Political Science (POLS Prefix)

Following certain course descriptions are the designations: F, Sp, Su. These indicate the semesters fall, spring, summer in which the course is normally offered and are intended as an aid to students planning their programs of study.

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POLS 101 Introduction to Political Science (3) Explores the basic principles, processes, and institutions of government and politics in the modern world. Provides a foundation for the study of political science. No prereq. F, Sp

POLS 102 Introduction to American Politics (3) Explores the basic elements of the American political process and the institutions of American national government. Provides a foundation for the study of American government and politics. No prereq. F, Sp, Su

POLS 202 Introduction to Public Administration (3) Examination of the organizational dynamics and external pressures that affect the administration of government institutions in the United States. Theories and concepts are discussed that pertain to a number of the administrative practices in national, state, and local government organizations: planning, budgeting, staffing, decision making, communicating, implementation, controlling, and evaluation. No prereq.

POLS 203 Introduction to the Policy Process in the United States (3) Examination of the major theoretical approaches to the study of public policy and policymaking at the federal, state and local levels in the United States. The course focuses on critical elements of the policy process such as the definition of public problems, agenda setting, policy formulation, policy implementation, oversight, and policy change. No prereq.

POLS 208 Law, Courts, and Justice (3) Sources, types, purposes, and sanctions of American law; functions of courts; problems of legal justice in the United States. This course is cross-listed as CRIM 208. No prereq. F, Sp

POLS 271 International Politics (3) An introduction to the study of interstate political relations, power, nationalism, and international organizations; discussion of current trends in international affairs. No prereq. F, Sp

POLS 281 Comparative Politics (3) Introduction to the comparative study of government and politics. Includes case studies of the political systems of selected nations with particular emphasis on Western Europe. No prereq. F

POLS 299 Special Topics in Political Science (3) Provides intensive examination of current political problems and issues as selected by the instructor. Topic will vary each time the course is offered. May be taken twice for credit. No prereq.

POLS 305 State and Local Government (3) The framework of states and their local governments in the United States. Indiana government is compared with that of other states. The course stresses the most important contributions of local governments to the federal system. Prereq: one political science course or consent of instructor.

POLS 306 Political Parties (3) The structure and function of American political parties and their relationship to democratic government. Emphasis is placed upon party organization and strategy in the political process. Historical as well as current sources are utilized. Prereq: one political science course or consent of instructor.

POLS 307 Urban Government and Politics (3) Governmental organization, current problems, and the political process in urban America. Prereq: one political science course or consent of instructor.

POLS 309 American Political Theory (3) Political thought from Puritan America to the present. Particular emphasis upon the great figures in the evolution of American political ideas. Prereq: one political science course or consent of instructor.

POLS 314 The American Presidency (3) Office, role, and powers of the President in the American political system. Prereq: one political science course or consent of instructor.

POLS 331 Political Inquiry I (3) An examination of how the scientific method is applied to the study of political phenomena. Topics range from how to develop and test hypotheses to writing surveys and conducting interviews; from engaging in content analyses to conducting focus groups and collecting data. Students will become better consumers of the political science literature; will become well-versed in several data collection methods, and will become adept at writing research designs. Prereq: one political science course or consent of instructor; political science major or minor.

POLS 332 Political Inquiry II (3) An examination of statistical techniques and data analysis in political science. Specific techniques will include descriptive statistics, model specification, measures of correlation, point estimation, construction of confidence intervals, parametric and non-parametric hypothesis testing, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and regression analysis. Prereq: one political science course or consent of instructor; political science major or minor; completion of core curriculum math requirement.

POLS 345 Man vs. the State (3) Examination and analysis of important modern ideologies, with emphasis on communism, fascism, and democracy. Prereq: one political science course or consent of instructor.

POLS 351 Leadership in Bureaucratic Organizations in the United States (3) An examination of concepts, theories, and processes relating to leading and managing national, state, and local government bureaucracies in the United States. Particular attention is paid to how leadership and management styles are shaped by internal characteristics of government organizations and external political environments. Prereq: one political science course or consent of instructor.

POLS 361 Intergovernmental Relations in the United States (3) An examination of the institutional structure of the American federal system, the basic features of contemporary intergovernmental relationships, the changes that national, state, and local governments have undergone in an era of devolution, and the challenges intergovernmental relationships pose for policy makers. Prereq: one political science course or consent of instructor.

POLS 363 Organizational Theory and American Political Institutions (3) An examination of theories about American political organizations at the national, state, and local level. Theories are discussed that relate to government organizations’ goals, structures, cultures, and leadership structures. Particular attention is paid to how organizational theories explain variations in government institutions’ major functions: policy formulation, policy implementation, and policy revision. Prereq: one political science course or consent of instructor.

POLS 364 Environmental Politics (3) An examination of environmental politics: air and water pollution, hazardous materials, energy policy, and globalization. Prereq: one political science course or consent of instructor.

POLS 371 The United Nations (3) An examination of the UN as an organization, UN functions, regional perspectives, and current issues. Prereq: one political science course or consent of instructor.

POLS 382 Politics in Canada (3) Detailed study of the Canadian federal system, with emphasis on parliament, parties and elections, the provinces, the Ottawa bureaucracy, and foreign policy. Prereq: one political science course or consent of instructor.

POLS 383 Government and Politics of Latin America (3) Comparative analysis of Latin American political structures, political movements, and political thought with emphasis upon constitutional structures; local, state, and national governments; the military; revolutions; organized labor; and contemporary affairs. Prereq: one political science course or consent of instructor.

POLS 384 The Middle East (3) Government and politics of nation-states in northern Africa and western Asia, with special attention to Israel, Iran, and members of the League of Arab States. Prereq: one political science course or consent of instructor.

POLS 399 Advanced Topics in Political Science (3) An intensive examination of specialized topics in political science. May be taken twice for credit provided the topic is different. Prereq: One political science course or consent of instructor.

POLS 404 Indiana Constitutional Law (3) An analysis of leading decisions of the Indiana Supreme Court, with special attention to how particular provisions of the Indiana Constitution have been interpreted. The course also examines issues relating to statutory interpretation and judicial review. Prereq: one political science course and consent of instructor.

POLS 405 Constitutional Law (3) The growth of the American constitutional system by analysis of leading Supreme Court decisions, the role of the Court decisions, the role of the Court in American politics, evolution of the federal system, civil rights, problems of statutory interpretation, and judicial review of administrative action and regulations. Supplementary reading includes judicial biography and commentaries on the court. This course is cross-listed as CRIM 405. Prereq: one political science course or consent of instructor. F

POLS 406 Constitutional Rights (3) Analysis and discussion of leading decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court, with special attention given to civil rights, including the rights of persons accused of crime; freedom of speech, press, assembly, religion, separation of church and state, equal protection of the laws, and property rights. This course is cross-listed as CRIM 406. Prereq: one political science course or consent of instructor. Sp

POLS 407 The Legislative Process (3) The lawmaking process in Congress and selected legislative bodies in the United States; organization, powers, and problems of American legislatures. Prereq: one political science course or consent of instructor.

POLS 410 Interest Groups and Public Policy (3) An intensive analysis of the major American interest groups and their impact upon the formation and implementation of public policy at the local, state, and national levels of government. Major emphasis is given to ethnic, business, labor, agricultural, veterans, and religious associations. Prereq: one political science course or consent of instructor.

POLS 412 The Politics of Education (3) Major political actions that relate to education, with emphasis on school boards, state legislatures, federal grants, and interest groups. Issues include community control, educational power, and financial decision-making. Prereq: one political science course or consent of instructor.

POLS 427 State and Urban Administration (3) A study and analysis of the major issue areas of state and urban administration such as finance, organization, public welfare, insurance regulation, parks and recreation, housing, and redevelopment. Prereq: one political science course or consent of instructor.

POLS 433 American Diplomacy to 1900 (3) The history of United States relations with foreign nations from the Revolution to 1900. Emphasis is upon the diplomacy of independence, neutral rights, the Monroe Doctrine, Manifest Destiny, the Civil War and Imperialism. This course is cross-listed as HIST 433. Prereq: one political science course or consent of instructor.

POLS 434 American Diplomacy Since 1900 (3) United States relations with other nation-states from 1900 to the present. Emphasis is on foreign policy relating to World Wars I and II, intergovernmental organizations, Latin America, the Cold War, Vietnam, and China. This course is cross-listed as HIST 434. Prereq: one political science course or consent of instructor.

POLS 445 Political Theory I (3) Political thinkers and their ideas from Plato and Aristotle to the sixteenth century. Prereq: one political science course or consent of instructor.

POLS 446 Political Theory II (3) Political thinkers and ideas from the seventeenth century to the present. Prereq: one political science course or consent of instructor.

POLS 471 International Organizations (3) An examination of the development and functioning of intergovernmental organizations with special emphasis on the United Nations, its specialized agencies, and regional arrangements. Prereq: one political science course or consent of instructor.

POLS 473 International Law (3) A systematic study of the origins, objects, sources, and theories of international law. Foremost in importance is the aim to enable students to analyze basic premises and principles of international law and to develop an awareness of the major international legal problems. Prereq: one political science course or consent of instructor.

POLS 481 Politics of the Developing Nations (3) Comparative study of problems of political change and modernization in the developing nations. Prereq: one political science course or consent of instructor.

POLS 487 Government and Politics of Communist States (3) Government and politics of selected Communist states. Prereq: one political science course or consent of instructor.

POLS 495 Judicial Internship (3) Internship in a court for a minimum of 150 hours of supervised, professional work required. The internship experience will provide students with the opportunity to master and critique social science concepts and theories pertaining to the operation of judicial bureaucracies. Prereq: junior or senior status and consent of instructor.

POLS 496 Legal Internship (3) Students work as interns in a law office or other law-related organizations for 150 hours. Students also must complete various academic requirements. Working in a law office or other law-related institution provides a pre-law student direct contact with the practical realities of the legal profession and the applications of law in society. This experience also helps a pre-law student decide whether to commit to law school. Thus, a legal internship is a valuable component of pre-law education. Prereq: junior or senior status and consent of instructor.

POLS 497 Legislative Internship (6) Students serve as interns in the Indiana State Legislature. Students must be selected by one of the party caucuses in the House or Senate. In addition to working for state legislators, students must attend a speaker series and complete various academic requirements. Serving a one-semester internship in the Indiana State legislature provides direct experience with the realities of practical politics. The internship provides students with concrete illustrations of the political concepts and processes presented in the classroom and thus is an integral part of a student’s political education. Prereq: junior or senior status and consent of instructor.

POLS 498 Research in Political Science (3) Independent investigation of selected political problems under supervision of instructor. May be taken twice. Prereq: one political science course and consent of instructor. F, Sp

POLS 499 Seminar in Political Science (3) Intensive examination of selected political problems. May be taken twice. Prereq: one political science course or consent of instructor.