comprehensive investigation of thinking about the relationship of both state and non-state actors in the international arena. It offers a framework for the further analysis of the discipline of International Relations including the principal schools of IR theory, the historical development of the contemporary international system, foreign policies of states, the search for state security, and the economic relationships between states within a global political context.
POL 3355 - Southern Politics (3)
This course examines the history and processes of Southern politics, including the one-party system, the exclusion of African-Americans and poor whites from voting, the role of Southerners in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, and the current voting patterns and habits of the region. The course looks specifically at the politics of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, and South Carolina.
POL 3356 - Politics in Film (3)
There is much that can be learned about politics through film and television. Using both fictional or non-fictional sources, this course will use film and television as a way to explore a variety of political themes, political actors and institutions, notable events of political and social concern, as well as other issues of interest in the public discourse at the time.
POL 3364 - State and Local Politics (3)
An investigation of political processes and organization at the state and local level in the United States.
POL 3390 - The Art of Political Science Research (3)
This course introduces students to the art and process of consuming and conducting political science research. Among topics to be covered are the epistemological and methodological skills. Prerequisites: POL 3300 Foundations of Political Science.
POL 4402 - Political Geography (3)
An analysis of the reciprocal effects of geography and political organization on the behavior of states, including boundaries, national resources, spatial strategies, and maritime power.
POL 4405 - Political Behavior and Public Opinion (3)
This course focuses on political behavior and public opinion, both of which play important roles in democratic governance. The course surveys the major concepts of importance and some of the major scholar debates in the areas of behavior and opinion research. This course is also designed to teach students how political scientists study actions and attitudes relevant to contemporary politics. Although the course concentrates mainly on the role that behavior and opinion play in US politics, comparisons will be made to other countries. Prerequisites: POL 3390.
POL 4410 - International Political Economy (3)
An examination of the interrelationships between international politics and economics; states and markets, trade, foreign investment, international monetary affairs, foreign aid, state development strategies, and globalization.
POL 4415 - International Conflict (3)
This course provides a detailed examination of patterns of international conflict and methods employed to manage them: bases, emergence, escalation, de-escalation, negotiation, mediation, termination, and consequences. Specific episodes of international conflict will be investigated.
POL 4420 - Constitutional Law (3)
A survey of the legal, political, and methodological problems in constitutional law.
POL 4421 - Introduction to Public Administration (3)
An introduction to the historical, institutional, and political context of the profession; current trends and issues; and the role of public administration in the larger governmental system.
POL 4422 - Public Policy Making (3)
An introduction to the processes by which American public policy is formulated, implemented, and evaluated and to the roles of policy analysts in solving various public problems.
POL 4424 - Contemporary American Foreign Policy (3)
This course examines the foreign policy processes of the United States: historical traditions, political institutions, economic and military capabilities, the Congress, the Presidency, interest groups, the media, and public opinion.
POL 4425 - American Law Seminar (3)
This course provides an advanced overview of American jurisprudence. The goal is to gain a general understanding of American substantive and procedural law and prepare students for law school. To this end, we will focus on case law in a number of common law subjects, specifically constitutional law, criminal law and procedure, torts, contracts, and property. We will also cover legal and cultural history, jurisprudence, and ethics topics in order to promote a better understanding of the role that law plays in a modern, liberal, democratic society.
POL 4432 - Comparative Public Policy (3)
This course examines the process of policy making in a cross-comparative framework that illustrates how different nation states, both in the developed and the developing worlds, formulate and implement public policy.
POL 4433 - Comparative Government (3)
A comparative analysis of state governments in the world with an emphasis upon political cultures, governmental institutions and political processes that lead to differences and international tensions.
POL 4440 - Advanced Research Methods (3)
Development and application of critical thinking s kills necessary in basic, applied, and evaluative research methodologies and data analysis techniques. Students apply these advanced methodologies to issues, programs, and research problems in political science. Prerequisites: POL 3390.
POL 4445 - Inter-American Relations (3)
This course examines the relationship between the United States and the remainder of the Western Hemisphere, with an emphasis on historical and contemporary Latin American relations.
POL 4450 - Latin American Politics (3)
An introduction to the social and political institutions of Latin America.
POL 4451 - Public Personnel Administration (3)
A survey of the basic principles and functions of personnel administration in the public service and of the current strategies for managing recruitment, placement, salary and benefit strategies, training, retirement, and other personnel functions.
POL 4452 - International Law (3)
This course examines the sources and development of international law from a historical, political, jurisprudential, and philosophical standpoint. It will include a comprehensive investigation of state sovereignty, jurisdiction, the role of the United Nations, the regulation of the use of force in world affairs, and international human rights law.
POL 4453 - Bureaucratic Politics (3)
A study of the theories of organizations and their structures as they affect the policymaking environment, examining goals, resources, effectiveness, equilibrium, and change relating to organizations and their relationship to administration.
POL 4460 - Intercultural Relations (3)
An analysis of the influence of culture on interstate relations including theories, concepts, and applications.
POL 4462 - Politics in China (3)
This course provides an introduction to the contemporary political system and economic development of China. Although the focus of the course is China's domestic politics in post-Mao era, a brief history of China's development from 1949 to present will be reviewed at the beginning of the term. Also, the last session of the course will look at China's foreign policies and its role in the world. There are four broad themes in this course: 1). Economic reform and how Chinese government blend capitalism and communism/socialism together; 2). Political Institutions and policy making; 3). State-Society Relations; 4). Key challenges facing the CCP government.
POL 4464 - Arab-Israeli Conflict (3)
This course focuses on the Arab-Israeli conflict since 1948 with a special focus on the challenges to conflict resolution on both the Arab and Israeli sides and the role great powers play in Middle Eastern politics. The course will begin by examining the major historical events from the birth of Israeli to the present day. Attention will be given to important groups, events, movements that will allow the complexity of this relationship to come to light. Additionally, the course will focus on the relationship between the West, particularly Europe and the United States, and the Middle East.
POL 4465 - Politics of the Developing World (3)
This course examines the political and economic challenges faced by developing states. Theories and models of development will be analyzed in a variety of ways.
POL 4466 - Middle Eastern Politics (3)
An introduction to the social and political institutions of the contemporary Middle East.
POL 4467 - Asian Politics (3)
An introduction to the social and political institutions of Contemporary Asia.
POL 4468 - Russian Politics (3)
This course provides an introduction to Soviet, post-Soviet, and Russian politics and the way we in the West study and think about them. The substantive focus is on the political process and its policy outcomes. Primary attention will be directed to post-1991 (i.e., post-Soviet) political institutional, elite, and policy concerns.
POL 4469 - Religion in Politics (3)
This is a course that deals with the intersection between two contentious topics in the United States, religion and politics. In this course, the focus is on the manner in which religion, defined in organizational terms, as a system of beliefs, as a source of faith and morality, and as specific types of behaviors, intersects with and influences various aspects of American politics. These aspects of politics include morality and 鈥渕oral politics鈥 issues, political behaviors, public and individual opinions, campaigns and electoral mobilization, as well as domestic and foreign policy.
POL 4470 - European Politics (3)
An introduction to the social and political institutions of contemporary Europe.
POL 4472 - Administrative Law (3)
This course examines the legal environment in which government agencies function, including the powers and procedures that control administrative discretion, rule-making, investigations, prosecuting, negotiating, and settling; constitutional law, statutory law, common law, and agency-made law; the liability of governments and their officers; and selected court cases and decisions.
POL 4474 - Terrorism and Political Violence (3)
This course is designed to introduce students to the origins and significance of contemporary political violence with an emphasis on the phenomenon of terrorism. It employs an interdisciplinary, case-study approach.
POL 4476 - Politics of Southeast Asia (3)
This course involves the study of politics in the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Kampuchea, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Myanmar, and Thailand. It investigates the historical and cultural factors contributing to their political relationships within the region and internationally.
POL 4479 - Study Abroad in Political Science (1-3)
Guided investigation of different political systems and political cultures through study abroad. Students will work closely with faculty prior to and during a study abroad trip to understand these political systems and cultures. Student can earn from 1-3 credit hours. Prerequisites: Must have permission of the instructor and the Chair of the Political Science Department to register for this class.
POL 4490 - Internship in Political Science (1 to 3 credit hours)
Supervised work in an agency that can provide practical experience in the field of study. Prerequisites: senior standing and approval of supervising instructor and the department chair.
POL 4491-92 - Guided Independent Research (1 to 3 credit hours each)
Note: Additional information is indexed under Independent Study and Research.
POL 4493鈥94 - Guided Independent Study (1 to 3 credit hours each)
Note: Additional information is indexed under Independent Study and Research.
POL 4495 - Selected Topics in Political Science (3)
Examines selected topics of a timely nature and/or special interest within the field of political science.