Requirements & Courses
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Major Requirements
Thirty-six credits which must include:
- POL-401
- At least twenty additional upper level credits. (No more than eight credits from POL 226/227 and 328/329 may count toward the major.)
- Successful completion of the departmental comprehensive examination. The exam will require that students demonstrate competency in three of the following four subfields of political science: American politics and public policy (APP), Comparative politics (CMP), International Relations (INR) and Political Theory (THE). Students can determine the subfield to which a course belongs by noting the explanatory caption that appears in parentheses at the end of the course description.
- For topics courses designated POL-180, 280, and 380, consult with the instructor or political science chair to determine which subfield the course falls under.
- Departmental honors require the completion of a senior thesis, successful defense before the department, and public presentation of the thesis.
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Minor Requirements
Twenty-four credits which must include:
At least sixteen upper level credits in POL (No more than eight credits from POL 226/227 and 328/329 may count toward the major.)
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Course Subfield Designation Summary
American Politics/Public Policy (APP):
POL-101, 141, 233, 241, 243, 245, 305, 341 and 345
Comparative Politics (CMP):
POL-111, 214, 217 and 317
International Relations (INR):
POL-121, 127, 221, 225, 226, 227, 325, 326, 327, 328 and 329
Political Theory (THE):
POL-131, 231, 232, 234 and 235
Courses
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POL101.The American Political System4 creditsStudy of institutions and processes of politics and government. Contemporary political problems. Primary focus on federal government with some attention to state and local politics. (APP)
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POL111.Forming More Perfect Unions4 creditsTo “Form a more perfect Union,” political leaders build institutions by creating constitutions. These institutions are attempts to solve immediate problems but also give rise to new problems, and no one set of institutions is appropriate for all contexts or moments in time. In this course students will participate in simulations of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, the Mexican Revolution, and the building of post-apartheid South Africa. By examining three “constitutional moments” in depth, students will better understand the dynamics, aspirations, and limitations of constitutions, preparing them to explore the political system of any country, past or present.
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POL121.World Conflicts and Problems4 creditsExamines a selection of world conflicts in terms of their causes and prospects for war, control or settlement. Explores world-wide problems, needs and efforts among states to deal cooperatively. (INR)
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POL127M.Presidential Library Research4 creditsIntroduction to normative political theory, both historical and contemporary. Includes analysis of central concepts of politics such as power, freedom, justice, democracy and equality. Explore key modern ideologies, such as liberalism, conservatism, socialism, fascism and political Islam. Spring Term only. (INR)
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POL131.Modern Ideals and Ideologies4 creditsThis course examines the most influential ideologies of the modern era including liberalism, conservatism, socialism, communism, fascism, and liberation ideologies.(Cross-listed as PHL-131) (THE)
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POL141.Intro to Public Mgt and Policy Analysis4 creditsStudy of leadership and administration in public organization, including relationship between bureaucracy and the executive, judicial and legislative branches; development of organizational theory; policy-making and implementation process; bureaucratic ethics; and reconciliation of democracy and bureaucracy. Recommended for those considering careers in public service or jobs affected by public policy. (APP)
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POL180.Topics in Political Science2-4 creditsExamines special political subjects in both the foreign/international and American realms.
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POL210.Political Science Statistics4 CreditsStatistics is the dominant methodological approach in social science, including political science. In this course, students will learn the mathematical underpinnings and software for multivariate regression analysis, the dominant methodology in the field (among others). Political Science Statistics will use some of the most prominent databases in the field as the foundation for instruction and teach students basic and advanced Microsoft Excel techniques as well.
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POL213.Politics of Remembering4 CreditsThe course explores public monuments as political symbols. Questions such as who decides what will be publicly memorialized, what should be memorialized, and what should be done if attitudes about the memorial change will be discussed. Students will be challenged to contemplate historical and contemporary debates on how political symbols are remembered. This course explores these topics through simulations and individual projects of contemporary efforts to change specific monuments.
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POL214.Latin American Politics4 creditsLatin America has been a focus of political scientists for decades, as these 19 diverse countries share many features and yet also represent a wide array of political experiences and trajectories, including: communist revolutions; bloody civil wars; military dictatorships known for massive human rights violations; presidential autogolpes; and, yes, even stable democracy. In this course, students will explore the dynamics that shape Latin America through simulations of the Mexican Revolution and post-dictatorship Argentina and research projects highlighting particular aspects of politics in the region. (CMP)
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POL219.Who Cares About the Earth?4 CreditsIn this course, students will analyze data on how countries perform on a wide range of environmental issues, including exploring economic, demographic, and political factors. Students will explore possible reasons for the wide variation of individual countries' responses to addressing climate change through the use of data analysis and in-depth case studies about why countries are addressing climate change, or failing to.
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POL221.Analysis of International Politics4 creditsStudy roles of the state, international and non-state actors in international politics; theories of conflict, conflict control and resolution; and prospects for world community. (INR)
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POL225.International Law and Organizations4 creditsAnalyzes historical evolution of international law, its purposes, principles and relationship to the international arena. Study of international organizations and their impact on international legal order. (INR)
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POL226.Model United Nations “A”2 creditsPreparation to represent an assigned country at a Model UN competition through examination of current international issues and UN organizational structures and processes. Course fee. (INR)
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POL227.Model United Nations “B”2 creditsPreparation to represent an assigned country at a Model UN competition through examination of current international issues and UN organizational structures and processes.(INR)
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POL231.American Political Thought4 creditsExplores American political thought from the founding to the present. Key themes considered include majority rule and minority rights, participatory versus elite theories of democracy, the tensions between democracy, freedom and equality, and civil disobedience. (THE)
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POL232.Ancient Political Thought4 creditsExploration of key ideas in ancient and medieval political thought. The works of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, Epicurus, Augustine and Aquinas are considered. Key questions addressed include: Is democracy superior to rule by the enlightened few? Are humans by nature political creatures? What is the proper relation between the individual and the state? Is the state a natural entity? (Cross-listed as PHL-232.) (THE)
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POL233.Current Controversies U.S. Politics4 creditsExamine the ethical and empirical dimensions of some current political controversies in the U.S., such as the death penalty, gay marriage, torture, terrorism, affirmative action and euthanasia. Introduction to relevant concepts in ethical theory, law, political philosophy and empirical inquiry in order to provide the framework to think knowledgeably and critically about these issues. (APP)
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POL234.Modern Political Thought4 creditsAnalysis of selected original works of Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, the American founders, Bentham, Mill, Marx and Nietzsche. Emphasis on relevance to contemporary political thought and issues. (Cross-listed s PHL-234.) (THE)
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POL236.Contemporary Political Thought4 creditsPrerequisite: POL-131This course explores contemporary debates in political theory regarding justice, democracy, freedom, equality, and rights. Do contemporary democracies distribute resources and opportunities fairly? Do they treat all citizens equally? Are they sufficiently democratic? Is capitalism a just economic system? Does it support or undermine democracy, freedom and equality? (THE)
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POL241.U.S. Presidential Elections4 creditsStudies the links of elections and the media, campaign fundraising, electoral strategies, the role of the media in shaping campaigns, and the impact on public policy; offered especially in national election years, where the election can serve as a laboratory to test theories. (APP)
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POL242.Comparative Environmental Health Policy4 creditsComparative analysis of the environmental-health policy process. Emphasis on applied research related to current government or non-governmental organization projects or concerns.
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POL243.Public Opinion and Voting4 creditsThe course explores how Americans form their political beliefs and values, and how those beliefs and values influence their voting behavior. The impact of ideology, economic class, ethnicity, religion, and education are considered. (APP)
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POL245.The Political Experience4 creditsExplores nature of elective and administrative politics in state and local governments. Integrates cognitive and experiential learning. Includes field trips and interviews with state/local leaders in government, interest groups and media. (APP)
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POL280.Politics in the Age of TikTok4 CreditsIn 2008 a one-term senator became president of the United States because he understood how Facebook could mobilize people and their money. In 2016 a businessman with no political experience became president of the United States because of his ability to write infuriating but engaging 140-character Tweets. Will the presidential election of 2024 be won by whoever can do the best TikTok dance? While some see all of this as a sign of the democratization of communications and politics, others view it as the collapse of a political stability into a post-truth, pseudo-authoritarian, algorithm-driven nightmare. In Politics in the Age of TikTok we will study this change from diverse perspectives while using a variety of analytical tools and methods. From this study you will gain a deeper insight into the larger technological, historical, social, mass media, and political dynamics that have transformed our politics over the past 20 years. By understanding these trends, you can use them to further your own goals or just to make more sense out of a seemingly chaotic world.
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POL280.Political Science Statistics4 CreditsStatistics is the dominant methodological approach in social science, including political science. In this course, students will learn the mathematical underpinnings and software for multivariate regression analysis, the dominant methodology in the field (among others). Political Science Statistics will use some of the most prominent databases in the field as the foundation for instruction and teach students basic and advanced Microsoft Excel techniques as well.
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POL280.Topics in Political Science2-4 creditsVariable topics in political analysis.
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POL305.Constitutional Law4 creditsCase law study of the Supreme Court’s interpretations of U.S. Constitution in the areas of the governmental structures and processes and civil rights and liberties. Different approaches to interpreting the Constitution are also considered. (APP)
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POL316.Democracy's Slow Death4 CreditsBy any number of measures, democracy is slowly retreating around the world as authoritarianism increasingly succeeds in limiting the power and impact of voters. While historically these efforts were dramatic and abrupt, whether violent insurrections, sudden autogolpes, or military coup d'etats, in recent years it has become much more likely for democracies to be slowly hollowed out from within by democratically-elected leaders. Students will develop a rich understanding of democratic decline through a simulation of Weimar Germany. In addition, students will develop critical analytical skills through a survey of the rapidly-growing empirical literature on democratic decline. Finally, students will advance their data-analytic skills through the creation and analysis, using Microsoft Excel, of a statistical dataset exploring political, economic, demographic, sociological, and other factors connected to democratic decline. (CMP)
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POL317.Politics of Fear and Hate4 creditsPrerequisite: POL 310; any one POL and one statistics course (MTH 118, 242; DAT 115; PSY 220); or permissionPopulist parties, particularly on the political right, have been increasingly successful in recent elections, particularly in Europe and the Americas. Scholars increasingly seek to explain the appeal of these anti-elite, often xenophobic, parties in recent years in so many different countries. In this course, students will build a dataset and, using linear regression analysis in Microsoft Excel, test a range of hypotheses to better understand this increasingly common political phenomenon. (CMP)
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POL325.U.S. Foreign Policy4 creditsStudy of goals of American foreign policy and U.S. role in changing world; structure, processes and politics of foreign policy-making; and U.S. foreign policy since end of WWII. Analysis of selected current U.S. foreign policy concerns. (INR)
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POL326.U.S. National Security Policy4 creditsAnalyzes emergence and evolution of post- WWII national security state. Assesses impact of changing international environment on conceptions of “national security.” (INR)
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POL327M.Presidential Library Research4 creditsResearch visit to a presidential library. Lower level focuses on primary source investigations on topics of student interest. Upper level is preparation for a substantial research paper potentially leading to a senior thesis and/or published article. Spring Term only. (INR)
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POL328.Advanced Model UN “A”2 creditsPrerequisite: POL-226 and 227Examine in detail the functioning of the central bodies of the UN community, including the General Assembly, Security Council, ECOSOC and specialized agencies. Also address the role of nongovernmental organizations, regional and subregional organizations and individual states. Only four credits may count toward the major. (INR)
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POL329.Advanced Model UN “B”2 creditsPrerequisite: POL-226 and 227Examine in detail the functioning of the central bodies of the UN community, including the General Assembly, Security Council, ECOSOC and specialized agencies. Also address the role of nongovernmental organizations, regional and subregional organizations and individual states. Only four credits may count toward the major. Course fee. (INR)
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POL341.Public Policy Analysis4 creditsStudy of policy process, particularly policy evaluation. Focuses on such policies as educational, environmental, economic and social welfare. Emphasis on learning evaluation methodologies through application to current public policy issues. (APP)
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POL345.Public Administration History and Theory4 creditsStudy of the development of modern public bureaucracies and the relationship of bureaucracy and other governmental institutions, particularly through analysis of original works on public administration from Woodrow Wilson and Max Weber to more recent commentaries. (APP)
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POL380.Topics and Problems in Political Science4 creditsCourses on special political subjects in both the foreign/international and American realms.
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POL381.Washington Semester4 creditsCredit awarded for student participation in seminars and coursework. (American University)
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POL382.Washington Semester4 creditsCredit awarded for student participation in seminars and coursework. (American University)
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POL385.Political Science Practicum1 creditPlacements in government, political institutions and related agencies may be made available by the Department or may be arranged by students in consultation with the Department.
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POL401.Senior Seminar4 creditsComprehensive capstone study of politics within the context of a distinct theme in political science.
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POL499.POL Independent Study: Readings1 creditIndividual study of particular topic or problem area; intensive reading; problem formulated with instructor consent.
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POL500.Senior Thesis4 creditsUnder supervision, student formulates a project topic or research program, conducts research, then prepares and publicly presents a senior thesis. Required for departmental honors.