Political Science

Units: 1

Basic roles, structures, and functions of American political institutions and introduction to American political process.

Units: 1

Fulfills General Education Requirement (FSSA)

Concepts, approaches, classifications, and models useful in comparing political structures and processes. Political systems characteristic of countries with different cultures and levels of economic development.

Units: 1

Fulfills General Education Requirement (FSSA)

Framework for analyzing contemporary international system: goals of nation-states and other actors; how such actors attempt to achieve their goals; and some forces that help or hinder attainment of goals.

Units: 1

Fulfills General Education Requirement (FSSA)

Contemporary social and economic problems in America, public policies adopted or proposed to deal with them, and ways of analyzing those problems and policies.

Units: 1

Introduction to the process of social science research and inquiry. Includes instruction on forming a research question, preparing a literature review, developing a research design, and undertaking analysis using selected quantitative or qualitative empirical analytical tools.

Political Science 220, 240, 250, or 260

Units: 1

May be repeated for credit when topic varies.

Varies depending on topic.

Units: .5

Designed for those students who choose to participate in intercollegiate mock trial activities. Graded pass/fail. One half unit per semester may be earned, but no more than 1 unit will be awarded. Units do not count toward completion of the major.

Spring sections will require departmental approval.

Units: 1

(See Leadership Studies 378.)

Units: 1

Enduring basic issues in political theory studied through writings of Plato, Aristotle, and other thinkers from ancient Greece through the Renaissance.

Units: 1

Ideas of major political philosophers from the 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, such as Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Burke, Hegel, Marx, Tocqueville, and J. S. Mill.

Units: 1

Political thought in America from colonial times to present with an emphasis on issues relating to liberty, equality, federalism, community, and national purpose.

Units: 1

The connections between the economy, politics, and the prison system in the United States are important for understanding concepts of justice in a democracy. Explores links between privatization of prisons, political incentives, and theories of justice.

Political Science 220.

Units: 1

Comparative examination of the history, problems and political role of minority groups in the U.S., with a concentration on the African-American political experience.

Political Science 220.

Units: 1

Organization and functions of American Congress.

Political Science 220 or permission of instructor.

Units: 1

Political leadership in American political system from perspective of chief executive. Particular attention to expansion and use of presidential power.

Political Science 220 or permission of instructor.

Units: 1

Examines American political parties as organizations and their role in elections, government, and public policy. Also explores how parties have changed over time and the causes and effects of growing party polarization.

PLSC 220 or PLSC 260

Units: 1

Analysis of institutions and process of American electoral system and behavior of American electorate.

Political Science 220 or permission of instructor.

Units: 1

Role of United States Supreme Court in American politics studied through examination of landmark constitutional decisions pertaining to distribution of governmental powers.

Political Science 220 or Political Science 260 or permission of instructor.

Units: 1

Analysis of contemporary legal status and interpretation of constitutional rights and liberties. Emphasis on landmark Supreme Court decisions involving various provisions of the Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment.

Political Science 220 or Political Science 260 or permission of instructor.

Units: 1

Analysis of structure, processes, and personnel of American legal system. Emphasis on decision making of private parties, judges, juries, and attorneys in context of civil litigation and criminal prosecution.

Political Science 220 or Political Science 260 or permission of instructor.

Units: 1

Explores basic questions about the nature and function of law as an instrument of state power that are deeply interconnected with a wide range of political and legal problems.

Units: 1

Addresses the changing international legal framework regarding humanitarian interventions. Surveys the literature addressing the effectiveness of external Interventions. Discussion of the justifications and consequences of intervention. Application to contemporary conflicts. Reviews changing ideas of sovereignty and the ramifications of state decisions to intervene in the internal affairs of other states.

PLSC 240 or 250 or GS 290.

Units: 1

Study of historical, cultural, and social forces shaping contemporary politics of Asia. Comparative survey of major political systems and critical examination of key issues. Attempts to link Asian studies with mainstream political science.

Political Science 240 or permission of instructor.

Units: 1

An examination of political, social, and economic developments in Europe (both western and east-central) since World War II. Topics include European integration and the development of the European Union institutions, postcommunist transitions and their consequences, and the domestic politics of selected European states.

Political Science 240 or permission of instructor.

Units: 1

Study of contemporary political history of China; analysis of political systems of the People's Republic of China, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and the Republic of China on Taiwan; and discussion of key political, economic, and military issues.

Units: 1

Comparative examination of politicization of race, ethnicity, religion, and caste in contemporary world.

Political Science 220, 240, or 250 or Global Studies 290 or permission of instructor.

Units: 1

Comparative analysis of political, social, and economic development or modernization of nations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Topics include influence of ideology, revolution and reform, national integration, neo-imperialism and dependency, and economic growth and equality.

PLSC 240 or 250.

Units: 1

Comparative study of state formation, nation-building, political economy, social structure/movements, selected regions and countries in Africa.

Political Science 240 or 250 or permission of instructor.

Units: 1

Influence of historical, social, and cultural forces on contemporary politics of Latin America and the Caribbean. Effects of social structure and underdevelopment on processes of democratization, institution building, national integration, and economic development. Case studies of selected countries illustrate major themes and issues explored.

Units: 1

Analyzes the traditions, processes, substance, and goals of American foreign policy, in addition to exploring national security and defense policy, foreign economic policy, international diplomacy, and foreign policy ethics.

Political Science 220 or 250 or permission of instructor.

Units: 1

Analysis of the political, economic, and socio-cultural dimensions of globalization. Considers how globalization has affected the nation state, interstate relations, and the democratization and development of countries around the world. Students will evaluate different definitions of globalization; analyze to what extent globalization limits the autonomy of national governments; and consider whether the effects of globalization vary across different regions of the world.

Political Science 240 or 250 or Global Studies 210.

Units: 1

Investigates international issues that threaten the security and prosperity of societies and individuals in the modern world. Issues include global terrorism, human slavery and trafficking, genocide, civil wars and insurgencies, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Political Science 250 or Military Science 205

Units: 1

The international relations of southwest Asia and northeast Africa with an emphasis on issues related to war, peace, and power, including the role of European empires and the United States in the formation of the regional nation-state system; contemporary conflicts in the Persian Gulf and Israeli-Arab arenas; the political economy of oil; terrorist attacks and counter-terror strategies; and American foreign policy toward the region.

Political Science 250.

Units: 1

Politics, processes, and institutions underlying contemporary global economic interdependence, with special focus on international trade, finance, and assistance; alternative theoretical models for understanding these events, processes, and institutions.

Political Science 250 or permission of instructor.

Units: 1

Study of interactions among the major powers in the Asia-Pacific region during and after the Cold War. Examines crucial country cases and thematic issues (with focus on identity, security, and economic interdependence) by drawing perspectives from dominant international relations theories (e.g., realism, neorealism, liberal-idealism, liberal institutionalism, Marxism, and constructivism).

Political Science 240 or 250.

Units: 1

Analyzes themes and selected topics in global governance. It explores how state and nonstate actors work together to confront and solve contemporary transnational challenges.

Political Science 250

Units: 1

Assistance policies of wealthy nations and multilateral organizations, development policies and problems of poor or underdeveloped nations, and dynamics of economic, political, environmental, and cultural transactions.

Political Science 250 or permission of instructor.

Units: 1

Study of the development and effectiveness of programs in the United States that seek to promote economic equality and alleviate need. A focus on programs for both the poor and the middle class.

Political Science 220, 260, or Sociology 101 or permission of instructor.

Units: 1

Examines legal aspects, both regulations and case law, of environmental policy. Central issues are whether legal responses (1) effectively address the needs of the parties most affected; (2) properly weigh such facts as economic efficiency, protection of nonhuman species, and the possibility of unintended consequences; and (3) are diluted by the political process. (Same as Environmental Studies 362.)

Political Science 260 or Environmental Studies 201.

Units: 1

Examination of political and economic evolution of the American healthcare system: doctors, hospitals, managed care, Medicare, Medicaid, health insurance, public health, epidemiology, mental health, pediatric health, tort reform, and psychopharmacology, among other topics. Includes comparative analysis of other countries' healthcare systems.

Units: 1

Examines how well our nation¿s antipoverty policies alleviate the hardships faced by residents of these communities and assesses the ability of the poor to mobilize for effective social change in their communities. Includes a required community-based learning component.

Political Science 220 or 260 or Sociology 101

Units: 1

Examples include comparative public-policy, constitutional politics, political terrorism, and public policy decision making. May be repeated for credit when topic varies.

Units: .5-1

No more than 1.5 units of internship in any one department and 3.5 units of internship overall may be counted toward required degree units.

Permission of department chair.

Units: .5-1

Permission of department chair.

Units: 2

Combines weekly seminar on the state legislative process with work as assistant to a state legislator, government agency, interest group, or press during session of the Virginia General Assembly.

Political Science 220 and permission of instructor.

Units: 1

Reading and research focusing on important topics in political science. Both topics and instructors change from semester to semester.

Senior status and completion of seven units in political science, including 270

Units: 0

Documentation of the work of students who receive summer fellowships to conduct research [or produce a creative arts project] in the summer. The work must take place over a minimum of 8 weeks, the student must engage in the project full-time (at least 40 hours per week) during this period, and the student must be the recipient of a fellowship through the university. Graded S/U.

Approval for summer Arts and Sciences fellowship by faculty mentor

Units: 1

Reading and research toward an honors thesis.

PLSC 270 and acceptance in departmental Honors program.

Units: 1

Reading and research toward an honors thesis.

PLSC 270 and acceptance in departmental Honors program.