Academic Bulletin Political Science - Course Descriptions - 2011-12

The four courses labeled "Survey" assume no prior knowledge of the subject matter. Those marked "advanced" build on the specific introductory course cited as a prerequisite.

An analysis of the powers, functions, and political bases of government in America, including attention to democratic theory, civil liberties, political parties and pressure groups, campaigns and elections, Congress and the Presidency, judicial review, federal-state-local relations, and public policy making in domestic, foreign and budgetary areas. This course is offered both semesters.

This class provides a general introduction to the study of political systems worldwide. The approach and many of the readings will be theoretical, but we will draw from real-world illustrations of these theoretical concepts. Thus, a basic understanding of world history, current events, and even the American political system will be assumed. This course is a requirement for all students who intend to major in political science and is a prerequisite for a number of other courses in the subfield of comparative politics. It is also a good choice for students wishing to satisfy a behavioral science distribution requirement. This course is offered both semesters.

This course surveys the politics of the major states and nations of the Middle East. Special attention will be given to a number of leading issues in the region, including the Arab-Israeli Conflict, oil, terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and US foreign policy in Afghanistan and Iraq. Attention will also be given to broader questions of economic and social development, human rights, democratization, and the role of women in the modern Middle East. Next offered spring semester 2012-2013.

Prerequisite: Political Science 122 or permission or the instructor

This course surveys the politics of the major states and nations of the Middle East. Special attention will be given to a number of leading issues in the region, including the Arab-Israeli Conflict, oil, terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and US foreign policy in Afghanistan and Iraq. Attention will also be given to broader questions of economic and social development, human rights, democratization, and the role of women in the modern Middle East. Next offered spring semester 2012-2013.

Prerequisite: Political Science 122 or permission or the instructor

The survey of political theory will use selected political theorists to examine a series of major issues, concepts, and questions which are central to political theory, e.g., power, authority, justice, and liberty. This course is offered in the fall semester.

A study of major contemporary approaches to understanding international politics, including political realism, liberalism, and constructivism. Through this framework, the course will take up concepts such as the evaluation of national power and the balance of power, the interplay of individuals and groups in international politics, the impact of capitalism on the development of the world-system, and the role of gender in world politics. This course is offered in the spring semester.

What do political scientists know and how do they know it? This course focuses on the nature of political science as a discipline, the range and kinds of questions it addresses, and the methods and techniques by which it seeks answers to those questions. We will use examples from U.S., comparative, and international politics to examine the scope of the political science discipline and the different approaches we take to answering important questions about how and why political systems work as they do. We will also survey some of the basic statistical techniques employed in systematic studies of politics and government. This course is strongly recommended for sophomores planning to major in political science. This course is offered in the fall semester, 2011-2012. PSC 261 may require one lab session per week.

Prerequisite: One course in political science.

Independent Study is available to students with the permission of the instructor who will supervise the study and the department chair prior to enrollment.

Independent Study is available to students with the permission of the instructor who will supervise the study and the department chair prior to enrollment.

A study of the legislative and executive branches of the United States government. This course will involve analysis of each branch as an institution. Particular attention will be given to the interactions between and the interdependence of Congress and the Executive and the effects of these interactions on the decisions and operations of the two branches of government. Counts as an advanced course in American Politics. This course is offered in the spring semester alternate years and includes an immersion trip to Washington, DC (required). Next offered spring 2012.

Prerequisite: Political Science 111 or permission of the instructor.

A systematic look at mechanisms for popular control of American government. This course looks at the nature of public opinion and its translation into political action. Political parties and interest groups are investigated as mechanisms which link the citizen to the policy-making system. Attention will be given to elections and the bases upon which individuals make their decisions at the polls. We will also consider the conflicting arguments about the decline, decomposition, and realignment of parties and the rise of the single-issue interest group in recent years. Counts as an advanced course in American Politics. This course is next offered in the fall semester, 2011-2012.

Prerequisite: Political Science 111 or permission of the instructor.

The Supreme Court has accurately been described as a “Storm Center” of political controversy. This course examines the Court’s most potent power—to strike down as unconstitutional the actions of elected officials. We will focus on key Supreme Court decisions, including those dealing with abortion, affirmative action, gay marriage, the death penalty, the right to keep and bear arms, and the constitutionality of health care reform. What role should judges play in deciding such divisive and morally vexing issues? How should the Court apply such broadly worded constitutional guarantees as “equal protection” and “due process of law”? And what impact have the Court’s decisions had—on other branches of government and on American society in general? Counts as an advanced course in American politics. This course is offered in the fall semester 2011-2012.

Prerequisite: Political Science 111 or permission of the instructor.

This course explores the nature of the Constitution and the role of the Court in enforcing it by focusing on a particular controversial topic in constitutional law. What role should the Court play in helping resolve our most difficult and searing conflicts? Is the Constitution adaptable to such challenges? Past topics have included Civil Liberties in War and Peace, which explored how we treat those we fear most—suspected criminals, alleged enemies of the state, and those who criticize the government during wartime. Counts as an advanced course in American Politics. This course is offered in the spring semester 2012-2013.

Prerequisites: Political Science 111 or 313 or permission of the instructor

May the United States Air Force Academy display a banner declaring “I am a member of Team Jesus Christ” in its football locker room?  May the Indiana House of Representatives pray and sing a Christian song at the beginning of one of its sessions?  Must employees be permitted to post at work biblical verses that condemn homosexuals?  Must employees be permitted to pray multiple times during the work day?  Should we prosecute Christian Scientist parents whose critically ill child dies because the only treatment he received was prayer?  May public schools teach intelligent design in their science courses?  The collision of religion, politics, and the law generates many sensitive questions. We will work through these kinds of questions to determine what our Constitution means when it forbids government from establishing religion and protects our right freely to exercise our many religions. We will also explore whether religion can play a productive role in politics without debasing itself or causing strife. Counts as an advanced course in American politics. This course is offered spring semester 2011-2012.

Prerequisite: Political Science 111 or 313 or permission of the instructor

In this course, which focuses on domestic policy, students will learn about two different ways of studying public policy: public policy analysis and the politics of the policy process. Students will learn about public policy analysis and how it is both similar to and different from other fields of study in political science. During this part of the course, students will practice skills such as memo writing and client consultation. Students will study the politics of the policy process by comparing different models of policy formation and analyzing the different institutions that help shape public policy (the legislature, interest groups, bureaucracy, etc.). Students will do exercises with case studies and also participate in an in-class simulation. Counts as an advanced course in American politics. Offered every other year, this course is offered fall semester 2011-2012.

Prerequisite: Political Science 111 or permission of the instructor

A survey of the institutions, actors, and processes involved in the governing of states, cities, and other local jurisdictions. Attention is given to intergovernmental relations as well as to the analysis of individual units. Field work is required. Counts as an advanced course in American Politics. This course is offered in the spring semester, alternate years. This course is next offered in the spring semester, 2012-2013.

Prerequisite: Political Science 111 or consent of the instructor.

This course will examine the politics of the European Union (EU). Attention will be given to the political institutions and dynamics of the Union itself, as well as to those of its member states, and to the process of EU expansion more generally. Special attention will be given to the possible effects of EU integration on national identity in contemporary Europe. Counts as an advanced course in comparative politics or international relations. This course requires concurrent enrollment in ECO 277 (Economics of the European Union) and includes an immersion trip over spring break. This course is offered in the spring semester 2012-2013.

Political Science 122 or permission of the instructor

This deeply historical course examines the emergence of the sovereign state as the predominant organizational institution in politics around the world. Special attention will be given to the consolidation of states in modern industrialized society, as well as to the legacy of imperialism in Eastern Europe and the developing world. Key issues to be considered will include Europe’s economic and military dominance in the modern era, the role of nationalism in the dissolution of early empires, and the legacy of colonialism for the economic and political development of Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. Special attention will also be given to an enduring question in comparative politics: Why are some countries rich and others poor? Not offered in 2011-2012.

Prerequisite: Political Science 122 or permission of the instructor.

An introduction to the politics of Latin America and the Caribbean Basin. Special attention will be given to political and economic development of the region, as well as to the unique role that the United States has played in this process. We will also examine the crucial impact that developments in this region have on domestic politics in the United States, especially with respect to such important issues as immigration and regional trade. May be offered in conjunction with courses in the Department of Modern Languages and cross-listed with studies of Hispanic language and culture. Counts as an advanced course in comparative politics. This course will not be offered in 2011-2012.

Prerequisite: Political Science 122 or permission of the instructor.

This class will provide a general introduction to the study of nationalism and ethnic conflict. In it, we will touch upon a wide range of cases of ethnic conflict and genocide, including the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the ‘troubles’ in Northern Ireland, genocide in Rwanda and the Holocaust, and current crises in the Middle East. With such a wide range of cases, the approach will be largely theoretical — focusing on the underlying causes of such conflicts and on the general conditions under which they might be remedied. Thus, a reliable foundation in the study of comparative politics and a reasonable familiarity with international current events will be expected. Counts as an advanced course in comparative politics or international relations. This course is offered fall semester 2011-2012.

Prerequisite:  Political Science 122 or permission of the instructor

A series of half- or full-credit courses, each of which will focus a particular political theorist or group of theorists from classical antiquity or the medieval period. Specific offerings will vary from year to year. Counts as advanced course work in political theory. Next offered spring semester 2012-2013.

Prerequisite: Political Science 231 or permission of the instructor.

A series of full- or half-credit courses, each of which will focus on a particular political theorist from the Renaissance or modern period. Specific offerings will vary from year to year. Counts as advanced course work in political theory. In the spring semester 2011-2012, the full-credit course offered will be:

In this course, students will gain exposure to a number of Machiavelli’s most important works, examine important scholarly controversies in the Machiavelli literature, and examine Machiavelli’s own references to public spaces in Florence. Students will analyze the effect of these spaces on Machiavelli’s conception of republicanism through a comparative examination of Florentine public spaces (on a required immersion trip) and local public spaces.

Prerequisite: Political Science 231 or permission of the instructor.

 A broad survey of American political ideas as expressed in primary sources including classic texts, key public documents, and speeches. The course investigates themes of mission, means, and membership as recurrent issues in American political thought. Counts as an advanced course in political theory. This course offered in the fall semester 2011 under the number PSC 350.

Prerequisite: Political Science 231 or History 241 or 242 or permission of the instructor

Students will study the political theory of selected contemporary authors and movements, especially as these theories relate to the development of democratic political theory, the critique of democratic political theory, and the contemporary examination and/or redefinition of concepts like justice and equality. Counts as an advanced course in political theory. This course will be offered in spring semester 2012-2013.

Prerequisite: Political Science 231 or permission of the instructor

In this course we examine one of the world’s oldest political institutions: militaries. Armed forces are created primarily to defend states and their interests against other states and threatening actors, yet they can also play an important role in the domestic political affairs of the states that they are created to defend. The course intends to improve students’ understanding of military actors and the various ways in which they are related to both international and domestic politics. Because an all-encompassing treatment of military affairs is impossible within the context of a single semester, this course emphasizes the role played by people (soldiers, officers and their civilian leaders) rather than machines (tanks, artillery pieces, small arms, etc.). Counts as an advanced course in international relations. This course will not be offered in 2011-2012.

Prerequisite: Political Science 242 or permission of the instructor

What is terrorism? Is one man’s freedom fighter another man’s terrorist? What motivates a person to become a suicide bomber? What causes terrorism? How can states counter terrorism? How is terrorism different from an insurgency? Why has the United States experienced such difficulty in Iraq and Afghanistan? How can states counter and defeat insurgencies? These are all questions that have come to dominate much of the discussion in post 9/11 international relations. Although terrorism and insurgencies have existed in one form or another for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, these phenomena have become two of the more intractable and important problems in international relations. This course will address these and other questions from both global and U.S perspectives. Counts as an advanced course in international relations. This course is offered in the fall semester 2011-2012.

Prerequisite: Political Science 242 or permission of the instructor

This course seeks to answer the questions of who makes American foreign policy, and what are the most important sources of and influences on it. The course focuses on the features and processes of American foreign policy making and the actors, influences, and issues involved in it. The goal of this course is to provide the student with the historical, institutional, procedural, and theoretical frameworks to understand how American foreign policy is made. Counts as an advanced course in International relations or American Politics. This course is offered in the fall semester 2011-2012.

Prerequisite: Political Science 111 or 242 or permission of the instructor.

This course delves deeply into international relations theory focusing on issues of war and peace. We will explore in depth the logic behind variants of several theoretical perspectives, including, but not limited to, liberalism, realism, constructivism, and other important schools of thought. During the course, we will explore issues more narrowly related to topics such as the democratic peace, deterrence, terrorism and asymmetric warfare, along with issues of cooperation and global governance. Counts as an advanced course in international relations. This course will be offered fall semester 2012-2013.

Prerequisite" Political Science 242 or permission of the instructor

This course focuses on international organizations (IOs) and the role that they play in the international system. We consider the relationship between key theoretical perspectives and IOs, as well as how international organizations operate across a variety of issue areas from security and trade to human rights and development. We also cover a variety of truly global IOs, such as the United Nations, as well as IOs with a more regional focus such as the European Union. Counts as an advanced course in international relations. This course will be taught fall semester, 2011-2012.

Prerequisite: Political Science 242 or permission of the instructor

These courses will focus on a particular issue, concept, problem or question at an advanced level with specific prerequisites.

These courses focus at an advance level on a particular issue, concept, problem or question in comparative politics. Advanced level, special prerequisites may apply.

These courses will focus on an advanced topic, issue, concept, or problem in political theory.  In the fall semester 2011-2012, the course offered will be:

 In this course, we will examine the evolution of reputation due to changing privacy standards associated with the rise of social media like Facebook and Twitter. We will also look at how this ‘new’ type of reputation might affect both electoral politics and democratic political theory. What are the consequences for elections when most candidates have embarrassing pictures on Facebook? Do citizens in a democracy have a right to reinvent themselves that might be curtailed by a ‘permanent record’ on the internet? How should liberty of expression be treated in a technologically advanced democratic society? Readings will be drawn from contemporary democratic theorists, the literature on elections, and literature on technology and privacy rights. PSC majors may count this course as either a Political Theory elective or an American politics elective.

 Prerequisite: Political Science 231 or permission of the instructor.

These courses will focus on a particular issue, concept, problem, or question in international relations. Advanced level; special prerequisites may apply.

Prerequisite: Political Science 242 and consent of the instructor.

Independent Study is available to students with the permission of the instructor who will supervise the study as well as from the department chair prior to enrollment.

Independent Study is available to students with the permission of the instructor who will supervise the study as well as from the department chair prior to enrollment.

Independent Study is available to students with the permission of the instructor who will supervise the study as well as from the department chair prior to enrollment.

Independent Study is available to students with the permission of the instructor who will supervise the study as well as from the department chair prior to enrollment.

Open only to senior political science majors. This is both a reading and a research seminar, organized around a general concept central to the discipline. Participants discuss common readings on the topic. They also prepare individual research papers which treat the general theme, but from the stance of their chosen emphases within the major. This course is offered in the fall semester, 2001-2012.