| POSC 120-01 |
American Government
Instructor: Katie Marchetti
Course Description:
A basic introductory course in American federal government which emphasizes its structure and operation. Special attention is given to the executive, legislative, and judicial processes.
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10:30 AM-11:45 AM, TR
DENNY 304 |
| POSC 120-02 |
American Government
Instructor: Curtis Edmonds
Course Description:
A basic introductory course in American federal government which emphasizes its structure and operation. Special attention is given to the executive, legislative, and judicial processes.
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11:30 AM-12:20 PM, MWF
DENNY 311 |
| POSC 150-01 |
Comparative Politics
Instructor: Diego Vega
Course Description:
An introduction to comparative political analysis with applications to political systems, processes, and issues worldwide. The purpose of the course is to learn to observe political life systematically, analyze a wide range of political phenomena, and distinguish and evaluate the assumptions underlying alternative approaches to the study of politics. The course may address topics such as democratization, authoritarian challenges to democratic systems, social inequality and underdevelopment, sustainability, political corruption, human rights, and political violence.
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10:30 AM-11:45 AM, TR
DENNY 311 |
| POSC 170-01 |
International Relations
Instructor: Russell Bova
Course Description:
Cross-listed with INST 170-01. An introduction to global politics which examines the interaction of states, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and individuals in the world arena. Topics covered include traditional concerns such as war, balance of power, the UN and international law along with the more recent additions to the agenda of world politics such as international terrorism, human rights, and economic globalization. This course is cross-listed as INST 170.
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01:30 PM-02:45 PM, MR
DENNY 104 |
| POSC 170-02 |
International Relations
Instructor: Rachel Jacobs
Course Description:
Cross-listed with INST 170-02. An introduction to global politics which examines the interaction of states, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and individuals in the world arena. Topics covered include traditional concerns such as war, balance of power, the UN and international law along with the more recent additions to the agenda of world politics such as international terrorism, human rights, and economic globalization. This course is cross-listed as INST 170.
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09:00 AM-10:15 AM, TR
DENNY 104 |
| POSC 170-03 |
International Relations
Instructor: Kristine Mitchell
Course Description:
Cross-listed with INST 170-03. An introduction to global politics which examines the interaction of states, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and individuals in the world arena. Topics covered include traditional concerns such as war, balance of power, the UN and international law along with the more recent additions to the agenda of world politics such as international terrorism, human rights, and economic globalization. This course is cross-listed as INST 170.
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01:30 PM-02:45 PM, TF
DENNY 203 |
| POSC 180-01 |
Political Philosophy
Instructor: Matthew Draper
Course Description:
Cross-listed with PHIL 180-01. An introduction to the history of political thought, focused on such problems as the nature of justice, the meaning of freedom, the requirements of equality, the prevalence of moral dilemmas in political life, the question of whether we ought to obey the law, and the importance of power in politics. We will also discuss how these issues continue to resonate today.This course is cross-listed as PHIL 180.
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03:00 PM-04:15 PM, MR
DENNY 311 |
| POSC 180-02 |
Political Philosophy
Instructor: POSC STAFF, Toby Reiner
Course Description:
Cross-listed with PHIL 180-02. An introduction to the history of political thought, focused on such problems as the nature of justice, the meaning of freedom, the requirements of equality, the prevalence of moral dilemmas in political life, the question of whether we ought to obey the law, and the importance of power in politics. We will also discuss how these issues continue to resonate today.This course is cross-listed as PHIL 180.
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10:30 AM-11:45 AM, TR
DENNY 104 |
| POSC 205-01 |
American Political Thought
Instructor: Toby Reiner
Course Description:
Is there a distinctively American way of thinking about politics? How have American political thinkers drawn on and differentiated themselves from political theory in other parts of the world? This course seeks to answer these questions by considering some of the major thinkers in the USA from its foundation to the present day. We will consider both the dominant liberalism and conservativism of mainstream American thought and radical challenges to it, from abolitionists through socialists and feminists to anarchists, environmentalists, and pacifists, and topics such as civil disobedience, federalism, constitutional interpretation, and republicanism. Defining political thought broadly, the class includes detailed consideration of activist political movements at key moments in the nations history, including the New Left in the 1960s, the New Right in the 1970s, and the Occupy movement. We will ask such questions as, How did the USA maintain slavery so deep into the 19th century?, Why has there been no major socialist movement in the USA? and What are the sources of American exceptionalism? Students should find some of their fundamental preconceptions about American political ideas challenged and come away with a deeper understanding of the countrys political culture.
Prerequisite: POSC/PHIL 180.
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03:00 PM-04:15 PM, MR
STERN 103 |
| POSC 220-01 |
Constitutional Law
Instructor: Matthew Draper
Course Description:
Cross-listed with LWJS 222-01. This course provides an overview of Constitutional Law. We will first examine the roots of the American Constitution in English common law and existing political arrangements. We will cover the different ways scholars interpret and read the Constitution, and how social movements use the Constitution. The Constitution has been interpreted to the ends of inclusion or exclusion over time, and we will be guided by questions such as the legal scholar, Dahl, asked: "How democratic is the American Constitution?" Prerequisite: 120, or permission of the instructor. This course is cross-listed as LWJS 222.
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03:00 PM-04:15 PM, TF
DENNY 211 |
| POSC 239-01 |
Research Methods
Instructor: Katie Marchetti
Course Description:
Helps the student answer (in the affirmative) the question, "Is political science a science?" Students will learn how to generate and test hypotheses through creating and executing research designs. Survey research, experimentation, content analysis, participant observation, and other methodologies will be studied. Although no prior knowledge of statistics is necessary, Math 121 is helpful. This class is especially recommended for prospective graduate students in the social sciences. Prerequisite: Two prior classes in Political Science or permission of the instructor.
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03:00 PM-04:15 PM, MR
DENNY 103 |
| POSC 244-01 |
Public Opinion
Instructor: Sarah Niebler
Course Description:
Examines the origins, nature, and impact of public opinion in the United States. The ways that the public's attitudes are shaped and used by interest groups, politicians, and the mass media will be discussed. Methods of measuring public opinion, with special attention to polling, will be studied. Prerequisite: 120, or permission of the instructor.
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03:00 PM-04:15 PM, TF
DENNY 304 |
| POSC 246-01 |
The Legislative Process
Instructor: Curtis Edmonds
Course Description:
An analysis of the legislative branch of government, especially Congress. Emphasis is placed upon the legislature as a social system, the decision-making process, the interrelationships with the political parties and interest groups, the executive and the judiciary. Prerequisite: 120, or permission of the instructor.
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01:30 PM-02:45 PM, TF
STERN 103 |
| POSC 252-01 |
African Government & Politics
Instructor: Ed Webb
Course Description:
Cross-listed with AFST 220-02. An introduction to the politics of contemporary Africa. After reviewing the large historical, international, and socio-economic patterns of African politics, the course examines in greater depth a sampling of national political systems and salient regional or continent-wide themes. Prerequisite: one course in political science.
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01:30 PM-02:45 PM, TF
DENNY 103 |
| POSC 280-01 |
American Foreign Policy
Instructor: Andy Wolff
Course Description:
Cross-listed with INST 280-01. A survey of U.S. foreign policy since World War II. American approaches to such issues as containment, detente, arms control, deterrence, international law, and foreign aid will be discussed. Students will also address issues of U.S. foreign policy formulation, including the roles of the public, Congress, and the president in the foreign policy process. Prerequisite: 170 or INST 170 or permission of the instructor. This course is cross-listed as INST 280.
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01:30 PM-02:45 PM, MR
STERN 103 |
| POSC 284-01 |
European Security
Instructor: Andy Wolff
Course Description:
Cross-listed with INST 284-01. What security issues do European countries face? How are European countries, the European Union, and NATO responding to various threats? This course delves into the structure of European security, examines the security challenges confronted by Europe, and weighs the opportunities these challenges present for enhancing Europe's security and global leadership. Students will learn how European governments define security, formulate strategies, and implement policies to meet a host of traditional, transnational, and human security concerns. This course is cross-listed as INST 284. Prerequisite: 170/INST 170.
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10:30 AM-11:45 AM, TR
EASTC 314 |
| POSC 290-01 |
Politics of Migration
Instructor: Natalie Chwalisz
Course Description:
Cross-listed with LWJS 290-01. Currently, both forced and voluntary migration is at historic highs. Simultaneously, immigration control is becoming a global phenomenon. The rise of border control contrasts with the vulnerability of many migrants today. This course will give an overview of migration and forced migration and then look at issues and rationales in migration control from a comparative perspective. The questions we will ask are: What drives migration? What are the historical roots of migration? What is the purpose of immigration control? What are the politics of migration control in comparative perspective? This course incorporates various levels of analysis (international, national, subnational, transnational) and draws on interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks. Students will gain an understanding of migration and the legal frameworks governing the process. Students will then explore how migration relates to state sovereignty, human rights, and international law. Students will also interrogate the process of creating immigration policies, and the actors and stakeholders driving this process.
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01:30 PM-02:45 PM, MR
DENNY 311 |
| POSC 290-02 |
The Ukraine War & International Relations
Instructor: Russell Bova
Course Description:
Cross-listed with INST 290-02. By the time this class begins, it is possible that the war in Ukraine will have come to an end. Whether it has ended or not, this war has raised enduring questions about almost every big issue in the study of international relations. After an introduction to Ukraine, its recent history, its historical relationship with Russia, and its geopolitical significance, we will turn to those larger questions. What were the causes of the Ukraine war, and what does this war have to tell us about the future of war more generally? Is the "long peace" over, and is great power war becoming more likely? How stable is nuclear deterrence? Has the nuclear taboo eroded? Was the expectation that economic interdependence is an antidote to war wrong? Do economic sanctions work? In light of Ukraine, does the United Nations still have relevance? What is genocide, and has it occurred in Ukraine? Can Putin be prosecuted for war crimes? How and why do wars end? What paradigm of international relations theory best explains the Ukraine crisis? The goal will be to build on what you learned in the introductory IR class by examining both how IR concepts and theory help us to understand the Ukraine situation and how that situation might require critical rethinking of those very same concepts and theories.
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09:00 AM-10:15 AM, TR
DENNY 103 |
| POSC 290-03 |
International Law
Instructor: Natalie Chwalisz
Course Description:
Cross-listed with LWJS 290-03. Permission of Instructor required. This course introduces students to the foundations and evolution of international law, from early laws of war and sovereignty to contemporary legal regimes governing human rights, migration, environmental protection, accountability after conflict, and global economic relations. Rather than treating international law as a fully enforced system, the course emphasizes law as a contested set of rules shaped by power, inequality, and historical legacies. Using comparative perspectives and real-world case studies, students examine how international legal norms are created, interpreted, and challenged across different political and legal contexts. Central themes include sovereignty and jurisdiction, mobility and borders, environmental responsibility, and the political economy of international legal regimes.
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09:00 AM-10:15 AM, TR
DENNY 204 |
| POSC 390-01 |
War and Justice
Instructor: Toby Reiner
Course Description:
Cross-listed with LWJS 390-01. Permission of Instructor Required. "All's fair in love and war," goes the common saying, suggesting that standards of justice or morality are inapplicable to military conflict, which is a realm of survival in which anything goes. Others hold that no war can possibly be just, at least in the contemporary era in which weapons of mass destruction mean that wars wreak a human and environmental impact that cannot possibly be sustainable or legitimate. In this class, we consider both these approaches - realism and pacifism, respectively - and juxtapose them to the just-war tradition, which holds that defensive and limited wars may be justified so long as they follow certain moral guidelines such as proportionality and non-combatant immunity. We will consider when it might be just to go to war, how just wars must be waged, and what, if anything, justice after war consists in. We will approach these questions using both the laws of war and philosophical works about war. We will consider military conflicts from across the globe, including the World Wars, Vietnam, Rwanda, Cambodia, the former Yugoslavia, and more, and from ancient Greece through the Middle Ages to the present day. We will consider topics such as humanitarian intervention and the protection of human rights during war, the moral status and responsibility of ordinary combatants, war crimes tribunals, genocide and ethnic cleansing, civil war, emerging technologies of war, and the possibility of moving towards a world in which war is no longer necessary.
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01:30 PM-04:30 PM, T
DENNY 204 |
| POSC 390-02 |
Vice Presidency
Instructor: Curtis Edmonds
Course Description:
This senior seminar offers an in-depth examination of the office and institutional development of the Vice Presidency of the United States. While the vice presidency was initially conceived as a marginal role at the Constitutional Convention, it has evolved into a central institution within the modern executive branch. This course examines how vice presidents have navigated formal constitutional responsibilities and developed informal powers that shape public policy, executive governance, and interbranch relations. The course explores the vice presidency within the broader American political system, with particular attention to its relationships with the president, Congress, and the judiciary. Through historical case studies, theoretical readings, and contemporary analysis, students will assess how the office has become institutionalized and how individual vice presidents have shaped-and been shaped by-the political environment in which they served. The course is primarily lecture-based, with structured opportunities for discussion. As a senior seminar, the course emphasizes close reading, critical analysis, and active participation in academic discussion. Students are expected to complete assigned readings and viewings before class to engage meaningfully with the course material.
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01:30 PM-04:30 PM, W
DENNY 204 |