Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Introduction to American Government. American system of government covering the institutions and ideals basic to the American experience and the process by which the public participates in and is governed by these institutions and ideals.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Introduction to Political Science. A survey of the fundamental questions in the study of political science.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Global Issues. An introduction to international relations focusing on contemporary issues in world politics such as conflict and cooperation, business and trade, population, environment, and human rights.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
State Government. Organization, powers, functions, and political processes at the state level in the United States.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Judicial Process and Courts. Social and political context of judicial decisions with emphasis on Supreme Court decision-making. Relates law to public policy.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Introduction to American Law. Substance of law as a component of public policy and the political system; emphasis on the elements and rationale of private law.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
American Political Parties. The evolution, roles, and positions of political parties in the American system.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
American Legislative Process. The role of Congress and state legislatures in policy making. Special emphasis on legislative organization, procedure, and legislative structure including the speakership, parties, staff, and committees.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Congressional Simulation. Recommended prerequisite: PolS 3170. This simulation provides students with an opportunity to experience how a legislative body makes decisions about policy. Students gain insight into the legislative process by actively participating in it. In the course of the simulation, students will be faced with the kinds of choices that professional legislators must make daily, such as deciding which bills of many bills to support and negotiating between the pressures put on them from disparate sources, such as party and constituency. Students will take away from the class knowledge about both the legislative process and the substantive policy areas the mock legislature takes up, as well as enhanced negotiating skills.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Comparative Politics. Comparative analysis of major political systems.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
International Politics. Concepts and theories of international politics. Covers the evolution of the contemporary international system and conflict and cooperation among nation-states.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
United States Foreign Policy. Analysis of U.S. foreign policy patterns and decision making since World War II. Examines contending explanations of policy making and the evolving role of the United States in world affairs.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Classical and Early Modern Political Thought. (Same as Phil 3530.) A survey of the historical writings in political thought from Plato to Machiavelli. Special emphasis on the contributions these thinkers made to Western conceptions of democracy, equality, human nature, citizenship, etc., as well as the continuing relevance of the texts for explaining contemporary political phenomena.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Modern Political Thought. (Same as Phil 3540.) A survey of the historical writings in political thought from Hobbes to Marx. Special emphasis on the contributions these thinkers made to Western conceptions of democracy, equality, human nature, citizenship, etc., as well as the continuing relevance of the texts for explaining contemporary political phenomena.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Modern Political Ideologies. Major political ideologies of our times; democracy, capitalism, socialism, communism, elitism, and nationalism. Readings from original sources, both western and non-western.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Public Administration and Bureaucratic Politics. (Same as PAUS 3801.) Bureaucratic politics and behavior in the political process. The role of administrators in policy making and implementation, agency strategies, relations with other executive agencies and with the legislature, the president, the judiciary and clientele groups.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Public Policy Analysis. Effectiveness, alternatives, and politics of governmental policies concerning areas such as social welfare, environment, education, business regulation, and defense.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Introduction to Political Research-CTW. Research techniques in political science including data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Serves as one of the two Critical Thinking Through Writing (CTW) courses required of all Political Science majors.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Political Psychology. Introduction to the psychological foundations of political life. Theories applied to particular political problems including policy decision making, the formation of belief systems, moral reasoning and ideology, racism and intolerance, political socialization, and authoritarianism.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Urban Politics. Impact of urban society on the structure and function of county and municipal governments. Text and reading from recent studies in community power structure and decision making, concerned with metropolitan growth, federal-local relations, and political process and problems in urban communities.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Southern Politics. The development of Southern political institutions and practices, including the role that Southern political figures have played in national politics and similarities and differences between Southern political behavior and national political behavior.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Georgia Politics and Government. An examination of state and local government in the state of Georgia.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
American Constitutional Law. Development of U.S. constitutional system and fundamental principles of constitutional interpretation. Includes the courts and judicial review, authority of Congress in fields of commerce and taxation, authority of the president and federal-state relations.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Civil Liberties and Rights. Supreme Court's interpretation of the Bill of Rights and Fourteenth Amendment. Areas covered include administration of justice, freedom of expression and religion, and equal protection of racial, sexual, political and economic groups.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Supreme Court Decision Making. Prerequisite: PolS 3800. Study of how Supreme Court justices decide the cases that come before them, with introduction and application of three primary theoretical perspectives (the attitudinal, legal, and strategic models).
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Interest Group Politics. Theoretical and practical approaches to the study of interest groups in the American political system, with attention to influence on Congress and impact on elections.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Voting and Elections. Political, institutional, social, and psychological factors involved in individual and group electoral decisions. Emphasis placed on the role of campaigns and candidate strategy in shaping voting decisions.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Politics of the Civil Rights Movement. (Same as AAS 4180.) Examination of the underpinnings, leadership, political strategies, and policies of the modern civil rights movement.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Campaign Organization and Management. A broad introduction to electoral campaign research, organization, and management.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Political Attitudes and Public Opinion. Concept and measurement of political attitudes, acquisition of attitudes, the role of attitudes in political behavior, and the relation of elites and publics in the formation of public opinion.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Politics and the Media. Analysis of the role of mass media in American political life.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
African-American Politics. (Same as AAS 4160.) Analysis of the ideology, public opinions, and political behavior of African-Americans. African-American impact on the electoral system.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
American Chief Executives. Constitutional powers and the political role of the American president with a comparative examination of the function of state governors.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Studies in American Politics. Intensive treatment of current topics in American politics and government. May be repeated if topic varies.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Comparative Democratization. Theories and problems of emerging and transitional democracies around the world.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Politics of Developing Countries. Prerequisite (recommended): PolS 3200. Examines rapid political, social, and economic change in developing countries.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Politics of Peace. Explores the challenges of building stable political systems in the wake of civil war, using cases drawn from all regions of the world.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Comparative Legal Systems and Politics. Survey of three major legal systems: Anglo-American- adversarial-precedent systems; Napoleonic-inquisitorial-code systems used in the majority of countries; and customary legal approaches in traditional societies. Analyzes problems of judicial independence, legal professionalism, and accountability of constitutional development in new democracies in the developing world, as well as problems of developed legal systems in Japan and the West.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Comparative Electoral Systems. Examines different election systems used in various democracies. Advantages and disadvantages of particular election systems.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Comparative Party System Development. Drawing on both theoretical literature and empirical research, this course provides an introduction to the comparative study of party system development in democratic political systems. The course explores the experiences of newly democratized countries as well as that of established democracies. Insights will be drawn from Europe, Africa, Asia, the United States, and Latin America.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
African Politics. Prerequisite (recommended): PolS 3200. Addresses the politics of Sub-Saharan Africa, including major issues of political, economic, and social analysis.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
European Politics. Prerequisite (recommended): PolS 3200. The politics and government of Europe. Comparative study of institutions, issues, and social forces, including the impact of integration on the politics of the nation-state.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
European Union: Politics, Economy, and Foreign Policy. Broad overview of developments in the European Union since the early 1950s. Key issues, such as monetary union and development of common foreign policy, are explored. Institutional actors, including the European Parliament, European Commission, Council of Ministers, and Court of Justice are compared.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
The Politics of Russia and Eastern Europe. Prerequisite (recommended): PolS 3200 or 3400. Political, economic, and social variables explaining change and the current political structures in the region.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Latin American Politics. Prerequisite (recommended): PolS 3200. Political, historical, economic, and cultural explanations of political change in Latin America. Compares twentieth century democratic, authoritarian, and revolutionary regimes.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Politics and Political Economy of East Asia. Examines the key political institutions, economic structures, and socio-economic policies of Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Politics and Political Economy of Japan. Explores the politics and political economy of contemporary Japan. Topics include: the evolution and nature of Japanese democracy, the functioning of the political economy, the "Japanese miracle" econony of the early postwar period and economic decline in recent years, protest and social movements in Japan, and Japan's role in Asia.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Government and Politics of South Asia. (Same as MES 4258.) Examines the societies and politics of South Asia, with specific reference to India and Pakistan since independence from Britain in 1947.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Politics of the Middle East and North Africa. Prerequisite (recommended): PolS 3200. (Same as MES 4210.) Politics and culture of the region. Contemporary issues including: the region's relations with the West, regional conflict, and the increasing role of religious movements in politics.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Comparative Political Economy. Examination of the theoretical and substantive relationships between politics and economics.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Politics and Religion in Comparative Perspective. Prerequisite (recommended): PolS 3200 or 3400. (Same as MES 4220.) Role of religious beliefs and institutions on political behavior.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Studies in Comparative Politics. Prerequisite (recommended): PolS 3200. Topics may include the government and politics of selected countries and regions of the world or themes in comparative political analysis. May be repeated for credit if topic varies.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
International Law. Analysis of origin, principles, enforcement, and adjudication of international law.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
International Organizations. Prerequisite (recommended): PolS 3400 or 3450. Analysis of the formation, role, process, and politics of international organizations, such as the United Nations, and mechanisms of international cooperation.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
NGOs and World Politics. Survey of current literature on non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and global civil society and exploration of the various roles NGOs play in a variety of policy areas including the environment, human rights, international development, trade, humanitarian crises, women's issues, and security.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Middle East in World Affairs. Prerequisite (recommended): PolS 3400 or 4260. International relations of the Middle East (West Asia and North Africa), combining IR theory and the perspectives of policymakers and other actors of the region.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Politics of International Criminal Justice. Politics of international crimes, such as drugs and other contraband, fissile materials, Internet fraud, and war crimes, as well as the national and transnational conspiracies and organizations that commit or control these crimes.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Politics of International Human Rights. Analysis of international human rights issues and institutions at the multilateral, regional, and domestic levels. Attention to foreign policy, gender, minorities, disappearances, and genocide in various regions.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
International Political Economy. Prerequisite (recommended): PolS 3400. Analyzes the politics of international economic relations.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Studies in International Political Economy. Prerequisite (recommended): PolS 3400. Topics may include international trade, monetary and financial relations, multinational corporations, and north-south relations among others. May be repeated for credit if topic varies.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
U S National Security Policy. Prerequisite (recommended): PolS 3400. Major issues in U.S. national security policy.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Causes of War. Prerequisite : PolS 3400 or 3450. Conditions affecting the prospects for war and conflict within and between nation-states.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
War and Public Opinion. Prerequisite: POLS 3400 recommended. Examines public opinion about war and international relations. Topics include public preferences surrounding issues of war and peace, how public opinion responds to war, and how the public opinion shapes and constrains the choices of leaders and foreign policy makers in democratic states.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Studies in International Relations. Intensive treatment of a topic in International Relations. May be taken more than once if topic varies.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Feminist Political Theory. The treatment of women in Western political thought. Various strands of feminist thinking: liberal, Marxist, socialist, radical, and postmodern.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Theories on Democracy. This course examines democracy's theoretical foundation, looking both at contemporary and classical texts.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
The Political Theory of Economic Justice. Focuses on the proper role of government in the economy. Readings from both classical and contemporary sources about laissez-faire, mixed economy, and democratic socialism.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Liberalism and Its Critics. A look at the theoretical foundations of America's most prominent public philosophy: liberalism. Reviews the work of nineteenth- and twentieth-century British, French, and American theorists.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Contemporary Political Philosophy. This course examines contemporary thinking in political philosophy. Particular emphasis is placed on debates within the discipline over matters such as the ethics of war, abortion, civil rights, income distribution, judicial interpretation and homelessness.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
African-American Political Thought. (Same as AAS 4120.) Examination and critical analysis of African-American political and social ideas.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
American Political Thought. Readings in the development of political ideas underlying American political institutions.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Theorizing the Politics of Race, Class and Gender. Political questions concerning race, gender and class inequalities affect almost every political system in the contemporary world. The course will examine theories on the social construction of race and gender, post-colonial theory, and revisions to classic Marxist theories of social class.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Studies in Western Political Theory. Analysis of a particular concept or period in political theory. May be repeated for credit if topic varies.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
The Politics of Social Welfare in the United States. Analysis of the various social welfare policies of the government and the political foundations underlying these policies.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Administrative Law and Government. Legal elements of the public administration environment, including the law in books and in action, regulatory activities, freedom of information, right to privacy, and legal control of administrative discretion.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Honors Thesis: Research. Prerequisites: consent of the instructor and Honors Program director. Readings or research preparatory to honors thesis or project.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0 TO 6.0
Honors Thesis: Writing. Prerequisites: PolS 4870, consent of the instructor and Honors Program director. Writing or production of honors thesis or project.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Senior Seminar-CTW. Prerequisite: PolS 3800 with a C or higher. This course is a senior capstone seminar. All Political Science majors are required to take the seminar in their senior year. Several sections of the seminar may be offered each term. The focus/topic of the seminar varies depending on the interests of the faculty member(s) offering the course(s). Serves as one of the two Critical Thinking Through Writing (CTW) courses required of all Political Science majors.
Credit Hour(s): 1.0 TO 3.0
Directed Reading & Research. Special directed research. Paper required. By arrangement at student request, as approved by the department. May be repeated for credit.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0 TO 9.0
Legislative Internships. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Program to combine academic training with professional experience through legislative internships. Paper required.
Credit Hour(s): 1.0 TO 6.0
Urban Semester Internship. The purpose of this internship course is to give participating students some practical experience in supervised work with an urban governing or policy development/urban service delivery agency. Such organizations will include any of the 63 municipalities or 10 counties in the Atlanta Regional Commission?s ten-county metropolitan area, any government special districts (such as public school districts, MARTA, water management districts, etc.), or non-profit agencies specializing in community development issues.
Credit Hour(s): 1.0 TO 9.0
Internships. Program to combine academic training with professional experience through short-term internships.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Model United Nations. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. An exercise in modeling the process and politics of the United Nations. May be repeated for credit.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Model Arab League. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. (Same as MES 4230.) Classroom instruction and participation in academic team. History, culture, religion, economics and politics of the Arab World plus participation in the Southern Eastern Regional Model Arab League and the National Model Arab League.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Mock Trial. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. An exercise in modeling the process, analytical reasoning and theory of litigation. May be repeated for credit.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0 TO 4.0
Directed Readings B.I.S.-CTW. Directed Readings designed for Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies students. This course may satisfy the junior and/or senior-level Critical Thinking Through Writing requirements.
Credit Hour(s): 3.0
Study Abroad: European Studies in Strasbourg, France. No course prerequisite. Contemporary politics and political economy of European integration. Designed specifically for those students participating in Georgia State University Study Abroad Program.