Fall 2025

Theoretical, institutional, and functional aspects of American national, state, and local government and politics; contemporary issues. Recommended for freshmen and sophomores.

Gateway to the major in political science. Comparative analysis of political institutions and processes in selected industrial, developing and socialist countries, in terms of contrasting ideologies, parties, elites, and economies.

Interaction between law and politics; overview of the American legal system; value conflicts and public policy questions which arise within it.

Examination of the rules and realities of American politics, and the role politics plays in American life and culture.

Multidisciplinary survey of gender assumptions in relation to sexuality, mental health, social and political relations, and artistic expression.

Overview of human rights controversies across the globe. Introduction to techniques of analysis for social issues, interdisciplinary research methods, and interpretation of complex political problems.

Examination of the challenges of environmental problem-solving at the personal, local, national and global scales, focused on the issue of climate change.

Evolution of contemporary institutions; differing views of community power; major policies; state and federal relations to local governments; metropolitan community problems.

Examines political attitudes, behavior and participation of Asian Americans in diverse U.S. society.

Introduction to interest group and elite views of the American system, including recent interest group theory and findings and the general critiques of power distribution in American society.

Nature, origin, and development of international law; basic principles analyzed and illustrated with cases.

Theories of development and nation-building; revolutionary and evolutionary modernization; role of history, culture, socioeconomic conditions in affecting political structures and functions.

Political development in the Middle East, emphasizing historical, cultural, and socioeconomic conditions affecting political structures and functions; modernization and countervailing social, economic and religious forces.

Institutions and processes of advanced societies; political culture, interest articulation and aggregation, the governmental process.

Theories of development and nation-building; revolutionary and evolutionary modernization; role of history, culture, socioeconomic conditions in affecting political structures and functions.

An examination of the most popular electoral systems, why countries introduce electoral reforms and the consequences of choosing one system over another.

Comparative analysis of the determinants of political violence, terrorism, and genocide and their social and moral consequences; application of theories to contemporary case studies.

Basic concepts of Western political thought from Plato through the contract theorists.

Political theories and philosophies in modern times and their relation to public policy and social reform.

An evaluation of the ways in which different ideologies, institutions, and policies contribute to differences in political power between men and women.

Selected topics in designated area of political science. Discussion of readings and presentation of papers.

Intensive experience in governmental and political offices. Minimum time requirement; evaluation by office and intern report required.

Course covering substantive law, evidence, public speaking and use of societal mores in courtroom advocacy. Open only to Mock Trial team members.

The citizen's political world; political socialization, opinion formation and dissemination; development of political cultures and subcultures; political mobilization; personality and politics.

Examines how diverse groups in the U.S. interact with the American political system.

Examination of contemporary Mexico: the role of the state in the Mexican economy; development of the government party and opposition groups.

A comparative perspective on social and cultural forces that affect American laws and policies concerning discrimination on the basis of race or ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, and disability.

Intensive examination of special topics in the field of law and public policy.

Tracing American history, politics and social relations through film.

Intensive examination of critical issues of particular interest in the field of political thought.

Individual research and readings. Not available for graduate credit.