Course Descriptions

This course is designed to introduce the student to the professional standards and expectations of political science. The course focuses on the process of developing political arguments, discovery and evaluation of sources, as well as oral and written presentation of political science material.

This course is designed to introduce the student to the study of the relations between sovereign states.

This class introduces students to the logic, organization, standards and methods common to empirical studies in the social sciences, with special emphasis on the subfield of political science. In other words, what do social scientists do, and how do they do it? Students will read, evaluate and apply themes that appear in a variety of contemporary and historical social science scholarship, with a focus on the significance and value of peer reviewed studies. The course culminates with the submission and presentation of a working research design, completed incrementally, including preliminary findings obtained through application of a specific research method.

This course provides an opportunity for students to synthesize the interdisciplinary nature of their course of studies. Students, working with the program advisor, will work to integrate the methods and theories you are defining and developing in your International Studies course work and to apply them to studies in the overall curriculum.

This course serves as the capstone course for a major in International Affairs. Students will examine and analyze the ways different cultures, histories, political institutions and economic systems interact. This course also addresses the multiple disciplines and issues encompassed in International Studies and its related scholarship. Students will participate in extensive research and discussions that will allow them to synthesize the varied aspects of international institutions, policies, relations, and related themes.

This course studies individual, group and society rights, the basis of a just society, and the meaning of equality. This course also examines the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings of justice as well as the extent to which society is just and how to promote greater justice. May be taken as a CLST elective. May be taken as a Service Learning course.

This course focuses on the history and politics of the international and American environmental movements. Students also develop an understanding of environmental policy-making at both the domestic and international levels.

Prerequisite: POLS 1315

This course introduces students to the study of international organizations, primarily the United Nations and its specialized agencies. It will examine such topics as the predecessors and origins of the UN, its basic principles and structure, problems of war and peace, major contemporary issues of world politics, international law and non-governmental actors. Students should leave the course with a better understanding of the place of international organizations in the contemporary world system.

In this course students will study the structure and function of the Organization of American States and learn and apply parliamentary procedure in a simulation setting. Students are cast as high-level negotiators on issues of international importance.

This course is designed to facilitate the integration of the study abroad experience into a student's academic material and program of study.

Students examine politics in Europe and develop a core body of knowledge concerning the political systems in Europe. Students also are introduced to the political systems of selected nation-states in Europe.

Prerequisite: POLS 1315 and POLS 2310/POLS 2320

This course is an advanced examination of the study of politics in Asia. Students develop a core body of knowledge concerning the political systems in Asia. Students examine in more depth those countries introduced in POLS 2310 and are introduced to the political systems of other selected nation-states in Asia.

Prerequisite: POLS 2310

This course is designed to serve as an advanced examination of the study of politics in the Middle East. Students will develop a core body of knowledge concerning the political systems in the Middle East. Students will examine in more depth those countries introduced in GOVT/POLS 2310 (Comparative Politics) as well as being introduced to the political systems of other selected nation-states in the Middle East.

This course is designed to study the causes of war and terrorism. Students will also examine what we need to know to prevent war if possible and prepare for it when necessary. Students will finally examine the extent to which wars are the purposeful, rational pursuit of policy, the result of miscalculation and misperception, or the result of forces over which there is little control.

Students examine the formation, implementation and implications of American foreign policy. Students also examine the major problems and challenges facing the international community and U.S. reaction to, and influence on, these problems. Primary emphasis is placed on the post-WWII era.

Prerequisite: POLS 1315

This course seeks to help students learn about the sources, distribution and consequences of people’s political behavior in general and of their electoral behavior in particular. This course studies the nature of, and major influences on, public attitudes, the development and measurement of public opinion, the role of public opinion in government and campaigns, and the impact of media on political campaigns. 

Prerequisite: POLS 1315

Students examine the development and application of the rules that nations recognize as governing their relationships with one another.

Prerequisite: POLS 2320

Students get an introduction to the study of social and political change and conflict in developing areas of the world. The course points out the wide diversity of the developing countries around the world in their approaches to social, economic and political change. Emphasis is placed on such issues as who governs, the role of the military in politics under different types of regimes, and causes of military intervention, revolution and transitions to democracy.

Prerequisite: POLS 1315

This course provides an introduction to the basic types of modern democracy and examines key constitutional institutions of democracy. This course will also introduce students to theories of democracy, democratic transitions and democratic consolidation, and electoral representation and political accountability.

Prerequisite: POLS 1315 (or permission from instructor)

This course surveys central topics in the study of gender and politics, covering such issues as the LGBTQ+ community and women’s participation in political parties and social movements, women and the LGBTQ+ community as voters and candidates in political elections, feminism and the state, and gender and politics around the world. The course will also offer an introduction to the contribution of feminist theory to our understanding of politics and public policies.

Prerequisite: POLS 1315 (or permission from instructor)

This course is a general introduction to the study of social and political change and conflict in developing areas of the world. It seeks both to point up the wide diversity of the developing countries around the world in their approaches to social, economic and political change. Emphasis will be placed on such issues as who governs, the role of the military in politics under different types of regimes, and causes of military intervention, revolution and transitions to democracy. May be taken as a CLST elective.

Prerequisite: POLS 2310

This course is designed to serve as an introduction to the study of politics in Latin America and the Caribbean. Students will develop a core body of knowledge concerning the political systems of Latin America and the Caribbean. Students will also be introduced to the political systems of selected nation-states in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The course introduces students to the inter-relation of religion and political systems throughout the world, with particular focus on the United States.

This course explores the interrelatedness of issues such as food, energy, population, arms race, East/West and North/South confrontations. It examines alternative world order models. May be taken as a CLST elective

This course is an advanced study in Political Science focusing on comparative politics or international relations. The course may be repeated for credit when topics vary. May be taken as a CLST elective.

Prerequisite: POLS 2310 OR POLS 2320