POLS - Political Science

This course is an introduction to the various aspects of politics and political life.  Students will learn about ideologies, political systems, types of political participation, current policy issues, and managing conflict.  In addition, students will experience various ways to become more civically engaged within their communities.

This course provides students the opportunity to study topics in political science and related areas such as public administration. Subject matter will vary.

A comprehensive survey of the basic premises, permanent institutions and policy making processes of the American national government is presented.

IAI: S5 900

A review of the institutions, functions and operations of state and local government, this class takes a comparative approach, examining the similarities and differences of political institutions in the 50 states.

IAI: S5 902

This course will introduce students to the research methods used in political science, including research design, quantitative methods, and qualitative methods. Students will also learn to conduct research.

This course examines the history of nonviolent political action, its theoretical foundations, and various contemporary case studies. Students will read original works of political activists, examine the tactics of nonviolent political action, and analyze the effectiveness and outcomes of these tactics through the examination of various case studies.

This course provides students the opportunity to study advanced topics in political science and related areas such as public administration and applied sociology. Subject matter will vary.

The course explores the causes, political responses, and consequences of political scandals, with a focus on those that have occurred in the American political system. Students will learn to explain scandal from various theoretical perspectives and analyze several different types of scandals using these theoretical tools in an attempt to understand their effects on the political system.

This course analyzes the politics of the U.K., Germany, France, Japan, China, Mexico, Russia, Nigeria, India, and Iran, among others.  In the course, students compare democracies, dictatorships, the role of religion in politics, and economic development across countries.

IAI: S5 905

Participation in competitive forensics allows students to apply the legal concepts learned in the classroom in actual trial competition. Students explore the theory underlying the preparation and presentation of a jury trial; oral and written advocacy skills; jury selection; opening statements; witness examination; closing arguments and the use of physical and demonstrative evidence for litigation. This course may be repeated for credit. No prerequisites.

Participation in mediation helps undergraduate students understand the value of resolving disputes through mediation (peacemaking) so that they can apply these principles and methods to their personal and professional lives. This course will teach students about mediation and advocacy, and how to use the various tools and skills through class simulations, practices, assignments, and exams. Professional, ethical, and collegial behavior is expected at all times.

This course provides students with a hands-on exploration of the organization and activities of the United Nations and an in-depth understanding of modern diplomacy. Students will learn about the UN's creation and development, the basics of international law, current events and major international issues related to the UN. Students will acquire practical skills in the procedures of diplomacy while developing their public speaking, writing, and research skills in preparation for participation in the National Model United Nations Conference. The course will be offered fall semesters to coincide with the American Model United Nations International Conference (www.amun.org), which takes place at the end of November every year in Chicago, IL.

As a continuation of POLS 32700 Mediation I, this class reinforces a variety of techniques, theories, and frameworks for analyzing and resolving conflict.  Students will understand the procedure from conflict analysis to exploring techniques, process models, and third-party roles to constructively intervene in conflict.  Because this class emphasizes building conflict resolution skills and abilities, a significant portion of the class will be experientially based.  Much of the pedagogical experience will involve engaging in simulated conflict scenarios and subsequent reflection.  Students will demonstrate proficiency in mediation through community engagement, specifically training and mentoring youth, and passing a certification examination.  Professional, ethical, and collegial behavior is always expected.

As the two most populous countries of North America with a shared border that is almost 2000 miles long, the United States and Mexico have a relationship that is among the most important for both countries. This course will explore the key historical events that have shaped the U.S.-Mexico relations, the politics of trade, migration and narco-trafficking between the two countries, and other facets of U.S.-Mexico relations.

Students will examine the evolution of world political systems and the various methods of analysis used in international relations. In addition to examining the forces and actors that influence world politics, students will look at the prominent issues in international politics, such as national and international security, weapons proliferation, political economy, human rights, and the global environment.

IAI: S5 904

This course will discuss the history and theoretical foundations of human rights, addressing the various types of political, economic, social, and group rights.  Students examine the challenges of enforcing international human rights and how intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations respond to human rights violations.

This course examines the origins of political violence. Through numerous case studies, students will be introduced to theories that seek to explain revolutions, revolutionary movements, civil war, ethnic conflict and terrorism.

This course provides an introduction to contemporary Latin American political institutions, processes and problems. It will focus on economic policy and development, regional integration, democracy, and US-Latin American relations.

This course examines the forces that shape United States foreign policy, including interest groups, the Constitution, and Congress. Issues of current importance, such as terrorism, the threat of nuclear weapons, and the changing goals of foreign policy, are examined.

Students study current issues in international law, international relations, foreign affairs, governments, regions and political geography.

This course is an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of international political economy.  Students analyze several key topics in the field related to poverty, development, international trade, and international institutions.

This course is organized around the three components of political parties: parties as organizations, parties in the electorate, and parties in government.  The formation and evolution of interest groups is also covered, as well as their attempts to influence the policy-making process through tactics such as lobbying and electioneering.

The course analyzes how individuals are politically socialized and form their political attitudes, as well as how they participate in the political process through voting and other methods of civic engagement.  The course also covers how public opinion and participation are measured through the survey process.

An analysis of the structure, organization, and operation of the American legislative branch.  Special attention is paid to the behavior of members of Congress, policy-making, and relationships with the other branches of government.

An examination of the powers and responsibilities of the executive branch, this course offers an analysis of the relationship of the presidency to the Congress and the Supreme Court, as well as the relationship to the forces in the private sector that influence the development of the presidency. The way the office is shaped by individual presidents is also studied.

This course analyzes the role of campaigns and elections in the American political system at the national, state, and local levels.  The course covers issues such as campaign strategy, campaign finance, advertising, canvassing, voter targeting, and surveying.  In addition, it identifies and assesses the roles of parties, interest groups, and the media.  Finally, significant time is spent on the behavior of citizens in the elections, such as turnout and vote choices.

This course examines various contemporary national or international political issues that have recently become great public concerns.

This course is a weekly seminar for students interested in applying to law school.  Students will learn about the legal profession and its various fields, the writing style required, the process of preparing for the LSAT, and how to apply to law school.

This course examines the history of political thought from the ancient Greeks through Machiavelli. Students will learn various political theorists' understanding of the world and human behavior, the political crises they addressed, and their proposed solutions for these crises.

This course is a continuation of POLS 36100. Students will examine various political theorists from the modern Western period to the 21st century, such as Hobbes, Locke, Marx, Mill and John Rawls.

This course examines the ideas and people who have helped shape American political thought from colonial times to the present. Students will examine various writers who discuss the themes of democracy, liberty, equality, rights, and the role of government.

This course examines various ideologies that have impacted world politics, including liberalism, conservatism, socialism, fascism, and ideologies of liberation. Students will compare and contrast these ideologies in terms of their approaches to democracy.

This course examines the development of feminist political theory beginning with the suffragist movement to the late twentieth century contributions of liberal, radical, socialist and post-modern feminists. In addition to studying changes in the perception of women, this course examines how women are involved in politics and how politics impacts their political, social, economic, and personal lives. This course is an elective in the Women's Studies Minor.

This course explores non-Western approaches to politics, exploring African, Latin American, Islamic, Confucian, and Hindu political thought and texts.  Students will learn about how non-Western societies approach human nature, politics, and justice.

Students study the theory of constitutionalism, the federal system, judicial review, the nature of legislative power, the Commerce Clause, federal regulatory power, executive power and constitutional construction.

This course examines various civil liberties through a review of U.S. Supreme Court cases and the evolving interpretations of the freedom of religion, speech, press, and assembly, and the right to privacy.

This course analyzes the ways the mass media influences political knowledge, public opinion, and elections in the U.S.  The course covers the purpose and context of the American media, including issues like freedom of the press, regulation, and ownership. The news-making process and the impact of technological advancement are also covered.

This course explores what constitutes public policy, how it is determined, factors influencing the determination of public policy, means of implementation, reaction and modification of public policy, and evaluation of the effectiveness of policies.

This course analyzes various policy issues in detail in terms of the policy-making process: agenda setting, policy formation, implementation, and evaluation. In addition to examining the key actors and institutions, students explore the political factors and policy problems that affect each stage of the policy-making process. Policy topics may include social welfare programs, drug control policy and gun control policy.  This course fulfills the Advanced Writing requirement in the major.

This course begins with an analysis of environmental decision making from both the institutional and behavioral perspective. We study the role that the public, media, political parties, interest groups, executive branch, congress, and the courts play in environmental politics. We move to a more focused perspective - environmental policy - by examining various environmental policies through case studies. We touch briefly on environmental law and specific environmental acts. Lastly, we examine debates on current controversial environmental issues.

Work in a government agency is assigned. Students are required to relate practical experience to academic literature.

Students develop research abilities in a specialized topic in Political Science. This class is open to only Juniors and Seniors.

This course gives political science majors the opportunity to analyze and evaluate political issues, utilizing the skills and knowledge acquired during their years of study.  This should be one of the final courses taken by students in the major. This course is an intensive advanced writing course that satisfies the advanced writing requirement for General Education.

This course integrates all aspects of the learning experience for those students taking the International Relations major, and should be one of the final courses taken in the program and would normally be taken in the senior year. The course offers advanced analysis and application of knowledge evaluation. This course is an intensive advanced writing course that satisfies the advanced writing requirement for General Education.