Schedule of Classes

The American political system: constitutional principles, political processes, and governmental policy making.

Recurrent concepts or issues in political thought and ways they have been treated by classic and contemporary writers. Obligation and the social contract, liberty, justice and equality, property, representation.

Fundamental issues and problems that have contributed to structuring current patterns of international relations.

Introduction to political inquiry; research methods necessary for in-depth research.

Focuses on Sub-Saharan African politics through examination of the influence of: historical factors such as pre-colonial governance and European colonization; social factors including gender, class, religion, and ethnicity; economic factors involving natural resources and corruption; health factors including malaria, HIV, and climate change; and political factors including political parties, personal rule, and military rule. Course does not presume any preexisting knowledge of Sub-Saharan Africa specifically but does require basic knowledge of comparative politics broadly.

Formation of opinion, perception of political events, voting behavior, and political participation; significance for democratic government.

Political processes through which rapidly growing problems of the state and local governments are identified, fought over, and resolved.

Political behavior of American trial courts and variables connecting them to the larger political system. Examples from criminal procedure and civil justice cases. Emphasis on police and prosecutorial discretion; recruitment of judges; juries; and social function of judgments and punishments.

Students work with selected political agencies, to study practical political problems from the perspective of the discipline. Course may be repeated for a maximum of six credit hours. Pass/Fail.

Individual in-depth work on a subject approved and supervised by a PLS faculty member. For highly qualified students. May be repeated for a maximum of six credit hours

Individual research for qualified students. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 hours credit.

Seminar in Political Theory