Courses Offered in Politics, Policy and International Relations

This course will introduce students to the experience of academic exploration that is at the heart of a liberal arts education. Through study of one or more compelling questions or topics in a small seminar setting, students will practice creative and critical thinking and will learn to express themselves effectively and appropriately in a college setting. They will develop relationships and practices that allow them to effectively utilize college resources and become members of a community of learners. The specific topic of the seminar will be developed by individual faculty and will be announced in advance. First year seminars are required for first-year students and transfer students with fewer than 15 credits. Not open to students who have received credit for IDS 189 or another first year seminar course.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: First Year Seminar

This course introduces students to the study of politics (including political ideas and behaviors, political institutions, and public policies), both in the United States and abroad. Topics may include democracy and authoritarianism, political parties and elections, political violence, and globalization. The course also familiarizes students with key academic skills such as critical thinking and information literacy, as well as to the requirements and opportunities that are part of the Political Science program. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Contemporary Society, Pers Growth & Responsibility

Concentrated study of topics in Political Science introducing qualified students to central concepts, structures, and processes of politics and government. Course topics may include: democracy in America, globalization, ethnic conflict, social justice, etc. The seminar format will emphasize critical analysis of assigned readings, extensive student participation in class discussions, and engagement in various forms of written reflection. Three seminar hours per week.
Prerequisites: Honors Program student; or, Political Science major or minor with the permission of the department chairperson.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Contemporary Society

This course provides an analysis of the United States political system, with primary emphasis on the national government. Students will discuss the U.S. Constitution as well as the powers and functions of Congress, the presidency and the Supreme Court. They also will evaluate the changing roles of political parties, interest groups and citizens in American democracy. Additionally, students will debate contemporary issues and events. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Contemporary Society

This course provides an introduction to contemporary issues in American public policy. The course will examine the roles of interests, political institutions, governmental and nongovernmental actors, and the media in shaping public policy. We will identify competing goals, problem definitions, and solutions in policy debates over issues such as social welfare, criminal justice, economics, civil rights, healthcare, education and the environment. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Oral Communication

A survey of the history of political theory Intended to introduce students to the major theoretical answers to fundamental questions of political life Readings may include selections from Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Tocqueville,Marx and Nietzsche. This is a portfolio based writing course where students will build on the W-I course to write various kinds of papers for various audiences and reprise some of their work for a final portfolio Three lecture hours per week Not open to students who have received credit for POL300 or POL302. Prerequisite: W-I

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Written Communication-Level II

This course is about understanding how the origins and historic evolution of the international system fundamentally shape the structure and functioning of international relations (IR) today .In addition to introducing basic concepts and analytical frameworks, the first part of this course uses contending theories of IR to describe and interpret the major global events of the modern era. Building on this foundation the second part of the course explores several key issue-areas in IR: international law and governance. security and conflict, the global economy, and global human welfare. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for POL351.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: The Human Past

This course introduces students to the comparative study of politics by examining the political systems and political cultures of selected developed and developing countries. Topics covered go beyond institutions and public policies, encompassing, for example, a study of how ethnicity and religion shape politics and of the role played by political culture. The course also teaches students how to analyze and compare unfamiliar societies. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: World Cultures

As an introduction to the fundamentals of scientific inquiry as they apply to political science, this course will explore the nature and process of social science research generally, and applied political science research with a focus on methodologies particularly prominent within our discipline. Representative political science research examples will be critically analyzed to illuminate course topics and establish frameworks for assessing the validity and utility of various forms of political research. The practical application of research methodologies to the study of empirical political questions will be emphasized. Three seminar hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for POL291.

Credits: 3.00

This course explores various manifestations of grassroots politics, especially social movements that focus on race, gender, sexual orientation, and protection of animals and the environment. The course examines the role of protests, boycotts, ballot measures, lobbying, litigation, and community organizing in spurring political, economic, and social change. Particular attention is given to the impact of grassroots activism on American democracy and political institutions. Three lecture hours per week

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Diversity, Power Dyn, Soc Just, Pers Growth & Responsibility

This course introduces students to a broad set of themes in environmental politics and political ecology. Issues include: epochal transformations in human-environment relations; various approaches to contemporary environmental conditions and their political ramifications; sustainability; the impacts of environmental movements, and the character of environmental institutions, policies, and politics on the local, state, national, and global scales. Three lecture hours per week. Offered in alternate years.

Credits: 3.00

In this course students explore the many faces of political power and political socialization. Through the study of classical and contemporary theories, students will examine various forms of political and social coercion, and they will explore how individuals are inducted into a political system. Students will investigate the exercise of political power, analyze individual and group socialization, and determine whether or not these processes undermine democratic principles and practices. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course examines attitude change, public opinion, propaganda, mass media, and other aspects of communication as they influence the political world. Additionally, utilizing a hand-on approach, students will generate various forms of political communication covering both individual and governmental spheres. Three seminar hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Oral Communication

This course will identify and explain core issues and writings in Feminist political theory. The goal is fourfold. First, it will introduce students to a theoretical framework with which to analyze the power relationships and political structures of society. Second, it will familiarize students with the body of literature that forms the core of this framework. Third, students will be encouraged to think about politics and political life from the perspective of these works. Fourth, building on their W-I experience, students will be introduced to and encouraged to use a variety of
writing forms to explore and express their own feminist positions.This course differs from Women in Politics in that it focuses on theory and normative issues rather than on current politics. Three lecture hours per week. Prerequisite: W-I course.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Diversity, Power Dyn, Soc Just, Written Communication-Level II

Described alternately as a mere tool for special interests or as the most democratic branch of the United States government, Congress remains a perplexing institution. This course offers a comprehensive introduction to the legislative branch, its internal modes of operation, and its relation to the executive and judicial branches. Simulations, role-play and other methods may be used to explore the legislative process. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Contemporary Society

This course analyzes the theoretical, ideological and organizational development and influence of post-World War II American conservatism (including the New Right). Emphasis will be on its main trends, differing interpretations of its role in American politics, contradictions within the movement, implications of its policies and its future, covering such topics as separation of church and state, the role of the market, states' rights, class, race and gender and foreign policy. Three lecture hours per week.
Prerequisite: Level I Writing course.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Pers Growth & Responsibility

The study of the structure and operation of State and Local Government and their relationship to the federal government. Analysis of Federalism as the dynamic concept propelling Federal-State-Local relations (intergovernmentalism) with special emphasis on the key policy problems of subnational governments. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course examines the development and contemporary structure of political parties. Topics may include the different periods of party organization, the changing relationship between parties and the citizenry. the influence that parties have on today's political struggles, and the impact that major and third parties have on the political process. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Contemporary Society

This course examines the Executive Branch. Special attention is given to the vast increase in executive authority in the past century as well as the limitations placed on the president by the Constitution, Congress, Supreme Court, political parties, and the American citizenry. The course will also explore the development of the executive's military, administrative and agenda setting powers, examine the influence of the president's leadership style, and evaluate the performance of the present Chief Executive. Three lecture hours per week.
Prerequisite: Level I Written Communications course.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: The Human Past, Written Communication-Level II

An examination of the nature of bureaucracy and the administration process. Emphasis will be placed on the policy-making role of bureaucracy. Also included will be the theory, organization, and function of the bureaucracy and the nature of the budgetary process. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

Using cases and secondary sources, students will explore the judiciary's organizational structure, state and federal courts' jurisdiction as well as civil and constitutional decisions. Students will also consider judges' commitments to both the written Constitution and the political environment, and students will examine the legal system's democratic and anti-majoritarian aspects. This course will help prepare students for a career in the legal profession, and it will be valuable to those interested in the powers and limits of the U.S. judicial system. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course examines the U.S. Supreme Court's interpretation of civil liberties and civil rights, with emphasis on judicial decisions rendered since the 1960's. Topics include freedom of expression and religion, the rights of the accused, the right to privacy, and equal protection. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course focuses on theories, analytical approaches and current techniques for analysis of public policy contests and content. The course is designed to help student develop the skills required to analyze policy problems, identify decision-making criteria for policy analysis, and evaluate alternative policy solutions. Students develop research and writing skills through preparation of case studies and policy memos on policy topics of interest to them. It is recommended that students take POL201 or POL219 before enrolling in this course. Three seminar hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Written Communication-Level II

Through a primary focus on the struggles for and against civil rights, this course provides a historical, ideological, and institutional examination of race within the context of American political development. In our readings and discussions we will consider: (1) the various ways race has been conceptualized; (2) the connections between those who hold these ideological frameworks and their corresponding legislative agendas; and (3) the institutional channels (both governmental and nongovernmental) that facilitate and limit these political actors' attempts to advance or hinder civil rights. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Diversity, Power Dyn, Soc Just, The Human Past

This course examines the politics surrounding migration into the United States. Students will explore general reasons why individuals immigrate and how governments regulate migration. Students will also investigate how the flow of immigrants into the United States is shaped by notions of gender, race and ethnicity, employers' need for workers and the specific demands of the U.S. political system. Student will explore contemporary U.S. immigration debates and recent immigration legislation. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Diversity, Power Dyn, Soc Just, The Human Past

This course explores the evolution of public policy toward wildlife in the United States, and the multiple factors (e.g. historical, cultural, economic, political, and ideological) that have shaped wildlife laws, influenced public attitudes, mobilized interest groups, and impacted wildlife species and their habitats. Through the examination of past and current controversies over wildlife policies such as predator management, endangered species protections, and preservation of marine ecosystems, the course will provide students with an understanding of how public policy at the local, state and federal level affects wildlife and the ways in which policy change occurs. Three credit hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: The Human Past

Through in-depth analysis of contemporary issues in American politics and policy, this course will explore important concepts in Political Science such as democratic participation, federalism, political power, and the relationship between science and politics. The topics of the course will vary by semester and instructor. The course may be repeated if topics are different. Course may be taken two times up to 6 total credits for offerings with different topics. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course explores how gender shapes American law and policy. Through the review of court decisions, laws, and legislation on issues such as employment discrimination, same sex marriage, welfare, and access to birth control and abortion, the course examines the ways in which perceptions of gender influence the formulation, adoption, and implementation of public policy. This writing intensive course also looks at the interests and organizations involved in these policy contests and legal disputes. Three lecture hours per week.
Prerequisite: Completion of W-I course.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Written Communication-Level II

Philanthropy has become a major driver of social, economic, and political change, both in the United States and globally. Giving away money, a seemingly simple activity, is hard to do effectively. This course explores the rewards and challenges of philanthropy. It empowers students to enact positive change in their community by giving them the tools to evaluate nonprofits and their programs. Students also practice transferable skills through a variety of classroom activities, including a grantmaking practicum. Finally, the course invites students to debate the role of philanthropy in democratic societies, and the extent to which it contributes to, or reduces, inequalities. Three lecture hours per week. 

Credits: 3.00

This course is an introduction to American foreign policy and policymaking, and examines where American foreign policy comes from (i.e. its historical, cultural, ideological and political sources), its evolution, major turning points and shifting presidential foreign policy doctrines since the founding of the United States, the key players in America foreign policymaking and the foreign policymaking process, and the instruments available for implementing foreign policy decisions. In depth discussion and analysis of select cases in modern American foreign policy will also be undertaken. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: The Human Past

The United States and China are the two greatest global powers in the world today, and their bilateral relationship will determine the future of both global peace and global prosperity. This relationship is a highly complex dynamic relationship, with cooperative and competitive elements across global political, economic, social, and strategic dimensions. Encompassing both American and Chinese perspectives, the course examines the ideas, attitudes, values, ambitions, and interests of both sides in shaping this relationship, primarily focusing on the post-1949 era. There is a particular emphasis on Chinese culture as the driver of China's perceptions of itself and its place and role in the world relative to other states. As such the course will draw upon not only political and economic sources but also cultural sources to explain, understand, and analyze the patterns of China's behavior in contemporary international relations and global affairs. Three seminar hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: World Cultures

Nuclear war-planning is back. With the reemergence of rival great powers and the return of historical great power competition and possibly even great power war, there is now an ongoing debate concerning the future direction and priorities of U.S. national security and defense policy. This course will join this debate within the context of U.S. national interests, national power, and the emerging new global security environment. The course is organized along four substantive areas of study: an introduction to American national security and defense policy, American grand strategy in the contemporary world, America's global and regional security agendas, and America's increasingly diverse and complex homeland security concerns. At the end of the course, students should have a good understanding of the institutions and processes of U.S. national security policymaking and be able to identify and specify U.S. national security interests around the world, determine actual and potential threats to those interests, and propose and critically analyze policy options for addressing those threats. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: The Human Past

Introduction to the key components of international governance in the 21st century: international law, international regimes, and international organizations. Emphasis will be placed on international organizations, including their historical evolution, structure, roles and functions, decisionmaking processes, and the rise to prominence of international nongovernmental organizations. The United Nations and other select institutions of international governance will be analyzed as case-studies. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for POL322.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Contemporary Society

This course introduces students to the theories, concepts and issues pertaining to international security, conflict and conflict resolution. The course includes the study of new and nontraditional security concerns and problems of the early 21st century even while maintaining a focus on interstate security issues. The course will first introduce students to the various theoretical approaches to and perspectives on war and peace, and conflict versus cooperation. This introduction will be followed by the application of these theories, concepts and analytical frameworks to the detailed study of such issue areas as: interstate rivalries and wars; intrastate wars that spill across state borders; interstate competition over critical natural resources; large-scale population displacements; pandemic diseases; trade disputes and economic conflicts; ideological conflicts; cultural conflicts; etc. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Contemporary Society

An introduction to the changing nature of the globalized world economy through the analytical frameworks and concepts of international political economy (IPE). Covering such topics as the global monetary, financial and trade systems, politico-economic cooperation and competition among states, sustainable development, foreign aid and investment, debt, population growth, and environmental and energy concerns, this course will acquaint students with a range of arguments and perspectives about the structure, functioning, and problems of the contemporary global economy thereby empowering students to make independent judgments about them. Students will also gain an appreciation for the extent in which IPE issues directly affect their daily lives. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Contemporary Society

For centuries international relations have been dominated by geopolitics, where states engaged in ruthless "I-win-you-lose" competition against other states based on geography, history, national power, and national interests. In the early 1990s an alternative paradigm - globalization - emerged. In an increasingly borderless and integrated world with new forms of transnational networks and where geography and the baggage of history did not matter much, countries and people could work cooperatively to advance common interests that would benefit them all. But is globalization all that it is said to be? Can some form of globalization truly replace geopolitics? This course seeks answers to these and other related critical questions about the future of international relations. Three seminar hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: The Human Past

This course explores the role of nationalism and ethnic identity in politics. It examines how Americans and others define the political arena, the nation, and the state and the impact of these different definitions. The course will also examine case studies where differences in ethnic identity impact national politics, sometimes to the point of interethnic conflict and genocide. Readings focus on the theoretical
aspects of nationalism as well as case studies. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

Women in Politics introduces students to the political, economic and social challenges met by women worldwide and examines how these challenges can be confronted through political action. The course relies on a comparative framework to examine women's conditions and political participation in various countries and regions throughout the world. It is designed to help students think critically about gender issues, power relations, and the multiple ways in which patriarchy manifests itself. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Contemporary Society

This course critically examines the politics of the greater Middle East, a region of the world comprising the traditional Middle East plus Arab North Africa, and Turkic Central Asia. A wide array of topics are covered in the course including a broad survey of the ways in which the tumultuous history of this region and its diverse and complex cultures influence and shape region-wide and local politics. Particular attention is given to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and to the United States' involvement in the region. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: World Cultures

This course explores recent progress and remaining challenges in the effort to eradicate global poverty. It analyzes the critical role played by good governance and political stability in that effort, as well as the burden of corruption and political violence. Through case studies of low-income countries, analyses of global datasets, and interactive activities, students examine key issues in the field of international development and debate the effectiveness of foreign aid.
Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credits for POL350.

Credits: 3.00

This course will analyze the contemporary politics, governments, political institutions and political cultures of various Latin American countries. Emphasis will be on critical comparative thinking, overcoming simplistic and/or stereotypical notions and understanding these countries' prospective futures as well as assisting students to develop ways to understand and bridge the political and cultural differences between American and various Latin America approaches to politics. Various Latin American countries will be the focus from semester to semester. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credits for POL343.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: World Cultures

This course introduces students to major theories about democracy and democratization as well as to the study of regime transition by using selected case studies. Special emphasis is placed on key concepts such as waves of democratization, democratic consolidation and illiberal democracy. The course is designed to stimulate discussion and debates. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

Global migration is arguably the most pressing political issue of our time. This course explores the drivers, dimensions, and consequences of global mobility with a focus on current migrant and refugee crises. Why do people move across borders? Where are global migration flows occurring today and how is global climate change accelerating them? What is the difference between labor migrants and refugees? How is migration affecting politics in both sending and receiving countries? In exploring these questions, the course will also discuss the political, ethical, and moral challenges of migration governance. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course prepares students to conduct policy-related research in governmental and non-governmental settings. Students will be introduced to qualitative and quantitative social science research methods. The course will equip students with data collection, data analysis, and data presentation skills, including the presentation of policy research findings in written, graphical, and oral formats. This course is a prerequisite for POL 419: North Shore Policy Lab Practicum. Three lecture hours per week.
Prerequisites: POL300R, MAT147 or other research methods or statistics course.

Credits: 3.00

Provides advanced students with an opportunity to reflect upon the field of Political Science and discover new ways of integrating what has been learned in previous courses. Course topics, which vary each semester, may include; Government and Society, Inequality, Transitions to Democracy, Political Corruption, and Resolving Global Conflict. The seminar format will emphasize critical analysis of assigned readings, class presentations and a research paper. Three seminar hours per week. Offered each semester. Limited to Junior and Senior Political Science majors. Prerequisites: POL 300R and W-II course.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Written Commun-Level III

Examination of strengths and weaknesses of the U.N. and of how to make it work through the process of negotiation, caucus, compromise, and consensus. Students will participate in the annual four-day Harvard National Model U.N. with other students from all over the world. Three seminar hours per week. Not open to students who have received credits for POL512.

Credits: 3.00

This course allows students to participate for a second year in the Harvard National Model United Nations by taking the role of mentor to students enrolled in POL412. Students in the course will be partnered with a student in POL412 and will work to enhance the learning experience of the team as a whole. A lab fee may be imposed. Please see Instructor for estimate. This course may not be used as a major or minor elective in Political Science.
Prerequisites: POL412 and permission of Department Chairperson.

Credits: 3.00

Study in depth of some aspect of Political Science under the direction of a member of the department. A research paper is required. The student must first present a proposal at a department meeting. A total of six hours may be taken only in exceptional cases and with the approval of the department. See POL 520 description for combined total of Directed Study and Internship credits. This course is highly recommended for students expecting to go on to graduate school.
Prerequisites: POL300R and junior or senior Political Science major; or, permission of the department chairperson.

Credits: 3.00

This internship provides extensive and valuable political involvement: field experience in a political situation, work with various political institutions and/or participation in internship conferences. Interns must be ready to defend papers on their work at Departmental meetings if so requested and to participate in discussion panels. A total of 6-9 credits may be taken rarely and only with the permission of the Department Chairperson. Under no circumstances may a combined total of POL 500 Directed Study and POL 520 Internship exceed 12 hours.

Credits: 3.00

This course allows students to participate in the Washington Center Internship program. While housed in the Political Science department, this course is suitable for any student wishing to intern in Washington, D.C. for a semester or a summer by participating in the BHE approved Washington Center program. The program integrates internship hours, professional development, civic engagement, and course time.
Prerequisites: To obtain funding, students must have a G.P.A of at least a 3.0 and be Massachusetts residents. Funding subject to BHE discretion. Student must obtain permission of SSU’s Washington Center faculty liaison to participate

Credits: 6.00 - 12.00

This course allows Political Science majors to satisfy the final academic requirement for becoming a Commonwealth Honors Scholar and graduate as a member of the Commonwealth Honors Program. It is preceded by two 1.5-credit experiences (Honors Junior and Senior seminars) in which students work
extensively with peers on topic invention and development. This capstone experience requires students to undertake a significant creative or research project in the discipline of Political Science under the direction of a faculty member in the department. This directed study can be done in one semester for three credits. A more substantive two semester six credit version is available.
W-II, IDS 600H, consent of Commonwealth Honors Program Director, and permission of Department Chairperson, Co-requisite: IDS 601H.

Credits: 3.00 - 6.00