Schedule of Classes

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

Comparative analysis of selected political systems.

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.

This course considers the concepts of gender and sexuality as they relate to various theories of politics. Spanning more than two millennia of western political thought from ancient Greece to modern Britain to contemporary America, the course presents a variety of perspectives including (but not limited to) Platonism, liberal feminism, utilitarianism, and Nussbaum's capabilities approach. By the end of the course, students should have a grasp of the historical significance of both gender and sexuality in political thought, as well as a sense of the different ways in which those concepts have been understood and treated in different eras and philosophical traditions.

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

Nature, sources, and development of international law as it has been invoked in diplomatic practices, international adjudications, and national courts.

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.

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

Seminar in American Politics