Political Science Course Descriptions

POL 1030 / 4 credits 
This course is an introduction to the study of comparative politics. 本学期的前半部分侧重于比较政治学的本质，而后半部分则着眼于一系列具体的国家. 阅读材料和作业不仅涉及政府机构，还涉及更广泛的政治活动, from grassroots organizing to social movements and formal political participation.
Spring

POL 1040 / 4 credits 
Introduction to Public Policy examines the actions undertaken by government. The course explores theoretical explanations and justifications for government actions, 以及用于评价政府行动备选方案的定量和定性技术. 这些理论和概念将用于分析具体的政策问题和它们存在的政治环境.

POL 1050 / 4 credits 
本课程介绍国际政治的主要概念和理论，以及它们在战后世界事件中的应用, particularly the Cold War and the North-South conflict. Attention is also given to disruptive forces in the international community, such as the nuclear arms race and ethnic conflict, as well as those forces, such as the United Nations, that contribute to world order.
Fall

POL 1070 / 4 credits 
This course will introduce the student to a variety of political theorists. Included would likely be theorists such as Aristotle, St. Thomas, Machiavelli, Locke, Madison, etc., as well as more contemporary theorists such as Rawls and Nozick. The empirical and normative features of theories will be identified and examined. 本课程还将着重于如何有效地或充分地整合理论, yet apparently inconsonant, political principles and values.

POL 1900 / 4 credits 
言论自由权的主张已经广泛地涉及到美国宪法第一和第十四修正案所保障的各种权利.S. Constitution. The term “expression” has come to be a generic reference to rights such as speech, press, assembly, protest, strike, symbolic speech, artistic expression, etc. 关于各种表达形式的可接受性的判决是由司法标准决定的, such as bad tendency, clear and present danger, fighting words, balancing, etc. 这些问题将通过阅读最高法院的判决和这些判决所引起的讨论来探讨.

POL 1910 / 4 credits 
《全球十大赌钱软件app》介绍了如何权威性地解决争议，以及解决争议的机制如何实际运作. Students will examine legal institutions (the bar, courts, prisons, interest groups), rules (bills of rights, criminal procedure, contract law), and participants (parties, judges, prosecutors, police, attorneys) and ask when, why, and how they come into play. 该课程还将调查法律中潜在的偏见，以及法律作为政治和社会变革工具的用途.

POL 2050 / 4 credits 
介绍政治经济学的哲学基础，从古典时代通过启蒙运动到现代. Students will read, discuss, and analyze the works of both European political economists (Smith, Ricardo, Mill, and Marx) and American thinkers and statesmen in the field (Jefferson, Mason, Hamilton, and Madison).
Fall

POL 2100 / 4 credits 
This course examines various political themes as expressed in films. 电影是对制度、行为和规范进行政治批判的重要媒介. 学生将学习对电影进行文本分析，以解释其中可能包含的政治叙事, and engage with those narratives through discussion and critique. 这是一门内容多变的课程，有不同的版本，通过特定的电影来研究特定的主题和主题.

POL 2400 / 4 credits 
This course involves a study of the institutions of American government at the national, state, and local levels and is designed to serve students seeking teacher certification. It will stress the informal as well as the formal dimensions of government and will, 从而试图拓宽和深化对决策和执行过程的洞察.
Fall/Spring

POL 3920 / 4 credits 
An examination of the U.S. Supreme Court and its interpretation of the U.S. Constitution over time on such topics as judicial review, executive and legislative branch powers, federalism and the role of states, and political and economic regulation.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing

POL 3910 / 4 credits 
An examination of the U.S. Supreme Court’s interpretation of the U.S. Constitution over time on such topics as freedom of expression and religion, criminal and civil due process, privacy, equal protection, and the nationalization of the Bill of Rights.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing

POL 3030 / 4 credits 
The study of the countries in Africa has frequently focused on public events: colonialism, political change, war, government actions, and the formal economy. In recent years, 研究人员已经开始更深入地探索这些事件对女性生活的影响, and how women in Africa are active participants in the various sectors of their societies. 本课程将通过妇女的视角来看待非洲各国的生活，并研究非洲妇女如何积极参与政治并受到政治的影响, cultural, and economic events both domestically and internationally. Themes will include human rights issues of women, the impact of modernity and tradition on women’s lives, images of appropriate female behavior, economic hardship and survival techniques, cultural issues surrounding marriage and motherhood, and women’s participation in the public spheres of their countries.

POL 3040 / 4 credits 
非洲国家和人民经常通过欧洲和北美文化的镜头来审视. 这些分析有时是有帮助的，有时则导致对非洲生活和人民的不准确描述. 本课程使用主要由来自非洲大陆不同地区的非洲作者撰写的文本，提供非洲视角来看待非洲大陆发生的转变. These transitions include the transition from traditional life to colonial rule, the shift to independence, attempts at democratization, adaptations rural Africans make when moving to urban areas, and the clashes between Western and African cultures that continue today. Using themes of governance, community, and reference groups to examine different African cultures, 这门课程结合了政治学和社会学的理论和概念.

POL 3100 / 4 credits 
This class is an introduction to the research process in political science. Questions about the history and structure of the discipline, how inquiry is framed by philosophical assumptions, and the role of observation and experimental design are all examined. Students will use their understanding of these issues to plan a research project, collect and analyze data, and effectively present their findings. This course is a prerequisite for the Senior Seminar/Senior Thesis.
Prerequisite: Junior standing or instructor permission.
Spring

POL 3110 / 4 credits 
这是一个阅读研讨会，将调查女权主义理论家的作品，以及女权主义提出的与学术学科相关的批判性问题. “Sexes (gender), difference between the sexes, man, woman, race, black, white, nature are at the core of [the straight minds’] set of parameters. They have shaped our concepts, our laws, our institutions, our history, and our cultures. 要重新审视作为普遍思想基础的参数，就需要重新评估所有的基本分析工具, including dialectics. Not in order to discard it, but to make it more effective” (Monique Wittig). 本课程将检视女性主义对文化的批判，以此检视我们的哲学传统，并了解文化与学术探究的关系.

POL 3200 / 4 credits 
这门课考查的是妇女在国际上的政治角色和活动. Exploring cultural, religious, racial, economic, and social constraints, as well as opportunities for women’s involvement in politics, 这门课程将牢记理论和实践，以及具体国家的问题. Attention will be given to how the discipline defines political participation, how various feminists may influence change, and what it means to look for common differences.

POL 3240 / 4 credits 
本课程以20世纪和我们这个时代的政治理论的主题和思想家为特色. It will consider such themes as pluralism, democratic theory, legitimation, secularization, liberalism, and communitarianism and thinkers such as Nietzsche, Heidegger, Arendt, Foucault, Habermas, and Rawls. By considering the foundations of contemporary political theory, 它将把当前的政治辩论置于其背后的哲学主题的背景下.
Prerequisite: POL 1070

POL 3250 / 4 credits 
An analysis, interpretation, 从马基雅维利到现在的西方政治思想和哲学的主要趋势的综合. The course emphasis will be on the development of constitutional democratic thought. The approach emphasizes the connection between normative and empirical matters.
Prerequisite: POL 1070

POL 3260 / 4 credits 
This course covers a major figure or epoch in the history of political philosophy; on a rotating basis this will include individual authors such as Plato, Augustine, Machiavelli, or Tocqueville, or specific periods of political philosophy and thought such as ancient, medieval, early modern American, or contemporary.
Prerequisite: POL 1070 or consent of instructor

POL 3270 / 4 credits 
This course examines legal, political, historical, 以及美国宗教与政治关系的理论方面. 政治和社会理论著作以及重要的宪法案例将被用来探索自由民主对宗教在政治中的地位的理解. The American approach will be compared with that found in several other countries. Specific topics covered include the ?secularization thesis? (and its critics), the role of the ?religious right,? the adoption of civil rights/anti-discrimination tactics by religious groups, and controversies over gay rights.
Prerequisite: REL 1000

POL 3330 / 4 credits 
This is an introductory course on the regional politics of the Middle East. 本课程将包括比较政治视角(对比不同国家的国内政治), 以及国际关系的角度(解释不同国家之间的关系). The content will be organized thematically (political economy, religion, poverty, human rights, conflict, etc.), 但我们也将使用具体的国家案例研究来说明不同的主题，如阿拉伯之春, Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the Syrian or other conflicts.
Prerequisite: None

POL 3350 / 4 credits 
本课程探讨人权政治和主权在国际体系中不断变化的本质. 为此，它将探讨当代世界对人权的主要威胁，以及阻碍就人权准则达成国际共识的文化和政治障碍. Finally, it will attempt to determine the appropriate mechanisms for their implementation.

POL 3360 / 4 credits 
本课程通过对历史的探索来考察拉丁美洲政治制度的起源和发展, politics, economics, and social issues of the region. While examining the remaining effects of colonialism on Latin America, 这门课程也探讨了政治和经济发展和依赖的问题, democratization, political culture, and relations with extra-regional actors. 将对个别国家进行考察，作为讨论该地区民主和独裁的现状和前景的一种方式.

POL 3370 / 4 credits 
这门课程将集中讨论占领前苏联和东欧领土的国家所发生的变化. 前苏联解体后的新独立国家仍在与苏联遗留问题作斗争. 我们将探讨继承国是否能够摆脱过去，成为“成功”的独立国家.

POL 3380 / 4 credits 
This course will focus on Western Europe’s historical experience, the organization of its decision-making institutions, and its electoral politics after 1945, with a largely contemporary emphasis. The country or countries that receive the most attention will vary from topic to topic. In general, the approach will be comparative across countries. This course will also explore the European Union by examining its history, institutions, policies, and future.

POL 3400 / 4 credits 
Chinese Politics surveys the organization and policies of the post-1949 Chinese state, with a focus on state building, economic reform, and the problems created by economic change. 这门课程涵盖了毛时代和改革时期，并探讨了在一个列宁主义的党国体制下，利用市场机制组织经济的政治和政策.

POL 3450 / 4 credits 
While the focus of this course will be theoretical, 本课程将以介绍全球分层的一般背景资料开始. We will examine the geography of stratification (i.e., which countries are rich, which countries are poor, etc.). The basic demographics of poverty will also be explored. Particular attention will be paid to infant mortality rates, life expectancy rates, health care quality and access, education, the status of women, and the availability of foreign and domestic assistance. Finally, we will analyze various concepts of poverty, measures of poverty, and different kinds of stratification systems.

POL 3510 / 4 credits 
这门课程的重点是美国政治的三个机构，作为普通公民和政府之间的联系. We will examine the role of political parties, interest groups, and elections in the American political system. Specifically, we will examine how a political campaign is conducted during election season.
Prerequisite: POL 2400 or instructor’s consent
Fall

POL 3520 / 4 credits 
This course covers events and debates surrounding major military conflicts in U.S. history. It will focus on particular conflicts, such as the Vietnam War; consider specific periods, such as the emergence of the United States as a great power at the end of the 19th century; and survey military developments over broader periods of time. 本课程的最终目的是理解和评估支配美国国防政策和实践的原则.

POL 3530 / 4 credits 
本课程考查美国政府的主要决策机构:国会和总统. 将讨论这些机构的政治和宪法层面，以及使它们能够履行其立法和行政职能的行政结构和程序.

POL 3580 / 4 credits 
A study of the formulation and execution of foreign policy in the United States, 同时考察二战以来美国外交政策的实质性问题. 本课程的主要目标是为学生提供对当前外交政策问题进行明智分析的基础.

POL 3600 / 4 credits 
With the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the end of the Cold War in 1991, 世界似乎变得不那么危险了，“世界新秩序”有望给世界所有居民带来和平与繁荣. Only a few years later the events in Bosnia, Somalia, Rwanda, and Kosovo, among others, have made some ask how the New World Order differs from the old Cold War Order. Are we really more secure? 本课程将通过研究当今世界上存在的一些冲突和不稳定的根源来探索“安全”的真正含义.

POL 3610 / 4 credits 
Is it important for a country to acquire nuclear weapons? 这是拥有核武器和没有核武器的国家正在处理的问题. 本课程将探讨获取核武器的成本和收益，包括试图获得核武器的国家和必须处理新核电的国家。. Moreover, 如果国际社会得出结论，我们不希望更多的国家拥有核武器, how can the acquisition of nuclear weapons and materials be prevented?

POL 3620 / 4 credits 
本课程向学生介绍环境政治研究和实践中的重要理论和政策问题. It is designed to provide a better understanding of past, present, and future events by framing environmental issues within various theories of political science; introducing prominent actors, institutions, and issues; and examining recent attempts to create effective institutions to address specific environmental problems. This course examines the politics of environmental problems at all geographic scales; however, depending upon the professor, emphasis will either be on domestic or international issues.

POL 3900 / 4 credits 
Comparative Law examines the role of written constitutions, legal institutions, and legal traditions across countries. 将特别注意宪法法院和司法组织的作用. While the course will focus on the Anglo-American and Civil Law traditions, students will also read on Islamic and other legal systems.

POL 3930 / 4 credits 
本课程介绍了环境法领域以及影响环境政策的法律程序和结果. 成文法和判例法都将以培养学生的分析技能和能力的方式进行探索，以形成与自然资源管理和污染监管领域相关的法律论据. Political, economic, 哲学问题在整个主题中交织在一起，说明了社会与自然关系的复杂性.

POL 4000 / 4 credits 
This course serves as the capstone to a student’s political science studies. The Senior Seminar will help students to organize the analytical frameworks, perspectives, 以及他们在整个政治科学生涯中学到的理论，以毕业论文的形式形成连贯的结构. Students are required to present their Senior Thesis as part of the course.
Prerequisites: Senior standing and POL 3100 or instructor approval
Fall

POL 4050 / 4 credits 
Serving as a capstone for the International Political Economy major, 研讨会超越了学科界限，试图进一步整合不同的、往往相互竞争的观点, methodologies, and values. A research thesis, on a topic of the individual student’s choice made in consultation with an advisor, is required along with an oral presentation to faculty and students involved in the program.
Prerequisite: Senior standing