Undergraduate Course Descriptions

Political Science

POL 100 Ideas, Ideals, and Ideologies (4 credits)
Reading and research in the humanities and political science designed to give students the general ideas and specific concepts essential to success in the major of political science.

POL 101 The Great Issues of Politics (4 credits)
Introduction to the study of politics and government; survey of the discipline, the structure of the United States system of government and the major issues of political science including: the theory and function of government and the political process, public law, international politics, comparative government and foreign relations, and political development. Emphasis is on issues, approaches, methodologies, democracy and citizenship.

POL/CRJ 230 The Law, Society, and Polity (4 credits)
An introduction to the notion of law, its function in society, its place in a political system. Examination of the relationship of law to economic, social and political reality; the role of the judicial process in policymaking. Consideration is given to Common Law and Civil Code legal systems; substantive and procedural aspects of civil and criminal law with emphasis on understanding the nature of the law.

POL/CRJ 231 The History of the Constitution of the United States of America (4 credits)
An examination of the nature, scope, and history of U. S. government as embodied in the U. S. Constitution. Special emphasis on the constitutional limits to and extent of federal power as developed since 1787 through the history of leading constitutional Supreme Court decisions: judicial review, federalism, commerce and taxation, the contract clause, due process, equal protection, and civil liberties. Prerequisites: POL 101 or POL/CRJ 230. Not open to students who have completed POL/CRJ 261.

 POL /CRJ 232 The Bill of Rights (4 credits)
A study of the historical, political effects the Bill of Rights has had on law and society in the United States of America: Special emphasis on the first amendment; due process, civil and criminal rights; the Civil Rights movement; the Women’s movement; and gender/sexual equality. Prerequisites: POL 101 and 230 or 231.

POL/CRJ 236 The Judicial Process (4 credits)
Treatment of the workings and problems of the U.S. judicial system with emphasis on the structure and function of the federal and state court systems; criminal procedure and pertinent legal aspects of corrections.

POL/CRJ 258 Environmental Issues: Values for the Twenty-First Century (4 credits)
A consideration of the economic, social, and political issues related to environmental policies. Special emphasis on the political, legal, and ethical implications of the use and abuse of natural and social environments.

POL 290 Politics and Government: Process and Issues (4 credits)
An overview of Congress, the Presidency, and the Supreme Court; consideration of the political process and the ideas that inform, modify, and alter the United States political system. Emphasis on citizenship, political culture, socialization, public opinion, voting patterns, political parties and competing ideologies. Not open to students who have taken POL 268.

POL /HST/ ART 335 American Political Thought: Nature and the American Vision (4 credits)
A study of the historic, cultural, and political meanings of American landscape painting in the United States; landscape painting’s relationship to the political philosophy of the American founding; the development of a conscious American political thought. Special emphasis on the Hudson River School, its place in the development of the American political vision in the 19 th century and its cultural and political legacy in the 20 th century.

POL /CRJ/ SOC 347 Causes of Collective Violence: Terrorism, Genocide, War (4 credits)
This is an introduction to theories of conflict and war from the inter-group to the international level. Included are causes of terrorism, ethnic conflict and genocide, revolution, and interstate war. This includes an analysis of causes of conflict at four levels: individual, small group, the nation/state, and the international system. This course is interdisciplinary, drawing on theories from biology, psychology, sociology, economics, and political science. Case studies of contemporary conflicts are utilized to explain and test various theoretical perspectives and to examine the consequences of war.

POL 348c Thematic Studies: Interpreting Civilization (4 credits)
Comparative considerations of the religious, artistic, literary, historical-political-economic-governmental components of world civilizations through selected areas of study. Prerequisites: ENG 101-102 or 110-111.

POL 348d Thematic Studies: Political Philosophy and the Western Tradition (4 credits)
Thematic consideration of past and present attempts to develop a comprehensive understanding of politics. Consideration of major figures in the classical (Plato-Aquinas), modern (Machiavelli-Hegel), and contemporary (Marx-present) periods. Prerequisites: ENG 101-102 or 110-111.

POL/HST 348e Thematic Studies: A History of US Foreign Relations (4 credits)
An exploration of the relationship between major expressions of US foreign policy and the American ethos in the context of historic foreign policy challenges. Prerequisites: ENG 101-102 or 110-111.

POL 348f Thematic Studies: Perspectives on Nature and the Human Environment (4 credits)
A study of the concept of nature as it has been used in European/Anglo-American thought and a consideration of how these usages have influenced and contributed to an understanding of the natural and social environments. Concepts of nature as system, spirit, friend-enemy, and victim will be addressed through selected texts, art, and artifact. Prerequisites: ENG 101-102 or 110-111.

POL/ART 348g Thematic Studies: Art, Politics, and the Pursuit of Truth (4 credits)
An interdisciplinary study of the influences politics has on art and the question of how art and politics inform the human search for truth through an investigation of artistic masterworks from the Middle Ages through the twentieth century. Selected images of masterworks will be discussed and annotated. Prerequisites: ENG 101-102 or 110-111; or consent of instructor. This course fulfills Fine Arts requirement.

POL/ART 348h Thematic Studies: Modernism in its Time (4 credits)
An interdisciplinary study of the social, political, and intellectual culture of Modernism through the lens of the visual arts. Selected examples of visual art of the Western World will be studied in the context of their specific artistic movements as well as in conjunction with contemporaneous events in Western society such as the Great War, the American Depression, WWII, the Holocaust, and the dropping of the Atomic Bomb. This course fulfills Fine Arts requirement. Prerequisites: ENG 101-102 or 110-111.

POL/SOC/SWK/CRJ 352 Research Methods (4 credits)
This course examines research design and measurement techniques useful for understanding social science research. The course is skill based involving students in designing and carrying out an original research project, tabulating and analyzing the data, and writing a research report. Of particular interest are issues of problem definition, conceptualization and operationalization of research questions, sampling, and application of various methodologies from experimental designs to evaluation research. Prerequisites: MTH 140; junior standing or consent of the instructor.

POL 358 Public Policy for Peace and Justice (2-4 credits)
Analysis of the public policy formation process at the national and international levels. Special emphasis is given to current policy in the areas of conflict, development, environment, human rights, immigration, and global trade. The course when taught in the May two-week term includes a one-week trip to Washington, D. C. to visit organizations and government offices involved in policy formation and advocacy. An examination of international organizations such as the United Nations, the World Bank, and the Organization of American States is included.

POL 360 Seminar: International Politics (4 credits)
Investigation of the major issues and concepts that inform world politics with special emphasis on developments since 1945; consideration of United States foreign policy and domestic political culture in light of World War II, the Shoah, the war in Vietnam; the development of international organization and international law.

POL 361 War and Peace: International Law and Organization (4 credits)
A study of the development of international law and organization and their importance to an understanding of issues of war and peace.

POL/HST 365 The U.S. Presidency (4 credits)
A study of the American Presidency - often described as "the most powerful political office in the world"- and the men who have occupied it. An analysis of the continuity and change in the institution since it was created by the Founding Fathers at the Constitutional Convention. The historical focus will be on the emergence of the Modern Presidency during the twentieth century. Prerequisite: POL 290.

POL 1/2/3/485 Special Topics (4 credits)
Intensive reading and class discussion of selected topics in political science not covered in regular courses.

POL 2/3/486 Independent Study (4 credits)
Intensive reading or special research projects for students with advanced standing. Includes Honors Program research. Prerequisites: Consent of instructor, academic advisor, division chairperson.

POL 497 Internship (4 or 8 credits)
Supervised internship of 50 hours of activity for each hour of credit in an approved agency setting. Placements are arranged in cooperation with the student and agency representative. Regularly scheduled seminar meetings with academic advisor are required. Opportunities to study in Washington D.C. should be discussed with an advisor. Prerequisites: junior standing and four courses in area of concentration; successful completion of application requirements for internship. No more than 8 hours of internship credit allowed.

POL 498 Seminar: Political Theory and Ideology (4 credits)
An analysis of issues of sexism, gender, racism, ethnocentrism and diversity in their historical and contemporary contexts: consideration of influential contemporary theories and problems. Prerequisite: Open only to seniors.