Courses

For most political science courses, the prerequisite is PSC-0101 or PSC-0103 or permission of instructor (POI).

PSC-0101 Introduction to Political Science
This course introduces students to the systematic study of politics and crucial concepts in the discipline, including government, democracy, power, justice, and collective action. Course materials consist of philosophical and theoretical texts, case studies, political analyses, and documentaries. Upon completion, students will better understand the practice of politics on local, national, and international levels. No prerequisite. Offered fall semester. 3 credits. This course fulfills either the Global Awareness/Culture requirement or the Developing the Core/Social Science requirement in the Undergraduate College’s general education program. NOTE– It cannot be used to fulfill both requirements.

PSC-H101 Honors Introduction to Political Science
This course introduces students to the systematic study of politics and crucial concepts in the discipline, including government, democracy, power, justice, and collective action. Course materials consist of philosophical and theoretical texts, case studies, political analyses, and documentaries. Upon completion, students will better understand the practice of politics on local, national, and international levels. Students will collaborate with the instructor to conduct an advanced analysis of an issue in U.S. foreign policy and travel to Washington, D.C. to present their findings and meet with a member of the U.S. Congress. 3 credits.

PSC-0103 Introduction to American Politics
Analysis of how the American Government works and why it works the way it does. We will consider what problems we think our government should solve and how it should solve those problems. We will examine the principal institutions of American Government: The Presidency, Congress, the Court system, the media, political parties, interest groups, and elections. Each student will pick a current issue of special interest and follow it for the semester. No prerequisite. Offered spring semester. 3 credits.

PSC-0220 Statistics I
An introduction to the concepts of descriptive statistics in the social sciences. Students learn to compute basic statistical analysis and discuss the application of the analysis to research in the social sciences. This course provides practical application of statistical principles and introduces the use of the computer for statistical analysis. Strongly recommended for Political Science students. This course is cross-listed with PSY-0210. Prerequisite: MAT-0115. Offered fall semester. 3 credits.

PSC-0221 Statistics II
A study of sensory, perceptual, intellectual, and linguistic processes that regulate how individuals experience, think about, and understand the world. Strongly recommended for Political Science students. This course is cross-listed with PSY-0241. Prerequisite: PSY-0210 or PSC-0220. Offered fall semester. 3 credits.

PSC-0240 Political Philosophy
An introduction and analysis of the founding texts of western political thought – Plato’s Republic, Aristotle’s Politics, Machiavelli’s Prince – as well as of Roman legal and political thought and medieval political philosophy. This course is cross listed with PHI-0240. Offered fall semester in alternate years. 3 credits.

PSC-0255 Women in Politics
In 2006, women hold 81, or 15.1%, of the 535 seats in the 109th US Congress and 22.8%, of the 7,382 state legislators’ seats in the United States. Why don’t more women run? Why don’t more women win? Does it matter? Topics will include the fight to get the vote, the gender gap in voting and what it means; the leadership styles of women. Students are expected to engage in off-campus activities that connect them to women who work in the political sphere, broadly defined. Prerequisite: one Social Science course or permission of instructor. 3 credits. This course fulfills the Multiculturalism and Gender requirement or the Developing the Core/Social Science requirement in the Undergraduate College’s General Education program. NOTE – it cannot be used to fulfill both requirements.

PSC-0260 Constitutional Law
Should local governments be able to take one’s property, using eminent domain, and turn it over to a private developer? Can the federal government pass laws punishing violence against women? Can states legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes? Using legal opinions and political science analysis, we will answer these and other questions about the fundamental principles of the American political structure, including the relationship among the three branches of government. Students will choose cases and topics to research and make presentations to the class. 3 credits.

PSC-0261 Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
How have Supreme Court decisions concerning freedoms of speech, press, and religion; the rights of the accused; civil rights for women and minority groups; and the right of privacy changed our lives and the political system? We will use legal opinions and political science analysis to answer this question. Students will research cases and topics and make presentations to the class. This course fulfills the Developing the Core/Social Science requirement in the Undergraduate College’s General Education program. 3 credits.

PSC-0267 Public Policy Analysis
A consideration of the process of policy-making from the formulation of a policy through its success or failure in becoming part of the public agenda and official policy. Students will learn to analyze and write case studies on pressing contemporary political and social issues, e.g. cloning, third world indebtedness, poverty, health care, crime, and education. 3 credits.

PSC-0270 Politics and the City
Love Philadelphia? Hate it? Want it to be better? Most people in the U.S. now live in metropolitan areas which include cities and their suburban rings. This course analyzes issues raised by suburbanization, the urbanization of poverty, housing, welfare, and schools, with a focus on the Philadelphia metro area. Students research a recent conflict in their own communities, interview the principal agents involved, make a presentation to the class, and write a paper based on their research. Prerequisite: one Social Science course or permission of instructor. 3 credits.

PSC-0275 The American Presidency
“The buck stops here!” read the sign that sat on the desk of President Harry S. Truman. This course studies the evolution of the fundamental powers of the Presidency, the tension among the President, Congress, the Courts, interest groups, and the dynamics of presidential decisions. 3 credits.

PSC-0276 Elections
“Being a politician is like being a football coach. You have to be smart enough to understand the game, but dumb enough to think it matters.” Eugene McCarthy
This course is about understanding the election game. Why do people vote, run for office, and work in politics? What are the functions of political parties, of polling, the media, and interest groups? How has technology changed politics? How do local elections differ from national elections? And most importantly, why does it matter? 3 credits.

PSC-L276 Experiential Learning/Elections
The best way to get a feel for elections and political campaigning is to work in one. You will identify a political organization or a candidate who you would like to support with your own labor and work at least 20 hours over the semester. This is a service-learning course (graduation requirement). You will also keep a journal of your activities and what you are learning from your campaign experience. 1 credit.

PSC-0281 Introduction to Comparative Politics
This course introduces students to the study of foreign governments, foreign political behavior, foreign political economy, and foreign political culture across the globe. It focuses on the objective comparison of how other societies organize their governments, how their people vote, how they solve common problems, and how their cultures influence their political behavior. The course surveys major democracies in the Western world as well as prominent non-Western countries. No prerequisite. 3 credits. This course fulfills either the Global Awareness/Culture requirement or the Developing the Core/Social Science requirement in the Undergraduate College’s General Education program. NOTE – it cannot be used to fulfill both requirements.

PSC-S281 Service Learning for Comparative Politics
The purpose of this course is to help students relate the theories and analyses of politics to the actual practice of politics. Students and their classmates will complete a small service project designated by the instructor, in conjunction with a concurrent 200 level course. The course also includes a separate discussion and reflective writing exercise. 1 credit. This course fulfills the Enacting the Core/Experiential Learning requirement in the Undergraduate College’s General Education program.

PSC-0283 The Politics of Sustainability
This course explores the social and political dimensions of sustainability. Students will study the common problems created by environmental degradation and the depletion of non-renewable resources; the solutions to these problems proposed by governments, businesses, and non-governmental organizations; and the processes by which competing preferences over these different solutions are reconciled. This course includes theoretical readings and case studies in order to provide an accurate survey of the rapidly changing politics of sustainability. At the conclusion of the course, student will have an increased awareness of what actions society must take in order develop in a sustainable manner. This course fulfills the Sustainability requirement in the Undergraduate College's General Education program. No prerequisite. 3 credits.

PSC-T283 Exploring Sustainable Development
How do foreign societies create sustainable development? Over spring break, this course takes students to Costa Rica to observe how government, businesses, and citizens work together to protect their delicate and world-famous eco-system while providing the needs of the community. Students will spend one week in the rural and bucolic Zona Monteverde, located in the heart of Costa Rica’s cloud forest. The course features a combination of interviews, tours, lectures, service, and cultural immersion. This course is taught in English. No p rerequisite. 1 credits.

PSC-0285 Environmental Law
An analysis of ways in which our society protects or fails to protect the environment through laws and regulations. Comparative models of government regulation are examined and critiqued. 3 credits.

PSC-0287 International Security
This course examines the security-seeking behavior of governments and studies the impact it has on international relations as a whole. Specific topics include terrorism, civil-military relations, peacekeeping, weapons of mass destruction, arms races, interstate war, civil war, ethnic violence, and defense policy making. No prerequisite. 1 to 3 credits.

PSC-0288 Model UN
This course focuses on the yearly agenda of the United Nations General Assembly. Special attention is given to the requirements of participating in Model UN deliberations: argument, resolution formation, amendment, parliamentary procedure, and public speaking. Required for participation in Model UN conferences. 1 credit.

PSC-0290 Introduction to International Relations
This course introduces students to the concepts, themes, and classic cases in international relations, the highest level of politics. It focuses on the role that states, international organizations, and non-state actors (e.g. Microsoft, al-Qaeda) play in the world arena and the intervening force of globalization. 3 credits. This course fulfills either the Global Awareness/Culture requirement or the Developing the Core/Social Science requirement in the Undergraduate College’s General Education program. NOTE – it cannot be used to fulfill both requirements.

PSC-0295 American Foreign Policy
This course introduces students to the way that Americans make foreign policies and pays close attention to the uniqueness of the American method in comparison with other countries. Along the way, students will study contemporary American foreign policy issues related to trade, national security, and transnational problems like the HIV/AIDS epidemic or climate change. 3 credits.

PSC-0315 Topics in Comparative Politics
At various times, the department of political science offers special courses on the domestic politics of foreign countries or regions (e.g. European Politics, Mexican Politics) or in special categories (e.g. Politics of the Developing World). Students may repeat this course if the specific topics covered are different. Prerequisite: PSC-0281 or permission of instructor. 3 credits.

PSC-0340 Conflict and Conflict Management
A study of conflict and dispute settlement processes in small-scale, traditional societies as a means of understanding such processes in modern societies. Students are required to work in teams to prepare a full analysis of a conflict – campus, local, national, or international. This analysis includes a full history of the conflict, an analysis of the dynamics of the conflict in its present stage, and the methods used by the respective parties to pursue the conflict. A final component will assess the possibilities for conflict management or conflict resolution. A weekly journal commenting on the readings is required. Occasionally, this class will involve a study tour in Northern Ireland. Prerequisite: Permission of Instructor, a minimum G.P.A. of 3.5, and Junior or Senior Political Science major status. 3 credits.

PSC-0350 Research in Political Science
This course introduces students to the planning and conduct of research in political science. The class, under the direction of the instructor, will devise and execute a small research project. By the end of the term, successful students will have learned the logic of social scientific inquiry, be familiar with political science methodology, and have completed a professional and publishable research project. 3 credits.

PSC-0360 International Political Economy
How do governments interact with the global economy? In the twenty-first century, the roles that governments play in trade and development have an immense impact on international relations and on the quality of life for all people. This course examines the topic of international political economy by studying explanatory theories and by analyzing classic and contemporary cases. Prerequisites: ECO-100, ECO-L100, and PSC-290, or permission of instructor. 3 credits.

PSC-0400 Senior Seminar
The senior seminar is the culminating point of the political science major. Students partake in three critically important tasks: (1) participate in a weekly discussion of a mutually-agreed course theme and lead at least one weekly class meeting, (2) write a term paper related to the mutually-agreed seminar theme, and (3) explore career options for political science majors. Prerequisite: Senior Political Science major status. 3 credits.

PSC-0455 Internship
Supervised experience in a legal or governmental agency or organization concerned with political issues. Students may intern in the Rosemont-American University collaborative or a number of other internship possibilities in Washington and other locations across the country. Available during the school year or during the summer. Credit depends on particular internship and school year or summer options. Prerequisite: Junior or Senior Political Science major status. 1 to 6 credits.

PSC-0460 Independent Study
Study in an area selected by the student and the faculty member. Prerequisite: Junior or Senior Political Science major status or permission of instructor. 1 to 3 credits.

PSC-0490 Special Topics in Political Science
Examination of selected ideas or topics of interest not otherwise covered in Political Science. Offered as needed. 1 or 3 credits.