Political Science Minor - Undergraduate - 2012 University Catalog
You are viewing the 2012 University Catalog. Please see the newest version of the University Catalog for the most current version of this program's requirements.
(18 semester hours)
The minor in Political Science offers student the opportunity to study selected aspects of Political Science in the areas of interest of American Government and Politics, International Relations, Comparative Politics, and Political Thought and Philosophy. The Minor enables students to take 12 credits from a selection of courses in four core areas of the field: American Government, Comparative Politics, International Relations and Political Thought. Students also take another 6 credits in electives from any of the department’s course listings.
POLITICAL SCIENCE MINOR
Complete 18 semester hours, including the following 2 requirement(s):
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POLITICAL SCIENCE MINOR CORE REQ
Complete the following 2 requirement(s):
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Complete the following course:
POLS 100 Introduction to Politics (3 hours lecture,) 3 -
Complete 3 of the following 4 requirements:
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AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
Complete 1 course from the following:
POLS 101 American Government and Politics (3 hours lecture) 3 POLS 304 State and Local Government (3 hours lecture) 3 -
COMPARATIVE POLITICS
Complete 1 course from the following:
POLS 201 Comparative Politics (3 hours lecture) 3 POLS 303 Politics of Development and Modernization (3 hours lecture) 3 -
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Complete 1 course from the following:
POLS 202 International Relations (3 hours lecture) 3 POLS 203 International Organizations (3 hours lecture) 3 -
THEORY
Complete 1 course from the following:
POLS 300 Essentials of Political Thought (3 hours lecture) 3 POLS 307 American Political Thought (3 hours lecture) 3
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ELECTIVES FOR MINOR
Complete 6 semester hours from the following:
Course Descriptions:
JURI210: United States Legal Systems (3 hours lecture)
This course provides the theoretical foundations and practical applications of legislative and judicial areas in United States legal systems. Integrating readings from theorists, scholars and jurists, the course introduces students to methodologies for resolving legal problems within the evolving United States system of law. Students may take LAWS 200 or JURI 210 but not both courses. Students in the Jurisprudence and/or Political Science majors should take JURI 210, not LAWS 200. Meets Gen Ed 2002 - Social Science. 3 sh.
POLS100: Introduction to Politics (3 hours lecture,)
This course analyzes politics from the four main vantage points of the discipline of political science, that is, political theory, comparative politics, international relations and American government. Of special concern is the U.S. Constitution, its classical and English roots, and its development to the present. This course is required for Political Science Majors. Meets Gen Ed 2002 - Social Science, Social Science. 3 sh.
POLS101: American Government and Politics (3 hours lecture)
This course will introduce students to the basic institutions and processes of American politics, and will do so, in part, through a focus on current policy issues. Meets Gen Ed 2002 - Social Science, Social Science. 3 sh.
POLS201: Comparative Politics (3 hours lecture)
Constitutional principles, governmental institutions and political processes of selected contemporary states. Meets Gen Ed 2002 - Social Science, Social Science. Meets the University Writing Requirement for majors in Political Science. 3 sh.
POLS202: International Relations (3 hours lecture)
Recent and contemporary world politics and the foreign relations and policies of selected states. 3 sh.
POLS203: International Organizations (3 hours lecture)
The nature, place, need, evolution, principles, achievements and functioning of major international organizations, with emphasis upon the United Nations and selected regional organizations. 3 sh.
POLS204: Government and Politics of Africa (3 hours lecture)
The salient characteristics of government and politics in the independent black African states, and the way these impinge on developmental efforts therein, are examined. Meets the World Languages and Cultures Requirement - World Cultures. 3 sh.
POLS205: Introduction to Public Administration (3 hours lecture)
Literature and developments in the field of public administration; the federal bureaucracy in the policy-making process. 3 sh.
POLS206: Government and Politics of China and Japan (3 hours lecture)
Governmental and political development, institutions, and practices in contemporary China-Japan. Meets the World Languages and Cultures Requirement - World Cultures. 3 sh.
POLS207: American Foreign Policy (3 hours lecture)
A consideration and analysis of the goals that the nation's foreign policy officials seek to attain abroad, the values that give rise to those objectives, and the means or instruments through with they are pursued. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 202.
POLS214: Women in Politics (3 hours lecture)
The role of women in the functioning of the American political system. Meets the World Languages and Cultures - World Cultures. 3 sh.
POLS215: Ethnic Politics in America (3 hours lecture)
The political behavior of American ethnic groups from the Puritans to the Puerto Ricans. Meets the Human and Intercultural Relations Requirement (HIRR). Meets the World Languages and Cultures Requirement - World Cultures. 3 sh.
POLS216: Urban Politics (3 hours lecture)
The policies, processes, inter-relationships and organization of governments in heavily poulated areas of the United States. 3 sh.
POLS300: Essentials of Political Thought (3 hours lecture)
This course is designed to acquaint students with the major ideas that shape politics and political science as a discipline. Blending both historical and conceptual approaches to the development of political ideas, this class will also introduce fundamental concepts in political science as a whole. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: Any POLS 200-level course.
POLS301: American Party System (3 hours lecture)
Organization, function and practice of political parties in the U.S.; campaign functions, membership problems, political finance and policy-formation practices. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 100 or POLS 101 or departmental approval.
POLS302: Public Opinion and Pressure Groups (3 hours lecture)
The nature and development of public opinion and pressure groups in the United States and their influence on public policy and political process. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 100 or POLS 101 or departmenttal approval.
POLS303: Politics of Development and Modernization (3 hours lecture)
The major contemporary schools of political modernization and development theory; inter-relationship among political, social and economic variables. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 201.
POLS304: State and Local Government (3 hours lecture)
State political sub-systems, including their administrative and local sub-systems, federal-state relations, political institutions and groups in the states and in New Jersey. This course helps students understand lawmaking and enforcement as functions of state and local government. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 101 or departmental approval.
POLS306: Campaign Politics (3 hours lecture)
This course is taught in election years and provides the student with field experience at the local precinct or party level. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 100 or POLS 101.
POLS307: American Political Thought (3 hours lecture)
This course will provide an introduction to the main strands of American political thought from the founding of the American colonies to the present day. Our goal will be to come to grips with the major questions that have driven our politics throughout the nation's history. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 300 or JURI 300.
POLS310: Public Personnel Administration (3 hours lecture)
The problems and processes in the U.S. of public personnel administration at the state and local level. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 205 or departmental approval.
POLS311: Governmental Budgeting (3 hours lecture)
The budgetary process in governmental agencies from the perspective of political demands and influences. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 205 or departmental approval.
POLS312: Black Politics in America (3 hours lecture)
Black participation in the American political system from the colonial period to the present. Meets the Human and Intercultural Relations Requirement (HIRR). Meets the World Languages and Cultures Requirement - World Cultures. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 101 or departmental approval.
POLS313: The Internet, Politics & Public Policy (3 hours lecture)
This course introduces undergraduates to the intersection of the Internet and politics called "new media." Students will study various aspects of government and politics through a range of technologies from websites to blogs and social networking sites, exploring how these technologies impact the political landscape. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: Any POLS 200-level course or departmental approval.
POLS314: Seminar in Campaign Politics (3 hours seminar)
Seminar in Campaign Politics provides an introduction to the history and theory surrounding elections in the United States and complements students practicums in POLS 306. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: Departmental approval.
POLS315: Urban Administration (3 hours lecture)
Problems and policy-making in the larger urban or metropolitan complexes. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 101 or POLS 205 or departmental approval.
POLS317: The American Congress (3 hours lecture)
This course will provide a detailed examination of the United States Congress. It will allow students to explore in depth one of the key American political institutions introduced to them in POLS 101, American Government and Politics. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 101 or departmental approval.
POLS318: The American Presidency (3 hours lecture)
This course will provide a detailed examination of the American presidency. It will allow students who were introduced to the presidency in POLS 101, American Government and Politics, to explore in depth one of the key institutions of the American political system. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 101 or departmental approval.
POLS319: Politics and Film (3 hours lecture)
This course is designed to introduce undergraduates to film and politics. Films and assigned readings on a particular topic will familiarize students with particular aspects of government or politics, including but not limited to institutions, processes, movements, and the media. Students will attempt to reconcile portrayal of politics in films with scholarly work. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: Any POLS 200-level course or departmental approval.
POLS320: Law in Society: Civil Law (3 hours lecture)
This course will examine the American civil legal system as it affects a variety of our social institutions. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 101 or LAWS 200 or JURI 210 or departmental approval.
POLS321: Law in Society: Criminal Law (3 hours lecture)
Introduces the student to institutions, processes, and social functions of criminal law. Students may take POLS 321 or PALG 301 but not both courses as part of the Political Science Major, the Paralegal Studies Minor or the Criminal Justice Minor. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 101 or LAWS 200 or JURI 210 or departmental approval.
POLS322: American Constitutional Law: The Federal System (3 hours lecture)
Interpretation of supreme court decisions in the areas of the distribution of power within the national government and between the national government and the states. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 101.
POLS323: American Constitutional Law: Civil Rights and Liberties (3 hours lecture)
The development of the constitution and the Supreme Court of the United States illustrated through reference to court opinions in civil rights and liberties. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 101 or LAWS 200 or JURI 210 or departmental approval.
POLS324: American Public Policy (3 hours lecture)
A study of the methods used to analyze public policy and an examination of current public policy issues. Special attention is given to the use of comparative analysis in analyzing American public policies. This course deals with issues such as crime, punishment, social welfare, drug abuse, child abuse, equality, health, education and the environment. It focuses on public policy responses to these issues. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 101 or departmental approval.
POLS332: U.S. Immigration: Law and Politics (3 hours lecture)
This course explores the interrelationships among the legal, political and societal factors in major legislative enactments of U.S. immigration and nationality law as they relate to government institutions and affected populations. The course examines the law and politics of restrictive immigration since the founding of our nation, including exclusion laws of the nineteenth century, quota systems of the twentieth century, and key legislative acts of the later 20th and early 21st centuries. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 101 or LAWS 200 or JURI 210 or departmental approval.
POLS339: Contemporary Western European Politics (3 hours lecture)
Government and politics of Great Britain, France, Germany and Italy. Institutions, parties, ideologies and interest groups. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 201 or departmental approval.
POLS340: Government and Politics of India and South Asia (3 hours lecture)
The political experiences and institutions of the Indian subcontinent since 1947: The Republic of India, Pakistan, Ceylon and Bangladesh. Meets the World Languages and Cultures Requirement - World Cultures. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 201 or departmental approval.
POLS341: Government and Politics of Latin America (3 hours lecture)
Governmental and political development, organization and practices in the states of Central America and South America. Meets the World Languages and Cultures Requirement - World Cultures. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 201 or departmental approval.
POLS342: Government and Politics of the Middle East (3 hours lecture)
Govenment and politics in the Arab states, Turkey, Israel and Iran. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 201 or departmental approval.
POLS343: Government and Politics in the Post-Soviet States (3 hours lecture)
The political and institutional organizations of the countries of the former Soviet Union; contemproary political issues; party and governmental structures. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 201 or departmental approval.
POLS344: Government and Politics in the East European States (3 hours lecture)
The political and governmental organizations of the Communist countries of Eastern and Central Europe (exclusive of the former U.S.S.R.);institutions, processes and problems, including inter-regional relations. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 201 or departmental approval.
POLS351: Comparative Legal Perspectives: Israel and the United States (3 hours lecture)
This seminar explores the legal and political traditions giving rise to contemporary Israeli and American legal systems. This encompasses such aspects as democratic process with its origins and influences, governmental institutions within each legal system, the role of religion and the protection of minority rights. Comparative perspectives provide an understanding of each legal system within its national context. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 201 or POLS 202 or LAWS 200 or JURI 210 or JAST 201 or permission of department.
POLS360: Development of Political Thought to Machiavelli (3 hours lecture)
A survey of the history of political thought from Plato to Machiavelli, the course will lead students to consider questions of enduring political importance. By engaging with the best of pre-modern thought,students will better understand the sources of our own political institutions, and the ancient inspirations for modern political science. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 300.
POLS362: International Relations in Asia (3 hours lecture)
This course explores and debates some of the key questions facing the U.S. and other countries in Asia, including Japan, China, the Koreas and Russia. Students will study the concepts, institutions and cooperative frameworks in Asia that enable the countries in the region to address their common economic and security concerns. The course addresses three current conflicts (Taiwan-China relations, North Korea's nuclear program, war in Afghanistan) and looks at the costs and benefits of globalization for Asia. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 202.
POLS365: Global Environmental Politics (3 hours lecture)
The course will introduce students to the politics of global environmental issues. Students will begin by studying the key actors, concepts, forms of governance and debates that are central to the field. The course then will address important questions in international relations such as the relationship between environmental protection and trade, the achievement of sustainable development, the connection between environmental change and security, and differing perspectives on the environment among different types of states and social groups. The last section will involve case studies which highlight the state and human security consequences of particular environmental problems and explore the forms of governance designed to address them. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 202.
POLS409: Modern Political Thought (3 hours lecture)
Focusing on a selection of the most important primary sources in political philosophy since Machiavelli, the class will lead students to discuss certain permanent questions concerning political and social order. In their efforts, students will engage with some of the questions that animate modern politics, and come to a fuller understanding of the assumptions driving political science today. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 300 or departmental approval.
POLS410: Directed Study
Juniors and seniors may elect three to six credits of independent study under the direction of a member of the Political Science staff. May be repeated without limit as long as the topic is different. 3 - 6 sh.
Prerequisites: Departmental approval.
POLS416: Selected Topics in Political Science (3 hours lecture)
This course allows the instructor to select a political problem which is either not covered in the curriculum or which deserves more in-depth treatment than is possible in a regular course. May be repeated without limit as long as the topic is different. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 100 or POLS 101 or departmental approval.
POLS420: Seminar and Internship in Political Science
In this course students will work as interns for one semester in the office of a N.J. State Legislator, U.S. Congressperson or Senator, or state or federal executive. 4 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 101 and departmental approval.
POLS425: Politics of Federal Bureaucracy (3 hours lecture)
In-depth examination of the federal bureaucracy in relationship with national, state and local agencies. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 101 or departmental approval.
POLS426: Seminar and Internship in Public Administration I
A one semester public administration field experience in local government. Application must be made directly to the instructor in preceding semester. 4 - 6 sh.
Prerequisites: Departmental approval.
POLS427: Seminar and Internship in Public Administration II
A one semester public administration field experience in local government. Application must be made directly to the instructor in preceding semester. 4 - 6 sh.
Prerequisites: Departmental approval.
POLS429: Polling in the U.S (3 hours lecture)
The main goal of this course will be to familiarize students with various polling methods used in political science research with the aim of giving them the ability to evaluate and criticize such research. A variety of polling techniques will be covered including simple descriptive statistics, tracking polls, and quota polls. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 101 or departmental approval.
POLS430: International Law (3 hours lecture)
The nature, place, evolution, subjects, sources, principles, role and substance of international law in the international system of nation-states. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 202 or POLS 203 or departmental approval.
POLS431: Globalization and Security (3 hours lecture)
After reviewing debates on globalization, this course covers its impact on global security through an examination of key issues such as crime, terrorism, migration, environment, and health, and a detailed case study of the Bosnian War. The course includes evaluation of the role of the international community and civil society in addressing these new security challenges. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: POLS 202 or permission of instructor.
POLS436: Political Science Washington, D.C., Internship
In this course students intern in Washington, D.C., at governmental offices, interest groups, party and electoral organizations, law and lobbying firms or other political organizations. Students' academic learning is assessed by faculty, and their work performance is evaluated by their placement supervisor. Students may receive up to 7.0 credits in Political Science and up to 8.0 credits in a corequisite Cooperative Education course. Cross listed with Women's and Gender Studies, WMGS 436. 1 - 7 sh.
Prerequisites: Departmental approval.
POLS497: Honors Seminar-Political Science (3 hours seminar)
The course will involve intensive research in a seminar setting for junior and senior political science majors. Students will conduct original research and present reports to meetings of the seminar. 3 sh.
Prerequisites: Open only to junior and senior majors with at least a 3.2 cumulative grade point average in Political Science.
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