Political Science (POSC)
POSC 0914. Requirement Preparation in Summer. (0 Credits)
For Ph.D. and Master's students, registration necessary to maintain continuous enrollment while preparing for a milestone requirement during the summer. (e.g., to be used by Ph.D. students after the oral examination/defense and prior to receiving the degree).
POSC 0934. Master's Comprehensive Examination Preparation. (0.5 Credits)
POSC 1100. Introduction to Politics. (3 Credits)
Introduces students to major approaches to the study of politics. Discusses such key concepts as power, democracy, and justice, analyzes a variety of political actors, including political parties, interest groups, and voters, and examines the functioning of different political institutions in comparative perspective.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, FRSS, SSCI.
POSC 1298. Government and Politics Comparative. (3 Credits)
This course reflects transfer credit from AP Comparative Government and Politics.
Attribute: SSCI.
POSC 1299. Government & Politics: US. (3 Credits)
This course reflects transfer credit from AP United States Government and Politics.
Attribute: SSCI.
POSC 1800. Internship. (1 Credit)
Internship.
POSC 1999. Tutorial. (1 Credit)
Independent research and reading with supervision from a faculty member.
POSC 2001. Political Analysis. (4 Credits)
Provides students with the essential methods and concepts for the quantitative analysis of political phenomenon, such as polls and election returns. Techniques of analysis introduced will include graphics, descriptive statistics, cross-tabular and correlation analysis, hypothesis testing, and computer applications. The goal of the course is to make the student a component consumer of political analysis. It will also focus on how political analysis is used in the real world, e.g. by campaign strategists and governments. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, ASHS.
POSC 2102. Introduction to Urban Politics. (4 Credits)
A study of politics and power within urban political systems, including an examination of their historical development, current political economy, and prospects for the future. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, ASHS, PLUR, POAP, POCP, URST.
POSC 2202. Introduction to American Politics. (3 Credits)
An introduction to American govenment and politics. The course is a 3 credit version of POSC 2201: American Government & Politics, designed for summer sessions.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, POAP.
POSC 2203. Introduction to the American Legal System. (4 Credits)
This course is an introduction to the American legal system in theory and practice. It will examine issues of jurisprudence, as well as some of the procedural and substantive areas of the law. Among the legal principles/topics to be considered: The Rule of Law; The Bill of Rights; Precedent; Test Case; `Reasonable Person' Standard; Judicial Standing; U.S. Supreme Court; Organization of U.S. Court Systems; Freedom of Speech (`Hate' Speech); Legal Rights of College Students; Wrongful Convictions. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, ASHS, POAP.
POSC 2401. Introduction to Political Philosophy. (4 Credits)
Who should rule? What principles should govern the polity? This course will think about these and other perennial questions in political philosophy with authors from Greek antiquity, the Warring States period in China, and other times and places. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attribute: POPT.
POSC 2501. Introduction to International Politics. (4 Credits)
A look at modern nation-states in terms of national character, resources, industrial and military capacity, and geography. An examination of their foreign policies in terms of alliance and balance of power theories as influenced by regional and international organizations and movements. A study of war and its alternatives, such as diplomacy, peaceful change, peaceful settlement of disputes, and future models of world order. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: INST, IPE, ISIN, ISIP, MEST, POIP.
POSC 2610. Introduction to Comparative Politics. (4 Credits)
This course involves the systematic study and comparison of the world's political systems. It seeks to explain differences between as well as similarities among countries including the United States. Comparative politics is particularly interested in exploring patterns, processes, and regularities among political systems. It looks for trends, for changes in patterns, and tries to develop general propositions or hypotheses that describe and explain these trends. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: INST, IPE, ISIN, ISIP, LALS, LASS, POCP.
POSC 2800. Introduction to Political Economy. (4 Credits)
This course examines the relationship between politics and economics, exploring the ways in which societies overcome collective action problems and build institutions that facilitate cooperation and exchange. It introduces the major theoretical frameworks for understanding political economy and examines several contemporary issues in the United States, such as race, gender and class disparities; housing; hunger; education; government regulation; the relationship between domestic and international political economies; and more. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attribute: POIP.
POSC 2999. Tutorial. (1 to 2 Credits)
Independent research and reading with supervision from a faculty member.
POSC 3107. Dystopian Politics. (4 Credits)
The purpose of this course is to examine key questions in the study of democracy, dictatorship, and regime change. We will cover the classic regime types (democracy, hybrid regimes, and dictatorship), the transitions between them, and the strategies leaders use to stay in power. We will, however, focus on authoritarian regimes, with the goal of examining closely their inner workings. We will cover the role that leaders and institutions play in their authoritarian regimes' survival, how they deal with civil unrest or other threats to their power, and more. We will first cover the theoretical foundations of regime types and then delve into empirical examples focusing on case studies.
Attributes: ASSC, POCP.
POSC 3120. New York City Internship. (4 Credits)
The purpose of this course is to help students gain practical experience in the operation of New York government and politics by working in offices of elected officials, governmental agencies, or non-partisan public interest organizations. Requirements will also include readings, short papers and discussions based on the internship experience. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, ASHS, ASSC, POAP, URST.
POSC 3121. New York City Politics. (4 Credits)
An analysis of the New York City political system. Attention will be paid to the participants in New York City government and politics, the factors that influence policymaking in New York City, as well as public policies produced by the system. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, ASHS, ASSC, PLUR, POAP, URST.
POSC 3131. Politics, Urban Health, and Environment. (4 Credits)
This course will examine the intersection of urban life, individual and community health and public policy. It will examine the evolution of urban public problems, the urban environment and the role and responsibility of society and the political system to respond to individual and health issues in urban settings. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, ASHS, ASSC, BESN, BIOE, ENST, ESEL, ESPL, HPSE, HUST, LPGP, PJEN, PJST, POAP, SOIN, URST.
POSC 3209. Constitutional Law. (4 Credits)
A casebook analysis of central issues of constitutional law. Examines the Constitution's origins, judicial review, federalism, separation and balance of powers, domestic and foreign affairs, the commerce clause, substantive due process, the rise of the administrative state, philosophies of interpretation. Presents the Constitution as defining a structure of government, rights and political economy. Examines the Constitution's role in American political development and democracy. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, ASHS, ASSC, POAP.
POSC 3210. Civil Rights and Liberties. (4 Credits)
A casebook analysis of Supreme Court decisions on civil rights and civil liberties. Topics include freedom of speech and religion, the right to privacy, gender and racial equality, the death penalty, and protections against unreasonable searches and seizures. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ADVD, AMST, APPI, ASHS, ASSC, PJCR, PJST, POAP.
POSC 3211. The U.S. Congress - Methods Intensive. (4 Credits)
The U.S. Congress—consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate—represents the legislative branch of the American federal government. At first glance, its task of legislating on relevant issues in American society and passing a budget funding the federal government may seem straightforward. However, Congress is notoriously unpopular with the public, and it relies on a complex institutional design to execute (or, as the case may be, fail to execute) its job. Why does Congress look and function the way it does? The goal of this course is to provide you with a thorough understanding of what Congress’ main tasks are, how it attempts to execute those tasks, why it has the institutional design it relies on, what the role of congressional leaders and political parties is, and how Congress relates to the other branches of the government. To achieve these goals, we will be reading and critically assessing a number of different perspectives from political scientists who have studied and debated these issues. In doing so, we will focus on methodological approaches to studying Congress—including how to measure the ideological beliefs of Members of Congress (MCs) or their legislative effectiveness, the use of statistical analysis to assess quantitative data, and the reliance on experiments to test theories about voter preferences in (congressional) elections. By the end of this course, you should have a thorough understanding of political scientists’ arguments about Congress and the (quantitative) methodological approaches they rely on in studying this political institution. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, ASHS, ASSC, POAP, POMI.
POSC 3213. Interest Group Politics. (4 Credits)
An examination of pressure groups and their role in the political process. Special attention will be paid to the origins of groups, who joins and who does not and how groups affect their own members. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, ASHS, ASSC, PLUR, POAP.
POSC 3214. The U.S. Congress. (4 Credits)
A study of the historical development and current operation of the U.S. Congress. Particular attention is paid to the impact of elections, political parties, formal and informal rules and procedures, and congressional committees on the policies produced by Congress, and to Congress' relation to the executive branch. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, ASHS, ASSC, POAP.
POSC 3215. American Political Parties. (4 Credits)
Examines the workings of American political parties and their role in the political system. Analyzes the role of parties across time, the effect of parties on the campaigns of presidential and congressional candidates, and the impact of parties on the workings of both the presidency and Congress as policymaking institutions. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, ASHS, ASSC, POAP, POMI.
POSC 3216. American Political Institutions. (4 Credits)
This course assesses the main political institutions in American politics—including the three branches of government, political parties, and interest groups. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, ASHS, POAP.
POSC 3217. The American Presidency. (4 Credits)
An examination of presidential leadership, including the development, growth, and exercise of presidential power. Includes analysis of republican foundations of the presidency, organization and operation of office, role in domestic and foreign policy, relations with Congress, and the importance of character. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, ASHS, ASSC, POAP.
POSC 3218. Constitutional Law and Democracy. (4 Credits)
This course examines the relationship between constitutionalism and democracy, between American constitutional law and American political practices, and between democratic aspirations and the American constitutional system of representative democracy. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attribute: ASSC.
POSC 3219. Constitutional Law and the Death Penality. (4 Credits)
The couse will examine the historical, philosophical, religious, and legal roots underlying the use of the death penalty by political systems. Part of the course will focus on contemporary U.S policy regarding the death penalty, relevant legal cases and social commentary. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, ASHS, ASSC, POAP.
POSC 3220. Criminal Law and Justice in the U.S.. (4 Credits)
This course analyzes criminal law and justice, specifically using the Amendments (4th, 5th, 6th, and 8th) and how they relate to criminal procedure. The course will use current issues with criminal justice reform as a framework. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ADVD, AMST, APPI, ASHS, ASSC.
POSC 3223. Constitutional Law: Criminal Justice. (4 Credits)
Case method analysis of Supreme Court decisions in the area of Criminal Justice. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, POAP.
POSC 3225. Human Trafficking and the Law. (4 Credits)
The course will examine human trafficking and the ways in which the legal system addresses it in the United States. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: BESN, PJCJ, PJST, PJWT.
POSC 3228. Civil Rights. (4 Credits)
A casebook analysis of legal responses to public and private discrimination, with emphasis on race and gender. Examines Supreme Court decisions, laws, and politics, involving the 5th, 13th, 14th, 15th, and 19th amendments, equal protection and level of scrutiny, civil and voting rights, public accommodations, employment, private associations, schools, privacy, "natural" roles, the public/private dichotomy. Studies movements for equality. Evaluates busing, affirmative action, pay equity and other remedies. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ADVD, AMST, APPI, ASHS, ASSC, PJCR, PJIN, PJST, PLUR, POAP.
POSC 3231. Judicial Politics. (4 Credits)
This course provides an introduction to the study of law and courts as political institutions and judges as political actors. Topics include judicial behavior and policymaking, the politics of Supreme Court nominations, the role of public opinion in shaping judicial doctrine, and the impact of courts on society. Because this is an American Pluralism course, a major objective of the course is to increase knowledge of how reform groups have used the courts to combat discrimination based on race, sex, and sexual orientation. The course also explores how the structure of the legal system systematically advantages some litigants more than others based on class. The primary institutional focus is the U.S. Supreme Court, but we also study other courts as well, including the state supreme courts and lower federal courts. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, ASHS, ASSC, LPGP, LPHP, PJCJ, PJST, PLUR, POAP, POMI.
POSC 3232. Family, Law, and Society. (4 Credits)
An upper-level course aimed at dissecting the family court system, American democracy, and state/federal judicial processes as they pertain to family issues. Please note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attribute: WGSS.
Prerequisite: POSC 1100.
POSC 3233. Youth and the Law. (4 Credits)
An upper-level political science course that investigates the intersection of judicial practice, American democracy, and youth within the criminal justice system. Please note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attribute: ASSC.
Prerequisite: POSC 1100.
POSC 3234. Government's Response to Organized Crime. (4 Credits)
Traditional Organized Crime, often referred to as the Mafia, historically has controlled and corrupted multiple industries, notably the private sanitation industry. Despite multiple criminal investigations, arrests and convictions, that stranglehold continued for decades. This course will examine how traditional organized crime infiltrated industries and labor, and what the organization of those industrials looked like when controlled by the Mafia. We will examine in detail the private sanitation industry in NYC, how it was controlled by organized crime and how that control was broken by a government initiate that combined criminal prosecutions with an innovative administrative approach to regulation and enforcement.
POSC 3301. Campaigns and Elections. (4 Credits)
This course undertakes an in-depth study of campaigns and voting, with an emphasis on the presidential and congressional elections. We will examine elections from the perspectives of candidates, political parties, interest groups, the media, political consultants, and voters. In addition, we will address some basic questions about elections in America: What are the rules? Who wins and why? What difference do elections make? Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, ASSC, POAP.
Mutually Exclusive: POSC 4216.
POSC 3303. Political Polarization in American Politics. (4 Credits)
This course examines the phenomenon of increasing political polarization in the United States. It investigates the concepts of partisanship, ideology, and polarization and how they relate to one another, both in early American political thought and in more recent political science scholarship. It explores polarization in national political institutions in the contemporary United States, focusing especially on Congress, and how polarization affects the ability of these institutions to effectively address policy challenges. It also examines polarization in the broader electorate and the influence of factors such as personality differences, culture, race, and education on political polarization among voters in the United States and similar patterns in other advanced democracies such as the United Kingdom. It also analyzes whether and how increasing polarization contributes to political violence and threatens American democracy. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, ASHS, ASSC, POAP, POMI.
POSC 3307. Environmental Politics. (4 Credits)
The course introduces students to the history and evolution of environmentalism and environmental policy from a comparative perspective. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, ASHS, ASSC, ENMI, ENST, ENVS, ESEL, ESPL, INST, IPE, ISIN, PJEN, PJST, POAP, SOIN, URST.
POSC 3309. Gender in American Politics. (4 Credits)
This course examines the role of gender in American politics. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ADVD, AMST, APPI, ASHS, ASSC, POAP, POMI, WGSS.
POSC 3310. Racial and Ethnic Politics. (4 Credits)
This course provides an introduction to the major theoretical frameworks in the racial and ethnic politics literature. The class will help students better understand how incorporation, identity, and participation shape political identity in the US. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ADVD, AFAM, AMST, APPI, ASHS, ASSC, LALS, LASS, PJRC, PJST, PLUR, POAP.
POSC 3311. American Social Movements. (4 Credits)
A survey of American social movements. Students will be introduced to empirical and theoretical scholarship on movement mobilization and tactics, focusing on how movements address marginalization. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, ASHS, ASSC, POAP.
POSC 3312. Introduction to Environmental Politics. (4 Credits)
The goal of this methods-intensive lecture course is to provide students with a broad-based introduction to environmental politics and policymaking. From contaminated drinking water in Michigan and droughts in India to global climate change, issues in environmental governance affect the well-being of communities in the United States and around the world. We will focus on understanding questions of distributive politics, equity, and environmental justice in environmental policymaking and implementation. In doing so, we will take a comparative and global perspective to understanding environmental politics at the local, national, and international scales. While grounded in political science, we will take an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on environmental science, sociology, and economics. There are no formal pre-reqs to this course, which should be of broad interest to those considering careers related to environmental governance, domestically or abroad, and to any students interested in understanding the politics behind some of humanity’s greatest 21st century challenges. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ENMI, ENST, ENVS, ESEL, ESPL, INST, IPE, ISIN, PJEN, PJST, POCP, POIP, POMI.
POSC 3313. Political Psychology. (4 Credits)
This course draws from psychology and political science to explore the psychological sources of political behavior. The course has a lab fee that is used to conduct national survey experiments as part of the class projects. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, POAP, POMI.
POSC 3315. Political Participation. (4 Credits)
Studies the relation between participation, political effectiveness and American democracy. Analyzes who participates and how; who doesn't, and why. Examines political participation and questions of gender, race, education, class and ideology. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, ASHS, ASSC, POAP.
POSC 3316. Mass Media and American Politics. (4 Credits)
This course looks at the role that the mass media play in American Politics specially and democracy in general. Particular topics will include the evolution of media-governmental relationships, the impact of technological and economic forces on the media's role in politics, and the growth of government concern with media relations. We will also consider the impact of the media on the attitudes and behaviors of citizens, the public agenda and the policy making process. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ACUP, AMST, ASHS, ASSC, CMST, COMC, COMM, JOUR, POAP.
POSC 3319. Film and Politics. (4 Credits)
Views and analyzes films in class as a means of exploring the relationship between popular culture, political values/ideologies, and political socialization in American life. Also studies genre, filmmaking style and structure, and overt versus subtle messages to further examine film's point of view. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ACUP, AMST, ASHS, ASSC, POAP.
POSC 3321. American Public Policy. (4 Credits)
Analysis of the process of policy making at the national level, including the politics of selected policy issues. Students examine how some issues never make it to the public agenda and the forces that shape those that do. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, ASHS, ASSC, POAP.
POSC 3322. Disability Law, Policy, and Advocacy. (4 Credits)
This course challenges students to think critically and form their own opinions about the desirability or undesirability of various disability laws and policies. Students will propose their own model policies, choose between priority areas for disability rights advocacy, pick the most effective ways of achieving reforms, and identify the most persuasive arguments for doing so. Topics may include eugenics and immigration, guardianship, institutionalization, mass incarceration, school segregation, civil commitment, privacy, fat rights, medical research, disability affirmative action, conflicts and coalitions with other social movements and within the disability community, and COVID-19. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ADVD, AMST, APPI, ASHS, DISA, PJSJ, PJST.
POSC 3324. Politics of Immigration and Citizenship. (4 Credits)
This course takes a comparative approach to examine the politics of immigration worldwide. Students will gain a broad theoretical overview of the reasons for migration, immigration control policies, the incorporation of migrants in their host countries, and what the lives of immigrants look like. In addition, we will cover the contentious nature of immigration debates around the world. To this end, we will explore several different perspectives on the immigration debate. Historical and current debates on U.S. immigration policy will be examined. As a methods-intensive course, we will analyze very closely the methods used by scholars in the study of immigration. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, LALS, PLUR, POCP, POMI, URST, WGSS.
POSC 3326. Latino Politics. (4 Credits)
The class will cover the history and contemporary role of Latinos in the U.S. political system. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ADVD, AMST, APPI, ASHS, ASRP, ASSC, LAIN, LALS, LASS, PJSJ, PJST, POAP.
POSC 3327. Gender and Sexuality in US Politics. (4 Credits)
This course locates gender and sexuality central to the study of US politic, looking at how gender and sexuality shape opinion formation, candidacy, election outcomes, group identity formation, political interests, policy design, and political representation. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, PJGS, PJST, WGSS.
POSC 3404. American Political Thought. (4 Credits)
What does it mean to be an American? What are the principles of American politics? This course poses these questions to key figures in American political thought, including Jefferson, Hamilton, Madison, Tocqueville, Dubois, Goldman, Rawls, Strauss, and Connolly. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, ASHS, ASRP, ASSC, POPT.
POSC 3405. Radical and Conservative Thought. (4 Credits)
Some modern thinkers have advocated far reaching changes in the political and economic systems, notably the followers of Karl Marx in their pursuit of socialism, or, more radically, communism. Other political thinkers are defenders of classical ideals of liberty or of tradition. We shall read and discuss some key primary writings by thinkers advocating radical political change and by thoughtful defenders of tradition. Writers on the Left include Marx, Lenin, Trotsky and Marcuse. Those on the Right include Ortega y Gasset, Carl Schmitt, Oakeshott and Hayek. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attribute: ASSC.
POSC 3407. Late Modern Political Thought. (4 Credits)
Through the late 18th century and thereafter, friends and foes of classical liberalism attempted to think through, amend, or accommodate themselves to Rousseau's criticism of modern philosophy, political and science. This course studies those efforts through a reading of selected texts by such thinkers as Rousseau himself, Kant, Hegel, Marx and Nietzsche.Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
POSC 3408. The Civil Rights Movement and the Courts. (4 Credits)
This course will focus on the myriad ways the United States legal system both aided and hindered the advance of civil rights and equal opportunities for African Americans. The course will cover such topics as the constitutional origins of slavery; course decisions concerning slavery; the theory of states' rights; and Thurgood Marshall's career. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ADVD, AMST, APPI, ASHS, HUST, PJCJ, PJST, WGSS.
POSC 3411. Classical Political Thought. (4 Credits)
The politics of the Ancient World will be studies through the writings of Sophocles, Euripides, Plato, Aristotle and others in order to understand ideas of family, property, freedom, torture, truth, and the struggles for individual and collective power. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, CLAS, POPT.
POSC 3412. Modern Political Thought. (4 Credits)
Through selected readings of major political theorists, this course will examine the ideas of the individual, the state, and society, from the 16th through the 19th century. The course will trace the development of such theories as democracy, socialism, communism, and totalitarianism. Writers whose works will be examined include Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Wollstonecraft, Hegel, Marx, and Freud. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: APPI, ASHS, ASSC, POPT, WGSS.
POSC 3413. Contemporary Political Philosophy. (4 Credits)
This course considers contemporary answers to the perennial questions of political philosophy, including what is human nature? and what political principles accord with human nature? We read leading figures in liberalism (Rawls), conservativism (Strauss), civic republicanism (Arendt), communitarianism (Taylor), and postmodernism (Deleuze and Guattari, Connolly). Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, ASRP, ASSC, POPT.
POSC 3414. Politics, Nature, and History. (4 Credits)
Some thinkers have appealed to nature as a way of understanding the political community and its concerns. Others have claimed that history is far more important than human nature in understanding politics. We shall be looking at this debate as it unfolds in the writings fo political thinkers both in antiquity and in the modern era. We shall be discussing writings from such theorists as Aristotle, Augustine, Hobbes, Kant, Nietzsche, Freud, Skinner, and Heidegger. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, POPT.
POSC 3415. Politics, Reason, and Revelation. (4 Credits)
How do different prominent political thinkers, such as Augustine, Maimonides, Locke, Spinoza, and Mill view the compatibility of the demands of religion and the needs of political communities? Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: APPI, ASRP, ASSC, POPT.
POSC 3416. Liberalism and Its Critics. (4 Credits)
Modern liberal political thought, its intellectual roots and varieties; consideration of the best of liberalism's critics; examples will be drawn from philosophical, popular and public policy sources. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, ASSC, POPT.
POSC 3418. Islamic Political Thought. (4 Credits)
The relationship between religious authority and political legitimacy in the classical and modern Islamic worlds. Various ways Muslims over the past 1,400 years have thought about the proper distribution of power and authority in their societies. What is an "Islamic state," and has there ever actually been such a thing? How did classical Muslim thinkers deal with the disjunction between political reality and political ideals? How have Sunni and Shiite thinkers differed in their conceptions of proper government? How useful a concept is "Islamic fundamentalism," and how modern is it? Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AFAM, AFSS, AFST, ASSC, HPSE, HUST, INST, IPE, ISAC, ISAS, ISME, MEST, PJRJ, PJST, POPT, REST.
POSC 3419. Politics and (Science) Fiction. (4 Credits)
We shall be reading and discussing works of fiction, especially science fiction and fantasy, which center upon political themes and ideas. Such works will deal with modern political movements such as libertarianism, communism and fascism. Authors include, among others C.S. Lewis, R. Heinlein, A. Rand, G. Orwell, and N. Spinrad. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
POSC 3420. Women and Film. (4 Credits)
Students will examine the representation of women as subject of film and politics. Through texts placing women's history in context with emancipation in political life, students will view films which address these controversies. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, POPT, WGSS.
POSC 3421. Political Theory in Popular Culture. (4 Credits)
This course introduces students to political ideologies such as liberalism, conservatism, socialism, anarchism, nationalism, fascism, feminism, ecologism, and multiculturalism. The course then sees how these ideas express themselves in the Marvel Universe, including the comic books, movies and Netflix series. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, CCUS, COMC, COMM, POPT, REST.
POSC 3422. Politics of the Present. (4 Credits)
A survey of recent and contemporary political thought, focusing on 19th- and 20th-century writers. Readings will include Lenin, Goldman, Bernstein, Nietzsche, Freud, Michels, Weber, deBeauvior, Sartre, Camus, and Irigaray. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, INST, ISEU, POPT.
POSC 3424. Political Philosophy between Islam and the West. (4 Credits)
What exactly is Islamic about the texts and ideas understood to constitute Islamic political philosophy? And what is Western political philosophy supposed to be in relation to that canon? How did these categories come to be created and sustained, and where do the tensions lie in such designations? This course focuses on a pivotal period of dialogue and disagreement—both within Islamic discourses and between Islamic and Western thinkers—to study the historical contexts and permutations of these created categories. We will consider examples through the writings of Al-Farabi, Al-Ghazali, Ibn Rushd, and Ibn Khaldun, reading them alongside those of Aquinas, Dante, Machiavelli, and Spinoza. Through this study, we will explore the power dynamics of constructing Islamic and Western political philosophy, and some of the consequences of these differentiations in global politics today. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: GLBL, INST, ISAC, ISIN, ISME, MEST, MVST, PJRC, PJST, POPT, REST.
POSC 3425. LGBTQ Politics and Theory. (4 Credits)
This course aims to familiarize students with the core texts and key debates that have shaped lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer theory. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attribute: POPT.
POSC 3426. Sex Wars. (4 Credits)
Students will read the works of sex radicals in the 19th, 20th, and 21st century political thought. Beginning with key texts on slavery by L. Brent and F. Douglass, we will study ideas and concepts regarding power and resistance in the works of S. Freud, E. Goldman, S. de Beauvoir, L. Irigaray, J. Genet, J. Baldwin, V. Solanos, A. Davis, M. Foucault, and others in order to explore contemporary feminist, queer and transgender theories and politics.
Attributes: ADVD, AMST, APPI, ASHS, WGSS.
POSC 3427. Islam, Art, and Resistance. (4 Credits)
Art has had a fascinating and often contested relationship with politics in the Muslim world. At least as far back as the work of Mansūr Hallāj, Rumi, and Hafez, poets and others have used art to challenge and rethink the relationship between the state and the people in various Islamic societies. This course surveys both historical and contemporary manifestations of art as resistance in select Muslim-majority countries, from Iran and Turkey to Egypt and Tunisia. Our explorations, framed by political readings, will range from literature and film to music and visual arts, focusing on art as a medium for social transformation and dissidence against political regimes. Our aim will be to cultivate nuanced reflections on the relations among religion, culture, and politics. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AFAH, GLBL, INST, ISAC, ISME, MEST, PJSJ, POPT.
POSC 3429. Democratic Theory. (4 Credits)
This course studies theories of modern democracy, their historical antecedents, their foundational assumptions about power, human nature and identity, and areas of agreement and disagreement between them over key ideas such as rights, equality, citizenship, justice, and difference. It evaluates contemporary democratic practices in the "era of globalization" through the lens of each theory. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, INST, ISIN, POPT.
POSC 3430. Education Politics and Policy. (4 Credits)
Who decides what happens in the K-12 classroom? Who should decide? In this course, students examine how educational decision-making power is distributed on the global, national, state, local, and classroom levels. The course addresses such topics as education standards, school funding, classroom technology, and socio-emotional learning. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attribute: ASSC.
POSC 3436. Capitalism and Its Alternatives. (3 Credits)
What is the philosophical foundation of capitalism? What are the viable alternatives to capitalism? This course considers answers to these questions from the fields of economics, political theory, and humanistic management. Authors covered include Adam Smith, Milton Friedman, and FA Hayek.
POSC 3437. Democracy in a Global Context. (3 Credits)
How is it possible to move a country with a conservative culture and authoritarian politics in a more democratic direction? How can democratic intellectuals and activists in the United States, China, and India support each other? This course stages a conversation about democracy with Jane Addams, W.E.B. Du Bois, John Dewey, B.R. Ambedkar, Hu Shih, and Saidiya Hartman.
Attributes: EP3, POPT.
POSC 3456. Late Modern Political Thought. (4 Credits)
Through the late 18th century and thereafter, friends and foes of classical liberalism attempted to think through, amend, or accommodate themselves to Rousseau's criticism of modern philosophy, political and science. This course studies those efforts through a reading of selected texts by such thinkers as Rousseau himself, Kant, Hegel, Marx and Nietzsche. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, POPT.
POSC 3480. Islamic Culture and Politics in Spain. (4 Credits)
This course explores the fascinating relationship between Western and Islamic cultures in Spain. It is informed by three lenses: historical, cultural, and political. The first half begins with a study of the rise of Islamic and European identities, examining the fields of philosophy, literature, art, and architecture to trace how those identities interacted and formed over time. The second half will focus on the political dimensions of these interactions to consider questions of rulership, inclusion and exclusion, and possession of land. Students will have the opportunity to learn about these phenomena not only via readings and class discussions, but also immersion into the rich cultural sites of Granada and Córdoba to appreciate the impact of Islamic culture on al-Andalus and Spain more widely. Delving into politics, history, and art, our aim will be to uncover resources for conviviality and mutual learning in the present. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: GLBL, INST, ISAC, ISEU, ISIN, ISME, MEST, POPT, REST.
POSC 3502. UN and Political Leadership. (4 Credits)
In this summer course, diverse aspects of diplomacy, desicion-making and policitcal leadership at the United Nations will be reviewed, theory , research practice and eithical issues considered. Includes excercises, fieldwork, and visits to the U.N or diplomatic community. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
POSC 3507. International Human Rights. (4 Credits)
An examination of the international system for the protection of human rights: legal and political theory, cultural relativism, diplomatic protection and the concept of human rights law; legal instruments and institutions; substantive law. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, COLI, HPSE, HUST, INST, IPE, ISIN, POIP, URST.
POSC 3511. War and Peace. (4 Credits)
This course guides students in analyzing the causes, processes, and effects of political violence and efforts to mitigate and prevent political violence. Students are introduced to key theories of war and peace and will examine how political violence has changed over time in relation to technology, political economy, gender and racial identities, political institutions, and ethical and moral frameworks. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, HUST, INST, ISIN, PJCR, PJIN, PJST, PJWT, POIP.
POSC 3515. Revolution. (4 Credits)
An introduction to theories of revolution, and examination of classical and contemporary cases of revolution and a framework for considering the structure of revolution in the future. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attribute: ASSC.
Mutually Exclusive: POSC 4037.
POSC 3516. Conflict Analysis/Resolution. (4 Credits)
This course focuses on post-Cold War international conflict analysis as an instrument of peacemaking. We will analyze inter-state, internal, state-formation, and protracted social conflict and focus on the development of conflict analysis and resolution as an interdisciplinary component of international studies. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, HPSE, HUST, INST, IPE, IRST, ISIN, PJCP, PJCR, PJST, POIP.
POSC 3520. Mideast and the World. (4 Credits)
An introduction to the international politics of the Middle East and North Africa defined as the whole of the Arab world plus Israel, Turkey, Iran, and those states neighboring these countries that have influence on the region's external relations. Emphasis will be placed on the colonial and postcolonial periods with particular attention paid to the post-World War Two era. Competing theoretical approaches to the study of international politics will precede a more issue-based analysis of the key factors that animate the region's behavior in world affairs. Topics receiving in-depth treatment include: inter-state conflicts, oil politics, political system types and their relationship to international politics, the role of religion, terrorism, external actors influence on the region, United States foreign policy goals, instruments, and actions, among others. No prior background in Middle East studies is assumed. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AFAM, AFSS, AFST, COLI, GLBL, INST, IPE, ISIN, ISME, MEST, PJRC, PJST, POIP.
POSC 3521. Global Governance. (4 Credits)
International organizations play a pivotal role in global governance but there is still considerable debate about why these organizations exist, whether they matter in global politics, and whether they help or hinder international cooperation. Consequently, the goal of this course is to help students develop a broad understanding of global governance and the role international organizations play. We also spend time on the problems of international cooperation and the role of international institutions in the resolution of these issues. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, HPSE, HUST, INST, IPE, ISIN, POIP.
POSC 3522. United Nations. (4 Credits)
Structure and powers of contemporary international organizations; the role of the U.N., and regional organizations as related to war, peaceful change, and development. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AFAM, AFSS, AFST, ASSC, HPSE, HUST, INST, IPE, ISIN, PJCP, PJCR, PJIN, PJST, POIP.
POSC 3526. Democracy, Terrorism, and Modern Life. (4 Credits)
This course examines the requisites of democracy and modernity as ways of thinking and ways of life and the threat posed to them by terrorism. It asks, what is terrorism, why does it exist, how fundamental are the conflicts it is embedded in, how extensive a threat is it to the U.S. and others, and how can it be stopped? It analyzes the vulnerabilities (and considers the strengths) of modern, highly technological, media driven, highly integrated, international liberal social and economic regimes and the modern philosophical systems with regard to terrorism, and considers ways to mitigate points of danger. Finally, it considers the advantages of democracy and modernity in overcoming this threat. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, ASHS, ASSC, INST, ISIN, PJST, PJWT, POIP.
POSC 3527. United Nations Peace Operations. (4 Credits)
This course examines the challenges of contemporary peacekeeping, peace enforcement, and peacebuilding through the institution of UN peace operations. Students will explore the generational evolution of UN peace operations since 1945, and focus on key issues related to effective peacekeeping, peace enforcement, and peacebuilding, including sovereignty/non-interference; troop-contributing country interests and political will; civil-military interactions; civilian protection; mission mandates and rules of engagement; and regional as well as UN headquarters politics. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, ASSC, HPSE, HUST, INST, ISIN, PJCP, PJCR, PJST, POIP.
POSC 3530. U.S. Foreign Policy. (4 Credits)
This course will consider the goals and instruments of United States foreign policy, both in the security and economic realms, as well as through an historical context. Students will examine how foreign policy is made, contending explanations, as well as the main actors involved. Current issues and controversies will be used to test different theoretical approaches. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, ASHS, ASSC, HPSE, HUST, INST, IPE, ISIN, POIP.
POSC 3531. US Security Policy. (4 Credits)
This course analyzes US security policy, specifically including the topics of American military operations and policy, the increase in unconventional warfare, and the threats unique to the 21st century world. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, ASHS, INST, ISIN.
POSC 3532. The Development of Human Rights Law. (4 Credits)
Many of the most significant and concerning trends in international law and international relations today stem from fundamental questions and disputes about the nature of human rights. This course serves as an introduction to the law, theory, and practice of international human rights. Beginning with a consideration of the philosophical origins of the concept of human rights, the course will examine the historical development of notions of human rights and how those notions were operative in historical circumstances. Special attention will be paid to the Holocaust: its historical antecedents, Nazi policies and actions with regard to race, and lessons drawn by the international community from this tragic chapter in modern history. The course will also consider various mechanisms for the promotion, protection, and implementation of international human rights, including those of international organizations (such as the United Nations), regional institutions (such as the Organization of American States), and nongovernmental organizations (such as Human Rights Watch). Wherever possible, the discussion of international human rights law will relate to contemporary developments in human rights internationally, as well as within the United States. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: HUST, INST, ISIN, ISIP, PJSJ, PJST, POIP.
POSC 3534. The International Politics of Civilian Protection. (4 Credits)
This course engages students in the global politics of protecting vulnerable populations and the debates surrounding international practices and norms concerning civilian protection in times of conflict and humanitarian emergencies. We will explore the historical evolution of international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and refugee law in shaping the contemporary protection of civilians (POC) regime, as well as analyze the practices of global and local institutions as implementing actors. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, HUST, PJCR, PJST, POIP.
POSC 3535. Comparative Foreign Policy. (4 Credits)
This course focuses on the actors, processes, and outcomes of foreign policy across individual, state, and international levels of analysis. It covers interconnections among theories of international relations and theories of foreign policy around the globe. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: POCP, POIP.
POSC 3540. Politics of Cyberspace. (4 Credits)
Advancements in cyberspace and cyber technology have changed how nation states relate and interact with each other. Increasingly, states rely on cyberattacks against other states to achieve various geopolitical ends. The focus of this course is thus to examine how state-sponsored cyberattacks affect conflict and cooperation between states. Topics covered include how states, their adversaries, and non-state actors engage online, how political and economic factors influence cyber conflict propensity, and what strategies can be used to manage interstate cyber conflict. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, INST, ISIN, POIP.
POSC 3550. Decolonial Thought in Latin America. (4 Credits)
As a discipline and movement, “the decolonial” is an expansive terrain offering fertile ground for thinking through the social and political questions that haunt the 21st century. Adjacent to postcolonialism, decolonial political thought writ large is concerned with a critique of both the material and discursive formations that have shaped the modern world through centuries of colonization, enslavement, dispossession, and cultural erasure. Decoloniality in Latin America has been a particularly rich and influential source for problematizing the ramifications of this legacy. In this course, we will examine the histories of colonial violence and the multifarious ways in which those subjected to it have represented themselves in opposition. Core readings will include works by Bartolomé de las Casas, José Martí, José Carlos Mariátegui, Eduardo Galeano, Edward Said, Aníbal Quijano, Walter Mignolo, Enrique Dussel, and María Lugones. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: EP3, GLBL, PJRC, PJST, POPT.
POSC 3605. Comparative Democracy. (4 Credits)
An examination of current explanations of stable democracy and an attempt to apply them to small, fragmented democracies of Western Europe. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, GLBL, INST, IPE, ISEU, POCP.
POSC 3610. Political Economy of Development. (4 Credits)
This course provides an introduction to the politics and comparative study of international development, both human and economic. A central question will help organize the course: why have some countries developed successfully, while others have not? Whereas much of Western Europe, North America and East Asia have experienced economic development, much of Africa has not. Latin America, Eastern Europe and Eurasia are hybrids, with both pockets of success and failure. While defining what success or failure may mean in light of globalization, our collective focus will be on how best to understand such differences Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, ASHS, ASSC, GLBL, HPSE, HUST, INST, IPE, ISIE, ISIN, LALS, LASS, PJEC, PJST, POCP, POMI, SOIN, URST.
POSC 3613. Political Movements. (4 Credits)
Explores modern political resistance to established forms of power. Analyzes goals, programs, and ideologies of political movements. Whether they seek revolution or reform, political movements make urgent moral and political claims on society and can even transform social and political systems. This course evaluates such impact on society and the state. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, INST, ISIN, POCP.
POSC 3614. Political Institutions. (4 Credits)
Suppose for a moment that you are a political advisor to the United States government or a major Intergovernmental Organization (IGO) and your task is to come up with an ideal combination of political institutions for a new democracy. You are asked to choose among different types and combinations of institutional rules and practices - such as the organization and operation of the executive, the structure of the legislature, the type of electoral system, and the relationship between the central and local governments. Which political institutions would you recommend? Why? We will ask whether an optimal combination of political institutions exists by examining the effect of these institutions on a broad range of outcomes such as political inclusiveness, citizen participation, economic growth and income distribution, political conflict among the branches of government, proximity between government policy and voter preferences, public goods provision, political corruption, and others. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, ASHS, ASSC, INST, ISIN, POCP.
POSC 3616. Political Economy of Poverty. (4 Credits)
This course examines the causes of widespread poverty in the developing world from a political economy perspective. The aim is to understand the relationship between political, economic, and social phenomena in causing, perpetuating, and alleviating poverty across the globe. Course readings include classic texts in the field, policy strategies and debates, and case studies on Latin America, Middle East, South and East Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. Critical analysis of the issues and approaches is strongly encouraged. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, GLBL, HPSE, HUST, INST, IPE, ISIE, ISIN, LALS, LASS, PJEC, PJST, POIP, POMI, SOIN.
POSC 3620. British Government and Politics. (4 Credits)
The study of British politics aims to provide students with a basic knowledge and understanding of the workings of British government, the political process, the legal system, and political ideologies today. Key issues, including race and class, the role of social media, will be considered. The course will also help students understand key political events and actors from 1979 to the present. This will include the politics of the post-Brexit United Kingdom and the challenge of devolution in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales. Where appropriate, comparisons will be made with politics and government in the U.S. The course will include a visit to Parliament, preferably for "Prime Ministers Question Time.’’ When possible, guest speakers will be invited. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, INST, IPE, ISEU, POCP.
POSC 3621. European Politics. (4 Credits)
Introduction to the politics of contemporary Europe including analyses of political economy, democratic governance, and political integration. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, INST, IPE, IRST, ISEU, POCP.
POSC 3622. Politics of the European Union. (4 Credits)
The European Union (EU) embodies a unique political and economic partnership. With the total population of almost 500 million people, it is one of the largest economies in the world and a major trade partner with the United States. Furthermore, EU is an influential actor in world politics. How does EU work? What are the prospects for the expansion of the euro zone? How do citizens of EU affect policymaking processes at a supra-national level? This course will address these issues through the analysis of EU institutions, policies, and political processes. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, INST, IPE, IRST, ISEU, POCP, PPWD.
POSC 3624. The Qu'ran and Hadith in the Global Political Perspective. (4 Credits)
This course analyzes: the Qur'an as a Muslim common constitution and a sacred and historical book; Hadith (Sunnah) as a second source of Muslim faith and of Qur'an interpretation; the relationship between Christians, Jews and Muslims through Qur'an and Hadith; the misunderstanding of Qur'an and Sunnah in the terror era. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, INST, ISIN, ISME, MEST, REST.
POSC 3630. South Asian Politics. (4 Credits)
Analysis of politics in South Asian countries. Review of their history, political institutions, public policies, and foreign affairs. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, POCP.
POSC 3631. China and Russia in Comparative Perspective. (4 Credits)
This course provides a broad overview of political, socioeconomic, and cultural developments in contemporary China and Russia. Both countries have recently experienced streaks of positive economic growth and begun to reassert their political muscle in the international arena, as seen in China's vital role in US negotiations with North Korea and Russia's annexation of the Crimea and engagement in military operations in eastern Ukraine. The course places an analysis of current events in historical perspective, examining the emergence and development of the communist states, along with the introduction of market reforms and the persistence of state repression. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, CNST, GLBL, INST, ISAS, ISEU, ISIN, POCP.
POSC 3632. China and U.S. in Global Era. (4 Credits)
This course compares China and the U.S. with respect to political system, philosophy, and political economy. It includes lectures, discussion, joint Chinese-American student study projects, and field trips to important historic and contemporary Chinese political and cultural sites in southern China, and in Hong Kong and Macau. The class concludes with a discussion of the future of Chinese-American political and economic relations in the contemporary era of globalization. Fee Required. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ADVD, AMST, ASHS, ASSC, CNST, GLBL, INST, IPE, ISAS, ISIN, POCP.
POSC 3633. China and US-Global Era/Study Tour. (4 Credits)
This course compares China and the U.S. with respect to political system, culture, philosophy, and political economy. It includes a two-week study-abroad study tour and lectures, discussions, joint Chinese-American student study projects, and field trips to historic Chinese political and cultural sites in Beijing, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong. It also includes independent research and analysis in conjunction with the professor. Its goal is to enable students to better comprehend the future of evolving Chinese-American political and economic relations in the contemporary era of globalization. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ADVD, AMST, ASHS, GLBL, INST, ISAS, ISIN.
POSC 3634. The Great Law of China. (4 Credits)
Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: CNST, INST, ISAS.
POSC 3635. China, Japan, Korea, and the U.S. in the Global Era. (4 Credits)
This course is a study tour and independent study to familiarize students with the political systems and cultures of China, Japan, and Korea and the relations between these countries and with the United States.
Attributes: ASSC, INST, ISAS, ISIN.
POSC 3636. China and the Global Economy. (4 Credits)
The goal of this methods-intensive lecture course is to provide students with frameworks to understand China’s impacts on the global political economy, the ways in which China’s integration into the global economy has affected international politics, as well as how this integration has affected China’s political and economic development. We will pay particular attention to U.S.-China relations, especially the challenges China poses to U.S. policymakers as they craft trade, industrial, and monetary policies in the 2020s. We will draw on approaches from international relations, (international) political economy, and history. This is a methods-intensive course and students should have completed introductory coursework in political science or political economy. The course will be valuable to anyone with general interests in global economics, politics, or policymaking, as well as those seeking a more specific understanding of the implications of China’s economic rise for international economics and politics. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, CNST, INST, IPE, ISAS, ISIN, POCP, POIP, POMI.
Prerequisite: POSC 1100.
POSC 3637. Russian Foreign Policy. (4 Credits)
In this course, students explore the theoretical underpinnings and empirical applications of Russian foreign policy, from the collapse of the Soviet Union to the present period, with special attention dedicated to the ongoing war in Ukraine. As such, this is a course that examines the reemergence of a regional hegemon in a multipolar and multilateral world. Given the three decades under study, the subject matter will include studies in international relations, comparative politics, comparative historical analysis, and Russian sociopolitical history. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: POCP, POIP.
POSC 3641. Latin American Politics. (4 Credits)
The objective of this course is to provide a broad overview of the main questions on Latin American politics and society. We will explore issues such as inequality, violence, economic development, authoritarianism, race, social movements, and democratic transitions. We will further examine issues related to corruption, natural resources, populism, and migration. We will analyze the region as a whole, and use country cases to explore each theme. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ADVD, AMST, ASHS, ASSC, GLBL, INST, IPE, ISLA, LAIN, LALS, LASS, POCP.
POSC 3645. Politics of Immigration. (4 Credits)
The course examines the politics of contemporary immigration. Topics include the construction of citizen and alien, the (re)negotiation of immigrant sexuality and sexual identity, the racialization of naturalization, the family and immigration law, the formation of social movements around immigrant rights, and a comparative analysis of immigration policies in the U.S. and those in Europe. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ADVD, AMST, APPI, ASHS, ASSC, HPSE, HUST, INST, IRST, ISIN, ISLA, LALS, LASS, PJSJ, PJST, PLUR, POCP, URST, WGSS.
POSC 3651. Comparative Politics of the Middle East. (4 Credits)
An introduction to the comparative politics of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) viewed from the competing theoretical perspectives of political economy and political culture. Focus will be placed on identifying key conceptual and empirical variables that help explain the nature and behavior of MENA states in the modern period. Among the relevant issues to be discussed include political elites, ideologies, institutions, parties, civil society, democracy, authoritarianism, conflict, political economy, religion, women, and ethnic groups, among others. No prior background in Middle East studies is assumed. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, GLBL, HPSE, HUST, INST, IPE, ISME, MEST, OCHS, OCST, POCP.
POSC 3652. State-Society Relations in the Middle East. (4 Credits)
States and societies are never synonymous, and often find themselves at odds with one another. The countries of the Middle East are no stranger to such gulfs between “citizens” and “regime.” Here, individuals and groups use a range of formal and informal norms and practices to respond to the state. Everyday decisions such as what to wear, with whom to interact, or what jokes to tell can subtly undermine regime narratives. Under-the-table economic practices, such as clientelism and patronage, call into question the state’s ability to govern its citizens. And, in extreme situations, collective actions, such as protest or revolution, can threaten the foundations of the state itself. This course will pull together resources from such diverse fields as cultural studies, political economy, and political psychology to examine these processes of consent and dissent, and we will read in-depth qualitative studies as well as quantitative analyses from survey research. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: INST, ISME, MEST, POCP.
POSC 3653. Religion and Society in the Middle East. (4 Credits)
It can seem as though every conversation about the contemporary Middle East inevitably turns to questions of religion. Are Islam and democracy compatible? What are the sources of fundamentalism, and why do fundamentalists sometimes turn to violence and terrorism? Why do religion, politics, and conflict seem so intertwined in this region? A vast array of religious traditions have long histories in this part of the world, and religious narratives in the Middle East have been a force for violence and conflict, peace and economic well-being. This course will examine the deeply embedded role of religion in Middle Eastern societies, drawing on tools from such diverse disciplines as political science, psychology, sociology, and philosophy. Our goal will be to explore the ways in which religion has shaped, and been shaped by, the broader social and political realities of the Middle East over time. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, INST, ISME, MEST, POCP.
POSC 3800. Internship. (3 Credits)
Supervised placement for students interested in work experience.
Attribute: ASSC.
POSC 3915. International Political Economy. (4 Credits)
This course introduces various theoretical frameworks explaining the international political economy and examine topics including trade, monetary policy, exchange rates, finance, multinational corporations, international institutions, and economic development. There is a particular focus on the distribution of benefits within an increasingly globalized world, and the ways in which interest groups work to advance their favored economic policies within this system. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, ASHS, ASSC, INST, IPE, ISIE, ISIN, PJEC, PJST, POIP, URST.
POSC 3916. Understanding the Global Economy. (4 Credits)
The global economy impacts a child in Bangalore, a female factory worker in China, coffee farmers in Peru, as well as auto-workers in Detroit, MI as much as you. Although they are all connected, they experience the impact of global economy very differently. This course helps you get a better understanding of the basic elements that constitute the global economy. It connects theoretical material from a wide range of sources with case studies and the experience you will gather during your service learning activity (required). Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attribute: ASSC.
POSC 3999. Tutorial. (3 Credits)
Independent research and reading with supervision from a faculty member.
POSC 4001. Rhetorical Arts & Politics in the Ignatian Tradition: A London Study Tour. (4 Credits)
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the rhetorical arts as defined in the classical, Jesuit, and contemporary political traditions, with students developing and refining their rhetorical skills in an intensive one-week field experience in the dynamic context of contemporary London. The team-taught interdisciplinary seminar makes full use of the resources available to students at Fordham’s London Centre, with reading, writing, and discussion-based assignments linked to excursions grounded in London’s politics and culture, as well as daily practice in public speaking and eloquentia perfecta exercises and skill building techniques in the Ignatian tradition with pointed links to civic virtue. Preceding the study tour, during the spring semester, students engage in four two-hour preparatory seminars, with critical discussion, reading, and writing assignments relating to classical and contemporary rhetoric. The course satisfies the EP3 and ICC core requirements and is cross-listed as an elective for the political science major/minor. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ICC, POCP.
POSC 4002. Seminar: Global Migration. (4 Credits)
This class examines the global flow of people and the responses of local communities, states, and international institutions to this movement. First, we examine the development of contemporary patterns of migration: why do people move across international borders, and where do they go? Second, we examine how states attempt to control migration, either by facilitating or limiting it, and the consequences of these efforts. Third, we examine the interaction between immigrants and host populations around the world: how are immigrants received and integrated once they arrive? Fourth, what implications does migration have for economic development and security? Lastly, we consider the role of international institutions and the potential for greater global governance on migration. The movement of people around the world presents empirical phenomena that need to be explained. It also presents a multitude of normative, ethical, and moral questions about the rights of individuals, access to membership in political communities, and the meaning of citizenship. The class explores these empirical and normative questions in depth. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: INST, ISIN, POSM.
POSC 4010. Taming "Wicked Problems": Social Science Research and Solutions Lab. (4 Credits)
Public health and safety, education policy, gun control, workers’ rights, housing policy, environmental sustainability, infrastructure, digital privacy rights, civic engagement, energy policy, inequitable access to health care, and criminal justice reform: These issues lie at the heart of our communities, and tackling the challenges they represent requires us to abandon siloed thinking in favor of bringing multiple bodies of knowledge into the spaces where policy can be crafted to make people’s lives better and more fulfilling. This course centers on interdisciplinary approaches to the identification, analysis, and proposal of evidence-based policy solutions for complex social, environmental, and economic problems facing 21st-century communities (i.e., “wicked problems”). Students will enhance their competencies in conducting applied, policy-relevant, and participatory action research through Solutions Lab projects focusing on “wicked problems” and will be equipped with the normative, affective, and cognitive skills and tools to actively and effectively engage in data-informed action for community betterment and social justice. Course materials will cover the theoretical foundations, conceptual scaffolding, and methods for distilling specific, concrete problems from larger ethical, cultural, and moral debates—and identifying possible solutions to those problems. It will be conducted using a workshop format and will be informed by perspectives and methodologies derived from sociology, political science, public policy, history, social justice, development, and human rights. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, ASHS, ICC, PJCP, PJSJ, PJST, POIP.
POSC 4013. Religion and American Politics. (4 Credits)
This interdisciplinary seminar explores the nexus of religion and American public life. After treating topics related to electoral politics (e.g. canidate religion, voter religion, "value voters," religious rhetoric), students will then engage a series of "hot topics" that encompass ( and often combine) both religious and political discourse. The goal is to provide students with two alternative, yet complementary methods of analyzing the intersection of religion and American politics- one from a political science perspective and one from a theological perspective. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ACUP, AMCS, AMST, APPI, ASRP, ICC, IRST.
POSC 4015. American Economic Policymaking. (4 Credits)
This course surveys the major economic policies made by the U.S. government, political influences on economic policy making and the consequences of economic policy on politics. Some of the policies we will look at will include macroeconomic policy, fiscal and monetary policy, taxes, regulation and trade. Influences on economic policy making include the president, congress, interest groups and the public. We will also discuss the trade off between economic efficiency and equity. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, ICC, LPBC, LPGP, POAP, URST.
POSC 4020. Place, Space, and Immigrant Cities. (4 Credits)
This course will introduce students to the main issues and current debates on immigrant minorities in large urban areas. Due to their density, cities represent microcosms of interaction and identity formation among and between different minority and majority groups. This often manifests itself spatially, as certain neighborhoods become areas of residence and territorial concentration for immigrant minorities. In the process of settling, immigrants also start identifying strongly with their spaces of settlement. This course will trace the historical patterns of this process, as well as explore its contemporary manifestations, as cities are being rediscovered and "gentrified," rendering their neighborhoods into fierce battlegrounds of spatial contestation. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ICC, INST, ISIN, LALS, LASS, LPGP, PJRC, URST.
POSC 4022. Seminar: China in Global Affairs. (4 Credits)
From the trade war and territorial disputes to public health and climate change, China is often at the forefront of media headlines—and, increasingly, contentious policy debates. But what does China’s apparently inexorable rise, both economic and military, mean for the United States and the rest of the world? What does China want and what drives its behavior on the global stage? This course will situate China’s contemporary behavior in an understanding of the history of China’s foreign relations, its domestic politics, and an evolving international system. We will examine the changes and continuity in China’s foreign policy over time, and cover different facets of its international behavior—such as its economic model, use of military force and conflict, nationalism, overseas propaganda, and attitudes toward regime survival, national sovereignty, and human rights. We will also investigate the nature of China’s role in the international order, what it means to have global influence (or lack thereof), and extensively discuss the implications for U.S.-China relations. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, CNST, INST, IPE, ISAS, ISIN, PJSJ, PJST, POCP, POIP, POMI, POSC, POSM.
POSC 4025. Youth and Politics. (4 Credits)
Youth is widely regarded as the future of the nation and an agent of social change. How do young people participate in politics? What influences youth’s voting behavior and engagement in protest activity? What is the impact of family, schools, and social media on youth’s civic engagement? The course will address these issues from an interdisciplinary, cross-national perspective by drawing upon literature in anthropology, political science, psychology, and sociology and comparing youth experiences in the United States, East Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ACUP, AMST, APPI, ASHS, ICC, INST, ISIN, PJRC, PJST, POCP, URST.
POSC 4036. Human Nature After Darwin. (4 Credits)
This course enters contemporary theological, political and scientific debates about how to conceptualize human nature after Darwin. We read Epicures, Lucretius, Augustine, Aquinas, Darwin and contemporary theologians, political theorists and scientists. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: BEHR, ICC, THHC.
POSC 4037. Social Movements and Revolutions. (4 Credits)
Over the course of world history, various social movements were formed to challenge dominant power relations and bring about social change. Drawing upon literature in history, political science, and sociology, this course examines a wide range of challenger organizations and revolutions. In particular, this course discusses the development of several twenty-first century social movements and revolutions in the United States and abroad, including Black Lives Matter, the Occupy Wall Street, Otpor (Serbia), the Arab Spring (Middle East), Umbrella Revolution (Hong Kong), and EuroMaidan (Ukraine).
Attributes: ADVD, AMST, APPI, ASHS, ASRP, ICC, INST, ISIN, LALS, LASS, PJSJ, PJST, POCP.
Mutually Exclusive: POSC 3515.
POSC 4040. Seminar: Sustainable Development. (4 Credits)
The goal of this seminar is to provide students with an understanding of the major topics and issues facing countries as they try to protect the environment, formulate energy policies, and respond to climate change. We will take a global perspective and focus primarily on low- and middle-income countries—where these policy choices also must be balanced against competing imperatives of inclusive, rapid, and sustainable economic growth and development. Accordingly, we will work to understand the politics of environmental and energy policy as part of this larger push toward economic growth and development, with a goal of understanding when and how politics affect which policies are chosen, the trade-offs made between the economy and the environment, and the practical implications for environmental outcomes and people’s well-being. The main learning outcome for the course will be directed individual research, culminating in a presentation and policy paper. This will allow students to focus on and develop expertise in a sustainability topic of their choice while also honing research, presentation, and policy analysis skills.
Attributes: ENST, EPLE, ESEL, ESPL, INST, ISIN, POCP, POIP, POSM, PPWD.
Prerequisite: POSC 1100.
POSC 4055. What Is College For?. (4 Credits)
This course begins with a close reading of "The Idea of a University," John Henry Newman’s classic account of the purposes of higher education, and an introduction to philosophy and theology. Next, the course will cover the history of American higher education and Catholic higher education in particular. We will study the origins of liberal arts colleges, the emergence of land grant and research universities, the growth and popularization of American higher education after World War II, and the current education landscape, including community colleges and online options. The course will consider such questions as the role of theology in the core curricula at contemporary Catholic universities, Jesuit values and U.S. News and World Report values, the Catholic preferential option for the poor and the student body at Catholic colleges, and the relationship between Catholic colleges and the surrounding communities. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ADVD, AMST, ASHS, ICC.
POSC 4125. Seeing Like a State: Surveillance, Security, and Privacy. (4 Credits)
This course introduces students to the politics of surveillance and privacy in contemporary democracies, particularly the United States. It takes an interdisciplinary approach to exploring the causes and effects of surveillance by blending scholarship and methods from anthropology, critical science studies, feminist studies, literature, queer theory, political science, sociology, and television studies to explore four interrelated questions. First, why do states surveille? Are there forms of surveillance that are acceptable and useful; what forms of surveillance pose risks to reasonable expectations of privacy? Second, who has privacy in democracy; who is subject to surveillance? Third, how might individuals resist privacy incursions and to what extent are these efforts successful? Finally, what are historic and contemporary forms of surveillance? Examples include branding, runaway slave notices, lantern laws, surveillance advertising, labor surveillance, biometric tracking, location services, blood screening, cameras in public space, administrative records, and security practices. The second part of this course explores ways to address surveillance through literature and popular media produced to question, challenge, or maintain surveillance practices, specifically George Orwell’s 1984 and the MTV inaugural reality TV show, The Real World. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ICC, WGSS.
POSC 4210. Seminar: State, Family, and Society. (4 Credits)
This seminar will examine the relationship between political systems and the family by exploring the connection between varying philosophical/ideological perspectives on state intervention in the family. Public policy issues to be discussed will include marriage and divorce, adoption and foster care, child care, family and child autonomy and child and domestic abuse. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ACUP, AMST, APPI, ASHS, EP4, PJRC, PJST, POAP, POSM, VAL, WGSS.
POSC 4215. Seminar: Presidential Elections. (4 Credits)
The course will analyze the dynamics of presidential elections, including pre-nomination stage, nominations, campaigns, and voting behavior. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, ASHS, POAP, POSM.
POSC 4216. Seminar: Campaigns and Elections. (4 Credits)
The primary goal of this course is to provide an introduction to the major theoretical frameworks on campaigns, elections, and parties in the U.S. to better understand how incorporation and participation shape the multifaceted political identities of citizens and residents in the U.S. This course will largely push students to solidify and clarify their understanding of incorporation, democracy, inclusion, and rights at this particular historical moment, more specifically in relation to partisan and racial group identity in the U.S., incorporation of underrepresented groups over time, and the future of representation of all groups, both descriptive and substantive. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, ASHS, POSM.
Prerequisite: POSC 1100.
Mutually Exclusive: POSC 3301.
POSC 4240. Seminar: Black Ethnic Politics. (4 Credits)
The course examines how incorporation, concepts of identity, and participation shape the multifaceted political identities of blacks currently residing in NYC and in the U.S. more broadly. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attribute: POSM.
POSC 4260. Seminar: Sex and Sexuality in U.S Politics. (4 Credits)
This seminar examines the history of activism and political organizing by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the United States between 1950 and 2012. Using an interdisciplinary approach—across gender and sexuality studies, queer theory, critical race theory, political science, and history—we will explore: 1) the ways that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender identities have been constructed in the context of U.S. politics and 2) how lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and "LGBT" political interests achieve their meaning and are co-constituted by their intersections with other axes of identity, such as race, ethnicity, class, nation, and ability. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ADVD, AMST, APPI, ASHS, ASSC, POSM, WGSS.
Prerequisite: POSC 1100.
POSC 4302. Seminar: Political Masculinity. (4 Credits)
In this course, students analyze the role that masculinity plays in politics, especially American politics. The tradition of masculine leadership and power dates back to ancient Greece and continues to modern politics, taking center stage in the 2016 election and beyond. This seminar will investigate what masculinity means and how it affects politics, both on the level of candidates and officeholders and on the level of individual citizens and voters. The class will also consider the question of whether a primarily masculine system is the most desirable option in this day and age and what, if any, options are available. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: POAP, POSM.
POSC 4305. Seminar: American Politics Research. (4 Credits)
This course allows students to do their own research on topics in American politics through analysis of American political institutions, voter behavior, and political development. The course provides assessment of the main methodological approaches political scientists rely on in engaging in research, and will provide them the opportunity to focus on the practical side of political science research. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, ASHS, EP3, POAP, POSM.
POSC 4315. Seminar: Polarization in American Politics. (4 Credits)
This course will examine the causes and consequences of partisan polarization in American politics. Topics to be covered include polarization in Congress, are ordinary citizens polarized, the role of religion, class and race in fueling partisan polarization on the policy making process. Since this is a seminar students are expected to be able to work and the impact independently by carrying out an extensive research project addressing some aspect polarization. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: AMST, APPI, ASHS, POAP, POSM.
POSC 4400. Seminar: Global Justice. (4 Credits)
What is global justice and how can we achieve it? This course considers answers to this question from Enlightenment philosophers,and contemporary liberals, cosmopolitans, feminists, neoliberals, realists, Muslims, and Buddhists. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: EP4, HPSE, HUST, INST, IPE, ISIN, LALS, LASS, PJCP, PJCR, PJST, POPT, POSM, URST, VAL.
POSC 4401. Seminar: Urban Politics. (4 Credits)
In this seminar, students evaluate cities, politics, transportation, and governance. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attribute: POSM.
Prerequisite: POSC 1100.
POSC 4420. Seminar: Nationalism and Democracy. (4 Credits)
An examination of nationalism with particular attention to its effects on democratic principles and practices and its intersection with identity. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: POPT, POSM, WGSS.
POSC 4425. Seminar: Contemporary Politics and Cultures in the Islamic World. (4 Credits)
This research seminar explores political life across the contemporary Islamic world through an examination of social movements, conflicts, and shifting political cultures. The geographical and cultural terrain of the course will range from North Africa to South Asia, focusing on legacies of colonialism and imperialism as well as responses to these phenomena from the mid-20th century onward. In keeping with approaches in political theory and comparative politics, topics will include: culture, institutions, political order, resistance and revolution, transnational influences on domestic politics, as well as authoritarianism and democracy. In particular, we will end the course by comparing political systems and the cultural resources available to political actors and ordinary people to better understand struggles for democracy before and after the Arab Spring. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: INST, ISAC, ISME, ISTP, MEST, POCP, POSM.
POSC 4515. Seminar: International Politics of Peace. (4 Credits)
Students in this course will integrate informed analysis and reflection to critique, orally debate, and articulate in writing their ideas regarding how actors in international politics can nurture, envision, (re)build, manage, enhance, and enforce "peace" in contemporary international politics. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: EP4, HPSE, HUST, INST, IPE, ISIN, PJCP, PJCR, PJIN, PJST, POIP, POSM, VAL.
POSC 4526. Seminar: The Politics of Humanitarian Intervention. (4 Credits)
Political decisions about when, how, and whether to intervene in other countries’ affairs have been framed in humanitarian terms. The course provides students with an overview of the politics of humanitarian intervention and asks them to consider a variety of perspectives on the feasibility, effectiveness, ethics, and altruism of protecting civilians with force. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: HPSE, HUST, INST, ISIN, PJCR, PJST, POSM.
POSC 4535. Seminar: Post-Cold War Human Rights and Protection Architecture. (4 Credits)
This seminar will explore the politics surrounding the unprecedented growth, development and advancement of the global human rights regime and protection of civilians architecture following the demise of the Cold War. The context of the emerging global governance order at the end of the 20th century will form the backdrop for the study of this transformation, and students will analyze the normative, political and peace and conflict dynamics that precipitated and informed its growth and development as well as develop a mastery of the theory and practice of international human rights and civilian protection. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: INST, ISIN, POSM.
POSC 4545. Seminar: Russian Politics and Society. (4 Credits)
As a successor to the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation is one of the largest and most powerful countries in the world. The course will provide an overview of Russian history, politics, and society. The course will begin by examining the rise and the fall of the Soviet Union. Next, the course will examine Russian politics from the early 1990s to the present day. The course will conclude with a discussion of Russian foreign policy and US-Russian relations. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, GLBL, INST, ISAS, ISEU, POCP, POSM.
POSC 4547. Seminar: War, Peace, Law, and the United Nations Security Council. (4 Credits)
This class investigates the fundamental contradictions of international law, the fluctuating dynamics of great power politics, and the possibilities for international cooperation through deep study of the United Nations Security Council and its role maintaining international peace and security. Students will read cutting-edge scholarship and policy work in global governance, conflict management, and international relations, alongside archival documents from the U.N.’s records and historical accounts of the UNSC’s origins and work, and they will learn the basics of qualitative and archival research via study of the UNSC’s extensive dossier of primary documents on war, peace, and conflict resolution. Students should leave this class with a sophisticated understanding of the work and future of UNSC, and with a clear understanding of how qualitative researchers ask and answer questions about complicated, messy, and highly contingent political processes. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: POIP, POSM.
Prerequisite: POSC 2501.
POSC 4605. Political Violence. (4 Credits)
This course explores the main debates on the causes and consequences of political violence. We will explore timely questions in political science, such as: Why do individuals engage in violence? What causes civil wars? Why do rebel groups and government forces engage in violence against civilians? What explains the use of sexual violence in civil wars? What explains terrorism? What causes one-sided violence? And is criminal violence political? We will explore the debates in the field of international relations regarding the nature and causal factors behind these types of violence, aiming to understand how to prevent or address them. This course is writing- and research-intensive with the goal of developing these skills. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: LALS, POCP.
Prerequisite: POSC 1100.
POSC 4620. Seminar: The World of Democracy. (4 Credits)
This course studies democracies across of the globe. It analyzes the meaning of democracy in different cultures and theories, and compares political systems, including democratic nations that aspire to democracy. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: EP4, INST, ISAF, ISAS, ISEU, ISIN, ISLA, ISME, PJCR, PJST, POCP, POSM, VAL.
POSC 4800. Internship. (1 to 4 Credits)
Analysis and discussion of selected topics and problems in political economy. Provides students the opportunity to work on guided research projects tailored to the student's interests and the course's objectives.
POSC 4821. Careers in Political Science. (4 Credits)
This course will discuss different types of careers in political science. Political science majors pursue careers in a variety of fields, including law, business, foreign affairs, public administration, campaign management, journalism, and nonprofit organizations. Students enrolled in the course will reflect upon their internship experience and complete written assignments on the topic. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
POSC 4881. Seminar: Supreme Court. (4 Credits)
This course will delve into the members, practices, and rulings of the U.S. Supreme Court, past and present. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attribute: POSM.
POSC 4900. Seminar: Democracy, Development, and the Global Economy. (4 Credits)
This course seeks to understand, analyze, and critique both liberalism and its alternatives. Specifically, we will explore how democracies and nondemocracies integrate into the global economy and how, in turn, the global economy impacts state politics, poverty, and prosperity. The goal of the course is to critically and scientifically assess the significance and success of diverse domestic political institutions and policies in advancing human welfare in our current era of economic interdependence. The course is structured to first cover the fundamental structures and values of democratic and undemocratic political institutions, liberal and state capitalist market models, and various economic development theories.Then, in the second part of the course, we will critically evaluate and discuss the complex relationships between these phenomena (democracy, development, and the global economy), focusing on the capacity, sustainability, and success of liberal goals and organizational structures in advancing the human condition. This is an advanced writing, research, and discussion based course for students interested in international political economy, international development, and/or comparative politics. We will dedicate substantial class time to research design and methodology, including case study analysis. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: EP4, INST, IPE, ISIN, PJEC, PJST, POSM, VAL.
POSC 4999. Tutorial. (4 Credits)
Independent research and reading with supervision from a faculty member.
POSC 5100. American Political Behavior. (3 Credits)
The nature and sources of mass political behavior, with a focus on questions of mass-elite linkages derived from democratic theory; political attitudes, their origin and measurement; mass participation—electoral and non-electoral—and its systemic consequences.
Attributes: AMST, ASHS, DATA, PMMA.
POSC 5130. Political Institutions and Processes. (3 Credits)
Legistlative, executive, and judicial powers. The formation and implementation of public policy. Institutional norms and behavior in American national government.
Attribute: DATA.
POSC 5140. Themes in Urban Public Policy and Power. (3 Credits)
This course surveys a series of issues and ideas in urban public policy in order to understand why urban actors compete, what power means to them, and what sorts of dynamic policy issues they confront.
Attributes: HECS, PMMA, PSIC, URSG.
POSC 5238. Strategies of Political Communication. (3 to 4 Credits)
How to build campaign messages based on an understanding of vote determinants, research tools, and candidate psychology.
Attribute: PMMA.
POSC 5240. Fundamentals of Political Campaign Management. (3 Credits)
Will introduce the basic elements of political campaign management, focusing on the role and the responsibilities of the modern campaign manager at all levels of campaigns; local, congressional, statewide, and national.
POSC 5243. Campaign Finance and Ethics. (3 or 4 Credits)
Designed to introduce students to the current campaign finance laws that regulate elections for federal and non-federal political candidates.
Attributes: CEED, CENS.
POSC 5244. Elections and Campaign Management Internship. (3 Credits)
A professional-level internship in a political consulting firm or campaign organization, which will give students direct, practical experience and where they can apply what they have learned in classes to a real world setting.
POSC 5245. Political Communications: Earned Media In the Age of Digital and Social Media Boom. (3 Credits)
This course will explore how campaigns develop strategies to attract media attention, publicity, and news coverage. Topics include speechwriting, press releases, press conferences, and social media communications.
Attribute: PMMA.
POSC 5246. Technology and Campaigns. (3 Credits)
This course will explore the use of modern technology in campaigns. Students will learn how to capitalize on developments in technology and new media for electioneering purposes to target, mobilize and persuade voters. Students will also learn how to use campaign management software, database management and GIS mapping technologies, to execute effective campaigns.
Attribute: PMMA.
POSC 5247. Data Analytics for Political Campaigns. (1 Credit)
This course will explore how campaigns can use data analytics to target and deliver voter appeals and mobilization efforts. Topics include: micro-targeting, data analysis, polling research and quantitative analysis.
Attribute: PMMA.
POSC 5250. Introduction to Quantitative Analysis. (3 Credits)
An introduction to the major theoretical frameworks of quantitative research. This course will give students first-hand experience at the fundamentals of research design and quantitative methodologies used in American political science.
POSC 5251. Political Survey Research. (3 Credits)
This class is designed to take students through the entire process of conducting both telephone and Internet public opinion surveys, with a specific look at political polling method. It applies academic and practical research to teach question writing and selection, survey construction, managing and fielding questionnaires, and analyzing and writing about data. Its goal is to provide students with a working knowledge of how to conduct and analyze their own surveys as well as how to evaluate others’ surveys.
Attributes: DATA, PMMA.
POSC 5255. Public Opinion Certificate Practicum. (3 Credits)
This course will take students through the process of designing, implementing, and analyzing an actual public opinion survey. Students will be responsible for managing every aspect of the Fordham American Faith (FAF) survey, gaining vital experience in hands-on survey work.
Attribute: PMMA.
Prerequisites: POSC 5251 and POSC 5250.
Corequisite: POSC 5257.
POSC 5257. Survey Research Data Analysis. (3 Credits)
This course will focus on topics in and application of survey data analysis, particularly on interpretation and presentation of survey results. Students will learn to construct and use survey weights, to employ scaling of survey items, to use static to makes conclusions regarding pre-state hypotheses. There will be an emphasis on visual presentation of descriptive statistics and the results of statistical models. Furthermore, the course will cover linear and logistic regression analysis.
Prerequisite: POSC 5250.
POSC 5299. Special Topics: Campaigns. (3 Credits)
This is the capstone course for the M.A. in Elections and Campaign Management. Students, in groups, design campaign plans from start to finish. It is restricted to students in the M.A. program.
POSC 5301. Modern Political Thought. (3 to 4 Credits)
This course considers the relationship between religion and politics by reading Euro-American political thinkers such as Spinoza, Leibniz, Kant, Hume, and Locke. We also consider how post-Enlightenment philosophers—such as Michel Foucault, Jürgen Habermas, Tariq Ramadan, and Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na‘im—address the Islamic revival.
Attributes: CEED, CENS, PSIC.
POSC 5500. Comparative Pol Analysis. (3 Credits)
Problems of stability and change in the First, Second, and Third Worlds are examined with relation to socioeconomic factors that affect, and are affected by, institutions, processes, and policies.
Attributes: CENS, GSSC, INST, IPED, PSIC, URSG.
POSC 5550. International Migration Policy. (3 Credits)
This class examines the global flow of people and the responses of local communities, states, and international institutions to this movement. First, we examine the development of contemporary patterns of migration: Why do people move across international borders, and where do they go? Second, we examine how states attempt to control migration, either by facilitating or limiting it, and the consequences of these efforts. Third, we examine the interaction between immigrants and host populations around the world: How are immigrants received and integrated once they arrive? Fourth, what implications do migration have for economic development and security? Lastly, we consider the role of international institutions and the potential for greater global governance on migration.
Attribute: IPED.
POSC 5560. Conflict Resolution. (3 Credits)
This course will focus on the nature of international and regional conflict during the post-Cold War period in terms of both current theory and the reality of recent conflict situations. Topics will include: analysis of the causes of contemporary conflicts; assessment of current international, regional and national approaches to conflict resolution; psychological implications of civil and ethnic conflicts; challenges of multiparty international mediation; and consideration of the role played by international, regional and community level institutions in addressing conflict situations. Particular emphasis will be placed on what theories and ideas actually work when put in to practice.
Attributes: CEED, CENS, GSSE, INST, IPED, IRST, PSIC, PSJH.
POSC 5600. Analysis of Int'l Pol. (3 Credits)
Designed to stimulate and clarify our theorizing about foreign policy and global politics; also it presents a critical overview of many of the key perspectives and problems that characterize such analysis.
Attributes: GSSC, INST, IPED, PSIC.
POSC 6520. International Business and Governments. (3 Credits)
Overview of the major principles, theories and issues regarding the role of contemporary international business within an interdependent world political economy. Course topics include corporate strategy, identity, governmental policies, diplomacy, foreign policy, ethics, meida, entrepreneurship, and trade. Specific case-study materials will be used to supplement academic literature.
POSC 6530. Political Economy of Development. (3 Credits)
This course provides an introduction to the politics and comparative study of international development, both human and economic. A central question will help organize the course: why have some countries developed successfully, while others have not? Whereas much of Western Europe, North America and East Asia have experienced economic development, much of Africa has not. Latin America, Eastern Europe and Eurasia are hybrids, with both pockets of success and failure. While defining what success or failure may mean in light of globalization, our collective focus will be on how best to understand such differences.s.
Attributes: GSSE, HULI, IPED, PSIC, URSG.
POSC 6552. Political Economy of the Middle East. (3 Credits)
Comparative analysis of Middle Eastern actors, institutions, and processes since World War II, paying special attention to the role of international forces in shaping national development and to the role of the Middle East as a major international actor and arena.
Attributes: IPED, MEST, PSIC.
POSC 6640. Pol of Global Econ Rel. (3 Credits)
Implications of growing intertwinement of foreign and domestic policies, economic and political aspects of international relations. Special attention to the growth of dependency and interdependence, importance of transnational actors (such as multinational corporations), and distribution of benefits and influence between poor and rich areas in the international order.
Attributes: ABGS, CEED, CENS, GSSE, IPED, PSIC.
POSC 6991. Political Risk Analysis. (3 Credits)
This course is primarily a research/writing course that culminates in an original paper where you will be required to analyze the political risks associated with a country of your choosing. While there will be only a minimal number of lectures, the instructor will serve as your individual mentor as you develop and present your paper. As part of the process of writing this paper, you will study methods used to assess and manage the political risks associatedwith foreign investment and international business; learn how to assess the domestic political climate of a country by examining factors such as the levelsof political violence, the stability of the government, and the existence of political democracy, and make an overall assessment of a country's economic climate by evaluating key macroeconomic indicators. You will also learn the importance of studying foreign relations of a country in order to evaluate the likelihood of any conflict it might have with its neighbors.
POSC 8998. Gbvt and Pgl of North Africa. (3 Credits)
This course is an independent study for IUDC Consortium students from member schools. The course addresses the political systems of the North African Region.
POSC 8999. Independent Study. (1 to 4 Credits)