Courses Offered
Political Science – Spring 2013
POLS 1100. American Government: Processes and Structure (3). Fall, Spring, Summer. Constitutional basis and development, political processes (parties, nominations and elections, interest groups and public opinion), federalism and institutions of national government. Applicable to the BG Perspective (general education) social sciences requirement.
POLS 1710. Introduction to Comparative Government (3). Fall, Spring, Summer. Basic concepts, approaches to and comparisons of different political systems, including political cultures, participation, interest groups, institutions and processes; essential tools and methods for the study of political systems in the world. Applicable to the BG Perspective (general education) social sciences and international perspective requirements.
POLS 1720. Introduction to International Relations (3). Fall, Spring, Summer. Historical and contemporary overview of the modern international system; governmental and nongovernmental actors influencing international relations; major issues of the post-cold-war period. Applicable to the BG Perspective (general education) social sciences and international perspective requirements.
POLS 1930Q. Inquiry in Individuals and Society (3). Political theory and the analysis of politics and government. Introduces major theoretical concepts in political science and how they are used to analyze and explain politics. Students examine the historical development of each concept in classical and modern political theory. Concepts are applied to case studies of political events and controversies. Examples of concepts may include, but are not limited to: power, security, human rights, democracy, representation, identity, class, peace, terrorism, justice, transparency, the state, development, and environmentalism. Prerequisite: Open only to Freshman students.
POLS 2900. Introduction to Political Inquiry (3). Fall, Spring. Concepts and theories used by political scientists; traditional and behavioral political science; how political scientists establish and evaluate concepts and theories. Required of all majors; should be taken by the end of the junior year. Nonmajors must receive permission of instructor.
POLS 3010. Modern Political Ideologies (3). Spring. Nature of political power, freedom, authority and terrorism as seen in ideologies of democracy, capitalism, liberalism, conservatism, communism, anarchism, socialism and fascism. Applicable to the BG Perspective (general education) social sciences and international perspective requirements.
POLS 3020. American Domestic Public Policy (3). Description and analysis of environment, education, defense, civil rights, criminal justice, health, welfare and other selected contemporary policy areas and issues.
POLS 3030. Introduction to Public Administration (3). Fall, Spring, Summer. American administrative system: emphasis on administrative structures and processes; relationship between elected offices and bureaucracy, notion of civil service, modes of managing administrative system.
POLS 3040. American Political Thought (3). As reflected in colonial, Federalist, Civil War and late 19th century political thought.
POLS 3310. State and Local Government (3). Fall, Spring. Influence of culture and socioeconomic factors on state and local politics; state constitutions, municipal corporations and charters; political participation; institutions and processes; intergovernmental relations; policy issues and outcomes in state/local government with special reference to Ohio.
POLS 3350. Global Resource Politics (3). Spring. Resource-related global political problems dealing primarily with energy and food questions for policymakers and citizens concerned with political determinants of energy and food security in an interdependent world. Applicable to the BG Perspective (general education) social sciences requirement.
POLS 3360. Environmental Politics and Policies (3). Environmental policy process primarily in the U.S. including agenda setting, formulation, adoption, implementation and evaluation. Political interests, governmental institutions and actors involved in environmental policy making. Focus on key environmental issues and policies.
POLS 3410. Public Opinion (3). Processes of opinion formation and change, political attitudes, belief systems, socialization and the operation of public opinion processes in democracy; models of linkages between public opinion and public policies.
POLS 3450. Legislative Process (3). Spring. Legislative behavior and decision making; legislatures as institutions; forces involved in the formation of public policy; legislative elections; executive-legislative relations; analysis of the lawmaking process.
POLS 3460. The Presidency (3). Fall. Constitutional origins of the presidency; presidential elections; presidential leadership and relationships with the public, media, Congress, the bureaucracy, and judiciary; policymaking within the White House.
POLS 3470. Judicial Process (3). American judiciary, particularly Supreme Court, as political institution; decision-making process and interaction of courts with rest of political system. Approved for Distance Education.
POLS 3510. Western European Politics (3). Political systems and major policy problems of selected European countries. Political culture, governmental structures, political parties and interest-group roles in policy development. Prerequisite: POLS 1710 or permission of instructor. Applicable to the BG Perspective (general education) social sciences and international perspective requirements. Approved for Distance Education.
POLS 3520. British Politics (3). Spring. Analysis of institutions, parties, and policies of the United Kingdom. Emphasis on post-World War II economic and political development, current public and foreign policies, and ethnic tension in Northern Ireland. Prior completion of POLS 1710 and/or POLS 3510 recommended.
POLS 3530. Canadian Government and Politics (3). Spring. Origins and development of Canadian national political institutions and processes. Political culture, domestic and foreign policies, and political conflicts including Quebec nationalism, western alienation, and multiculturalism.
POLS 3550. Governments and Politics of Latin America (3). Fall. Influence of cultural and socio-economic factors on politics; violence and revolution; role of major interest groups such as the military, labor, the Catholic Church; political parties and elections; institutions; focus on selected nation-states.
POLS 3610. Governments and Politics of Middle East (3). Governmental and political processes of Turkey, Iran, Israel, Egypt, other selected Middle Eastern and North African political systems; major developmental problems of the area.
POLS 3660. Governments and Politics of Asia (3). Representative contemporary Far Eastern and Southeast Asian political systems; how ideology, religion, militarism and other social forces (both endogenous and exogenous) have influenced the development of these policies.
POLS 3700. Model United Nations (3). Spring. Role-playing simulation of the United Nations. Students attend a National Model UN conference and represent an assigned country’s policy positions, seeking to pass resolutions on international issues in various UN committees. Conference agenda topics may include international security, development, trade, human rights, international organizations, law, and environment. Course topics include history and foreign policies of assigned country; UN structure, functions, and rules of debate; negotiation and diplomacy. May be repeated. Extra Fee.
POLS 3720. Contemporary World Politics (3). Spring. Current global issues and problems such as the arms race, population control, disarmament and East-West, North-South rivalries are discussed and analyzed. Applicable to the BG Perspective (general education) social sciences and international perspective requirements. Approved for Distance Education.
POLS 3740. American Foreign Policy Process (3). Fall. Nature and conduct of contemporary U.S. foreign policy, with particular emphasis on the roles that the executive and legislative branches play in the process. Secondary foci of analysis are how domestic political problems, interest groups, military alliances, technological and economic forces help shape foreign policy formation and articulation. Approved for distance education.
POLS 4000. Topics in Political Science (1-3). Fall, Spring. Subject matter varies. New, one-time courses being offered experimentally. See schedule for listing. Prior completion of POLS 1100 recommended. May be repeated.
POLS 4020. Western Political Thought I (3). Classics of political philosophy of ancient and medieval periods. Major ideas and concepts of western political tradition from Plato through Middle Ages to Machiavelli. Applicable to the BG Perspective (general education) social sciences requirement.
POLS 4030. Western Political Thought II (3). Classics of political philosophy of modern period. Major ideas and concepts of Western political tradition from Hobbes to Marx. Applicable to the BG Perspective (general education) social sciences requirement.
POLS 4040. 20th Century Political Thought (3). Contemporary classics of political philosophy. Theories of justice and right of Rawls, Nozick, Hayek and Strauss; Berlin’s pluralism; existentialism; and/or democratic theory.
POLS 4160. Constitutional Law: Powers and Relationships (3). Fall. Supreme Court cases relating to U.S. governmental structure, powers and relationships.
POLS 4170. Constitution Law: Procedural Rights (3). Due process, right to counsel, search and seizure, electronic surveillance and jury trial.
POLS 4180. Constitution Law: Substantive Rights (3). Spring. Freedom of speech, press and religion; equal protection of law, travel and privacy, and right to vote.
POLS 4190. Jurisprudence (3). Leading theories and theorists of law; Anglo-American thought and practice.
POLS 4200. Administrative Law (3). Fall. Legal aspects of the administrative process and the effect of legal principles and processes upon administrative decision making. Emphasis on the limitation of administrative discretion and the judicial review of administrative decisions. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
POLS 4210. Bureaucratic Politics (3). The role federal bureaucracy plays in public policy process. Policy development; social and political factors that influence the administrative branch of government. Prerequisite: POLS 3030 or permission of instructor.
POLS 4230. Comparative Public Administration (3). Comparative study of administrative structures and processes in selected modern and modernizing political systems. Analysis includes the consideration of cultural, legal and political factors influencing the operation of bureaucratic institutions, developmental goals, and the methods of establishing and administering programs of social, economic and political development. Approved for Distance Education.
POLS 4240. Supreme Court and Contemporary Issues (3). Selected areas of current concern in constitutional law; substantive knowledge of relevant case law, scholarly legal journals which attempt to predict outcome of future constitutional litigation.
POLS 4250. Constitutional Law Advocacy (3). Substantive knowledge of one area in constitutional law; practical skills necessary for constitutional adjudication; techniques of legal research, writing appellate court briefs and appellate court advocacy. Prerequisites: POLS 4160 and POLS 4170, or POLS 4180 and permission of instructor.
POLS 4300. Local Government Management and Politics (3). Socio-economic and political factors affecting local governments with an emphasis on governmental structure, problems, and administrative mechanisms, intergovernmental relations, service delivery, performance measures, and alternatives for improving governmental policy and management. Prerequisites: POLS 3030 or permission of instructor.
POLS 4400. Political Parties and Voter Behavior (3). Democracy and political parties, party organization, primaries and conventions for nomination, campaigns and elections, patterns of election participation and factors affecting the voter’s decision making.
POLS 4420. Women in American Politics (3). Spring, Alternate years. Seminar on women’s participation in American politics. Trends in women’s political participation, political interest, political knowledge, and political attitudes are examined, including regional and cultural variations. Explanations for women’s under-representation in elective office are explored, including differences in childhood socialization, education, workforce participation, political engagement, treatment by the media, and recruitment by political elites. Credit allowed for only one of POLS 4420/WS 4420.
POLS 4430. Politics and the Mass Media (3). Political analysis of relationships between the media and the government and the effects on public policy issues and electoral campaigns.
POLS 4510. Human Rights (3). Spring, fall. This course provides an introduction to the theory and practice of human rights in international politics. The first half of the course will discuss the origins of the idea of human rights, the current system of international human rights treaties, and the role of international institutions and NGOs as enforcers. The second half of the course will examine a number of case studies based on classic problems in the theory of human rights as well as current issues and dilemmas in the field. Prerequisite: POLS 1710 or 1720
POLS 4540. Politics of Post-Communist States (3). Analysis of institutions, parties, and economic policies of the former Soviet republics and East European nations within the context of ethnic conflicts, transitions to democracy, and market-capitalism.
POLS 4590. Intergovernmental Relations (3). Vertical and horizontal relations among governments in the American federal system, models and theories of federalism and intergovernmental relations (IGR), constitutional issues, twentieth-century changes, recent developments in financing and managing federalism and IGR. Prerequisite: POLS 3030 or permission of instructor.
POLS 4600. Politics and Issues of World Development (3). Spring alternate years. Political and economic modernization problems; equity versus development; hunger and population; foreign aid, technology transfer and other selected topics.
POLS 4700. Individual Readings (1-3). Fall, Spring. Supervised individual readings to meet student’s need for extended reading in familiar areas or for exploration in fields not covered by courses. Prerequisite: consent of supervising instructor. May be repeated to nine hours.
POLS 4730. International Law (3). Alternate Spring. History, nature, sources and applications; relationship between law and society at international level.
POLS 4750. International Organization (3). Alternate Spring. History, organization and function of international organizations within the context of world politics. Major emphasis on United Nations and issues facing it. Prior completion of POLS 1720 or POLS 3720 recommended.
POLS 4760. International Political Economy (3). Fall. Survey and analysis of political economy on a global scale, including review of major Marxist, realist and liberal theories and policy issues of trade, debt, investment and aid. Approved for Distance Education.
POLS 4780. International Conflict (3). Political theories and research on the causes of war and other forms of international conflict. Analysis of escalatory processes, ethics of warfare, techniques of conflict resolution.
POLS 4790. Conflict Resolution (3). Fall (alternate years). Theories and research on the resolution of political conflicts in individual, bureaucratic, societal, and interstate settings. Techniques of conflict resolution including coercion, negotiation, and nonviolence. Application of theories to cases of political conflict.
POLS 4900. Capstone Seminar in Political Science (3). Spring, Fall. The capstone seminar integrates the subfields of political science. The course explores broad concepts that cross subfields and applies multiple approaches to studying these concepts. The seminar integrates and deepens the knowledge students have acquired from previous coursework in political science. Students are required to complete a major research paper related to the central course themes. Prerequisites include POLS major and junior/senior status.
POLS 4910. Seminar for Intern (3). Suggested for students planning internships. Survey and analysis of literature dealing with practice political experiences. Use of biographical material as sources.
POLS 4920. Field Study (1-3). Fall, Spring, Summer. For students working on political internship programs and political campaigns. May be repeated to six hours.
POLS 4950. Honors Seminar in Contemporary Political Science (1-8). On demand. Political science as discipline and profession; forms of political inquiry and research; scientific and methodological orientations toward values and scholarship; public and professional status of political science. Prerequisite: permission of honors committee. May be repeated to eight hours.
POLS 4960. Workshop on Current Topics (1-4). On demand. Intensive educational experience on selected topics in political science. May be repeated if topics differ, on approval of adviser. No more than nine hours of POLS 4960 (formerly POLS 395) will count toward a major or minor in political science.
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