PS 2510
Introduction to Political Ideologies
This course considers the main ideologies that have
evolved since the French Revolution. It
attempts not merely to describe these ideologies but to evaluate them, so as to
facilitate the making of a well-grounded choice between the kinds of lenses
through which the political world is or can be viewed today. The ideologies
considered include liberalism, conservatism, socialism, fascism, and feminism.
(4 credits)
PS
2550
The Study of Non-Violence
This course (taught by instructors from the Center
for Peace and Conflict Studies) examines the intellectual and social roots of
non-violence and the practice of non-violence in different people's life styles.
(3 credits)
PS 2700
Introduction to Canadian Studies
This course presents Canada in a geographical,
historical and cultural framework. It draws cross-national comparisons as a
means of more fully understanding the Canadian (and incidentally the U.S.)
experience. Attention is drawn to Canada’s unique set of political
institutions, both as provided for in the nation’s Constitution and as
perpetuated more informally in its political customs and practices. Popular
myths and misunderstandings, which tend to detract from mutual understanding and
respect between citizens of the U.S. and Canada, are first identified and then
challenged through the use of objective, factual information. (3 credits)
PS 2710
Introduction to Comparative Politics
The world around us has changed dramatically in the
last five hundred years. The changes go far beyond innovations in science and
technology. Politics has also changed. This
course explores the new ways of organizing political communities, ways that
emerged slowly in Europe and then, with accelerating speed and intensity,
stamped their imprint across the entire planet. The course then follows the
development of those new ways of political thinking and organizing: how they
gave birth to the democratic political institutions we are familiar with today,
how they dealt with the alternatives offered by fascism and communism, and how
they have shaped--and have been shaped by--political development in Africa,
Latin America and Asia. (4 credits)
PS 2810 World Politics
This course will be an introduction to concepts, terms and ideas important for a
solid understanding of world politics. We will address the present conditions of
world politics along with the dramatic changes that have been occurring
throughout the globe during the past decade.
The nature of recent global political, social, economic and technological
changes will lead us to focus on the patterns of world politics for exploring
these turbulent times. As a matter of necessity we will explore traditional and
non-traditional theories of global politics, historical trends and institutions
of, and associated with world politics. (4
credits)
PS 2820
Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies
This course (taught by instructors from the Center
for Peace and Conflict Studies) is designed to introduce to the student a basic
understanding of the major theories, and supporting data, of those disciplines
that focus on peace and conflict studies. (3 credits)
PS 2830
Topics in Peace and Conflict Studies
This course (taught by instructors from the Center
for Pace and Conflict Studies) consider various topics in the field of Peace and
Conflict Studies. (3 credits).
PS 2992
Political Science Internship
Prereq: consent of
undergraduate adviser. Open only to political science majors or minors, urban
studies co-majors, or students with twelve credits or more in political science.
Offered for S and U grades only. Internships in: public or quasi-public
organizations, agencies, civic or voluntary groups, or campaign organization.
Collateral reading, written work and arranged conferences with faculty
supervisor. Arrangements must be made prior to enrolling. (1-4 credits).
PS 3010
Public Opinion and Political Behavior
This course
explores patterns of public opinion and participation in American politics.
It seeks to identify factors that shape these patterns and to assess
their consequences in terms of public policy and the vitality of the American
Governmental system. The first half of the course focuses on American public
opinion, its origins, its content and character, and how it effects what public
officials do. In the second half of the course, the emphasis shifts from mass
opinion and relatively passive forms of political involvement (e.g. voting) to
more active forms of political participation. Here the concern is with the
factors that promote activism and the biases they introduce in terms of what
gets communicated to government. The
objectives of the course are (1) to foster an appreciation of the nature and
sources of conflict and consensus in the American polity, (2) to promote a
better understanding of the dynamics of American politics while discouraging
mindless cynicism. (4 credits)
PS 3020 Political Parties and Elections
This course is designed to describe, explain and evaluate American political
parties and the electoral environment in which they operate. Parties will be
evaluated as organizations, as an influence on electorates, and as an influence
on governmental policy. American political parties will be compared to parties
in other Western democracies. We will also discuss alternatives that have been
suggested to reform party structures and election procedures. And finally, we
will examine whether parties really play an important role in determining
direction of government policies. (4 credits)
PS 3025
Political Campaigns in America
This course is designed to provide students with
insight into the role that campaigns for public office play in the American
political process. While not a “how to” course, one goal is to help students
as potential candidates, political volunteers and voters understand some of the
key tasks necessary to developing and executing an effective campaign for a
public office in 21st century America. Another focus is the role that
campaigns for public office play in the broader structure of American democracy.
Topics to be covered include: issues of campaign organization, campaign finance,
party versus candidate-centered campaigns, strategies for reaching voters, the
role of debates, electoral impacts of campaigns. A final question to be
considered: do contemporary campaigns serve the interests of voters and
democracy? (4 credits)
PS
3030 Political Interest Groups
Interest
groups are a driving force in American politics. It is impossible to understand
politics and the governmental process in the U.S. without understanding the role
that groups play, the diversity of interests involved, and the strategies and
tactics they use. This course explores the nature and variety of interest
groups, why they form and what sustains them, what they do and why, and the
impact they have on American politics and public policy. (4 credits)
PS 3040
The Legislative Process
This course explores the politics, operations and
structures of legislative bodies with an emphasis on the U.S. Congress.
Issues to be discussed include: how legislative bodies make policy, how
they represent the views of constituents, and the connection between governing
and campaigning. Students may elect to perform internships in area congressional
offices in satisfying course requirements.
(4 credits)
PS 3050 Politics of the American Presidency
The Presidency is one of America's major contributions to modern democratic
political thought and practice. This course will examine the
"invention" of the presidency at the Constitutional Convention in 1787
and trace the development of the institution to the present. Emphasis will be
placed on the role of the presidency in American political culture, the
relationship of the office to other major institutions such as Congress, the
judiciary, political parties and the media and the nature and sources of
presidential power. Students will be introduced to these themes through
discussions of selected presidential speeches, elections and decisions. (4
credits.)
PS
3060 State Government and Politics
This course compares the political structures and processes of American state
governments including the role of state legislatures, governors, the courts and
state bureaucracies. Exploration of
state taxing and spending policies. Examination
of state efforts in public education, social welfare, corrections, economic
development and family policy. Factors that explain the "resurgence"
of the states in the American federal system. ( 4 credits)
PS
3070 Michigan Politics
This course introduces students to the study of politics in Michigan. We will
begin by looking briefly at the history and the socio-economic context of the
state. Next we will look at the
major political institutions and processes. We will also study the major
changes, challenges and problems facing politicians and the political system. (4
credits)
PS
3080 Gender and Politics
This course aims to present to students an overview of the
"gendered" nature of politics. We begin with an explanation of the
difference between sex (a biological distinction between male and female) and
gender (social definitions or appropriate activities and roles, based on sex).
Readings will explore explanations of the genesis and perpetuation of gender
roles that have been proffered by political philosophy, evolutionary psychology,
religion and social psychology; feminist movements to modify gender roles,
gender differences in political behavior at the mass and elite levels; and the
gender-differentiated impacts of public policy. (4 credits)
PS
3100 American Legal Systems and Processes
This course attempts to analyze the institutional structure, the
processes and policy-making of the American judicial system, including the
recruitment of lawyers and judges, the influence of legal rules on
policy-making, and selected areas of judicial policy-making. The emphasis is on
the federal and state appellate courts. (4 credits)
PS 3120
Politics of the Criminal Justice Process
This is a course in the politics of criminal justice
processes and agencies. The course will emphasize understanding the criminal
justice system and processes from a political perspective and will focus
substantially on the political process and the effect of the political system on
the criminal justice system. Topics
discussed will include the public policy process, the relationship between
governing institutions or processes and police and correctional agencies; the
role of the courts in ensuring that agencies of force adhere to the rule of law,
the partisan use of criminal justice issues for electoral advantage; and the use
of criminal justice agencies for political advantage. We will focus
predominantly on the politics of criminal justice at the national level, however
particularly interesting cases from the international, state or local arenas may
be included as time permits. (4
credits)
PS
3250 Detroit Politics: Continuity and Change in City and Suburbs
This course will acquaint students with Detroit area political systems
and processes as well as the historical, economic and social influences upon
local politics. The course will discuss traditions, changes and future
challenges. Topics include historical and environmental influences, the
structure of Detroit area politics, key actors and influences, and policy
challenges in the Detroit area. (4 credits)
PS
3430 Bureaucracy and Public Policy
The purpose of this course is to provide students with an understanding
of both the role and impact of public bureaucracies in shaping societal
development in general and on public policymaking processes in particular.
Emphasis is placed on the analysis of political and administrative issues, which
have been at the center of public discussion and conflict in American politics
for the last several decades. Upon
completion of this course, students should have the ability to analyze, critique
and compare the role, functions and operations of the American administrative
state as well as its influence on shaping public policy. (4 credits)
PS
3450 Environmental Policy and Politics
Students in this course will acquire knowledge about the history of the
environmental movement, major environmental problems and their causes. Topics
will include: global warming, ozone depletion, air and water pollution,
hazardous waste, urban sprawl, brownfields and ground water pollution. Other
topics will include: agenda setting, policy formation, policy enactment and
budgeting, and how political actors and networks interface with the
environmental movement. (4 credits)
PS 3510 Law, Authority and Rebellion
This course examines the nature of authority in
general and the question of whether we are ever morally justified in doing
something just because someone in authority has told us to. If we are not to
obey authority (government) will disorder ensue. What form should government
take? We look at civil disobedience in its many forms. Is violence ever
justifiable? When is the overthrow of a government justifiable? (4 credits)
PS 3515 American Political
Culture
The purpose of this course is to examine American
political culture and thought in a selected period. A variety of interpretations
of American political culture will be considered including conservative,
liberal, Marxist, and post-modernist. The course will focus upon interaction
between culture broadly conceived, the activities of "regime actors"
and other political participants and the American political system across a
historical narrative. A range of material will be discussed including
presidential addresses, sermons, pamphlets, manifestos as well as some
representative samples of politically inspired fiction and cinema.
(4 credits)
PS 3520 Justice
Germany is a large and prosperous nation where people living in poverty are hard
to find. America is a large and
prosperous nation where people living in poverty are easy to find.
Are the poor in America victims of injustice?
Poverty aside, the gap between the standard of living of the middling
sort and the very rich may be more or less large.
Again, this gap looms larger in America than in the comparable European
countries and Japan, and it has grown larger yet over the past couple decades.
Have the rich benefited unfairly? Are
middle-class Americans victims of injustice?
Or do people in America pretty much get what they deserve to get?
These questions and others like them arouse sharp controversy.
If they are to be settled at all, it is only by attaining a deep
theoretical grasp of the nature of justice and equality and of the relationship
between the two. That is what this course points towards. (4 credits)
PS
3530 Great Political Thinkers
This course examines the theories of Plato, Machiavelli, Wollstonecraft, Marx
and Arendt, among others. The focus is on themes of class, gender, violence and
power. (4 credits)
PS
3600 Methods of Political Inquiry
This course is geared primarily to training students in skills commonly used in
political analysis. You will learn
about computer applications, data management and coding, statistical procedures,
sampling design, and questionnaire construction. A central feature of the course
is an opinion poll of Wayne State students. This project will offer you a chance
to learn about designing surveys, administering surveys, data entry, and data
analysis. You will be responsible for securing approximately 15 interviews as
part of this survey, to be conducted at about the mid-point of the semester. (4
credits)
PS 3710
Politics of Western Europe
Government and politics of Great Britain and German
Federal Republic, political, social, economic, and cultural foundations of the
systems; the structure and function of institutions and political processes.
(4 credits)
PS 3715 Politics of Central and Eastern Europe
Central and eastern Europe, crossroads of many world civilizations and
birthplace of the movements that shaped the modern world. Rise and fall (and
rise?) of nationalism, communism, and democracy in the region. (4 credits)
PS 3735 Politics of Latin America
Political, social economic and cultural foundations, the structure and
function of institutions, and political processes in Latin America. (4 credits)
PS 3811
Theory of World Politics
This course provides an examination of the major
theoretical approaches in world politics. Students
will evaluate the extent to which theses that devolve from realist, idealist,
globalist, culturalist, feminist, and decision-making approaches allow us to
explicate phenomena in world politics. While there are no prerequisites for the
course, successful completion of PS 2810 is strongly encouraged prior to taking
the course. (4 credits)
PS 3820
Pan Africanism- Politics of the Black Diaspora
This course (taught by instructors from the
Department of Africana Studies) examines the political and intellectual history
of Pan-Africanism, situating the development of Pan-Africanism within the
context of world politics, first as a movement of resistance to global
structures of domination and secondly as movement determined by the inter- and
intra-group politics of African peoples themselves, separated by geographical
distance and subjected to different forms of racial domination. (4 credits)
PS 3830 War
This
course provides an examination and application of the major theoretical and
methodological approaches to the study of international conflict.
Students will analyze the impact of domestic, state and global system
factors in explicating international war. This course will also cover aspects of
civil wars that have become internationalized.
(4 credits)
PS 3840 American Foreign Policy a
nd Administration
The course starts with a brief history of U.S. foreign policy, stressing not
only the nature of that policy but also its changing significance as a focus of
attention of the government and the media.
This has varied over time. During
the late 18th century it played an important role; through the majority of the
19th century the nation was absorbed with domestic matters.
And in the 20th century it has monopolized our attention during most of
the years. Against this background,
the course will explore the functions performed by the three branches of
government, with our major attention given to the executive and legislative
branches, observing for the most part the dominant position of the former over
the latter as trade and defense take center stage in national policy.
Additionally, the course will examine departments and agencies in foreign
affairs. Finally, the course will
consider the varied ethnic background of America and the effect this had on
policy comparing Europe, the Middle East and Africa. (4 credits)
PS 3991
Directed Study: WSU-Salford Exchange
Prereq:
consent of undergraduate adviser. Open only to students admitted to Salford
Exchange Program. Credit earned through approved upper-division course work at
the University of Salford, England, as part of the WSU-Salford Exchange Program.
(3-9 credits)
PS 4460
Techniques of Policy Analysis
This course serves as an introduction to systematic
policy analysis. Various analytic techniques are examined including quick policy
analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis, benefit-cost analysis, forecasting and
others. Emphasis is upon
applications relevant to policy problems at the state and local levels. (4
credits)
PS 4710 Democracy
“The worst form of government except for all the others?” How democracy has
evolved from ancient Athens until today. What makes democracy work. How
democratization is proceeding in Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia. (4
credits)
PS 4780 Contemporary African Politics
This course examines the nature of African politics and its impact on
international relations.
PS 4810 Foreign Policies of Major Powers
This course examines major issues and trends in the foreign policies of
Russia, China, Japan and the European economic community. (4 credits.)
PS 4990 Directed Study
Requires
consent of chairperson and undergraduate adviser. (1-4 credits)
PS 4995
Senior Honors Paper
Prereq:
admission to political science honors program. Completion of an extended
examination of a topic or research question in political science under the
direction of one or more members of the departmental faculty. (4 credits)
PS 5030 African-American Politics
This class considers such topics as race, ideology
and politics; political participation and the electoral process; Congress and
the Presidency; urban politics and black mayoral leadership; black Americans and
the judicial system; affirmative action, poverty and black political thought;
race and public policy. (4 credits)
PS 5040
Religion and Politics
Religious
organizations and movements are a prominent feature of present-day American
politics. While such importance is
not wholly unprecedented in American history -- for example, religious leaders
were prominently involved in the pre-Civil War Abolitionist Movement, in the
late 19th century/early 20th century Temperance Movement, and in the
mid-twentieth century Civil Rights Movement-organized religion's present day
role differs significantly from past times. Church affiliated Americans are
presently responsive to a novel set of morally relevant political symbols and
cultural concerns and are responding in fresh and unanticipated ways. Moreover,
the rise of the Religious Right (or Religious Conservative Movement) has
impacted directly or indirectly the behavior of both the Republican and
Democratic parties, with presidential candidates often courting the Religious
Right as a stepping stone in their quest for the White House. Another arresting
development has been the recent breakdown of the once-close association between
ethnicity and religion. For example, Irish ancestry no longer necessarily
denotes identification with the Catholic Church or the Democratic Party.
And church-affiliated whites and blacks differ far more in their
political behavior than can be explained on the basis of the usual
socio-economic (SES) explanatory models. In the course of exploring such issues,
the class seeks a deeper understanding of America's changing political scene.
PS 5050 Mass Media and Politics
Our modern print and electronic media have affected not only campaigns and
elections but also how the institutions of government operate. The course traces
the evolution of the modern media and explores the ways in which they interact
with and shape the governmental process and the making of public policy. (4
credits)
PS 5110
Constitutional Law
The
American Constitution is the oldest written constitution in the world today and
the ideas embodied in it have been incorporated into the constitution of many
nations. The Constitution defines
the structures and powers of the national government and limits the powers of
the states. It utilizes the
principles of separation of powers, check and balances and federalism to protect
the liberty of American citizens.
The broad majestic phrases of the Constitution have
spawned a number of disputes on the nature of federal power.
How far can Congress reach to regulate the economy without invading
powers reserved to the states? Can
the states pass laws to regulate transportation or protect the environment
without usurping powers delegated to Congress?
Checks and balances and separation of powers create dramatic
confrontations among the three coequal branches of the national government.
Should appointed, life-tenured judges nullify laws passed by
democratically elected representatives? Can
Congress use its war powers to limit the actions of the president as
commander-in-chief of the armed forces? Can
the president claim executive privilege to prevent congressional or judicial
scrutiny of presidential documents? You
will also learn fundamentals of legal research and the use of the law library.
No prior experience in law or law-related classes is needed.
PS 5510
American Political Thought
Americans
have almost universally framed their political theories in terms of “American
exceptionalism,” the axiom that America is different from the rest of the
world. This course will examine American political thought through a series of
crises that have faced the nation: revolution, founding, faction, civil war,
industrialization, Depression, the Cold War, the civil rights movement.
A
range of material will be discussed including presidential addresses, sermons,
pamphlets, manifestos as well as some representative samples of politically
inspired fiction and cinema. Writers to be treated will include: John Winthrop,
Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Henry David Thoreau, , Abraham Lincoln,
Frederick Douglass, Andrew Carnegie, Jane Addams, FDR, Whittaker Chambers,
Martin Luther King, Betty Friedan. (4 credits)
PS 5560 Biopolitics
This course applies theory and knowledge from the life sciences to an
understanding of politics. The first part of the course will discuss
evolutionary theory, sociobiology (or evolutionary psychology) and the political
behavior of the great apes, especially the chimpanzee. The second part of the
course will focus upon political evolution (i.e. the forms of political systems
that have existed over the last 12,000 years and why they have changed over
time), the origins and distinctive features of states and bureaucracies, and
political leadership (i.e. speech, facial expressions and gestures;
Machiavellianism, biochemical markers; power, sex and reproduction). The third
part of the course will examine contemporary political conflicts arising from
differences of ethnicity, sex, race and social class. The last part of the
course will deal with selected public policy issues in areas such as biomedicine
(e.g. assisted reproduction), biotechnology (e.g. cloning and genetic
engineering), and environment (e.g. global warming). (4 credits).
PS
5630
Statistics and Data Analysis
This is a course in statistics with applications from
the social sciences and public administration. Students should have a degree of proficiency in elementary
algebra, although the course emphasizes statistical reasoning rather than
mathematical theory. Content of the
course includes descriptive statistics (measures of central tendency,
dispersion, and position; frequency distributions; simple graphics), probability
(sample spaces, the binomial and normal distributions; sampling distributions),
and inferential statistics (hypothesis testing; inferences involving one and two
populations, contingency tables; linear correlation and regression analysis).
Students will learn how to do statistical calculations using a
microcomputer and SPSS software.
PS 5740
Ethnicity-The Politics of Conflict and Cooperation
This course
deals with current (racial, linguistic, religious and cultural) conflicts,
regionally, nationally and internationally. The student is introduced to
concepts and analytic tools for understanding ethnicity as a key factor in
nation building and maintenance and in the functioning of the international
system. The course considers theory, policy and research related to ethnicity.
We start with a number of classical readings to develop a common
language. The second focus for the course is on the process of modernization,
the inter-state system, ethno-development and hegmonism vs. pluralism. The third
focus for the course is on nation-building, constitutions and ethnic conflicts
management/resolution. Readings
will be from a variety of books and articles.
PS 5820 International Law
To what extent can a legal regime be said to govern international relations?
This course explores the internal logic of international law and seeks to
assess the relationship between law and "power politics" in
international affairs. The course will first examine the nature and structure of
the international legal system, focusing on the sources of law (treaty and
custom), the institutions of the international system, the relationship of that
system to domestic law and courts, the question of state sovereignty, and the
role of the United Nations and other international organizations.
The course will then explore the application of legal norms to
contemporary armed conflicts and "human rights catastrophes." (4
credits)
PS
5830 International Conflict and Management
Types of international conflict and such methods of
resolution as negotiations, mediation and other third-party procedures. (4
credits)
PS 5850
Human Rights
This course will address human rights both as a
theoretical construct and as an internationally recognized set of legal norms.
It will explore international human rights treaties and the efforts being
made to implement their terms. It
will further seek to put these efforts in perspective by examining classic works
of political thought that have inspired the human rights movement, as well as
the writings of critics from the Left and the Right.
(4 credits)
PS 5890
Dispute Resolution
This
course (taught by an instructor from the Center for Peace and Conflict) presents
an overview of the processes and sectors in the field of dispute resolution
including negotiation, mediation, arbitration and conciliation. (4 credits)
PS 5991
Directed Study: WSU-Salford Exchange
Prereq:
consent of undergraduate adviser. Open only to students admitted to Salford
Exchange Program. Credit earned through approved upper-division course work at
the University of Salford, England, as part of the WSU-Salford Exchange Program.
(3-9 credits)
PS 5992
Political Science AGRADE Internship
Prereq:
consent of undergraduate adviser and M.P.A. program director.
Open only to students in B.A./B.P.A./M.P.A. AGRADE program.
Internship to supplement classroom coursework with practical experience
gained through substantial involvement in a responsible capacity in a public or
quasi-public agency or civic organization.
(4 credits)
PS 5993
Writing Intensive Course in Political Science
Prereq: junior standing, satisfactory completion of
English Proficiency Examination , consent of instructor; co-req: any PS course
numbered 3000 or higher except PS 3340, 4460, 5630, 6640.
Offered for S and U grades only. No
degree credit. Required for all majors. Disciplinary writing assignments
under the direction of a faculty member. Must be selected in conjunction with a
designated co-requisite; see section listing in Schedule of Classes for
co-requisites available each term. Satisfies the University General Education
Writing Intensive Course in the major requirement. (0 credit)
PS 5999
Politics and the Order of Terror
This course investigates a twentieth-century
phenomena that has been called “a new species of absolute power”—the
internment, concentration, or extermination camp. The course explores both the experience and the
bureaucratically organized structure of very different types of camps in quite
varied settings in Europe, Asia and the U.S. It examines questions about the
nature of power, moral judgment, responsibility for the past, historical
knowledge, and the uses of memory.
PS 5999
Politics and Government of the Middle East
This course will introduce students to contemporary
Middle Eastern political, social and cultural developments. It discusses the intellectual and political movements that
have shaped the political process in the Middle East and North African
countries. It sheds light on modern national, ethnic, religious and economic
conflicts as well as their prospects and resolutions.
PS 5999 Special
Topics in Political Science
See undergraduate adviser regarding enrollment at the
University of Windsor. (1-4)
PS 5999 Special
Topics in Political Science
Topics to be announced in Schedule of Classes.
(4 credits)
PS 6010 Political Psychology
Political Psychology 6010 provides an introduction to the area of political
psychology. The course explores the political attitudes and behavior of both
ordinary citizens and political elites using theory and research that adopts a
psychological perspective. Topics include political socialization, ideological
belief systems, the role of the mass media in shaping beliefs and attitudes,
race and gender stereotypes and their psychological and political consequences,
personality, and the dynamics of political leadership. (3 credits)
PS 6020 Intergovernmental
Relations and American Federalism
This course provides students with an understanding
of the dynamics of the relationship between governments in the American federal
system. This includes federal-state and state-local relationships as well as
those among states and among localities. A major focus is “fiscal
federalism” -- the transfering of public funds between levels of government.
Recent Supreme Court decisions impact on national and state power are another
focus. The consequences of federalism and intergovernmental relations for the
development of public policies and their successful implementation is explored.
(3 credits)
PS 6050 Class, Race, and Politics in America
This course will examine the centrality of class and race in American political
and social life. It will try to develop a broad historical framework and provide
the analytic tools for students to have a deeper understanding of these issues
in the contemporary U.S. (3 credits)
PS 6070 Labor and American Politics
This course looks at the role of organized labor in American politics, its
historical background, including rise of the UAW and its role in Detroit and
Michigan politics. Recent declines and the future of organized labor as a force
in American politics will also be examined. (3 credits)
PS 6120 Administrative Law
and Regulatory Politics
Where do administrative agencies come from?
How do they get their impressive powers?
How do career bureaucrats make rules and regulations that have the force
of law? What political controls can check the power of administrative
agencies? How does constitutional, statutory or judge-made law limit the power
of federal and state agencies? What
should be the relationship among agency experts, unelected judges and
legislatures in a political system premised on representative democracy?
PS 6340
Public Sector Labor Relations
Prereq: Graduate standing. This course looks at the
history, present functionings, problems and current controversies surrounding
public sector unions. (3 credits)
PS 6430 Social Welfare: Politics and Policy
Substance of national government policy related to old-age assistance, income
maintenance, food stamps, health care, and other entitlement programs. (3
credits)
PS 6440
Regional, State and Urban Economic Development
This course undertakes an examination of regional,
state and local economic development theory, analysis, policy and
administration. It is appropriate for students in economics and urban affairs
and planning as well as political science students.
PS 6640 Statistics and Data
Analysis in Political Science II
This course is an introduction to multivariate statistics focusing upon multiple
regression analysis and its extensions, dummy variables, logit regression,
factor analysis, simultaneous equations, and time series analysis. (3 credits)
PS 6799 Topics in Comparative Politics
This course will undertake an examination of a special topic in comparative
politics.
PS 6899 Topics in World Politics
This course will undertake an examination of a special topics in world politics.
PS 7030 American Political
Processes
This course is concerned with the various ways in which the will of the people
is communicated to decision makers--that is, we study the processes of
representation. Rather than looking at representation as a behavior of elected
officials, we concentrate on representation as a behavior of citizens.
Specifically, how are mass preferences communicated (or not communicated) to
elected officials? At the individual level, we study how citizens
"represent themselves" to the political system, focusing on levels of
political knowledge, voting behavior and political participation. At the
institutional level, we examine the structures that inhibit or enhance
representation, including the role of the mass media, parties, interest groups,
and electoral organization.
PS 7040 American Governmental Institutions: Congress
and the Courts
This course is an advanced seminar on one of the principal institutions of
American national government: Congress. All class members are assumed to have a
basic understanding of this institution as would be provided by an introductory
American Government class. If it has been a few years since you had such a class
and you are a little fuzzy on the basics of Congress, reading appropriate
chapters of an American Government textbook would probably bring you up to
speed. (3 credits)
PS 7050
American Political Culture
The
purpose of this course is to critically examine the spectrum of American
political thought through examination of interpretive models of American
political culture. We will begin with the thesis advanced by Louis Hartz that
America as a nation has been almost exclusively preoccupied with liberal views
of politics and society and will supplement this interpretation with others,
including that of Robert Bellah, Rogers Smith, Houston Baker and others who
argue that American political culture is a history of several discordant
political discourses. A special effort will be made to sort out the various
forms of the liberal idea in relation to American political development,
including responses to the challenges of conservatism, democratic radicalism and
socialism, through examination of a series of crises that have occurred in
American political culture.
PS 7260
Urban Poverty and Racial Segregation
Urban poverty has been a major topic of social science
research for the past 30 years, and yet much of what we know about urban poverty
is shrouded in misconceptions, reflecting and reinforcing an array of cultural,
political and economic interests. This course will seek to look critically at
the phenomenon of urban poverty, and attempt to understand its social
construction. This course will
review theories of poverty from various economic/political perspectives;
historical intervention policies; current literature on the interplay of racial,
economic and spatial factors on growing economic inequality among urban whites
and African-Americans. It will look at the political rationale and meaning of
the 'underclass' debate. (3
credits)
PS 7045 American Governmental Institutions: The Presidency
The presidency is one of America’s major contributions to modern democratic
political thought and practice. The course will focus on the presidency in the
context of American political development. Topics will include: the
“invention” of the presidency, the role of the presidency in American
political culture, the relationship of the office to other major institutions
and the nature and sources of presidential power. (3 credits)
PS 7210 Approaches to the Study of Urban Politics
This course is designed to provide an overview of the field of urban politics by
examining urban political institutions structure and processes as well as the
behavior of participants in the urban political system (elected and appointed
officials, interest groups and parties, citizens, etc.)
it will also focus on major theoretical approaches to the scholarly study
of urban politics. (3 credits)
PS 7240 Urban Public Policy
This course will provide students with the ability to analyze and understand
urban problems and policies. It
covers the logic of urban policy analysis (i.e. how to analyze urban problems)
the urban policy process, urban trends, conditions and processes, city-suburban
policy interactions, the role of the city in the regional and national
economies, and local and national urban policies. The last part of the course
will focus on specific urban problems and policies (e.g., poverty, education,
crime, economic development, etc.) (3 credits)
PS 7250 Seminar in Urban
Administration
The course focuses on the environment, roles, functions and challenges of urban
administrators. It is intended to provide students with insights regarding
the unique aspects of administration in the urban context.
Special attention is paid to the current perception of scarcity of
resources in providing urban services and the controversy surrounding whether
such services should be provided by the federal, state or local government-or by
the private sector. (3 credits)
PS 7320 Organizational Theory
and Behavior
This class is designed to familiarize students with
the field of organizational theory. We will examine different ways of theorizing
about organizations and issues of level of analysis in organizational theory. We
will look at organizations themselves, the behavior of individuals in
organizations and the relationship of organizations to society, and the
environment of the organization, particularly the political environment.
Emphasis is placed on public sector organizations such as bureaucratic agencies
and legislatures. (3 credits)
PS 7300
Public Administration and Its Environment
This course
will examine the development of public bureaucracy in the U.S. and the
political, legal and social forces shaping it. We will look at the emergence and
evolution of public administration as both a profession and a field of study. We
will also examine the role of public bureaucracies in the political process and
efforts to ensure administrative accountability and responsiveness to the
democratic system and administrative relationships with elected executives,
legislatures, the judiciary, the media and interest groups.
PS 7310
Public Management Internship
Prereq: twenty-one credits in public administration
and consent of departmental M.P.A. program director and graduate adviser.
Open only to public administration graduate students.
Internship is designed to supplement and integrate graduate course work
with practical knowledge and experience gained from employment in a responsible
capacity in a public agency.
PS 7330
Public Budgeting and Finance
PS 7330
exposes students to the literature on government budgeting, taxation and
financial administration. The
course has three major emphases: budgeting as a field of public policy;
budgeting as a policy making process that reveals important aspects of the way
U.S. governmental institutions perform; and budgeting as an array of techniques
and procedures for carrying out a major function of government.
PS 7340 Public Personnel Management
This course explores the systems, processes and techniques used to recruit,
select, motivate, compensate, evaluate and discipline employees in the public
sector. Among the topics that receive special attention are gender harassment,
affirmative action, and collective bargaining.
In addition to a final and a midterm, all students complete several case
studies. Employed students complete an analysis of a personnel issue at their
place of work while pre-service students conduct an interview with a public
personnel professional or a manager concerning personnel issues and problems. (3
credits)
PS 7350
Managing Public Organizations and Programs
This course, and its companion course Political Science
7300-Public Administration in the U.S., constitutes a two-semester introduction
to the field and profession of public administration. This course has a largely
internal focus. It is about what
public managers do and how they do it. It
is about what must be done if public agencies are to perform effectively and
what is required for public programs to work. This course aims to develop an
ability to identify impediments to effective management and to help the student
understand and master various management techniques.
PS 7375
Professional Development Seminar
Please consult with Dr. Strate before registering for
this class. This seminar will attempt (in approximately five meetings) to
analyze managerial techniques and practices currently used by administrators in
the public sector. The emphasis
will be on management applications of information technology, administrative
writing and presentation skills, and organizational and behavioral approaches
and techniques. Content area will
vary with semester offerings. (2 credits)
PS 7410 Policy
Formation and Implementation
This course explores the processes through which
public policy is made and implemented in the United States.
A major objective of the course is to identify factors that promote or
impede the development of effective, efficient, and responsive public policy.
Of concern are patterns and problems common across policy areas rather
than the peculiarities of any specific policy.
The course focuses primarily on national level policy-making, but the
concepts employed and questions explored are relevant to policy-making at all
levels of government. (3 credits)
PS 7440 Public Policy and the
Aged
This course aims to acquaint students with the substance of national policy in
the aging field and the processes by which authoritative decisions are arrived
at. The political dimensions of
aging will be heavily stressed including the linkages between organized aged
group advocacy and the changing content of government programs in this field.
Although the course will be mainly U.S. focused, significant attention
also will be given to cross-national comparison. (3 credits)
PS 7460 Program Evaluation
This course focuses on approaches to systematic policy analysis and evaluation.
It looks at the concepts, theory, and analytic and modeling techniques used in
formal policy analysis. It provides an overview of the methods of evaluation
research, particularly in the social services.
Assignments include benefit-cost analysis on a spreadsheet and a quick
policy analysis. It is assumed that
students are familiar with basic statistics and social science methodology. (3
credits)
PS 7480 Policy Analysis for Administration
This course looks at the economics based approach to systematic policy analysis,
using applications from the field of public administration.
Topics include the model of the competitive market, market failures,
government failures and generic policy solutions.
Various analytic techniques are examined including cost-effectiveness
analysis, benefit-cost analysis, project management, and multi-goal analysis
among others. Students engage in
policy analysis by studying a local area problem and its causes, formulating
policy options to deal with it, evaluating those options, and choosing an option
for recommendation, writing up their findings and giving an oral presentation.
(3 credits)
PS 7550 Topics in the History
of Political Thought
This course is designed for graduate students in political science who intend to
select political theory as a major or minor area of concentration as well as
Masters students in the Dispute Resolution program.
For most of the history of political thought, democracies have been
regarded as highly unstable political systems with high levels of conflict and
oppression. While this view is not
now the predominant one, problems of resolving conflict in democracies in terms
of mutually acceptable standards of justice remain.
This course will examine the advantages and disadvantages democracies
confront in resolving conflict by studying selected theoretical works in Western
political thought. (3 credits)
PS 7580 Political Theory of Public Law
This course addresses concepts in political theory that bear on the role and
content of public law, examining works of early-modern theorists (e.g.
Machiavelli, Locke, Montesquieu and Madison) as well as contemporary efforts to
reconcile judicial review of legislation with democratic values. (3 credits)
PS 7620 Seminar in Survey
Research Methods
Hands-on approach to understanding the strengths and potential pitfalls of the
survey research (including theory, measurement and ethics), sampling (including
special populations), questionnaire development and survey administration. (3
credits)
PS 7660 Research Methods in Policy and Politics
This course is an introduction to the logic and methods of empirical political
research. The principles and
procedures that will be studied apply to problems in both basic and applied
research. The course is divided
into five parts. The first focuses
on the basic requirements of empirical research; viz,. A well defined problem,
testable hypothesis, and sound measurement procedures. The second part if
devoted to the problems of research design and the development of a research
strategy that will yield results both credible and generalizeable. The third
part of the course explores various methods of data collection to include survey
research, participant observation, and content analysis. The fourth part
examines, albeit in a very abbreviated way, some of the mechanics of data
reduction and analysis. The course concludes by considering some of the ethical
issues in the conduct and use of political and social research. (3 credits)
PS 7680 Research Seminar in Political Science
Original research in selected topics in political science carried out under the
supervision of the instructor. Projects developed and shared in seminar. (3
credits)
PS 7710 Seminar in Comparative Politics
Human beings learn by comparing. During the course we will learn the tools that
social scientists use to make useful and interesting comparisons and the most
prominent approaches for understanding and explaining political development. We
will look at structural approaches based on deep underlying factors as well as
at the role played by individual leaders and political institutions.
We will examine approaches based on the rational choices of individuals
and at the constraints that cultures places on choice. In the course of these
investigations, we will read about, argue about and write about today's most
important political topics: states, nations, civil society, political parties,
democracy, authoritarianism, economic development and many other topics. (3-9
credits)
PS 7810
Seminar in World Politics
The time-tested theories and concepts of
international relations are now more than ever subject to controversy given
changes in the international system. Basic notions such as sovereignty,
security, nationalism, power, order and integration all have come in for
reconsideration. In this seminar we examine these fundamental precepts, as well
as the theories that link together variables in explanations of international
and foreign policy decisions and behavior. Our exploration will range from the
political and strategic to the economic from conflict to cooperation. (3
credits)
PS 7811 Advanced Seminar in World Politics
Examination of broad range of substantive topics; students develop ability to
conduct independent research in world politics subfield; introduction to
alternative theoretical approaches and methods for conducting research. Major
performance objective is student development of a research design.
PS 7850
Roots of Social Conflict
Background and immediate causes of social conflict,
from interpersonal to national to international settings, from ethnic to gender
conflict; review of destructive and constructive aspects of conflict.
(3 credits)
PS 7995 Directed Study
Prereq: fifteen graduate credits in political
science; written consent of chairperson and graduate adviser.
PS 7997 Research In Political Science
Open only to students admitted to doctoral study.
PS 7999
Master's Essay Direction
Prereq: consent of adviser
PS 8000
Readings In Political Science
Prereq: consent of adviser.
PS 8350 Seminar in Public Administration
Examination in current trends and problems in the organization and management of
public organizations. (3 credits)
PS 8600 Philosophical Problems of Social and
Political Inquiry
The purpose of this course is to
explore philosophies of science and their relevance to the study of politics. We
will be dealing with numerous conflicting views of science, as well as politics,
across and within the discipline and time periods. There
are three parts to this seminar. The first part is an introduction to scientific
inquiry in general. We begin by
analyzing a classic statement of the political value of science, Bacon’s New
Atlantis, and by reviewing two models of science that are related to
Bacon’s effort. The next focus is upon Thomas Kuhn's theory of science and its
application to political science. Kuhn's approach is a useful introduction, not
only because his work has produced a large critical response but because his
conception of science emphasizes the activity's theoretical basis and
sociological components, features of central importance to American political
science We will also review recent competing philosophies of science some of
which have emerged from reaction to Kuhn’s. The applicability of Kuhn's model
of science, as well as others, to the study of politics is explored through a
review of the history of the discipline and competing paradigms prominent in
political science. Part II explores four
approaches to political science based upon competing epistemological
foundations. The section concludes with an examination of the problem of
commensurability. Part III involves student efforts to examine aspects of
science and politics in terms of selected individual works. (3 credits)
PS 8999
Master’s Thesis-Research and Direction
Prereq: consent of adviser.
PS 9999
Doctoral Thesis-Research and Direction
Prereq: consent of adviser.
