Graduate Catalog 2010-12

Political Science

Note: Additional work will be required for graduate credit in 400-level courses.

PS 415 Government & Business in the Information Age 3
Prereq.: PS 104 or 110 or 315 or permission of department chair. Analysis of the evolution of the pattern of interaction between business and government in the American administrative and political process as we enter the information age, with attention to how we as members of society are affected by and may influence this process. Spring. (E)

PS 420 Government and Politics of Latin America 3
Historical, social, economic, and ideological factors impacting contemporary government and politics in Latin America. Summer. [I]

PS 421 Government and Politics of Africa 3
Historical, social, economic, and ideological factors impacting contemporary government and politics in Africa. Summer. [I]

PS 425 Asian Politics 3
Prereq.: PS 104. Examination of the government and politics of East and South Asia with major focus on Japan, China, and India. Emphasis on historical and cultural forces shaping politics, Western impact on Asia, and cross-national comparisons. Spring. [I]

PS 430 The American Presidency 3
Prereq.: PS 104 or 110 or permission of instructor. Office of President and place in the political system, colonial antecedents and modern counterparts. Emphasis on the presidency's functional and institutional development, contemporary role in politics and public policy, and interplay between man and office. Cross listed with AMS 430. No credit given to students with credit for AMS 430. Spring.

PS 431 The Legislative Process 3
Prereq.: PS 104 or 110 or permission of instructor. Structure, behavior, and operation of U.S. Congress. Comparison with state legislatures. Interrelationships with executive and judicial branches. Problems of popular representation. Attention to the budgetary process, lobbying, and campaign financing. Spring. (O)

PS 432 Urban Politics and Government 3
Prereq.: PS 104 or 110 or permission of instructor (non-Political Science introductory courses may be substituted with permission of instructor). Selected urban conditions and problems such as housing, racial relations, power structure, intergovernmental relations, partisan politics, group behavior, forms of government, politics of planning, regionalism, economic development, transportation, and communication. Field research projects. Fall. (O)

PS 433 20th-Century Political Thought 3
Contemporary approaches to political theory, such as socialism, conservatism, liberalism, and group theory. Fall.

PS 434 Government and Politics of the Middle East and North Africa 3
Historical background, contemporary setting, political processes, and major problems of some of the countries of Middle East and North Africa. Spring. [I]

PS 435 Russian and Eastern Europe 3
Government and politics of Russia and of selected Eastern European countries such as Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, and Yugoslavia. Irregular. [I]

PS 439 U.S. Middle East Policy 3
Examination of the evolution of United States foreign policy towards the Middle East since WWII. Emphasis placed on the sources, determinants, and goals of United States policy and the challenges facing the United States in the region. Irregular.

PS 445 Public Policy Analysis and Evaluation 3
Prereq.: PS 260 or permission of department chair. An investigation in perspectives and methods of measuring public policies.

PS 446 The Budgetary Process 3
Prereq.: PS 110 and 260. Examination and analysis of budgeting as an administrative and political process, with attention to techniques and reform efforts.

PS 448 The Politics of Human Services 3
Study of the politics and administration of government programs that deal with human problems such as poverty, crime, health, manpower development, and housing.

PS 470        National Intern Experience      12

Prereq.: Junior, senior, or graduate status; minumum 3.00 grade point average. For undergraduate students, special exception may be granted by the internship advisor in consultation with the department chair. Government or political intern experience in Washington, D.C., or other national settings, typically through a program such as the Washington Center. Cannot be used to satisfy the requirements for a political science major if the student has completed PS 480 or PS 482. No more than 6 credits of PS 470 may be applied toward a political science major. By application.

PS 480        State Internship Experience            4

Prereq.: Junior or senior status with a minimum 2.50 grade point average unless special exception is granted by the internship coordinator in consultation with the department chair. Also open to graduate students with a minimum 3.00 grade point average. Must be taken concurrently with PS 485. Students who apply and are admitted to this program are assigned to work in state and local government departments and agencies for a minimum of two days a week. Not open to students who have completed PS 482. Cannot be used to satisfy the requirements for a political science major if the student has completed PS 470. By application. Spring. 

PS 482        Intensive State Internship Experience         9

Prereq.: Junior, senior, or graduate status; minumum 3.00 grade point average. For undergraduate students, special exception may be granted by the internship advisor in consultation with the department chair. Must be taken concurrently with PS 485. Students who apply and are admitted to this internship are assigned to work on a full-time basis, five days per week. Not open to students who have completed PS 480. Cannot be used to satisfy the requirements for a political science major if the student has completed PS 470. No more than 5 credits of PS 482 may be applied toward a political science major. By application. Spring.

PS 485      State Internship Seminar         3

Prereq.: Students must be enrolled in a department approved internship. Concurrent enrollment in either PS 480 or PS 482 is required. Structure, behavior, and operation of government institutions, agencies, and external organizations with an emphasis on applying theoretical knowledge to practical political experiences. Spring.

PS 490 Directed Readings in Political Science 1 TO 6
Prereq.: Permission of instructor. Individual programs of study for students with special abilities or interests in political science. May be repeated with different topics to a maximum of 6 credits. On demand.

PS 491 Advanced Studies in Political Science 1 TO 6
Intensive study of selected problems in political science. On demand.

PS 501 Advanced Studies in International Law 3
Prereq.: Graduate status. Origins, scope and limitations of public international law. Fundamental principles affecting laws among nations, and variables influencing state compliance. Discussion of contemporary issues, the role of international organizations, and the impact of the changing global power configuration on the international legal, political and economic environment. Fall.