Political Science (PSC) Courses

PSC-111 Intro to Amer Govt & Politics

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.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: Behavioral Science
Equated Courses: PSCI111

PSC-121 Intro to Comparative Politics

This class will provide 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 examples as illustrations of these theoretical concepts. Thus, a basic understanding of world history, current events, and even the American political system will be assumed. ( A reasonable familiarity with elementary algebra will also be quite helpful.) 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.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: Behavioral Science, Global Citizenship, Justice, and Diversity
Equated Courses: AP

PSC-131 Intro to Political Theory

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.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: Behavioral Science

PSC-141 Intro to International Relatns

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.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: Behavioral Science

PSC-200 Political Inquiry & Analysis

This course is for students who intend to major in Political Science. The course introduces students to the craft of asking and answering questions about politics. It considers the variety of normative, descriptive, and causal concerns that motivate contemporary political science and surveys an array of approaches political scientists use to gather and analyze information in their quest to understand political phenomena. In addition to examining the use of fundamental research process elements in published political science studies, students will produce their own research project proposal.
Prerequisites: One credit from PSC-111, or PSC-121, or PSC-131, or PSC-141. Permission from instructor required for enrollment.
Credit: 1

PSC-201 Sociology & Politics of Health

An examination of the topic of health from the vantage point of the intersection of sociology and political science. Students will learn about key sociological concepts and theoretical approaches, which they will deploy to investigate topics such as societal health disparities, cultural and subcultural attitudes toward healthcare and health professionals, the relationship between governmental processes and health outcomes, and the mobilization and impact of health-related nongovernmental and intergovernmental organizations. The course will feature a community-based service learning component.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: Behavioral Science, Global Citizenship, Justice, and Diversity
Equated Courses: GHL-201

PSC-210 Int Topics in American Politics

Topics vary with each scheduled offering. Refer to Student Planning's section information for descriptions of individual offerings, and applicability to distribution requirements.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1
Distribution: Behavioral Science

PSC-211 Election Polling & Public Opinion

Election polls are ubiquitous in American politics. For months - if not years - before elections, commercial pollsters, campaign strategists, and academic survey researchers constantly query population samples in order to get a handle on what the American public thinks about issues, candidates, and campaign developments. This course takes a peek behind the curtain to examine how public opinion polls are conducted, the challenges pollsters face in their efforts to accurately measure the attitudes and beliefs of large populations, best practices for media reporting on poll results, and the relationship between public opinion polling and democracy.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: Quantitative Literacy, Behavioral Science

PSC-212 The Poor and Justice

Why do tens of millions of Americans still live in poverty although this is the richest nation on earth? What should government do about this? From the New Deal to the present, have our federal, state and local poverty initiatives helped the poor or hurt them? Have we integrated citizens or continued to segregate them based upon race or wealth? And what about our courts? Do they extend equal justice to the poor, or do they favor landlords and others with whom the poor do business? This is a critical time to ask these questions. America now has one of the highest levels of economic inequality and one of the lowest levels of economic mobility in its own history and among other industrialized nations. In addition, while the poor are participating less in politics, wealthy Americans are participating and funding politics more and more. Given the importance and difficulty of these issues, we will consider a wide variety of perspectives. And we will ground our study not only in history but also in the present, lived experience of the urban poor as reported in Matthew Desmond's Evicted and the poor in the Rust Belt as reported in JD Vance's Hillbilly Elegy.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: Behavioral Science
Equated Courses: PPE-234

PSC-213 The Courts and Democracy

Both federal and Georgia officials are currently prosecuting President Trump in court for seeking to interfere with the 2020 election results. And prior to January 6, 2021, President Trump and his supporters filed over 80 lawsuits in court seeking to set aside the 2020 election. Why are people on both sides of the political divide trying to get courts to decide disputes about elections? Are unelected judges qualified to supervise elections? Or should we trust those who must win elections to supervise them? Can courts help resolve the issues that have made some Americans distrust election results? Should courts set aside efforts by both political parties to draw election districts to gain more seats than they could win without such manipulation? Are laws that require photo id, that make it a crime to give food and water to those waiting in line to vote, or that strictly limit who can gather up absentee ballots intended to discriminate against minority and poor voters? Do they have that effect? Or are these laws necessary to prevent voter fraud? May we limit how much corporations and wealthy individuals contribute to campaigns, or would that violate First Amendment freedom of speech? In this course we will debate whether courts or elected officials should answer these types of questions. And we will explore how that debate has helped shape the last sixty years of American history.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: Behavioral Science
Equated Courses: PPE-235

PSC-214 Politics of the Civil Rights Movement

This course offers an in-depth look at the African American civil rights movement and its significance to the political development of the United States. Topics will include the organizations and campaigns that comprised this historic social movement; the mobilization and experiences of individual civil rights movement participants; the impact of the civil rights movement on public policy; and contemporary social movement efforts to mitigate racial inequality. Particular attention will be paid throughout the course to the role college students played in the civil rights movement.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: Behavioral Science, Global Citizenship, Justice, and Diversity
Equated Courses: BLS-284

PSC-220 Int Topics in Comparative Politics

PSC-230 Intermediate Topics in Political Theory

PSC-231 The Family, Gender, & Politics

Does the family trap people in particular roles? Does a citizen's attachment to his family threaten the power of the state? Or does the family help facilitate a relationship between the individual and society by teaching social values? The Family, Gender, and Politics will explore competing understandings of the family and its impact on political life. The course will trace interpretations of the family from those that require highly differentiated gender roles to those that aspire to more egalitarian roles. We will ask how politics impacts the changing modern family, critically exploring different policy approaches to contemporary issues relating to the family.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: Behavioral Science,
Equated Courses: PPE-231

PSC-232 Disability and Politics

People with disabilities have been excluded in practice-from buildings, transportation, education, etc.-and also in (political) theory: This class will explore the exclusion of people with disabilities in the history of political thought, from Hobbes and Locke to Rawls, as well as more inclusive political theories, such as those of Martha Nussbaum and Alasdair MacIntyre. It will also explore social movements that work to include people with disabilities, including the Disability Rights movement and the Independent Living Movement, centuries-old foster family care in Geel, Belgium, and L'Arche, where people with disabilities and without disabilities live together in community. This class will include a service learning component-we will be in the community, interacting with people with disabilities. Meets the Diversity Requirement for the PPE major.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: Behavioral Science
Equated Courses: GHL-232

PSC-233 Tocqueville and Fraternity

Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America, written after a year-long trip around America taken in his 20s, is arguably the most important book on democracy and the most important book on America. He identifies the American tradition of associating as its saving grace and as something that makes the country's people uniquely well positioned to engage in democratic life. In addition to critically analyzing Tocqueville's travelogue, the class will explore contemporary applications of his ideas of community (and its failure) in America in the work of Robert Putnam and Robert Bellah, among others. How does life in the contemporary world, including our addiction to social media, change the way we associate with others? Moreover, we will consider the idea that travel or movement is crucial to political theorizing. How does stepping outside of our place give us deeper insight into political theory? The course will ask students to observe the political and associational behavior of others, as well as to reflect on their own practices of association and the impact of those practices.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: Behavioral Science
Equated Courses: PPE-233

PSC-240 Int Topics in International Relations

PSC-241 The Arab-Israeli Conflict

This course introduces students to the history, politics, and diplomacy of the Arab-Israeli conflict. We will begin by examining the conflict's historical origins, beginning in the late 19th Century. Students will understand how competing nationalisms - European Zionism and Arab nationalism - set the groundwork for what was to follow, and how British control following World War I exacerbated tensions between the two groups. The second portion of the course will focus on what has transpired since Israel became an independent state in 1947. We will explore the causes and dynamics of the wars (1956, 1967, 1973, 2006) and uprisings (1987-1993, 2000- 2005) that have occurred since, as well as efforts to make peace (1993, 2000, 2007) and why recent years have seen very little movement towards a resolution. In doing so, we will examine the role of the United States, Europe, other Middle Eastern countries, and the United Nations. Importantly, the course does not seek to determine which side or group is at fault for the existing state of affairs; rather, it aims to arrive at a common understanding of why the different actors thought and acted as they did. We will do so through by reading and analyzing primary source documents, speeches, interviews, literature, and films.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Equated Courses: PPE-241

PSC-242 American Foreign Policy

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. This course counts as an advanced course in International Relations or American Politics.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: Behavioral Science

PSC-287 Independent Study

Individual research projects. The manner of study will be determined by the student in consultation with the instructor. Students must receive written approval of their project proposal from a department Chair before registering for the course.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1

PSC-300 Rsrch Mthds & Stats in Political Science

This challenging course surveys the various ways politicaL scientists use the scientific method and rigorous quantitative analysis to study politics. The course begins with an overview of the theory behind social scientific inquiry, outlining the basic logic of hypothesis testing and research design. We then devote significant attention to quantitative and statistical research methods, from basic probability theory to confidence intervals, means testing, and multivariate regression. The course also introduces students to computer software packages used to perform advanced statistical analysis (primarily SPSS). The primary aims of the course are (a) to prepare students to conduct their own quantitative research of political phenomena and (b) to make students better consumers of political information by familiarizing them with the ways statistics are used and abused for political ends. This course satisfies the College's quantitative skills distribution requirement and also the statistical methods requirement of a major in political science. Students taking the course should have a solid foundation in basic mathematics, including algebra.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: Behavioral Science, Quantitative Literacy
Equated Courses: PSC-297

PSC-310 Adv Topics in American Politics

PSC-311 Congress & Executive

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.
Prerequisites: PSC-111 or permission of instructor.
Credit: 1

PSC-312 Parties, Elections, & Pressure Groups

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. This course counts as an advanced course in American Politics.
Prerequisites: PSC-111
Credit: 1

PSC-313 Constitutional Law

Do gay Americans have a constitutional right to get married? Should racial and ethnic minorities receive the benefits of affirmative action when applying to college or law school? Does a woman have a constitutional right to an abortion? Does the federal government have the power to regulate health care? What role should judges play in deciding such divisive and morally vexing issues? This course examines the Supreme Court's most potent power-to strike down as unconstitutional the actions of elected officials on these and other "hot button" issues. How should the Court apply such broadly worded constitutional guarantees as "equal protection" and "due process of law" to modern problems? Should the Court follow the "original intent" of our Founders or be guided by more recent, evolving standards? When the Court has wrestled with tough issues, what impact has its decisions had on other branches of government and on American society in general? This counts as an advanced course in American Politics. This course is offered in the fall semester.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: Behavioral Science
Equated Courses: PPE-333

PSC-314 Topics in Constitutional Law

This course focuses in depth upon a topic relating to the role that courts should play in government. Past topics have included Civil Liberties in War and Peace, which explores how we treat those we fear most-suspected criminals, alleged enemies of the state including terrorists, and those who criticize the government during wartime. This course counts as an advanced course in American Politics. Topics vary with each scheduled offering. Refer to Student Planning's section information for descriptions of individual offerings, and applicability to distribution requirements.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: Behavioral Science

PSC-315 Religious Freedom

May a football coach pray at the 50-yard line of a public high school's football field at the end of a game? May a business open to the public decline to serve gay customers based on its owner's religious beliefs? Should states be allowed (or required) to send tax dollars to religious schools, including for the teaching of religious doctrine or practices? Can employers refuse to provide birth control coverage to employees if doing so would violate their religious beliefs? May the United States Air Force Academy display a banner declaring "I am a member of Team Jesus Christ" in its football locker room? Should we prosecute Christian Scientist parents whose critically ill child dies because the only treatment he received was prayer? The collision of religion, politics, and the law generates many sensitive and difficult 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.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: Behavioral Science

PSC-317 State & Local Politics

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.
Prerequisites: PSC-111
Credit: 1

PSC-320 Adv Topics Comparative PoliticsýAdv Topics in Comparative Politics

Topics vary with each scheduled offering. Refer to Student Planning's section information for descriptions of individual offerings, and applicability to distribution requirements.
Prerequisites: PSC-121
Credits: 0.5-1
Distribution: Behavioral Science,

PSC-322 Politics of the European Union

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. Students will be permitted to complete some class assignments in German, Spanish, or French. Typically offered the spring semester of odd-years, this course counts as an advanced course in Comparative Politics or International Relations. Registration through instructor only.
Prerequisites: PSC-121
Credit: 1

PSC-323 Political Development

This deeply historical course examines the emergence of the sovereign state as the predominant organizational institution in global politics, as well as the myriad institutional forms it has taken over time and around the world. Special attention will be given to the role of warfare in the consolidation of modern states, the rise of nationalism, and to factors that promoted democratization in some parts of the world, but not others. The course will also consider several enduring questions of political development, such as whether democratization, globalization, and technological progress are inevitable - or even desirable - features of modern society.
Prerequisites: PSC-121, PSC-131, HIS-101 or HIS-102
Credit: 1
Equated Courses: PPE-332

PSC-324 Political Economy of Development

Why have some countries been able to prosper and remain at peace while others have suffered massive levels of poverty, inequality, and instability? Why haven't foreign assistance, democracy promotion, and peacekeeping efforts produced sustained growth and stability in many of these long-suffering countries, but they have done so in others? This class will examine these questions through the lens of politics. Students will learn what learn what political scientists have discovered about the logic of how countries develop political politically and economically, and how different outcomes (i.e., peace and prosperity vs. dysfunction and poverty) can result. Students will also come to understand how political leaders and the institutional environments in which they operate combine to produce these outcomes. We will also study the strengths and weaknesses of the various strategies policymakers employ, from poverty relief programs to international trade, to promote growth and stability.
Prerequisites: PSC-121
Credit: 1
Equated Courses: PPE-334

PSC-325 Cuban Politics

Before being sentenced to prison for revolutionary activity in 1953, Fidel Castro ominously declared that history would absolve him of his crimes. While Castro's ultimate legacy is still a work in progress, observers of Cuban and Cuban-American politics notice that the island has given rise to at least two distinct histories: one, where US attempts to liberate the island have been foiled by Castro's communism, and one where Castro's attempts to liberate the island have been hindered by Yankee imperialism. This class examines the rich narratives of Cuban history, politics, and culture. Special attention will be given to the crucial impact that developments on the island nation have on domestic politics in the United States, especially with respect to such important issues as immigration and regional trade. No previous coursework in political science is required; however, it is recommended that students take PSC-121 (Introduction to Comparative Politics) or its equivalent before taking this course. Moreover, a background in 20th century history and an understanding of current events will be assumed.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1

PSC-326 Politics of the Middle East

A survey of 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, and the role of women in the modern Middle East. This course counts as an advanced course in Comparative Politics.
Prerequisites: PSC-121
Credit: 1

PSC-327 Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict

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 solid foundation in the study of comparative politics and a reasonable familiarity with international current events will be expected. This course counts as an advanced course in Comparative Politics or International Relations.
Prerequisites: PSC-121 with a minimum grade of C-
Credit: 1
Equated Courses: PPE-327

PSC-328 Holocaust: Hist/Politics/Representation

This course examines the Holocaust from historical, political, and cultura culturalperspectives. While we will focus on the history of the event itself, from t from the rise ofNazism in the 1930s to the end of World War II, we will also devot devote significantattention to representations, reflections, and portrayals of the the Holocaust in the worldsince. While the Holocaust ended in 1945, Holocaust history continues to t the present day.World leaders are routinely called 'Nazis' by those who disagree w with them, and episodesof human suffering -from warfare, oppression, o or even natural disasters - are oftencompared with the Nazi genocide and (rightly or (rightly or wrongly) seen through its lens.The Holocaust, usually defined as the systematic attempt by Nazi Germany and its allies toeliminate the Jews of Jews of Europe, has clearly expanded beyond its strict historical settingto become a become a defining event in the global human experience. Students will explorehow the how the Holocaust is portrayed from various perspectives and how responses andand attitudes about the Holocaust have changed over time. This interdisciplinary course hasno prerequisites and is open to stu students of any major. Students may apply the coursetoward distribution re requirements in behavioral science; literature and fine arts; or history,philosophy, a and religion. It also counts towards the PPE major's diversity requirement.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: Behavioral Science

PSC-330 Adv Topics in Political Theory

PSC-331 Hist of Pol Thought: Ancient & Medieval

History of Political Thought: Ancient and Medieval. A series of full-credit courses, each of which will focus on a particular political theorist or group of theorists from classical antiquity or the medieval period. Specific offerings will vary from year to year.
Prerequisites: PSC-131
Credits: 0.5-1

PSC-335 History of Political Thought

A series of full-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. This course counts as advanced course work in Political Theory.
Prerequisites: PSC-131
Credit: 1

PSC-336 American Political Thought

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. This course counts as an advanced course in Political Theory.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: Behavioral Science
Equated Courses: PPE-336

PSC-338 Contemporary Political Theory

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. This course counts as an advanced course in Political Theory. It is offered in the spring semester in odd-numbered years.
Prerequisites: PSC-131
Credit: 1

PSC-340 Adv Topics in International Relations

Topics vary with each scheduled offering. Refer to Student Planning's section information for descriptions of individual offerings, and applicability to distribution requirements.
Prerequisites: PSC-141
Credit: 1
Distribution: Behavioral Science

PSC-343 Intro to Civil-Military Relations

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.). This course counts as an advanced course in International Relations.
Prerequisites: PSC-141
Credit: 1

PSC-344 Insurgency, Revolution & Terrorism

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. This course counts as an advanced course in International Relations.
Prerequisites: PSC-141
Credit: 1

PSC-347 Conflict, War, and Peace

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. This course counts as an advanced course in International Relations.
Prerequisites: PSC-141
Credit: 1

PSC-348 International Organizations

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. This course counts as an advanced course in International Relations.
Prerequisites: PSC-141
Credit: 1

PSC-387 Independent Study

PSC-388 Independent Study

PSC-471 Special Topics

PSC-487 Independent Study

PSC-488 Independent Study

PSC-497 Senior Seminar

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.
Prerequisites: PSC-131, PSC-200, and one of the following: PSC-111, PSC-121, or PSC-141.
Credit: 1