Credit Hours: 3, Contact Hours: 3

Division: Social Science

This course is an introduction to the study of politics and political institutions in America. Emphasis is given to the constitutional framework, federalism, political participation, the role of the media in the political process, the electoral system, American political parties, the presidency, Congress, the Supreme Court, and the bureaucracy. Civil rights and civil liberties are a theme throughout. This course includes an examination of the politics of race, ethnicity, and cultural diversity in America. Group 1 course. Communications - Direct, Critical Thinking - Direct, Degree Req:Cultural Persp/Div, Infused: Writing Intensive.

Credit Hours: 3, Contact Hours: 3

Division: Social Science

This course provides a comparative analysis of political systems in developed and developing countries. Students learn about different forms of political organization as instituted and practiced in various countries. Students examine different methods of comparing political systems and learn to apply these methods in causal theories of political change. This course combines a focus on the basic structures of political systems with a thought-provoking analyses of the causal factors that influence the development of those systems and the impact these systems have on the people that live within them. Issues related to democracy, civil liberties, political rights, human rights, and economic development are analyzed throughout the course. Group 1 course. Communications - Direct, Critical Thinking - Direct, Degree Req:Cultural Persp/Div, Infused: Writing Intensive.

Credit Hours: 3, Contact Hours: 3

Division: Social Science

Students analyze the nature of international relations and global politics today. This course offers a broad overview of political and economic issues in the international arena. Students assess the dynamics of conflict and cooperation through various case studies and analyses. Topics include such things as conflict in the Middle East, ethnic conflict and nationalism the world over, the threat of global terrorism in the 21st century, the rise of China as an assertive world power, the increasing importance of organizations such as the United Nations and the World Trade Organization, cultural and economic globalization, and global ecological issues. Course includes an examination of the basic analytical approaches to the study of international relations. Group 1 course. Communications - Direct, Critical Thinking - Direct, Degree Req:Cultural Persp/Div, Infused: Writing Intensive.

Credit Hours: 3, Contact Hours: 3

Division: Social Science

Introduction to Political Theory examines the foundational questions of normative political theory as developed by political philosophers of the ancient through contemporary periods. The course focuses on a wide array of political and ethical issues. Topics of consideration include: the rights of the individual v. the rights of the community; the nature of human equality and the reality of human inequalities; conceptions of justice put forth by various philosophers; and questions of what it means to achieve freedom in one's social and political life. Students can expect to read almost exclusively from primary sources. Examples of thinkers studied in this course include Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Kant, Marx, Mill, Nietzsche, Arendt, and Rawls. Group 1 course. Communications - Direct, Critical Thinking - Direct, Infused: Writing Intensive.

Credit Hours: 3, Contact Hours: 3

Division: Social Science

This course examines U.S. foreign policy, with a focus on the challenges the United States has faced since WWII. Students analyze the goals of policy-makers and the obstacles encountered as they attempt to achieve those goals. Issues for in-depth analysis include: cold war foreign policy; terrorism and fundamentalism; foreign policy responses to recent trends of economic globalization; WMD, arms control and non-proliferation issues; the U.S. invasions and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq; a rising China and the challenges this presents to U.S. hegemony; and many others. This course uses political science models to analyze real world events in U.S. foreign policy. Group 1 course. Recommended competencies: Placement into MTH 100 and ENG 11/111. Communications - Direct, Critical Thinking - Direct.

Credit Hours: 1-4, Contact Hours: 1-4

Division: Social Science