Courses
COURSE OFFERINGS
110. Political Questions.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: F2i, F8.
What is just? What is right? Are human beings equal? In what ways should we be free? To what degree must we obey the state? What are our duties to others? Is “big government” compatible with individual liberty? This course explores these and other fundamental political questions concerning freedom and authority, rights and obligations, peace and war, moral obligation and selfishness, faith and reason. It will also delve into contentious public policy problems (e.g., income inequality, affirmative action, sexual discrimination), each of which poses moral and practical difficulties. Our goal will be to think openly, honestly, and precisely about the quandaries of political life. This course is open only to first years and sophomores.
151. United States Politics.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: F2i (some sections), F8.
What is the foundation of government in the United States? What are its purposes? How is the constitution of government designed to achieve those purposes? How well does it in fact fulfill those purposes? Major topics and controversies include the nature of politics, individual liberty and constitutionalism, the federal structure of government, elections and political parties, interest groups, representation, Congress, the Presidency, the Judiciary, civil rights and liberties. Some sections may be open only to first year students, and all sections are open to seniors only by permission of the department. Because Advanced Placement credit in Political Science or Government counts only as four general credits toward the major, all Political Science majors must take 151.
200. Urban Politics.
Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.
A critical introduction to urban America’s fiscal and racial problems, formal and informal political processes, power structures, and alternative futures.
Prerequisite: Political Science 151 or permission of the instructor.
205. Introduction to Public Policy.
Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.
An analysis of the processes and politics of making and implementing public policies. Topics may include: taxing and spending, energy, transportation, environmental protection, agriculture, equality, health, consumer protection, education, business, labor and welfare.
Prerequisite: Political Science 151.
211. Politics and Literature.
Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.
This course explores how literature (and the arts generally) express political ideas and pursue political purposes. Topics and readings vary but they include: literary depictions of political causes, political crises, war and peace, leaders and followers, conflicts of individuals and society, and the competing demands of nature and civilization. Authors read in this course might include: Sophocles, Shakespeare, Defoe, Stendahl, Austen, Dickens, Melville, Hawthorne, Twain, Robert Penn Warren, Ralph Ellison, Don DeLillo, Phillip Roth and Tom Wolfe.
212. American Political Thought and Statesmanship.
Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.
A survey of the ideas and controversies in American political thought and development from the Puritans to the present. Topics may include: the philosophical origins of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, selfishness and morality, federalism, the democratization of politics, equality and slavery, laissez-faire capitalism and the welfare state, the civil rights movement, and the redefinitions of freedom and equality by, for example, the new left and feminism.
Prerequisite: Political Science 151 or permission of the instructor.
214. Modern Ideologies.
Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.
What are all these “isms” that pervade political discourse? What does it mean to be a liberal (or a “progressive”), a libertarian, conservative, communitarian, socialist, or feminist? Where do liberal and radical feminists agree and disagree? Why is a democratic socialist not a Marxist? And vice versa. Is “environmentalism” a comprehensive political stance? Should there be a “green” party? What separates a nationalist from a “fascist”? Generally: what ideas, perspectives and principles account for these divergent doctrines that compete to organize the political world? Why do people adopt these views? Are there rational grounds for choosing among them? Is there a rational foundation for political life or, to put it another way, is political philosophy possible? Or are all claims to political knowledge ideological assertions? This course examines questions like these, although the list is not at all exhaustive.
216. Philosophy of Law.
Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.
We believe in the rule of law, but what is law and what is the nature of rules? Is the ultimate source of law nature, God, or human agreement? What is the relation of law and morality? How does law promote human freedom and social order? What do we do when those concerns conflict? The law assumes that human beings are responsible for their actions unless they aren’t. How do we know when they are or are not? What is the purpose of punishment? What is the role of the jury, and can jurors fulfill it? Does our society live up to its ideal of equality before the law? What is the professional responsibility of the lawyer, and why is the legal profession so controversial? This course examines a multitude of interesting and puzzling questions that drive us toward a philosophic consideration of law.
218. Justice, Equality, and Liberty.
Fall or Spring. Credits: 4
Drawing primarily on contemporary sources in politics, philosophy and economics, this course examines rival visions of the good society. We will analyze competing conceptions of justice and the ways in which those views are modified by commitments to liberty and equality. Thematic questions will include: What do human beings owe to one another? How is personal responsibility related to social responsibility? What are the causes and consequences of wealth and poverty? What is the character of freedom? What does equality require? How should rights and duties be properly understood? A good portion of the course will be devoted to the intellectual and moral foundations of the free society and to critiques of the assumption that the good society is “the free society.”
The course will include public lecture, debates and conversations with visiting political theorists, economists, entrepreneurs and public officials.
220. Might and Right among Nations.
Fall. Credits: 4.
What governs international relations, might or right? Does justice play a role in relations between nations? Or are such relations governed strictly by considerations of political necessity? What is (or should be) the role of religion, morality, economics, and power in international relations? What are the prospects for a just international order? We will consider what light political philosophy has to shed on these and other questions concerning justice among nations through the careful study of major thinkers, such as: Thucydides, Aquinas, Machiavelli, Montesquieu, Kant, and others.
230. Black Political Thought.
Spring. Credits: 4.
A critical analysis of a variety of political goals, strategies, and tactics espoused in the 20th century. Views of Booker T. Washington, Marcus Garvey, W.E.B. DuBois, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X are among those normally considered.
Prerequisite: Political Science 151 or permission of the instructor.
241. Parties and Interest Groups in American Politics.
Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.
In this course, we explore the following questions in the American context: What is a political party? What is an interest group? How are they organized? Why and how did political parties and interest groups develop? How do parties and interest groups compete with and complement each other? How has the role and importance of both political parties and interest groups in American politics changed over time? What do political parties and interest groups do for voters, for candidates and officeholders, and for democratic government? How could they do it better? We examine these questions both theoretically and empirically using a range of materials and media.
Prerequisite: Political Science 151 or permission of the instructor.
245. Southern Politics.
Fall or Spring. Credits: 4
An examination of politics in the American South, with special attention to political parties and elections. Politics at the state level is considered, along with the place of the South in the national political arena.
Prerequisite: Political Science 151 or permission of the instructor.
270. Methods of Political Inquiry.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 4
Why do political scientists call themselves scientists? How can we learn about politics using the tools of scientific inquiry? What are the tools of scientific inquiry? This course introduces the methods political scientists (and others) use to generate and answer empirical questions about politics. We explore a wide variety of research methods, including experiments, observation, interviews, and surveys. In the course of this exploration, we examine how these methods are applied to real data by real researchers. We also critically analyze the methodological choices made and conclusions drawn by political scientists and others who employ social science data.
Prerequisite: Political Science 110 or 151.
280. Topics in American Politics and Institutions.
Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.
An examination of some aspect of American politics and institutions of government. Topics might include: the judiciary, state and local government, intergovernmental relations, American political development, the legislative process, campaign finance.
Prerequisite: Political Science 151 or permission of the instructor.
286: Topics in Political Thought and Philosophy.
Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.
Prerequisite: one of the following: Political Science 110, 212, 214 or permission of the instructor.
301. Constitutional Law and Politics.
Spring. Credits: 4.
An examination of the federal judicial process and American constitutional principles. Constitutional topics include the free speech, church-state relations, abortion, euthanasia, and rights of the accused.
Prerequisites: Political Science 151 and one 200 level course.
307. Topics in Public Law.
Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.
An examination of some aspect of law and the judicial branch. Topics might include: the 1st Amendment, the 14th Amendment, state and local law, legal reform, and administrative law.
Prerequisites: Political Science 151 and one 200 level course.
311. The Classical Search for Justice.
Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.
What can reason tell us about justice and the right way to live? What is the human good? What is justice? How is politics related to human nature or, what does it mean to be a “political animal”? Are the good person and good citizen identical? These questions will be explored through careful examination of the writings of Xenophon, Plato, and Aristotle.
Prerequisite: One 200 level course.
314. The Modern Search for Justice.
Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.
What can reason tell us about justice and the right way to live? Are human beings in fact equal? What are natural rights? Is democracy the best form of government? Can selfish individuals maintain a just government? Must we sacrifice liberty for security? These questions will be explored through a careful examination of the writings of Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, and Nietzsche.
Prerequisite: One 200 level course.
316. Urban Policy.
Fall. Credits: 4.
Problems and processes of policy formation in the urban system; discussion of substantive policy areas such as housing and community development.
Prerequisite: Political Science 151.
330. Campaigns and Elections.
Fall. Credits: 4.
This course examines the dynamics of contemporary American electoral politics. We investigate why candidates, voters, and others think and behave the way they do, the rules that govern their behavior, and who wins elections and why. Analysis focuses on the ways in which factors within the candidate’s control (e.g. strategy, fundraising, advertising) interact with factors largely outside the candidate’s control (e.g. regulations, gender, race, partisanship), to assess what difference (if any) campaigns actually make in election outcomes. Particular attention is given to issues of gender, including its influence on who runs, who votes and how, how campaigns negotiate representations of masculinity and femininity, and the implications of “campaign” itself as a gendered metaphor. Finally, we explore how we might use what we know about campaigns and elections to make them better.
Prerequisite: Political Science 270 and one additional 200 level course.
340. The American Presidency.
Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.
An exploration of the constitutional, historical and political aspects of the presidency. Specific topics include the selection of the President, presidential leadership, personality, relations with Congress and the Supreme Court, and the Vice Presidency.
Prerequisite: Political Science 270 and one additional 200 level course.
360. Congress.
Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.
The United States Congress is a rarity among representative assemblies in the rest of the world; it actually legislates, and individual members of the House and the Senate directly affect legislation and policy. Why then is it also the least respected branch of our national government? Is it failing to legislate effectively? To represent fairly? This entire course explores these questions. Specific topics include: representation; the framers’ original design for House and Senate; the evolution of House and Senate; elections and incumbency; campaign finance and interest groups; the internal organization of the two houses; the struggle for power between President and Congress.
Prerequisite: Political Science 270 and one additional 200 level course.
401. Advanced Topics in American Politics and Government.
Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.
An investigation of an important subject area within the discipline of political science. Topics might include constitutional controversies, the legislative process, political behavior, campaign design and strategy.
Prerequisite: One 300 level course.
402. Advanced topics in Political Thought and Philosophy.
Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.
An investigation of an important subject area within the discipline of political science.
Prerequisite: One 300 level course.
411. Seminar in Contemporary Political Philosophy: Problems of Rights, Freedom, and Equality.
Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.
An in-depth study of contemporary political thinking about such issues as: the culture of capitalism, the nature and limits of individual freedom, achieving equality in a diverse society, the challenges of biotechnology, rights in conflict, the evolution and endurance of American political principles. Topics vary from year to year.
Prerequisite: One 300 level course.
460. Public Affairs Internship.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: F11.
The focus of this course is a directed internship with a selected legal, governmental or community agency. The course integrates traditional academic work in Political Science with practical internship experiences. All internships are assigned through the Department of Political Science Internship Director. The course can be taken only once for credit, but students who have received credit for the Washington Semester or the Capitol Semester cannot receive any credit toward a Political Science major from this course
Prerequisites: Political Science 270, one additional 200-level course, and consent of the instructor.
485. Senior Seminar in Political Science.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 4.
An advanced investigation of critical political problems and/or contemporary perspectives on American democracy.
495-496. Honors Tutorial.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 4-8.
An advanced independent study, involving the completion of a major research project. Guidelines for honors work in Political Science are available from the department chairperson.