Political Science
Department Chair: Whitney Court
Faculty: Whitney Court, Pedro Dos Santos, Claire Haeg, Colin Hannigan, Scott Johnson, Philip Kronebusch, Matthew Lindstrom, James Read, Christi Siver
The political science department equips students to understand political life, to be effective citizens, and to achieve positions of political leadership. The Department makes the following mission commitments:
- We prepare students for successful careers or graduate study in government, public policy, law, business, the not-for-profit sector, and related fields.
- We expand and strengthen critical thinking, research, and communication skills of students.
- We examine politics through innovative teaching, experiential learning, and student/faculty collaboration across the main fields of political science so that students can achieve political literacy appropriate for citizenship responsibilities.
- We help our students discover and learn the concepts and theories of our discipline so they can integrate new information and events into their own worldviews.
- We encourage students to adopt the habit of the examined life, to reflect upon themselves in relationship to others, to take risks, to participate actively in political life, and to accept responsibility for their actions.
- We encourage our students to participate and accept leadership in a variety of special programs, clubs and activities both on and off campus.
- Finally, we invite students to embrace the Benedictine traditions of service, stewardship, and community.
Visit the Political Science website for more detailed information: http://www.csbsju.edu/political-science.
POLS 111 Introduction to U.S. Politics (4 Credits)
In this course, students are introduced to the study of U.S. political institutions, processes and policies. Students learn about the structure of the federal government, and discuss constitutional rights and liberties, the functions of political parties, interest groups, media and political campaigns and elections. Students discuss their own political ideas and examine how political decisions are made in our democracy. Using political science analytical tools, students gain an understanding of the functioning of the political system and democracy in the United States. Every semester.
Prerequisites: None
Equivalent courses: POLS 111Z
Attributes: CSD: Identity (CI)
POLS 112 Election Prediction (1 Credit)
Prediction of Congressional, presidential and gubernatorial races. Students will predict winners in all races in all states. Evaluation based on justifications of the prediction.
Prerequisites: None
POLS 113 Election Consequences (1 Credit)
Examination of election outcomes from preceding fall semester and the policy outcomes likely to emerge as a result.
Prerequisites: None
POLS 114 Public Policy Analysis and Recommendation (2 Credits)
In this course students will diagnose a public policy problem and recommend a specific course of action to address that problem. Policy fields from which problems are drawn might include foreign policy, environmental policy, health care policy, education policy, or any other field of interest to the student. There are no regular classroom meetings. Students will work in groups to meet with instructor on as-needed basis. Each student will write a focused 3-page policy memo. Students will also publicly present their recommendations at the end of the course.
Prerequisites: None
POLS 115 Lawyers in American Cinema and Culture (1 Credit)
This class offers students the chance to examine the interplay between the legal profession and popular culture. Students will view four films to see what meaning they can derive from them: what do these films tell us about the role of lawyers, the conflicts they face, and the power they wield in American society? How accurate are these images? How do these images change over time? How are our attitudes toward the legal profession shaped by these films?
Prerequisites: None
POLS 121 Introduction to International Relations (4 Credits)
Students learn about global issues through different theoretical lenses, including realism and liberalism. Using these lenses, students investigate international security, civil conflict, economic interactions, and the influence of globalization. They also examine the influence of important actors in the international arena, including states, intergovernmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations. Students examine their understandings of culture and how it shapes understanding of concepts like human rights. This broad overview helps students have a better understanding of the world around them and how their worldview shapes their perceptions of international events. Every semester.
Prerequisites: None
Equivalent courses: HONR 220G
Attributes: Global Engagement (GL), Social World (SW), Thematic Encounter1/2-Justice
POLS 180 Politics and Political Life (4 Credits)
This is an intensive discussion and writing-oriented course that explores perennial issues of political life (such as freedom and justice, the individual and community, race and ethnicity, and gender and sexuality) through literature, drama, film, and essays. Students write a Political Autobiography reflecting upon their own political experiences and the formation of their own political perspective. The course carries a Gender designation, is required for political science majors, and open to students from all other majors. Every semester.
Prerequisites: None
Equivalent courses: POLS 211
Attributes: CSD: Identity (CI)
POLS 201 Book Club (1 Credit)
Faculty-led book discussion group.
Prerequisites: None
POLS 220 Data Analysis I (1 Credit)
This course leads students through elementary statistical analysis and basic statistical software use.
Prerequisites: None
POLS 221 Political Theory: An Introduction (4 Credits)
Introduction to the practice of thinking theoretically about politics. Readings will include classic works (such as Aristotle's Politics, Hobbes' Leviathan, Locke's Second Treatise on Civil Government) as well as some American and 20th-century political theory. The course stresses careful reading of texts, but also encourages students to theorize on their own about present-day political questions. The course is required for political science majors and minors, and open to students from all other majors. Every semester.
Prerequisites: None
Attributes: Benedictine Raven (BN), Human Experience (HE), Thematic Encounter1/2-Justice
POLS 222 Research Methods in Political Science (4 Credits)
Investigation of scholarly work and methods in all areas of political science. Students form hypotheses in response to political questions, use a variety of methods and tools to gather evidence, and identify criteria for evaluating the quality of evidence. Not available to first-year students. Spring semester.
Prerequisites: None
Attributes: Quantitative Reasoning (QR), Writing Requirement (WR)
POLS 223 Comparative Politics (4 Credits)
In this course students learn about different political and economic systems throughout the world. They also learn about the field of Comparative Politics, which examines the institutional structures and cultural influences that lead to different approaches to similar problems. Finally, students are also introduced to advanced research skills and produce a research design which presents a plan for conducting original data collection. Spring semester.
Prerequisites: POLS 223is a Theamatic Focus - MOVEMENT Course. You must take INTG 100 or 205 prior to taking a Thematic Focus Course. You must take a Cultural and Social Difference: Identity (CI) course prior to or at the same time as Thematic Focus Courses.
Attributes: Thematic Focus - Movement
POLS 224 Courts, Law and Policy (4 Credits)
Introduction to the study of law and legal process with an emphasis on the relationship between courts and public policy. Federal and state courts systems will be studied, as well as issues in criminal and civil law. Other subjects include the role of courts as political institutions, the selection of judges, the impact of court decisions on public policy, prosecutorial discretion in criminal cases, and the reliability of juries. Spring semester.
Prerequisites: None
POLS 271 Individual Learning Project (1-4 Credits)
Supervised reading or research at the lower-division level. Permission of department chair required. Consult department for applicability towards major requirements. Not available to first-year students.
Prerequisites: None
POLS 280A Bosnia Post-Conflict Societies (2 Credits)
Bosnia and Herzegovina have a rich history, stretching from the Roman Empire through Ottoman Turkey and Socialist Yugoslavia. Many ethnic and religious groups have lived side by side in this territory, even if they did not always agree. After the death of Tito, ethnic nationalism led to the breakup of Yugoslavia, creating Bosnia and Herzegovina. This land, mixed with different ethnic and religious groups, sits between Croatia and Serbia, both already on the path to European Union membership, and wonders what its future will bring. In this program, students will learn about the breakup of the former Yugoslavia and the creation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Beginning with the Dayton Accords, students will study the political institutions of the country and the reforms demanded by the European Union for membership. Students will also examine the evolution of different ethnic and nationalist groups and how the interact with political institutions. Finally, students will examine different memorials and monuments in Bosnia and explore their role, if any, in moving the country toward, or away from, post-conflict reconciliation.
Prerequisites: None
POLS 295 Public Policy Debate (0-2 Credits)
This course will enable students to engage in debates on current events and public policy topics. Students will research current events and construct arguments on a variety of domestic and international issues. Students will learn how to structure a policy case (including inherency, significance/harms, and solvency) and numerous opposition arguments (disadvantages, counterplans, procedurals) used in competitive debate. Students will develop their listening, questioning, and refutation skills. Students will also develop research skills as they prepare briefs on particular issues.
Prerequisites: None
POLS 311 Classics/Political Theory (4 Credits)
Each semester an important work of political theory will be examined in depth with attention to both the primary text and secondary sources from the author's period and today. The course examines interpretations of the primary text in order to understand the process of interpretation and the tasks of political theory. Since the course assumes some background in political theory, students will be able to consider more carefully and in greater detail the insights these works provide for the study of politics. Recent semesters have focused on Tocqueville and Machiavelli. The class schedule will describe this semester's focus.
Prerequisites: POLS 221
POLS 312 American Political Thought (4 Credits)
What is America? How have Americans thought about democracy, equality, power and justice through the last two centuries? This course focuses on the central questions that have shaped American politics by examining the primary texts written by men and women who have contributed to the continuing debates.
Prerequisites: None
POLS 313 20th Century Contemporary Political Thought (4 Credits)
Examination of political thought throughout the turbulent 20th century, with special attention to writers who theorize about justice and the struggle to achieve it. Topics covered may include: just and unjust wars, imperialism, economic justice, justice in relations between men and women and between members of different racial and ethnic groups. A careful study of the ideas of the 20th century will prepare students to face the new challenges of the 21st century. Prerequisite: 221, equivalent, or consent of instructor.
Prerequisites: None
POLS 314 Sex, Gender, and Political Theory (4 Credits)
Examination of the common theme that cannot be ignored in feminist thought: a claim to equality. This course examines the many varieties of feminist political theory including liberal feminism, radical feminism and socialist feminism. Students will look at how feminism has dealt with gender, ethnicity, sexual preference and examine where feminist theory is going into the future.
Prerequisites: Before taking a Cultural and Social Difference: Systems Courses (CS) you first must complete the following Integrations requirements; Learning Foundations (LF), Theological Encounter (TE), and Cultural and Social Difference: identity (CI).
Equivalent courses: GEND 360L
Attributes: CSD: Systems (CS)
POLS 320B Supreme Court (4 Credits)
This course examines the American Supreme Court as a legal and political institution. We will learn about how the Court affects issues like race, abortion, gun rights and presidential power. We will also explore the behavior of Supreme Court Justices, particularly through Moot Court simulations.
Prerequisites: None
POLS 320C Law & Literature (4 Credits)
In this course we will read a series of books and discuss them as a group. This is not a lecture course. Some of the texts are novels, some are plays, some are monographs, some are short stories, some are collections of theoretical essays. There is something here for every taste. Each of the books illustrates some aspect of the law that is worth understanding, whether that aspect concerns interpretation or a particular problem such as vengeance. We will also read a selected set of essays related to the book of the week from various law journals and these are available on-line via Lexis/Nexis. The point of this course is to give each student an understanding of the law as something beyond the cases and institutions studied in POLS 111, 224, 323 and 324. This is not a course in the nitty gritty practicalities of the law. Here I want you to begin to see some of the theoretical complexity as well as the majesty and diversity of law. For the future lawyers among you, this is an undergraduate version of a seminar you might see during your second or third year in law school. For those of you who have no intention of ever setting foot in a court room, let alone a law school, this should be a challenging course that will improve your reading, writing, and critical thinking skills.
Prerequisites: None
Equivalent courses: POLS 321
POLS 321 Law and Literature (4 Credits)
In this course we will read a series of books and discuss them as a group. This is not a lecture course. Some of the texts are novels, some are plays, some are monographs, some are short stories, some are collections of theoretical essays. There is something here for every taste. Each of the books illustrates some aspect of the law that is worth understanding, whether that aspect concerns interpretation or a particular problem such as vengeance. We will also read a selected set of essays related to the book of the week from various law journals and these are available on-line via Lexis/Nexis. The point of this course is to give each student an understanding of the law as something beyond the cases and institutions studied in POLS 111, 224, 323 and 324. This is not a course in the nitty gritty practicalities of the law. Here I want you to begin to see some of the theoretical complexity as well as the majesty and diversity of law. For the future lawyers among you, this is an undergraduate version of a seminar you might see during your second or third year in law school. For those of you who have no intention of ever setting foot in a court room, let alone a law school, this should be a challenging course that will improve your reading, writing, and critical thinking skills.
Prerequisites: None
Equivalent courses: POLS 320C
Attributes: Human Experience (HE), Thematic Encounter3 - Truth
POLS 323 Constitutional Law: Structure and Power (4 Credits)
Examination of constitutional interpretation and development in the United States with an emphasis on the role of the Supreme Court in the U.S. system of government. The course uses a combination of case, historical and political analysis to acquaint students with the power of the Supreme Court as an institution of government. Themes studied include the development of constitutional doctrines regarding the power relationship among the president, Congress, and the judiciary and between the federal and state governments.
Prerequisites: None
POLS 324 Constitutional Law: Civil Rights and Liberties (4 Credits)
Examination of the Bill of Rights and the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution with an emphasis on noteworthy Supreme Court cases from the past 50 years. Subjects studied include the guarantees of equal protection and due process, the right to privacy, the doctrines of free expression, and the separation of church and state.
Prerequisites: You must take INTG 100 or 205 prior to taking a Thematic Focus Course. You must take a Cultural and Social Difference: Identity (CI) course prior to or at the same time as Thematic Focus Courses.
Attributes: Thematic Focus - Justice
POLS 326A Sex, Death, Religion, and Politics
(4 Credits)
American politics has always been connected to religious thought in both positive and negative encounters. This is especially true surrounding issues of sex and death. This course will examine the role religion has played in the politics concerning reproductive rights, obscenity, sexual identity, and the right to die.
Prerequisites: THEO 100 or THEO 111 or INTG XXXG
Attributes: Theological Integration (TI), Writing Requirement (WR)
POLS 330 Environmental Politics and Policy (4 Credits)
This course is about the politics and policies surrounding environmental issues at all levels of government. Many issues are both local and global. Transportation, electricity, and food are locally experienced but have global as well as local environmental ramifications. Environmental politics and policies draw upon a range of disciplines including economics, history, ecology, and ethics in addition to political science, public policy, and public administration. In covering environmental politics, we focus on the themes of environmentalism from lobbying, legislating and litigating to protests and the politics of corporate sustainability. The policy focus emphasizes content related to major federal laws and the federal agencies that oversee environmental policy. The second half of the course concentrates on specific local, national and international issues such as the management of national forests, food politics, and local land use planning. We study each issue by discussing the players and major debates.
Prerequisites: None
Equivalent courses: ENVR 330
POLS 331 U.S. Political Parties and Elections (4 Credits)
This course examines United States political parties, campaigns, and elections. Students examine the effectiveness of political advertising, the impact of political news media, the influence of events on presidential, congressional, and local elections, and the electoral systems and political parties in other countries. The course analyzes the impact of partisanship, race and ethnicity, income, gender, and education on a citizen’s vote choice, and assesses how political campaigns can be organized to turnout the vote and win elections.
Prerequisites: POLS 331 is a Thematic Focus Course - Truth. You must take INTG 100 or 205 prior to taking a Thematic Focus Course. You must take a Cultural and Social Difference: Identity (CI) course prior to or at the same time as Thematic Focus Courses.
Attributes: Thematic Focus - Truth, Writing Requirement (WR)
POLS 332 U.S. Congress (4 Credits)
This course examines how Congress works within the American political system. The course begins by examining the structure and legislative procedures of the U.S. Congress before turning to a study of congressional elections, particularly who wins and why they win. Students study the major structures, players, and forces that shape legislative decision-making, including the impact of partisanship and leadership in the contemporary Congress. Students also examine their own beliefs about democratic representation, and debate institutional reforms that might improve the ability of members of Congress to represent their constituents.
Prerequisites: None
Attributes: Writing Requirement (WR)
POLS 333 U.S. Presidency and Executive Leadership (4 Credits)
Analysis of the president, organizational aspects of the executive office and relationship with Congress, the bureaucracy, the media and public opinion. Every year.
Prerequisites: None
POLS 334 U.S. Bureaucracy and Regulatory Law (4 Credits)
Analysis of public policy organizations. Students examine values and processes that influence the regulations generated by the public sector at the national level, as well as the merit system of public service, and the web of connections among public bureaucracies at the state and national levels and institutions in other sectors.
Prerequisites: None
POLS 336 State and Local Government (4 Credits)
Inclusive and comparative examination of governments and politics at the subnational level. In the federal structure of the United States, states and tribal nations share sovereignty with the national government. The course examines subnational policies, processes, and political structures and their potential for success in addressing issues such education, public assistance, pollution, health care, transportation, etc. Prerequisite: POLS 222 or permission of the instructor.
Prerequisites: POLS 222
POLS 337 Theory of Public Policy (4 Credits)
This course introduces students to the processes and content related to federal public policies concerning economics, crime, social welfare, environment, education among other areas. The course focuses on the place of equality, efficiency, justice, authority, community, and other principles in the practice and evaluation of policy. Policy memos constitute the bulk of student writing assignments.
Prerequisites: None
POLS 338 Public Sector (4 Credits)
This course focuses on the analysis of delivery systems related to the quality of public goods and services. Traditional governmental agencies, not-for-profit organizations, and privatization alternatives are examined and debated. The course also includes discussion of specific policy areas related to economics and other key areas of public sector involvement in societies.
Prerequisites: None
POLS 339 Gender and Politics (4 Credits)
This course examines the way in which gender affects our political life and how it shapes our politics. Students focus on important questions about gender and politics including why women are still demographically underrepresented in the U.S. Congress and in other political institutions. Students investigate important gender and public policy issues including equal opportunity and the pay gap, gendered career choices, conscription, and health and education policy. The course also examines gender issues in other countries.
Prerequisites: None
Equivalent courses: GEND 360H
POLS 342 Democratization (4 Credits)
Study of regime change and regime stability in a comparative context. This course examines the origins, structures, value, stability, and international consequences of democracy and democratization. Topics include trends over time in regime change, structural and actor-based explanations for democratization, authoritarian survival strategies (repression, elections, parties, media control), institutional variation (e.g. electoral systems and forms of government), backsliding and authoritarian resurgence, the role of civil society and political culture, and the international behavior of democracies and autocracies. While democracy is sometimes perceived as singular, Western experience, empirical cases are primarily drawn from Latin America, Africa, Asia, post-Communist Eastern Europe, the Middle East, etc.
Prerequisites: None
Attributes: Social World (SW), Thematic Encounter3 - Movement
POLS 343 Revolutions and Social Movements (4 Credits)
Analysis of revolutions and social movements as political, economic, and social phenomenon. Focuses on writing by both political actors and social scientists. Case studies are drawn from throughout the world, including movements within the United States.
Prerequisites: None
POLS 344 Middle East Politics (4 Credits)
Study of the current political conflicts in the Middle East region with particular emphasis on the Arab Spring and its aftermath. Also emphasized will be the role of Islam and the political economy of oil.
Prerequisites: None
POLS 345 The Global South (4 Credits)
Conceptual discussion of the term Global South, as well as other similar terms such as Third World and Developing Nations. Examination of important aspects of politics, economics, relevant historical experiences and the culture of countries identified as the Global South (nations in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East). Exploration of developmental issues, focusing on how these nations have sought to solve major problems by using different theories and approaches to political, economic and social development.
Prerequisites: None
POLS 346 Asian Politics (4 Credits)
This course examines of the politics and economics of Asian countries, including India, China, and Japan. Contemporary politics is examined through a broad study of history, cultural and social traditions, and economic conditions as well as the political institutions and systems. The relationships between the United States and each of these nations are also studied in light of distinct foreign policy approaches.
Prerequisites: None
POLS 347 Latin American Politics (4 Credits)
Comparative analysis of Latin American politics focusing on the themes of the military in politics, economic dependency, reform and revolution, and agrarian reform. Case studies include Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Nicaragua and Cuba.
Prerequisites: None
Attributes: Social World (SW), Thematic Encounter3 - Movement
POLS 348 African Politics (4 Credits)
Examination of politics and economics of sub-Saharan Africa. The course analyzes the different kinds of governments in the region, the relationship between economic development and political change, the social patterns that shape domestic policy and governance processes, and regional integration schemes, including the African Union.
Prerequisites: None
Equivalent courses: PCST 368F
POLS 350A Sustainable Urban Planning (4 Credits)
A sustainable world requires continual examination and debate related to the ways we plan, design and manage human settlements. Urban planners and policy makers address both the built and natural environment and the relationships between town and country. Sustainable development has ecological, economic and social aspects. The organization and design of space is a prime source of resource and energy use, as well as being a key to well -functioning and healthy communities. The course includes discussion and debate on themes including land use, economic development, ecological footprint, social neighborhood planning, citizen participation, work and mobility, and urban ecology. Offered for A-F grading only.
Prerequisites: None
Equivalent courses: ENVR 300R
Attributes: Thematic Encounter3 - Justice
POLS 350B American Political Thought and Contemporary Political Applications (4 Credits)
This course will explore how key ideas and debates in the history of American political thought have been translated into practice, both in the United States and elsewhere in the world. We will examine, for example, how the Framers attempted to create a presidency that was both effective and effectively checked, and ask how the presidency has changed in comparison to those initial hopes and fears. We will examine Abraham Lincoln's use of, and arguments for, presidential emergency powers during the Civil War; and how the Bush administration used (or some would argue, abused) the arguments of Lincoln and the Federalist Papers to justify sweeping presidential powers in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Other contemporary applications explored in the course will include the present-day Tea Party's appropriation of the rhetoric of the American Revolution, and the contemporary resurgence of the pre-Civil War doctrine of state nullification of federal law. Finally, we will link the Declaration of Independence's claim of inalienable rights - rights to which all human beings are entitled, no matter what political community they belong to - to 20th and 21st Century understandings of "human rights," and to debates about whether and in what way the United States is obliged to honor international standards of human rights in its policies. The course as a whole will emphasize the fact that political theories have policy consequences, predictable or unpredictable, sometimes in their own place and time, sometimes decades or centuries later or in some other part of the world.
Prerequisites: None
POLS 350C Community Organizing (4 Credits)
Community organizing is a set of principles and approaches to collective action by people who share common values and interests. It developed as a specific practice after World War II but has deep roots in the American social action tradition. In this course we will explore the historical roots of community organizing, its current status and contemporary debates in the field. We will learn basic organizing principles and techniques and study their application through field observations and case studies. We will compare community organizing to related forms of civic action, reflect on the social values that inform its practice, and explore key ethical issues inherent in community organizing practice. Students will describe and analyze current and historical practice, apply organizing techniques, and evaluate community organizing as a form of civic engagement.
Prerequisites: None
POLS 350D Political Psychology & Behavior (4 Credits)
This course will apply psychological theories to the context of politics to help us better understand the political behavior of political elites and the citizenry. We will begin by analyzing how attitudes are formed. Then we will answer questions like, what does it mean to be a part of a particular identity group and how might that shape your political behavior and beliefs? We will examine what motivates people to take part in politics while others appear to sit on the sidelines. This course will investigate how people process and perceive information, and then we will critically examine the effectiveness of different campaign tactics given this knowledge. By the end of this semester students will gain a stronger understanding of how an interdisciplinary research approach can help us better comprehend and predict the political environment.
Prerequisites: None
POLS 351 U.S. Foreign Policy (4 Credits)
In this course, students will learn about the many different factors that can influence U.S. foreign policy decisions. First, what are the most important interests? Nuclear proliferation, climate change, infectious diseases, or poverty? Second, who are the actors that play a role in shaping foreign policy? The Executive (including the President, military, and relevant agencies – CIA, EPA, Commerce Department), Congress and Supreme Court all play a role, as does the media, interest groups, and the public. Then, what are the different tools? Foreign policy can include military action, economic sanctions, trade incentives, foreign aid, among other tools. Finally, how does the U.S. decide on the best policy to address these issues? Using insights from scholarly literature and current events, students explore these questions.
Prerequisites: None
POLS 352 Global Gender Issues (4 Credits)
Study of gender as a fundamental variable in social, political and economic developments around the world. In this course, the focus is to identify the significance of gender at a global level. Examination of gendered division of labor in industrialized and developing societies, in particular, gendered discourses in development policies and gender-based economic strategies of modernization and restructuring. Beyond the economic realm, the course will also deal with other issues, such as wars, peace movements and concerns over military spending, which show remarkably similar patterns in terms of gender differences over policies.
Prerequisites: Before taking a Cultural and Social Difference: Systems Courses (CS) you first must complete the following Integrations requirements; Learning Foundations (LF), Theological Encounter (TE), and Cultural and Social Difference: identity (CI).
Equivalent courses: GEND 360K, GWST 381
Attributes: CSD: Systems (CS), Writing Requirement (WR)
POLS 353 International Law and Organization (4 Credits)
International law and international organizations are instruments for creating, maintaining, and altering our world. In domestic law, members are able to define the character of their society and design and enforce laws accordingly. But, can this be done in international society? This course explores the potential and limitations of law between sovereign states and those organizations comprised of states to address the challenges our world faces. In addition, we will go beyond the nation state to explore the ways in which non state actors are playing greater roles in the shaping of global values. Select non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including multi national corporations (MNCs), the Catholic Church, women's organizations, drug trafficking organizations, terrorist organizations, and international development organizations will be examined to augment the traditionally state centric focus of many international law and organization courses. Cross-listed as PCST 349.
Prerequisites: None
Equivalent courses: PCST 349
POLS 355 Globalization (4 Credits)
In this course, students learn about the different institutions, actors, and ideational forces that shape the global economy. First, students are exposed to different theoretical explanations of the global economy, including free market liberalism, organizational models, and Marxism. Students these apply these theories to numerous case studies, including global financial patterns, international trade, regulation of multinational corporations, globalization and consumer patterns, and the relationship between the economy and the environment.
Prerequisites: Before taking a Cultrual and Social Difference: Systems Courses (CS) you first must complete the following Integrations requirements; Learning Foundations (LF), Theological Encounter (TE), and Cultural and Social Difference: identity (CI).
Attributes: CSD: Systems (CS)
POLS 356 Security: Defense, Diplomacy and Development (4 Credits)
What is security? Exploring this concept, students are introduced to a range of international relations theories from realism to constructivism. Examining numerous concepts of security, including traditional territorial security, transnational environment crises, and human security, students compare different explanations for events in the international arena. By scrutinizing the behavior of states, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, students gain a better sense of the concepts of security and why and how it is pursued by different institutions and individuals.
Prerequisites: None
Equivalent courses: HONR 320C
POLS 357 War Games (4 Credits)
Empirical examination of war and conflict. This course examines the actors, interests, preferences, and actions involved in war-making in order to understand what causes war, how it transpires, and when it ends. Students will develop the tools to describe, explain, and predict international conflict and cooperation. To do this, students explore several game models of conflict, applying them to real world cases to offer predictions about whether the actors will go to war, how conflict can be avoided, or who is more likely to win if conflict breaks out. Key topics include game theoretic explanations for war, alliance formation, the strategic use of terror and guerrilla tactics in insurgency, UN peacekeeping vs. unilateral intervention, structural inequalities causing civil wars, the changing nature of conventional warfare, and post-conflict power-sharing. This course aims to answer questions like the following: Why are there more civil wars than interstate wars? Can war be the result of completely rational decision-making? When do others intervene (and what are their true motives for doing so)? By the end of the course, students will understand why international actors go to war, how it can be mitigated or prevented, and what helps resolve it.
Prerequisites: None
Attributes: Writing Requirement (WR)
POLS 358A Global Public Health (4 Credits)
"This course provides an introduction to the relationship between international relations, global health policy, and public health outcomes. As a survey course, students will examine public health in the context of globalization, and the ideas, actors, and institutions involved in campaigns to resolve health disparities and improve the effectiveness of health care systems. The first half of the course explores the concept of global health and analyzes the social, political, and economic forces influencing the health and well-being of individuals and communities. The second half covers global health governance, with special attention given to the norms, strategies, and debates shaping international health policymaking."
Prerequisites: None
POLS 361 Research Seminar in Public Affairs (4 Credits)
Preparation and presentation of a 35-50 page senior thesis in public policy, using standard scholarly research literature and primary source materials. Topic areas include but are not limited to health care, education, welfare, poverty, economic development and crime. Research projects focus on definition of a public policy problem, a review of existing alternative policy options for addressing the problem, and a recommendation for a preferred course of public action. Especially useful for students pursuing careers in public policy and public or non-profit management. Spring semester.
Prerequisites: None
POLS 362 Research Seminar in Law (4 Credits)
Preparation and presentation of a 35-50 page senior thesis in the area of law and law-related fields. Students will learn how to research using legal materials and tools and how to organize and draft a legal writing project. Seniors only. Every year. Fall semester.
Prerequisites: None
Attributes: Writing Requirement (WR)
POLS 363 Research Seminar in Political Institutions (4 Credits)
Preparation and presentation of a 35-50 page senior thesis in an area related to U.S. political institutions and policies. Students work individually and collaboratively to plan and execute successfully their extended research projects. The senior thesis demonstrates the student's abilities to synthesize course work preparation in the major, to apply skills and knowledge to conduct research on important political questions, and to communicate the analysis and recommendations to appropriate audiences. Seniors only. Fall semester.
Prerequisites: None
Attributes: Writing Requirement (WR)
POLS 364 Research Seminar in International Relations and Comparative Politics (4 Credits)
Preparation and presentation of a 35-50 page senior thesis in the areas of international relations and comparative politics. Students will study different research methodologies and share the results of their research with other seminar participants. Assigned reading, seminar discussions and individual research project in international relations or comparative politics. Seniors only. Fall semester
Prerequisites: None
Attributes: Writing Requirement (WR)
POLS 365 Research Seminar in Political Theory (4 Credits)
Preparation and presentation of a 35-50 page senior thesis exploring in depth the work of particular theorists (Hobbes, Locke, Madison, Mill, Marx, for example) or particular themes in political thought (such as freedom, justice, power). It will also provide students interested in constitutional law an opportunity to study/investigate law from an aspect of political theory. Seniors only.
Prerequisites: None
POLS 371 Individual Learning Project (1-4 Credits)
Supervised reading or research at the upper-division level. Permission of department chair and completion and/or concurrent registration of 12 credits within the department required. Projects are understood to be part of a student's concentration area work. Not available to first-year students.
Prerequisites: None
POLS 377A Justice (4 Credits)
This course examines several of the most important contemporary conceptions of justice, especially the contrast between liberal egalitarian and libertarian approaches, along with their implications for the design of political, economic, and social institutions. This course will examine critiques of these approaches and ask students to reflect on their own choices regarding fair and equitable conditions, actions, policies, and laws. The course is an elective for political science majors and minors, counts as a Thematic Focus: Justice, and is open to students from all majors.
Prerequisites: You must take INTG 100 or 205 prior to taking a Thematic Focus Course. You must take a Cultural and Social Difference: Identity (CI) course prior to or at the same time as Thematic Focus Courses.
Attributes: Human Experience (HE), Thematic Focus - Justice
POLS 380A Ethics in War (4 Credits)
What do ethics mean during a time of war? If you agree with General Sherman and his view that “war is hell,” this notion seems odd, if not completely irrelevant. However, as human society has evolved, numerous politicians, philosophers, and religious figures have agreed on the need for an ethics in war, even if they have not agreed on the content of those ethics. Students will be introduced to ethical perspectives and discover the dilemmas they encounter when applying these frameworks to real world situations. Students will compare how these ethical perspectives overlap and diverge from political values. We will debate particular dilemmas in warfare, including which authorities can declare war and when they are justified in doing so, what means can be used in war, and what obligations both combatants and non-combatants have.
Prerequisites: Before taking a Cultural and Social Difference: Systems Courses (CS) you first must complete the following Integrations requirements; Learning Foundations (LF), Theological Encounter (TE), and Cultural and Social Difference: identity (CI).
Equivalent courses: POLS 358B
Attributes: CSD: Systems (CS)
POLS 380B Inequality, Race, and Gender in Brazil (4 Credits)
This course combines classroom learning at CSB/SJU during CD mod and ends with an experiential component abroad. Brazil is a complex country. Blessed with abundant natural resources, it has constantly failed to transform this potential into sustained economic development. The economic growth of the past century has exacerbated long lasting inequalities that date back to the colonial period, with the legacy of slavery looming large to this day. These inequalities, when analyzed more deeply, show that race and gender are important categories in understanding the country’s struggle for social and economic development. This class explores the relationship between development, inequality, race and gender in Brazil. Students will learn about the historical contexts that have created Brazil as a nation while also seeing firsthand the economic, social, cultural, and racial diversity of the country. Prerequisite FYS 101, HONR 101 or FYS 201.
Prerequisites: Before taking a Cultural and Social Difference: Systems Courses (CS) you first must complete the following Integrations requirements; Learning Foundations (LF), Theological Encounter (TE), and Cultural and Social Difference: identity (CI).
Equivalent courses: POLS 358D
Attributes: CSD: Systems (CS), Writing Requirement (WR)
POLS 380C Comparative Health Care Policy (4 Credits)
This course examines the challenges and solutions to contemporary health care in countries across the world, from Europe and the Americas, to Asia and Africa. The course will focus on various parts of the United States’ health care system in comparison with that of the United Kingdom, Canada, Austria, Australia, Botswana, Japan, and others, with guest speakers from some of those countries. We examine how national health systems were shaped by different political, historical, cultural and socio-economic traditions and the political, social, and economic consequences of each system.
Prerequisites: Before taking a Cultural and Social Difference: Systems Courses (CS) you first must complete the following Integrations requirements; Learning Foundations (LF), Theological Encounter (TE), and Cultural and Social Difference: identity (CI).
Equivalent courses: POLS 350
Attributes: CSD: Systems (CS)
POLS 391 Washington DC Summer Study Program Preparation (1 Credit)
Preparation for participation in the Washington DC Summer Study Program, including preparation of application materials, building mentoring relationships, preparation for living and working independently and responsibly in an urban setting, the development of transferable skills for professional development, and the exploration of a variety of career goals. Acceptance to the Washington DC Summer Study Program required.
Prerequisites: None
POLS 395A Model United Nations Seminar (1 Credit)
Preparation for participation in a national Model United Nations Conference, usually held in New York City or Boston during the spring semester. Covers the structure and functions of the United Nations, plus selected international issues such as the environment, terrorism and human rights. Every year.
Prerequisites: POLS 121
POLS 395B Model United Nations Seminar (1 Credit)
Preparation for participation in a national Model United Nations Conference, usually held in New York City or Boston during the spring semester. Covers the structure and functions of the United Nations, plus selected international issues such as the environment, terrorism and human rights. Prerequisite: POLS 395A. Every year.
Prerequisites: POLS 395A
POLS 396A Washington, D.C., Summer Study (4 Credits)
Preparation with faculty and other learning community participants, followed by a ten week internship experience in Washington, D.C., working full time for members of Congress, committee staffs, federal agencies, media or lobbying organizations. Includes evening seminars, discussions with Congressional delegation, and guest speakers. Every summer.
Prerequisites: None
Attributes: Experiential Engagement (EX)
POLS 397 Internship (1-8 Credits)
Experiential learning in the field, including work with faculty researchers, elected officials, other public officials, lawyers and judges.
Prerequisites: None
Attributes: Experiential Engagement (EX)