100-200 Level Courses
120. American National Government and Politics. (3)s. Theory and practice of democratic government in the United States and the institutions and processes of American government as manifestations of democratic values. Representative democracy, federalism, the Presidency, Congress, the Courts, political parties, interest groups and voting as expressions of, and at times contradictions to, democratic values.
190. Introduction to Comparative Politics. (3)s. Study of political systems from different parts of the world; institutional components of political systems (such as government and political parties); evaluation of the relationship between social structure and political activity; and introduction to concepts, approaches, and methods used in political science.
222. American Constitutional Development (3)s. American Constitution within the framework of philosophical, political, social and economic developments. Historical and analytical approach, emphasizing the Constitution as a document and constitutionalism as a concept. Constitutional change due to court decisions, legislation, and political philosophy.
230. International Relations (3)s. Introduction to major concepts and theories of international relations. The role of state and non-state actors in international affairs. Problems of war and peace, globalization and development. Also listed as INT 230.
245. Political Movements (3)s. Comparative and historical analysis of social and political movements in industrialized and developing countries. Theories of social movements, state-society relations and the causes and consequences of protest.
261. Introduction to Political Theory (3)s. In this course students will be introduced into the practice of thinking about political issues from a theoretical perspective. They will read canonical texts such as Plato's Republic and Machiavelli's The Prince in juxtaposition with contemporary texts that will illuminate their contemporary relevance. For example, Machiavelli will be read in conjunction with Dr. Martin Luther King's Why We Can't Wait in order to explore the properties of effective political leadership.
