Classes

The following courses are offered by our department. Courses are added when scheduling provides availability. All courses listed have the PSC prefix.

Political Science Courses


100. Introduction to American Government (3). No prerequisite. Structure and organization of the American national government. Evolution of the United States Constitution and the federal system, civil rights, voting and elections, Congress, the President, and the federal courts.

101. Introduction to Political Science (3). No prerequisite. Nature and scope of political science, basic concepts and terminology, nature of the state and government, types of political systems, comparative political institutions.

102. Introduction to State and Local Government (3). A study of the organization, functions, and powers of state, county, and municipal governments in the United States.

103. Honors Introduction to American Government (3). Structure and organization of the American national government. Evolution of the United States Constitution and the federal system, civil rights, voting and elections, Congress, the President, and the federal courts. 

203. Introduction to the Law (3). An examination of the American legal system, court procedures, appeals procedures, and the use of legal reference materials with selected cases.

230. Politics and Film (3). Current impact and historical influence of film upon American politics and policy. Includes scholarship about the movie industry and civic values. Students view political films.

232. International Relations (3). Background and basic principles of international politics with emphasis on the modern state system, nationalism, changes in international politics from World War II to the present, and domestic influences on foreign policy.

301. Political Science Methods (3). The scope and approaches to political science with considerable attention to research methods, techniques, and current research problems.

310. Introduction to Public Policy (3). Prerequisite: PSC 100. A survey of the functions and major programs of the United States federal government including federal taxes and spending, the regulation of business, national labor policy, public health and welfare programs, conservation and the environment, and national defense and foreign policy.

320. Introduction to Public Administration (3). Surveys the public administration literature. Examines the field's development and key concepts. Introduces core topics such as organizational theory and culture, bureaucratic structure, policy process, public finance, personnel policy, ethics, reform movements, managerial performance and accountability, and public sector drivers of local economic development. Public service values are emphasized. 

342. Political Parties (3). Composition, organization, and function of American political parties on the national, state, and local levels.

352. The Legislative Process (3). American legislative bodies with emphasis upon recruitment, composition, structure, procedures, functions, role of parties and pressure groups, and problems of legislative reform.

373. Governments of Europe (3). Prerequisite: PSC 100. Examines the political systems and political cultures of Europe with major emphasis on Great Britain, France, Germany, and Russia.

375. Governments of Latin America (3). Political organization and structure of the principal Latin American countries, with emphasis on constitutional development and present day issues.

377. Governments of the Middle East (3). The government and politics of the Middle East with attention to present developments and the role of these countries in world affairs.

410. Religion, Politics, and Policy (3). Explores the historical and constitutional foundations of religious freedom in America. Probes First Amendment jurisprudence. Examines current debates about free exercise, public interest religion, policy making, and religion in global affairs.

412. Inter-governmental Relations (3). Prerequisite: PSC 100. Examines the development, institutions, processes, and problems of state and local government in the United States, and their interaction with each other and with the federal government.

423. American Foreign Policy (3). Traces mainstreams of American foreign policy. Major American foreign policy decisions are used in the analytical development of American foreign policy processes. The various influences upon foreign policy decision making are identified and evaluated.

430. Governments of Asia (3). Examines the political systems and political cultures of Asian countries from Afghanistan to Southeast Asia, with major emphasis on India, China, and Japan.

431. Comparative Politics (3). An examination of the government and politics of a variety of different national states that includes the concepts, ideas, and analytical tools necessary to understand the structures and processes of different types of political systems. Covers western and non-western, developed and less developed, communist and post-communist, and newly industrializing countries. The impact of globalization is also examined.

439. Model Debate Team: Global Issues (1). Prerequisites for undergraduate: Sophomore status and completion of one global course with a grade of C or better and permission of instructor. Students learn about global issues by representing other countries in model simulations such as Model United Nations and Model Arab League. Students research, write, debate, negotiate, and pass resolutions on issues of international concern. Repeatable up to 4 times. Course also counts toward Political Science major. 

442. Legal Reasoning (3). Prerequisite: PSC 203 or Instructor's Approval. An examination of American legal decision-making processes with emphasis on legal theory and application, a review of our blended statutory-common law system and the associated legal processes, and the methodology of legal research and writing. 

443. Constitutional Law I (3). Fundamental principles of the United States Constitution and its development. Topics include powers of President and Congress, federalism, interstate commerce, and others. Textbook and case methods.

444. Constitutional Law II (3). Relationship between the individual and government as revealed through constitutional law cases. Major emphasis will be on civil liberties based on the interpretation of the Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment. Textbook and case method.

445. Southern Politics (3). The politics of 11 southern states with regard to voting, elections, the origin and decline of the one-party system in the South; the role of the Republican party and minor parties; the impact of Southern politics upon national affairs.

447. Politics and Public Opinion (3). Forces affecting politics, public opinion, and elections in the U.S. Examines the election structure, as well as individual and group political participation.

450. The American Executive (3). The role and behavior of the American executive at the national, state, and local levels in the U.S. political system with emphasis upon the American Presidency.

451. Political Theory From the Ancients to 1700 (3). Examines political thought from ancient Greece to Europe's Early Modern Era. An emphasis is placed on the historical-cultural context in which these theories developed, their influence on modern concepts, and the recurring patterns affecting the rise and fall of human societies and how they relate to the present.

452. Modern Political Theory (3). Examines the major trends in political thought from the Early Modern Era of the 1600s to the present with emphasis upon the development of classical (conservative) liberalism, progressive or new liberalism, socialism, Marxist communism, fascism, and national socialism.

454. American Political Thought (3). Principal ideas of leading political thinkers in America from the colonial period to the present.

455. Introduction to Political Psychology (3). This course is an overview of the interdisciplinary connection between political and psychological processes. The incorporation of political science and psychology may help in the understanding of why leaders behave as they do and why citizens support or oppose political leaders. The course will include social cognition and decision making, personality and identity, and environmental factors that affect individual political idealogies. (PSC 455 is cross-listed with PSY 446, but only one course may be taken for credit.)

458. Theory of Political Film (3). Examines the literature-based classical conditioning of America's founding fathers with attention to symbolism, models, and conceptions of merit. Contrast civic virtue in classical republicanism to individual rights in modern liberalism. Juxtaposes theories of Machiavelli and Montesquieu as enlivened in classical film. 

482. Grantwriting (3). Practical course instructing the steps involved in the grantwriting process. This course includes strategic planning, research, finding appropriate grant sources and writing the grant.

484, 485. Individual Study (3) (3). Prerequisites: Must be major or minor with advanced standing and have consent of instructor. Involves extensive study/research upon specific topics under close supervision by instructor.

493. The Judicial Process (3). Prerequisite: PSC 100. A study of the judicial process through actual attendance at court trials. Meetings and discussions are held with judges, lawyers, prosecutors, and others.

498, 499. Internship (3) (3). Prerequisite: 15 hours of Political Science. Involves supervised assignment of student either to the U.S. Congress or Alabama State Legislature, or to an area public agency such as the East Alabama Regional Planning Commission, City of Anniston, Calhoun County District Attorney's Office, Alabama Seventh Judicial Circuit offices, or a lawyer's office. (Pass/Fail only)