Answered in Political Science Courses

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POLS 101 -- Introduction to Political Science (course description)

• Compare plurality, majority, and proportional electoral systems.

• How do ideologies like communism, capitalism, and fascism affect politics?

• Why do German citizens have two votes at the national level while British citizens have only one vote?

• Why is the British political system often considered a model of parliamentary democracy?

• How and why did Adolf Hitler try to reshape German society? What methods did he use?

• Why has the power of interest groups in America increased as the power of political parties decreased? To what extent are these two phenomena related?

POLS 102 -- Introduction to American Politics (course description)

• Which philosophy - that of judicial restraint or judicial activism - comes closer to your own thinking about the proper role of the courts?

• Why is presidential power "conditional" - that is, why is it affected so substantially by circumstances, the makeup of Congress, and popular support?

• Why does economic class-differences in people's income - make such a large difference in political participation levels?

• Discuss the changing roles of political parties because of the growing number of voters who declare themselves "independents."

• What action would have to transpire to allow a third party to achieve the power, influence, and governmental control that the Republicans and Democrats currently share?

POLS 314 -- The American Presidency  (course description)

• How has the office of the Presidency changed and what factors are most responsible for the changes?

• Is the office of the Presidency too much for one person to handle, and, if so, how would the office need to be changed to make it "safe" for one individual to hold?

• What criteria should be used to assess presidential performance, and, using these criteria, who are the five best and worst U. S. Presidents?

POLS 383 -- Government and Politics of Latin America (course description)

• What is the relevance of Latin America to United States' foreign policy?

• What impact has the United States presidential system had on organization of Latin American democracies?

• What are the three major subsystems of Latin America?

POLS 399 -- Advanced Topics in Political Science (course description)

• Why is public opinion so difficult to grasp?

• Do polls enable government to reflect, or to mold, public opinion?

• What do public opinion polls tell us about the capacity of the American public to exercise informed judgment?

POLS 410 -- Interest Groups and Public Policy (course description)

• Are interest groups a threat to American democracy?

• In a time when individuals are less likely to be "'engaged" in our civil society, will interest group membership suffer?

• What differentiates a grassroots movement from Astroturf?