| POLITICAL SCIENCE 101: Politics: Who Gets What (3) | |
| Why? | A liberal education includes the ability to question one's political premises. By reading provocative articles, students are challenged to examine critically both modern political questions and their underlying values. |
| Content: | Great political thinkers, civil disobedience, American government, sex and politics, politics of inequality. |
| Format: | Lecture/discussion, simulations, guest lectures. |
| Evaluation: | Objective exams, simulation reports, possibly essays. |
| Recommended for: | Students interested in contemporary social problems, Western ideas/values, history of thought/ideas. |
| What Next? | Political Science 121 or 232. |
| Related Courses: | Philosophy 100* and 313, Anthropology 100, Sociology 220, History 101. |
| Special Note: | Instructor portrays famous political thinkers: Plato, Machievelli, Hobbes, Locke, Marx. |
| POLITICAL SCIENCE 121: American Politics (3) | |
| Why? | Governments provide benefits and impose regulations on all who are subject to them; understanding how choices about benefits and regulations are made and how people might participate effectively in the process is essential to an understanding of American society and fulfillment of any responsibilities that citizenship entails. |
| Content: | The Constitution, public opinion, political parties, interest groups, elections, the Congress, the presidency, the courts, the bureaucracy, and public policy. |
| Format: | Lecture/discussion. |
| Evaluation: | Objective and essay examinations. |
| Required for: | Fulfills the general education introductory course requirement in political science and the LAS American Politics/American History requirement. |
| Recommended for: | Students desiring an introductory course in the social sciences, contemporary social problems, American society/culture, or who wish to fulfill the general education social science introductory course requirement or the LAS American Politics/American History requirement. |
| What Next? | Political Science 226, 232, 315, 316, 317, 318, or 319. |
| Related Courses: | History 131 or 132, Sociology 111, Psychology 111, Anthropology 102, Economics 201 and 202. |
| POLITICAL SCIENCE 226: Comparative Politics (3) | |
| Why? | Introduction to the basic concepts used to compare political systems world-wide. Liberal democracies, post-Communist countries, and traditional authoritarian regimes are examined. Emphasis is given to the prospects for the development and consolidation of more democracies and to what works and what does not work in the political development of different countries. |
| Content: | The foundations of the democracies, political culture and socialization, political parties and elections, policy-making, the constraints of the international environment. |
| Format: | Lecture/discussion, videos, slides. |
| Evaluation: | Essay examinations, short answer questions, short paper. |
| Recommended for: | Students interested in Western and non-Western societies/cultures and basic knowledge of how to compare nations. |
| What Next? | Political Science 330, 335, 523, 524. |
| Related Courses: | History 313, 314, 320, 541, 615. |