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Politics & Government Courses
All upper-level courses are numbered in groups according to
the area or topic. The numbers bear no relationship to the difficulty
of the course work.
Courses in the major or the minor normally should not be taken
credit/ no entry.
110. Politics and Government (Esler, Pinkele). An introduction
to systematic, comparative, and theoretical analysis of politics
and government, including such considerations as: scope and methods
of the discipline; the nature of politics and government; foundation
political theories; constitutionalism; public opinion; representation;
political behavior; political institutions; and international relations.
111. American National Government (Esler, W. Franklin, Ramsay).
A comprehensive introduction to the American political system. Political
foundations, the Declaration of Independence and the Federal Constitution
period; Federalist, pluralist and democratic foundations of the
American political style, political parties, the electoral system;
pressure groups and public opinion; the Congress and the legislative-representative
function; the contemporary presidency and the executive branch;
the Supreme Court and judicial politics. The course also examines
the policy-making process generally with reference to current political
and governmental issues both throughout and at the conclusion of
the course.
190.2. The Politics of American Health Care (Ramsay).
210. Global Issues: International Law, Terrorism, War and Peace
(Kay). Among the global issues of the era are included the interrelated
fields of international law, terrorism, and issues of war and peace.
Students will examine the evolving dynamics and prospects for international
law. This discussion will focus on the origins and concepts of international
law, its prospects for facilitating international governance, and
the major critiques of this approach to international relations.
The class will then examine the definitions and interpretations
of terrorism, its diverse roots and causes, and the varieties of
responses terrorism has elicited. Students will focus on the United
States and its preparedness for terrorism in a new context of the
information age and weapons of mass destruction. Finally, the causes
of war and the sources of peace will be studied.
211. Comparative Political Issues (J. Franklin). A general
comparative overview of the world's political systems. This overview
consists of two parts. First, students will assess how countries
differ in terms of their political systems, governmental structures,
patterns of political behavior, political culture, and patterns
of political change. Second, the class will examine attempts to
conceptualize and explain such differences. Rather than proceeding
country-by-country, this course is organized around topics that
are central to the field of comparative politics. However, students
will gain some country-specific knowledge. Diversity.
260. Equality and American Politics (McLean). An examination
of the pursuit of political equality in the United States. The course
focuses primarily upon the post-1945 experiences of several groups:
women, African Americans, Hispanics, and, more recently, to a lesser
extent upon the efforts by gays and lesbians, Asian Americans, and
Native Americans. A thorough examination is undertaken of (a) the
place of equality in the U.S. political ideology and beliefs; and
(b) the various strategic environment and the choices made by these
groups and their elite to obtain their respective objectives. Diversity.
261. American Politics and the Mass Media (McLean). Examines
how American politics is affected by the mass media in such areas
as political participation, campaign politics and public policy.
Explores how new technologies help shape the role the media plays
in the relationship between citizens and government. Special emphasis
is placed on understanding how political institutions and interest
groups interact with the mass media.
279. The Conduct of Political Inquiry (McLean). An overview
of the political science discipline focusing on definition of the
discipline, epistemologies of the discipline, the function of concepts
and concept-building, modes of advancing and verifying theoretical
propositions, and techniques used to provide data out of which theoretical
propositions are constructed. Through these foci, a series of themes
emerges: the interrelationship between subject matter and method,
the consequently changing character of the discipline, the scientific
aspects of political science, the role of creativity in the advancement
of the discipline, and the essential task of theory-building.
280. Environmental Politic (Pinkele). This course focuses
upon environmental policies. It concentrates upon the interrelated
matters of how environmental matters become, and are shaped as,
political issues, the extent to which they do so, how environmental
issues become a part of the political agenda, the political economy
cleavage lines associated with environmental political issues, the
institutional factors involved in making environmental policies,
and the nature of the feedback process across time in environmental
politics. While the majority of attention is on environmental politics
and policies in the context of U.S. politics, selected examination
will cover international and comparative materials.
300.7. Campaigns and Elections in American Politics (Pinkele).
An examination and analysis of the multiple roles of and campaigns
for elective political offices in the American political system.
Primary focus of attention is on the campaigns for office at the
national level, sub-national examples will also be discussed.
300.28. Contemporary Issues in American Politics (Pinkele).
A systematic introduction to and analysis of selected contemporary
American public policy issues. The topics selected will vary semester
to semester. The foci are upon the politics of agenda setting, problem
and issue definition, mobilization and decision making. The roles
of elected officials, political institutions, the bureaucracy, lobbyists,
and interest groups will be examined. Among the broad policy areas
from which topics will be selected are: budget and taxation, health
care, education, abortion, gun control, social security, welfare,
energy and criminal justice issues.
344. Comparative Political Topics: Democratization (J. Franklin).
This course will focus on the causes and challenges of establishing
and consolidating democracy. We will cover the countries that have
established democracy in the post- World War II period, with emphasis
on the most recent wave of democratization starting in the 1970s.
Therefore, the course will cover mostly developing countries, rather
than the advanced industrialized democracies in Western Europe and
North America. Students will become experts on a particular country,
reporting on how it progressed through the various phases of democratization
and putting its experience in the context of theories of democratization
and democratic consolidation. Diversity.
346. Comparative Politics: Europe (J. Franklin). Governmental
institutions, political culture, political processes, social movements
and major policies of Britain, France, Germany, and Russia are studied
within a framework providing a working knowledge of basic categories
of comparative political analysis.
348. Comparative Politics: Latin America (J. Franklin).
This course examines the political systems, social groupings and
economic development of Latin America. It will examine the numerous
differences in the countries of the region, while keeping in focus
the common characteristics that unite them. We will discuss who
the important political actors are and the various "rules of
the game" for governing. We will also discuss the role of the
military in politics, political instability and revolution, competing
approaches to economic development, the wave of democratization
that has swept the region, and the characteristics and prospects
of these emerging democracies. Students will have the opportunity
to become knowledgeable about particular countries in Latin America,
while also gaining a broader perspective of common problems and
issues facing the region. Diversity.
349. Comparative Politics: Asia (J. Franklin). This course
examines the politics and government of East, Southeast, and South
Asia, including countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia,
and India. While this is a diverse region, leaders in these countries
have faced the common challenges of developing their economies,
achieving and maintaining stability, and how to deal with citizen
demands. The course will examine the variety of solutions to these
challenges. Topics to be covered include colonization, political
and economic development, political culture, ethnic conflict, democratization,
political institutions, and the political process in Asia. Diversity.
350. Judicial Process and Policy-Making (Esler). An analysis
of law and courts. Basic types, functions and determinants of law
as well as major issues in jurisprudence. Organization and basic
functions of American courts and theories of judicial decision making.
The role of trial courts in criminal and civil procedures and the
role of appellate courts in overseeing the activities of trial courts.
The impact and role of courts in American politics. Particular focus
on the roles of judges, attorneys, prosecutors, juries, police and
interest groups in the judicial process.
351. American Constitutional Law (Esler). Analysis of the
U.S. Constitution and the role of the Supreme Court in interpreting
it. The course begins with an analysis of the intentions behind
the writing of the Constitution. It then focuses on the process
used by the Supreme Court in interpreting the Constitution and leading
theories that explain how the Court interprets the Constitution.
The final, and most extensive, part of the course analyzes Supreme
Court decisions in leading cases in the following areas: judicial,
legislative, and executive powers; separation of powers; federalism;
and government regulation of the economy.
352. Civil Rights and Liberties (Esler). The role of the
law and courts in promoting freedom and equality. Initial focus
on the meaning of and issues related to the values of freedom, equality,
and democracy. The focus then shifts to the Supreme Court's interpretation
of selected provisions of the Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth
Amendment. Specific topics include the incorporation doctrine, freedom
of speech and religion, privacy, racial equality, gender equality,
political and economic equality, and criminal defendant's rights.
Legal and political dimensions of these decisions will be given
special attention.
353. Congress and Legislative Process (McLean). The politics
and public policy aspects of the national legislative branch of
American government. The course examines the contemporary legislative
and representative process including the committee system and seniority,
party leadership, relations with the President and the Supreme Court,
and relations with constituents and lobbyists.
354. The American Presidency (McLean). The nature and role
of the American presidency. The historical development of the presidency
is examined to lay the foundation for discussions of the sources
of presidential power, the constitutional basis of the presidency,
the role of the Executive Office and the bureaucracy. The relationship
of the presidency and Congress and the problems of public policy
making are reviewed. The course concludes with discussion of the
politics of modern presidencies.
355. American Federalism and Public Policy (Ramsay). The
relationship between public policymaking and the American federal
system is explored from many vantage points. Emphasis is placed
on the roles of local state and federal agencies in the operation
of complex government programs in such policy areas as the environment,
transportation, health care, social welfare and education. The course
also includes an examination of the major state and local government
institutions (e.g. legislatures, governorships, municipalities).
The political and governmental differences between inner cities,
suburbia and rural areas are frequently examined.
356. Public Administration (Ramsay). Examines the similarities
and differences between public and private administrative organizations;
the importance of the social, economic, cultural and political environments
within which federal government agencies operate; and the public
policymaking processes in which federal agencies are involved. Organization
theories, personnel administration, decision-making theories, and
budgeting are also discussed. The course focuses on all of these
elements through discussion of case studies on the careers of prominent
American public administrators and on significant events and issues
in recent years in U.S. public administration.
358. Political Parties (Ramsay). Examines the historical
development of the American party system, the trends within the
parties and the party system since WWII, and the role of political
parties in the most recent Presidential and Congressional elections.
Emphasis is placed on the role of party identification in citizen
voting behavior and the relationship between the party system and
the social, economic, and cultural issues in American society. The
impact of new technologies (e.g. television) on political campaigns
and the role of the parties is also analyzed.
360. International Politics (Kay). International politics
from the point of view of the international system and the nation
state. Topics include introduction to the major theoretical concepts
of international relations, security studies, international political
economy, and contemporary global politics. Consideration is given
to the history of international politics and using theoretical concepts
to assess current and future global trends.
361. American Foreign Policy (Kay). An overview of the domestic
and international sources of American foreign policy. This course
provides a detailed overview of the historical legacy of previous
international experiences that shape contemporary foreign policy
decision-making. Detailed study is given to the political and constitutional
setting of foreign policymaking in Washington D.C., the bureaucratic
role of institutions like the Department of State and Department
of Defense, and the range of policy options availabel to decision-makers.
Students examine the range of long-term strategic choices available
to the United States as it continues to struggle with its post-Cold
War grand strategy.
362. International Organizations (Kay). Development of international
organizations and the roles they perform in the context of expanding
globalization of international relations. The course details the
theoretical premises behind international organizations and places
their historical development in that context. Specific case studies
include the role of the United Nations and NATO. Issue areas of
contemporary international organizations include international economic
policy, environmental policy, human rights, peacekeeping and arms
control. New concepts of international organization such as the
role of the Internet and grassroots movements inthe context ofthe
evolving state system are addressed.
371. Classical Issues in Political Theory (Pinkele). An
examination of several classical questions and conversations in
western political theory; primarily freedom and liberty, justice,
authority, obligation and consent, rights, equality, the scope of
politics, and community and the individual. The course will focus
upon how selected writers such as Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli,
Locke, Hobbes, Madison, Jefferson, Hume, Smith, Marx, J.S. Mill,
and Tocqueville among others, have addressed these questions.
372. Democracy and Its Critics (Pinkele). This course is
an examination of the classical and contemporary advocates' conversations
about and arguments for and against democracy. Various definitions,
descriptions, and justifications of democracy are proposed and analyzed.
Examples of some of the writers and schools of thought discussed
are: Locke, Hume, Jefferson, Madison, Marx, Lenin, Mill, Gramsci,
Tocqueville, Lincoln, Holmes. Dewey, Dahl, Lowi, Pateman, and fascist
and feminist theory.
373. American Political Thought and Politics (Pinkele).
Examines the sources and nature of American political thought and
rhetoric from its European origins through contemporary debates
over public policy. Emphasis is upon the character of the democratic
imagination/ ideology and its American critics.
490. Independent Study (Staff).
491. Directed Readings (Staff).
495. Apprenticeship (Staff).
499. Senior Seminar (Kay, McLean, Pinkele, Ramsay).
A. Readings in U.S. public policymaking with emphasis on
the stages in the process of public policymaking, case studies on
public policymaking, the content of public policies and comparisons
with public policymaking patterns in other advanced post-industrial
societies. (Ramsay)
B. Readings in international politics, foreign policy and
comparative government, enabling students to broaden and integrate
their knowledge of principal approaches to the analysis of global
politics. Studies of contemporary and historical events illustrating
these approaches are read and discussed. (Kay)
C. Readings and discussions concerning public policymaking and
the policy-electoral nexus. Case studies on public policymaking,
policy reform/continuity and assessment. (Pinkele)
D. Readings and projects concerning major themes in American
politics: the democratic debate, power and citizenship, public
opinion and political culture, political equality, and the impact
of mass media on policymaking and elections. Emphasis on helping
students refine their theoretical understandings of these topics
in order to apply them to contemporary political debates. (McLean)
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