Courses
Political Science
Check back on December 15th for Summer 2010 courses.
College of Arts and Sciences
Introduction to Political Science
CAS PO 101
Overview of political science and its subfields: American politics, public policy, comparative politics, international relations, and political theory. Focus on core questions and issues in the discipline. 4 cr.
Introduction to Public Policy
CAS PO 241
Undergraduate core course. Analysis of several issue areas: civil rights, school desegregation, welfare and social policy, education and urban housing, energy and the environment. Characteristics of policy systems in each issue area are analyzed to identify factors which may affect the content and implementation of public policies. 4 cr.
Introduction to Comparative Politics
CAS PO 251
Undergraduate core course. Examines different patterns of political development and contemporary politics in Western Europe, Latin America, Africa, and the former Soviet bloc. Introduces the comparative method in political science and competing theories of political development and political change. 4 cr.
Introduction to International Relations
CAS PO 271
Undergraduate core course. Study of basic factors in international relations, Western state systems, balance of power, nationalism, and imperialism. Primarily for concentrators. Meets with CAS IR 271. 4 cr.
Special Topics in American Politics
CAS PO 300
Summer 2009 topic: Campaigns and Elections. Examines the American electoral system with an emphasis on voting behavior and the institutions that govern U.S. elections. The focus is on modern elections, and topics include (among others): media, campaign strategy, party identification, the nomination process, polarization, political information, campaign advertising, and third parties. 4 cr.
Presidential Leadership
CAS PO 317
Presidential power and functions; relations with Congress, political party, and the public; personality and leadership; and comparative study of selected presidents. 4 cr.
Media and Politics in the United States
CAS PO 324
Examines changes over time in the American polity's assumptions about what the press ought to do. In particular, relates our understanding of the press's role to contemporary media developments including technological changes, corporate media ownership, and the re-amateurization of journalism. 4 cr.
North-South Relations
CAS PO 352
Employs a multidisciplinary approach to analyze the relations between the industrialized nations of the "North" and the developing nations of the "South." Addresses historical and current issues in North-South relations, including trade, investment, migration, regional economic integration, and the environment. Meets with CAS IR 395. 4 cr.
The Politics of Post-Communist Russia
CAS PO 364
Analysis of the emergent political forces, institutions, and alliances in the post-Soviet Russian Federation, against the background of the unresolved economic, ethnic, and social problems that are the USSR's legacy to the "new Russia"; prospects for stabilization are assessed in the context of the multiple crises facing Russia today. Meets with CAS IR 364. 4 cr.
History of American Foreign Relations Since 1898
CAS PO 366
Analysis of the history of American foreign policy from the perspective of the changing world and regional international systems; emphasis on the effect of these systems and the impact of America on the creation and operation of international systems. Meets with CAS HI 366. 4 cr.
China: From Revolution to Reform
CAS PO 369
Introduction to modern Chinese politics including the development of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the political development of the PRC since its founding in 1949. Focus is on the party's official policy and its changing relationships with the people of China. Meets with CAS IR 370. 4 cr.
Russian and Post-Soviet Foreign Relations
CAS PO 375
Decisive factors in the foreign relations of Russia and the other former Soviet republics, including historical continuity and change, survival and change of ideology, domestic politics, economic and geographical factors, military and external political considerations. The future of arms control, nuclear weapons, the economy, and relations among the former republics are also examined. Meets with CAS IR 375. 4 cr.
The Politics of Education
CAS PO 548
Overview of the origins of public schooling, the purpose of public education, and controversial educational policies and research. 4 cr.
