American Government
The American politics subfield includes the study of American political institutions (for example, Congress, the courts, and the presidency), political behavior and attitudes among the mass public (for example, the effect of race and gender on political participation), and the intermediaries that link the mass public and political institutions (for example, interest groups, political parties, and the media). On a broader level, the American subfield seeks to address enduring questions concerning rights, power, political representation, the ongoing centrality of race in American politics, the legitimacy of the political system, the capacity of the political system to solve policy problems, and the tension between equality and liberty baked into the nation’s political culture, laws, and institutions. Examining politics and government at the national, state, and local levels, the subfield employs a broad array of theoretical and empirical approaches and seeks to place the American political system in the context of the political systems of other countries around the world.
Courses
| Level | Number and Title | Professor(s) | Pre-requisites or notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100-level | POL 101 | Boddery, Dawes, Larson, McWeeney, Britt | NA |
| 200-level | POL 201 (Topics in American Government - Race and the Right to Vote in the U.S.) | Britt | POL 101 |
| 200-level | POL 201 (Topics in American Government-US Welfare Policy) | Gordon | POL 101 |
| 200-level | POL 223 (U.S. Congress) | Larson | POL 101 |
| 200-level | POL 225 (Constitutional Law I) | Boddery | POL 101 |
| 200-level | POL 299 (Judicial Politics & Behavior) | McWeeney | POL 101 |
| 300-level | POL 331 (Political Parties in American Politics) | Larson | POL 101 and 215 |
| 300-level | POL 301 (Campaigns and Elections) | Larson | POL 101 and 215; Course number to be changed in the future |
| 300-level | POL 301 (Political Voice and Influence in America) | Larson | POL 101 and 215; Course number to be changed in the future |
| 300-level | POL 301 Money, Power, and Political Representation in the U.S | Larson | POL 101 and 215; Course number to be changed in the future |
| 300-level | POL 321 (Gender and American Politics) | Gordon | POL 101 |
| 300-level | POL 322 (Constitutional Law II) | Boddery | POL 101 |
| 300-level | POL 327 (State Politics and Policy) | Dawes | POL 101 and 215 |
| 300-level | POL 375 (Constitutional Police Procedure) | Boddery | POL 101 |
| 300-level | POL 382 (Feminist Theory in American Politics) | Britt | POL 101 or 102 |
| 300-level | POL 399 (Legal Analysis) | Boddery | POL 101 |
| 400-level | POL 401 (Capstone: Problems in American Politics) | Larson | POL 101 and 215 |
| 400-level | POL 401 (Capstone: Voting Behavior and Electoral Politics) | Dawes | POL 101 and 215 |
Comparative Politics
Comparative politics is the study of political phenomena across societies and time, between political systems and within political systems. Comparative politics asks exciting questions with respect to both global and historical perspectives, such as: Why do some countries become democracies and others dictatorships? How do dictators govern and manage its opposition? What are effective ways to organize social movements and design political institutions to achieve important outcomes like securing human rights? How do cultural values (like support for gender equality) influence political institutions and policies in different countries? What leads to political violence like state repression and terrorism? What determines whether governments try to sustain peace or wage war (domestically or internationally)?
Students in Comparative Politics have interdisciplinary experience because this subfield brings together diverse backgrounds and interests (from international affairs, economics, sociology, gender studies, mathematics, and religious studies, history, and law)
Courses
| Level | Number and Title | Professor(s) | Pre-requisites or notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100-level | POL 104 (Intro to CP) | Woo & Page | NA |
| 200-level | POL 204 (Two Koreas) | Woo | POL 104; Course number to be changed in the future |
| 200-level | POL 204 (Intro to the European Union) | Page | POL 104; Course number to be changed in the future |
| 300-level | POL 304 (How to be a dictator) | Woo | POL 104; Course number to be changed in the future |
| 300-level | POL 304 (Controversies in European Politics) | Page | POL 104; Course number to be changed in the future |
| 300-level | POL 304 (Politics of Sexuality) | Page | POL 104; Course number to be changed in the future |
| 300-level | POL 364 (How to be an Autocrat) | ||
| 400-level | POL 404 (Capstone: How Political Institutions Affect Individual Behavior) | Page | Intro to CP; POL 215 |
International Relations
The field of International Relations (IR) investigates relations between nation-states and non-state actors in the areas of international security and international political economy. While seeking to answer central questions such as ‘What are the causes of war?,’ IR scholarship also investigates a broad range of outcomes relating to international development, foreign policy, environmental politics, international law, human rights, global health, cybersecurity and the politics of transnationalism, among others. The subfield is also characterized by a diversity of theoretical approaches and the application of research methods. Development of an understanding of the complexity of relationships among international actors and their security environment can translate into various career opportunities in academia, non-profit organizations, IGOs, news agencies, think tanks and numerous government agencies.
Courses
| Level | Number and Title | Professor(s) | Pre-requisites or notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100-level | POL 103 (Intro to IR) | Hartzell; Akbaba; Reid; McWeeney | |
| 200-level | POL 252 (North/South Dialogue) | Hartzell | Intro to IR or Intro to Macroeconomics |
| 200-level | POL 203 (Topics: Politics of Global Disaster) | Reid | Intro to IR |
| 200-level | POL 203 (Topics: Women, War, and Peace) | Reid | Intro to IR |
| 200-level | POL 242 (U.S. Foreign Policy) | Akbaba | Intro to IR |
| 200-level | POL 253 (Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict) | Akbaba | |
| 200-level | POL 255 (Film, Fiction and World Politics) | Akbaba | |
| 300-level | POL 303 (Topics: Civil Wars and Political Violence) | Reid | Intro to IR; POL 215 suggested |
| 300-level | POL 347 (Global Conflict Management) | Reid | Intro to IR; POL 215 suggested |
| 300-level | POL 351 (Political Economy of Armed Conflict) | Hartzell | Intro to IR; POL 215 suggested |
| 300-level | POL 303 (Topics: Foreign Policy Analysis) | Akbaba | Intro to IR; POL 215 suggested; Course number to be changed in the future. |
| 400-level | POL 403 (Capstone: Globalization) | Hartzell | Intro to IR; POL 215 |
| 400-level | POL 403 (Capstone: Religion and IR) | Akbaba | Intro to IR; POL 215 |
Political Theory
The subfield of political theory involves the study of the history of political thought as well as problems in contemporary political life from a philosophical perspective. Students will think critically and collaboratively about fundamental questions concerning politics. What is a good life? How should society be organized? How should we understand concepts like power, freedom, justice, rights, and responsibility? What are the nature, causes, and effects of good and bad government? Students will engage questions like these through employing cross-cultural vantage points provided by influential thinkers around the globe - ancient, modern, Eastern, Western, men and women of different nationalities, classes, and races.
Courses
| Level | Number and Title | Professor(s) | Pre-requisites or notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100-level | POL 102 (Intro to Political Thought) | Pham | |
| 200-level | POL 203 (Refugees and You) | Pham | |
| 300-level | POL 302 (Vietnam War and Political Theory) | Pham | |
| 300-level | POL 302 (Race and Political Theory) | Pham | |
| 300-level | POL 382 (Feminist Theory in American Politics) | Britt | POL 101 or 102 |
| 400-level |