Political Science (POLS)
POLS 140. American Politics. 1 Credit.
Offered Both Fall and Spring; Lecture hours:3
A critical examination of the principles, structures, and processes that shape American politics. An emphasis on political behavior and institutions with applications to contemporary political issues.
POLS 170. International Politics. 1 Credit.
Offered Both Fall and Spring; Lecture hours:3
Introduction to major dynamics of international politics; the international system, decision making, perceptions, cooperation, conflict, and policy instruments, such as diplomacy and war. Analysis is linked to specific international events and issues.
POLS 1NT. Political Science Non-traditional Study. .5-2 Credits.
Offered Fall, Spring, Summer; Lecture hours:Varies,Other:Varies
Non-traditional study in Political Science. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
POLS 205. Comparative Politics. 1 Credit.
Offered Both Fall and Spring; Lecture hours:3
Politics and policy outside the United States; concepts for the comparison of political systems. Democracy, Third World politics, revolution, political stability and change, international effects on political processes.
POLS 210. Political Theory. 1 Credit.
Offered Both Fall and Spring; Lecture hours:3
Examination of the moral dimensions of politics. Authors include Plato, Aristotle, Milton, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, and Marx. Major concepts include justice, freedom, rights, and authority.
POLS 211. Third World Politics. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Politics in Latin America, Africa and Asia. The Third World in the modern world system. Politics and economic development. Instability, militarism, and democracy.
POLS 219. Latin American Politics. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
The dynamics of politics in Latin American social, economic, and cultural context, with use of general comparative concepts of politics.
POLS 220. British Political System. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3
Structure and functioning of Britain's political institutions, and the social and constitutional contexts in which they operate. For Bucknell in London.
POLS 221. Political Economy of the European Integration. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Introduction to core issues and theories related to the economic and political processes of European integration. Offered through Bucknell in London.
POLS 222. Russian Politics. 1 Credit.
Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
The politics of transition in Russia, from authoritarianism toward democracy with a market economy.
POLS 223. European Politics. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternating Spring Semester; Lecture hours:3
Comparative analysis of institutions and policy-making in European political systems, including the European Union.
POLS 224. Government and Politics of the Middle East. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course provides students with an understanding of the domestic political systems of the region. More specifically, the course tries to explain the lack of democracies in the region. We examine such topics as state formation, persistence of authoritarianism, economic development, culture, Islamic challenge, and prospects for democratization.
POLS 225. Chinese Politics. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course examines China's rich political history, its dynamic economic and social changes, its lasting political culture, its enduring struggle for modernization, and its evolving relations with the rest of the world. Crosslisted as EAST 269 and IREL 225.
POLS 226. East Asian Politics. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
This course surveys political history, political institutions, economy, and society of major countries in East Asia, with focus on the continuity and changes in politics and policies of China, Japan, and Korea. Crosslisted as EAST 226 and IREL 226.
POLS 231. American Public Policy. 1 Credit.
Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
Course introduces students to theories of the policy-making process in America, and also provides an overview of the major policy areas in American politics.
POLS 233. The Politics of College. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
A survey of higher education policy and campus politics in the United States. Ideas to be discussed include: national- and state-level education policy, college affordability and debt, student learning and the purposes of college education, new and non-traditional models of education, and controversies surrounding the political environment on college campuses.
POLS 234. State and Local Internship Program. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
Participants explore politics and policy at the state and local level through integrated class work, independent research, and real world work experiences. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
POLS 235. Media and Politics. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course explores the role of the news media in American politics. Ideas to be discussed include: the relationship between elected officials and the media, campaign advertising and media coverage of elections, and the role of the media in shaping public opinion and public policy.
POLS 236. Campaigns and Elections. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
This course explains and evaluates the impact of elections on American politics. It is focused on three central objectives: improving students’ understanding of the American electoral process; familiarizing students with the current electoral cycle; and improving students’ ability to analyze the role of elections in American politics.
POLS 238. Women and Politics. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternating Spring Semester; Lecture hours:3
An analysis of women and politics generally with specific focus on feminism and its relationship to political discourse and political action. Crosslisted as WMST 238.
POLS 239. Latino Politics in the United States. 1 Credit.
Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
This course focuses on the electoral and non-electoral political participation and behavior of Latinos, as well as to some key policy issues of relevance to Latinos at all levels.
POLS 240. The American Congress. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Examination and evaluation of representative government in America. Detailed investigation of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. Prerequisite: POLS 140 or permission of the instructor.
POLS 241. Constitutional Law: Civil Rights. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
An introduction to civil rights under the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, focusing on discrimination based on race, sex, sexual orientation, class, and alien status.
POLS 242. Constitutional Law: Civil Liberties. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Examination of civil liberties policy in the U.S. through a study of U.S. Supreme Court decisions.
POLS 243. The American Presidency. 1 Credit.
Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
Origins and development of the presidency and an analysis of the sources and nature of executive power in American national government.
POLS 244. American Judicial Politics. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
Survey of the process and substance of policymaking in the Federal court system, with an emphasis on Supreme Court decision making and on the policy impact of court decisions.
POLS 246. Race Ethnicity and American Politics. 1 Credit.
Lecture hours:3
Looks at the connections between race, ethnicity and power through various forms of political behavior including electoral, policymaking, and citizen participation. Explores mutually constitutive relationship between politics and race.
POLS 247. Religion and Constitutional Law. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course explores the developing relationship between religion and American constitutional law, focusing on historic documents and Supreme Court decisions relating to the First Amendment. Crosslisted as RELI 280.
POLS 248. Political Behavior. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Analysis of the ways in which citizens form, update, and act on political preferences. Topics include: political psychology, voting, civic participation, and social movements.
POLS 254. Sex and Social Order. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternate Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Analysis of connections between sex and social structure to determine how our understanding of sexuality is implicated in our political system, economy, and cultural ideology. Crosslisted as WMST 254.
POLS 256. Topics in Social and Political Ethics. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Study of the types of arguments and analysis used in social and political ethics, in part through an examination of social issues.
POLS 257. Ethics and Public Policy. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
An examination of competing ethical arguments regarding contentious issues in public policy, such as same-sex marriage, abortion, racial reparations, capital punishment, and war.
POLS 258. States of Nature. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternating Spring Semester; Lecture hours:3
Study of the conceptual connections between understandings of nature, society, and the good in historical and contemporary contexts.
POLS 259. Philosophy of Race. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Critical examination of the nature and meaning of "race" in terms of conceptual analysis, experience, social constructionism, feminism, class, ethnicity, politics, colonialism, violence, and redress. Crosslisted as AFST 229 and PHIL 229.
POLS 260. Topics in Legal Thought. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3
Subjects will vary, e.g., morality and the legal process; religion and law; contemporary jurisprudence.
POLS 261. Twentieth-century American Legal Thought. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Analysis of dominant and critical trends through the century including legal realism, liberalism, law and morality, feminist legal theory, law and economics, and critical race theory.
POLS 263. Race and Ethnicity in American Legal Thought. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
An examination of legal theories on race and ethnicity, including race-based citizenship, affirmative action, school desegregation, busing, voting rights, racial gerrymandering, tribal sovereignty, and immigration.
POLS 266. Nationalism East and West. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Examination of the theory and practice of nationalist movements in Europe, the United States, India, and the Middle East.
POLS 267. Philosophy of Revolution. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
An exploration and analysis of the concept of revolution in political philosophy from modernity to the present day, examining ways that political philosophers have sought to make revolution unnecessary as well as how and why they have emphasized its necessity. Crosslisted as PHIL 276.
POLS 268. Contemporary Democratic Theory. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Analysis of the moral foundations of democracy and the institutional means for achieving it, including voting systems, political parties, alternative representation and workplace democracy.
POLS 271. American Foreign Policy. 1 Credit.
Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
Analysis of American foreign policy institutions and decision-making processes; examination of the history and of current issues and problems of U.S. foreign policy.
POLS 272. U.S. National Security Policy. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
The evolution of U.S. national security policy since World War II. Topics include defense in the nuclear area, strategic doctrine, arms control, WMDs budgeting, policy making.
POLS 273. The Atlantic Alliance. 1 Credit.
Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
This course concerns North Atlantic political and security relations and uses of NATO alliance as its vehicle. The course examines binding and dividing intra-alliance issues during and after the Cold War.
POLS 275. Global Governance. 1 Credit.
Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
This course explores the rationales, processes, and institutions of multilateral governance in a globalized world. We examine the U.N. nongovernmental organizations, conflict resolution, economic development, environment, human rights, and international law. Not open to first-year students. Crosslisted as IREL 275.
POLS 276. Comparative Foreign Policy. 1 Credit.
Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
This course has two over-arching objectives. Introduce students to the various ways foreign policy can be explained. The second objective is to acquaint students with the substantive foreign policies of specific international actors, notably the EU, Japan, India, Israel, United Kingdom, Brazil, China, and others. Crosslisted as IREL 276.
POLS 277. International Political Economy. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course examines the politics of international economic relations including trade, finance, and development. Crosslisted as IREL 277.
POLS 278. International Law. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
The nature, historical development, and sources of international law; substantive and procedural international law and its role in international relations. Crosslisted as IREL 255.
POLS 279. Government and the Economy. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
This course studies the government and economy with special topics including history, analysis and critique of capitalism and democracy.
POLS 280. War. 1 Credit.
Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
This course focuses on the causes of wars. Theories from many disciplines are examined in relation to interstate wars. Applying these theories to different wars, through the use of case studies, will comprise a large part of the course.
POLS 281. Peace Studies: Conflict Resolution. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternate Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Topics examined include pacifism, conflict resolution techniques and approaches, and finally actual case studies to illustrate peacemaking in two contexts: interstate wars and internal or civil strife. Crosslisted as UNIV 219 and IREL 231.
POLS 282. European Security. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternate Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
European security issues, including NATO enlargement, the military campaigns in the Balkans, the Iraq War, terrorism, and ballistic missile defense. For Bucknell in London. Crosslisted as IREL 282.
POLS 283. East Asian International Relations. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course offers an overview of international relations in East Asia, with focus on political, economic, and social interactions among major states in the region. Crosslisted as EAST 248 and IREL 283.
POLS 284. International Relations of Europe. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
This course will examine the foreign policies of European countries, individually and collectively through the European Union, toward each other, regional and global intergovernmental organizations and other regions/countries. Crosslisted as IREL 218.
POLS 285. The International Relations of Latin America in the 21st Century. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
This course will examine the emergence of the New Left, the production of regional spaces, the impact of the BRICS and South-South cooperation in Latin America. Crosslisted as IREL 285.
POLS 286. Nonstate Actors in International Relations. 1 Credit.
Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
This course explores the role nonstate actors (such as nongovernmental organizations, multinational corporations, violent nonstate actors, and individuals) can and do play in various substantive areas of international relations. Crosslisted as IREL 286.
POLS 287. U.S. Foreign Policy and the Middle East. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternate Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course examines U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East. The focus is on the economic, security, and political interests of the United States in the region. Major topics include: Cold War, Arab-Israeli conflict, energy security, Islamic threat, war on terror, and promotion of democracy.
POLS 288. French Foreign Policy Since 1945. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Analysis of French foreign policy, institutions, and decision-making processes in the Fourth and Fifth Republics. Current issues and problems of French foreign policy. Offered through Bucknell en France.
POLS 289. The Arab-Israeli Conflict. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternate Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course examines the roots and transformation of the conflict, role of outside actors, and how it can be resolved.
POLS 290. Topics in Politics. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Attention will focus on specific thinkers, problems, concepts, or issues of recurring and continuing significance in political analysis. Topics will vary.
POLS 291. Environmental Policy and Politics. 1 Credit.
Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
An introduction to understanding the role of political institutions, stakeholders, and policy processes (in the U.S. and internationally) in addressing environmental problems. Crosslisted as ENST 245.
POLS 292. Political Economy of Growth. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
We will study how institutions affect the immediate determinants of economic growth. Topics include population growth, microfinance, democracy, geography, international trade, culture, and foreign aid.
POLS 294. Dance, Performance, and the Political Body. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:2,Other:1
This course explores how dance as an embodied practice is an effective medium for analyzing ideologies and practices of power, privilege, and inequality in the arts and in the greater social and political sphere, particularly with reference to race, ethnicity, gender, and class.
POLS 295. Internship. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Reserved for non-traditional study.
POLS 296. Quantitative Methods. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Introduction to the tools used in basic quantitative political methodology. Students will learn to understand and apply a variety of statistical methods and research design that are essential for political science and public policy research.
POLS 297. Qualitative Methods. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Introduction to various qualitative methods of inquiry and research design in Political Science, such as focus groups, case studies, interview techniques, interpretive approaches, and critical argumentation.
POLS 2NT. POLS Non-traditional Study. 1-2 Credits.
Offered Fall, Spring, Summer; Lecture hours:Varies,Other:3
Non-traditional study in Political Science. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
POLS 350. Seminar in Comparative Politics. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Selected topics. Prerequisite: POLS 205 or permission of the instructor.
POLS 351. Social Policies in Rich Democracies. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
Application of comparative analysis to social policies and policymaking in established democracies, on such issues as income supports, health care, education, reproductive rights, etc. Prerequisite: successful completion of POLS 205.
POLS 352. Politics of Economic Development. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
This course critically engages the tools, concepts, and theories that are used to examine the politics of economic development in poorer countries. Prerequisite: POLS 205 or permission of the instructor.
POLS 356. Nationalism, Identity and Nature. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3
This course explores the geographies and politics of nationalism, the ways in which nature is nationalized, the construction of nature in environmental contestations and reactions to nationalism, and the intersection of nationalism with other social constructions. Crosslisted as ENST 356 and IREL 356.
POLS 360. Seminar in Political Theory. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Selected topics. Prerequisite: POLS 210 or permission of the instructor.
POLS 362. American Constitutional Theory. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
A careful analysis of theories of American constitutional democracy, focusing on the role and legitimacy of judicial review within the democratic political system. Prerequisite: POLS 210 or permission of the instructor.
POLS 364. Justice and Public Policy. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
An examination of competing theories of justice and the application of these theories to various issues in public policy, such as taxation, welfare, health care, education, immigration, and foreign aid. Prerequisite: POLS 210 or permission of instructor.
POLS 370. Seminar in American Politics. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Selected topics.Prerequisite: POLS 140 or permission of the instructor.
POLS 371. Minority Politics. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternate Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of how minority groups operate within the U.S. political system.
POLS 373. Public Opinion. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternate Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Theoretical and quantitative approaches to the study of public attitudes in the United States. Prerequisite: POLS 140 or permission of the instructor.
POLS 375. Analyzing Legislatures. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternate Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
An in-depth examination of American legislative politics through empirical social-science research methods. Prerequisite: POLS 140.
POLS 380. Seminar in International Politics. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Selected topics. Prerequisite: POLS 170 or permission of the instructor.
POLS 381. Arab-Israeli Conflict, Peace Process. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course examines the failures/successes of the peace process among Israel, the Arab States, and the Palestinians. Special focus is on Oslo peace process, outstanding issues, and the involvement of outside actors, particularly the role of the U.S. Prerequisite: POLS 170 or permission of instructor. Crosslisted as IREL 381.
POLS 382. U.S.-China Relations. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
Through tracing the evolution of U.S.-China relations from the 18th century to the present, this course discusses major issues and challenges between the two countries. Future trends of the relationship will also be explored. Prerequisite: POLS 170. Preference given to POLS/IREL/EAST seniors. Crosslisted as EAST 382 and IREL 482.
POLS 389. Human Rights. 1 Credit.
Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
The seminar will study human rights, primarily from an international perspective, including self-determination, cultural rights, ethnic and racial rights, women's rights, religious rights, and lesbian and gay rights. Preference given to international relations majors. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Crosslisted as IREL 415.
POLS 393. International Environmental Aid. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This advanced seminar focuses on an applied and critical examination of international aid for solving environmental problems. It explores topics including: theories of international relations, environmental politics, and development; how international organizations, states, and non-governmental actors relate, and problem-solving case studies. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Crosslisted as ENST 393.
POLS 395. Independent Study. 1 Credit.
Offered Both Fall and Spring; Lecture hours:Varies,Other:3; Repeatable
Open to qualified students who wish to pursue individual programs of advanced study in political science. Prerequisites: approval of a proposal submitted to the department normally at least two weeks prior to registration and permission of the instructor.
POLS 396. Independent Study. .5-1 Credits.
Offered Both Fall and Spring; Lecture hours:Varies,Other:3; Repeatable
Open to qualified students who wish to pursue individual programs of advanced study in political science. Prerequisites: approval of a proposal submitted to the department, normally at least two weeks prior to registration and permission of the instructor.
POLS 397. Honor Thesis. 1 Credit.
Offered Both Fall and Spring; Lecture hours:Varies,Other:3; Repeatable
Independent research on some topic approved as honors work by the department and Honors Council. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
POLS 3NT. POLS Non-traditional Study. 1-2 Credits.
Offered Fall, Spring, Summer; Lecture hours:Varies,Other:Varies
Non-traditional study in Political Science. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
POLS 425. Topics Seminar. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course will examine the causes and the international consequences of human displacement. It will consider the economic, political, social, and cultural components of international migration. Crosslisted as IREL 425.