Courses - Political Science UM-Flint

Department of Political Science

U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I C H I G A N — F L I N T

UNDERGRADUATE COURSES

120. American National Government and Politics. (3)s. Theory and practice of democratic government in the United States and the institutions and processes of American government as manifestations of democratic values. Representative democracy, federalism, the Presidency, Congress, the Courts, political parties, interest groups and voting as expressions of, and at times contradictions to, democratic values.

190. Introduction to Comparative Politics. (3)s. Study of political systems from different parts of the world; institutional components of political systems (such as government and political parties); evaluation of the relationship between social structure and political activity; and introduction to concepts, approaches, and methods used in political science.

222. American Constitutional Development (3)s. American Constitution within the framework of philosophical, political, social and economic developments. Historical and analytical approach, emphasizing the Constitution as a document and constitutionalism as a concept. Constitutional change due to court decisions, legislation, and political philosophy.

230. International Relations (3)s. Introduction to major concepts and theories of international relations. The role of state and non-state actors in international affairs. Problems of war and peace, globalization and development. Also listed as INT 230.

245. Political Movements (3)s. Comparative and historical analysis of social and political movements in industrialized and developing countries. Theories of social movements, state-society relations and the causes and consequences of protest.

261. Introduction to Political Theory (3)s. In this course students will be introduced into the practice of thinking about political issues from a theoretical perspective. They will read canonical texts such as Plato's Republic and Machiavelli's The Prince in juxtaposition with contemporary texts that will illuminate their contemporary relevance. For example, Machiavelli will be read in conjunction with Dr. Martin Luther King's Why We Can't Wait in order to explore the properties of effective political leadership.

301. Research Seminar in Politics and Policy Prerequisite: POL 190, POL 120 or consent of instructor. (3)s. Periodical literature, government documents and other source materials pertinent to analysis in public affairs; identification and conceptualization of research problems, and development of reports and papers. (Also listed as PUB 301).

303. Politics and Public Policy Prerequisite: POL 120 or consent of instructor. (3)s. Examination of the policy process: how public policy is made, which problems and conditions are selected for consideration, and what approaches are used to address issues of public concern. Policymaking examined from a variety of perspectives including the roles of public and private institutions, interest groups, and grassroots movements.

304. Black Social and Political Movements Prerequisite: AFA 201 or a course in political science or consent of instructor. (3)s. Strengths and weaknesses of past and current movements seeking social and political change on behalf of African-Americans from an interdisciplinary perspective. The Civil Rights movement, Back to Africa movement, spiritual movements, resistance movements, and independent political movements. (Also listed as AFA 304).

305. Public Policy and Health Care. Prerequisite: HCR 300, a course in political science; or consent of instructor. (3)s. Health care policies and policy-making processes; trends in health care policy and their political, economic and social implications; the ideological basis for United States health care reform efforts. Also listed as HCR 305. (offered by Dept. of Health Care)

306. Politics of Aging. Prerequisite: POL 120. (3)s. Examination of political institutions and policy making processes that impact legislation affecting the aged, including legislators, interest groups, political parties, voters. Analysis of entitlement programs for the aged, including federal and state level regulation and implementation of Medicare, Medicaid, social security. Political attitudes of baby boomers and the aged toward the health care system. (Also listed as HCR 306. Offered by Dept. of Health Care).

309. The Political Environment of Public Administration Prerequisite: POL 120 or consent of instructor. (3)s. Political components of modern public administration. Politics of federalism, bureaucracy, budgeting, planning, research, evaluation, and implementation. Viewing public administration as politics. (Also listed as PUB 309).

311. American State and Local Government Prerequisite: A course in political science or consent of instructor. (3)s. States in the federal system; state policies and policy information; state-local relations; local problems, policies and politics.

312. Urban and Metropolitan Politics Prerequisite: POL 120 or consent of instructor. (3)s. Political and governmental institutions and processes in metropolitan areas, with special emphasis on policy formation, decision-making, and local intergovernmental relations.

316. Introduction to Public Administration Prerequisite: POL 120 or consent of instructor. (3)s. Critical examination of basic concepts of public administration and of alternate approaches to public organization. (Also listed as PUB 316).

320. Politics and Film. Prerequisite: POL 100 or 120 or consent of instructor. (3)s/vi2. Examination of political issues and themes related to domestic and international films and documentaries. Relationship of films and documentaries to public opinion, public policy, social issues, social movements, and race and gender studies in domestic and comparative contexts. Relationship of images and stereotypes to public policy and public opinion; examination of film depictions of government actors and activities.

321. Political Parties and Pressure Groups. Prerequisite: POL 120 or consent of instructor. (3)s.

322. Public Opinion and Political Processes. Prerequisite: POL 120 or consent of instructor. (3)s. Origin, measurement, and impact of public opinion in American politics. Public opinion polling and the effect that polls have upon the behavior of voters. The role public opinion can and should play in a democratically organized political system.

323. The U.S. Congress. Prerequisite: POL 120 or consent of instructor. (3)s. Examination of ways that members of Congress reach office, the effects of Congressional structure on member behavior and outside institutional influences that affect Congressional outputs.

326. The U.S. Supreme Court Prerequisite: POL 120 or consent of instructor. (3)s. American judiciary, with special reference to the Supreme Court as an adjudicator of legal disputes and as a participant in the policy-making process.

327. The American Presidency Prerequisite: POL 120 or consent of instructor. (3)s. Policy-making process in the federal executive. Various roles of the President, especially in relations with Congress and executive agencies.

329. Civil Liberties and the Constitution Prerequisite: POL 120 or consent of instructor. (3)s/vi2. Civil liberty issues confronting American society. Rights of freedom of speech, assembly, and press; the religion clauses of the First Amendment; the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment as it is concerned with rights of minorities. Students deliver oral arguments and prepare briefs of pending and simulated court cases.

331. Women and Work. Prerequisite: POL 190 or SOC 100, or consent of instructor (3)s. Women's paid employment and job segregation by sex: relation of women's paid work to women's family work, nature of women's jobs and occupations, and a variety of state policies that influence women's employment (e.g. anti- discrimination law, maternity and parental leave). White women and women of color in the advanced capitalist economy of the United States. (Also listed as SOC 362 and WGS 331).

333. International Law and Organizations Prerequisite: POL 190 or consent of instructor. (3)s. Development of international law and its relation to international organizations. Role of international law and organization in global problems of conflict and war, development and economy, and human rights and intervention.

340. African Politics Prerequisite: A course in political science or consent of instructor. (3)s. Traditional African political structures, the changes occasioned by colonial rule, and the political processes of independent African states. (Also listed as AFA 340).

342. (441) The Welfare State in Comparative Perspective Prerequisite: One from: POL 190, SOC 100, ANT 100, HIS 113, 211, 221, WGS 200; or consent of instructor (3)s. Historical and contemporary social policy in the US and Europe. Historical development of welfare states, different types of welfare state regimes across countries; relations between gender, race and social policy; possible futures for social provision. Specific attention to areas such as unemployment and training policy; family policy; health care policy; old age pensions. (Also listed as PUB 342).

343. Conflict and Development in Southern Africa Prerequisite: Two courses in social sciences or consent of instructor. (3)s. Contemporary development and social change in Southern Africa; discussion of U.S. foreign policy towards the area with an analysis of western investment strategies and human rights violations. (Also listed as AFA 360).

344. Latin American Politics Prerequisite: POL 190 or the consent of the instructor (3)s. Contemporary Politics in South and Central America. Evolution of political institutions, parties and social movements in comparative perspective and in particular case studies. Economic, social and cultural context for political change and diversity. Transitions to democracy and market reform. Problems of democracy and social change.

345. European Politics Prerequisite: POL 190 or consent of instructor. (3)s. Economic and political developments, state institutions and policy, political parties and new social movements (such as the green and women's movements) in countries of western and east-central Europe. Patterns of continuity and discontinuity in the postwar period, emphasizing whether the early "postwar promise" has been maintained or abandoned in individual countries. Political, economic and social integration in Europe.

349. Politics of the European Union Prerequisite: POL 190 or consent of instructor. (3)s. Exploration of the development, structure, policies and impacts of the European Union, understood as an ongoing political, economic and social project. Thematic focus on state sovereignty and its modification in the light of interdependencies, trade and economic liberalization and resistance. Policy areas include the internal market, agriculture and environment, cultural diversity, and external relations of trade, development, peace and security. Attention to the teaching of EU and European politics in middle and high school. Concurrent or previous election of POL 345 is recommended but not required.

351. Political and Legal Anthropology Prerequisite: ANT 100 or consent of instructor. (3)s. Study of comparative political systems, forms of authority, legitimacy and power in societies at different levels of social complexity and in different ecological contexts. Political organization and process analyzed in terms of their relationships to economics, religion, kinship, and other aspects of culture and society. Also listed as ANT 351. (offered by Dept. of Anthropology)

359. Comparative Revolutions Prerequisite: POL 190 or consent of instructor. (3)s. Comparison and analysis of revolutionary change in the Twentieth Century. Theoretical explanations for the causes, and processes of revolutions. Reasons for success and failure. Political consequences of revolutions for social and economic organization. International dimensions of social revolutions.

360. Ancient and Medieval Political Thought Prerequisite: One course in political science or consent of instructor. (3)s. Theories associated with the Greek city state, the Roman Empire, medieval constitutionalism, and the early modern period.

361. Modern Democratic Political Thought Prerequisite: One course in political science or consent of instructor. (3)s. Review of the philosophical traditions of liberal democracy from the Enlightenment to the present. Ideas of natural law, social contract, individualism, constitutionalism, and popular rule through law.

365. Marxist Political Thought Prerequisite: At least one course in the social sciences or consent of instructor. (3)s. Examination of Marx, and Marxisms after Marx, in historical context. Continuity and diversity in the Marxist tradition. Philosophical positions of various theorists, their views of the nature and development of capitalism, analysis of social class, discussion of the revolutionary party and process, analysis of the state in capitalism and after, and treatment of the nature and importance of culture.

375. Politics and American Labor. Prerequisite: One social science course or consent of instructor. (3)s. Political environment shaping the US labor movement since the Great Depression and strategies that have been used to meet the challenges presented by this environment. Discusses federal laws to regulate the labor movement, and tactics used to further its agenda in both the institutional realm and the public at large, and the methods employers invoke to thwart that agenda.

380. The American System of Law Prerequisite: POL 120 or consent of instructor. (3)s. Role of law in American society. Legal reasoning, precedent, theories of law, common law, juries, and legal socialization. Political nature of law and the extent to which the American system of law is reflective of basic value, moral, and ethical considerations.

381. The Bill of Rights Prerequisite: POL 120 or consent of instructor. (3)s. Philosophical roots of the Bill of Rights as an idea and the origins, evolution and application of the Bill of Rights as a document in American society.

385. Women and the Law Prerequisite: POL 120, 190 or WGS 200 or consent of instructor. (3)s. Examination and analysis of the role of law in the social, economic, political and private lives of women in the US. Historical overview as well as intensive study of legal problems of current concern to women. Areas of focus: women and work, women and the family, woman and their bodies, woman and the criminal justice system, role of women in the legal system (including theory as well as case law). Also listed as WGS 385.

387. Sex, Drugs, and Politics Prerequisite: POL 120 or consent of instructor. (3)s. Conflict surrounding public policies related to sexual behavior and drug use. Government response to prostitution, pornography, homosexuality, and legal and illegal drug use critically evaluated to illuminate the underlying value conflicts.

390. Internship in Public Agencies and Community Organizations Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. (3-6)s. Students intern in selected public agencies under supervision of agency personnel and faculty. On-the-job experience combined with seminars and individual consultations. May be elected for three to six credits, of which three are applicable to the political science concentration. Enrollment generally limited to juniors and seniors. (Also listed as PUB 390. Graded Pass/Fail)

391. Directed Reading in Political Science Prerequisite: Junior standing, 9 credits of Political Science and consent of instructor. (1-3)s. Individual course of studies arranged with a faculty member. For advanced students to explore areas beyond the regular curriculum.

394. Topics in Political Science Prerequisite: Two courses in social sciences or consent of instructor. (1-3)s. Issues and problems in government and politics. May be repeated to a total of six credits.

401. American Political Thought Prerequisite: At least junior standing. (3)s. Impact on political institutions of the United States as "first new nation;" ideas, issues, and public law. Pluralism, federalism, constitutionalism, isolationism and interventionism.

420. Law and Administrative Processes Prerequisite: At least junior standing. (3)s. Legal foundations of public administration. Development of regulatory agencies, right to a hearing, delegation of power, judicial review, rulemaking and adjudication, efforts to reform administrative regulation, zoning, and land use planning. (Also listed as PUB 420).

422. Environmental Law and Public Policy Prerequisite: POL 120 or consent of instructor. (3)s. Political and administrative aspects of environmental regulation, including major legislation, administrative regulations, and litigation involving environmental issues. Actions of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) involving the internal environment of the workplace. (Also listed as PUB 422)

428. Criminal Justice and the Constitution Prerequisite: POL 120 or consent of instructor. (3)s. Constitutional questions involving the process of law and the procedural rights of the accused. Court decisions related to searches and seizures, wire-tapping and electronic eavesdropping, the law of arrest, police interrogations and confessions, right to counsel, double jeopardy. Students deliver oral arguments and prepare briefs of pending and simulated court cases. (Also listed as PUB 428)

430. The Administration of Justice Prerequisite: At least junior standing; a course in American Government. (3)s. Criminal justice as public administration. Policy outputs of the major actors of criminal justice including police, prosecutors, judges, defense attorneys, parole boards, and the legislature. Topics of public administration as organization theory, bureaucratic decision-making, political environment, and budgetary constraints. (Also listed as PUB 430)

437. Problems in American Foreign Policy Prerequisite: POL 190, at least junior standing; or consent of instructor. (3)s. Major trends in United States foreign policy; the role of the President, Congress, public opinion, and pressure groups in the policy-making process; special emphasis on post-war policy developments.

494. Honors Research and Proposal Development. Prerequisite: Acceptance into the Honors Program in political science; consent of Honors Council or its designate; consent of Department Chair. (3)s. Designed for Honors students to read discipline-based literature in the area in which they are pursuing their honors project and to design their honors project. Students work closely with one or more faculty members. Also listed as HON 393.

495. Honors Thesis I (Off Campus Study). Prerequisite: POL 494; Acceptance into the Honors Program in political science; consent of Honors Council or its designate; consent of Department Chair. (4). Course used to grant credit towards off-campus work on the honors project and thesis. Credit and grade not given until completion of POL 496 and submission of the Honors Thesis. Also listed as HON 495.

496. Honors Thesis II. Prerequisite: Prior or concurrent election of POL 495 and consent of Department Chair. Open only to Honors Program students in political science. (4) Also listed as HON 496.

GRADUATE COURSES

501. American Political Thought Prerequisite: Graduate standing. (3). See POL 401 for description. Not open to students with credit for POL 401.

510. Intergovernmental Relations Prerequisite: Graduate standing (3). Current developments and trends in intergovernmental relations. Legal and political opportunities and constraints affecting administration in state and local governments. Impact of intergovernmental relations on public policy and delivery of services. (Also listed as PUB 510).

520. Law and Administrative Processes. Prerequisite: Graduate standing. (3). See POL 420 for description. Not open to students with credit for POL 420.

522. Environmental Law and Public Policy Prerequisite: Graduate standing; POL 120 or consent of instructor (3). See POL 422 for description. Not open to students with credit for POL 422.

523. The US Congress. Prerequisite: Graduate standing. (3)s. See POL 323 for description. Not open to students with credit for POL 323.

526. The US Supreme Court. Prerequisite: Graduate standing. (3)s. See POL 326 for description. Not open to students with credit for POL 326.

528. Criminal Justice and the Constitution Prerequisite: Graduate standing; POL 120 or consent of instructor (3). See POL 428 for description. Not open to students with credit for POL 428.

529. Civil Liberties and the Constitution. Prerequisite: Graduate standing. (3)s. See POL 329 for description. Not open to students with credit for POL 329.

530. The Administration of Justice. Prerequisite: Graduate standing; a course in American government (3). See POL 430 for description. Not open to students with credit for POL 430.

531. Women and Work. Prerequisite: Graduate standing. (3)s. See POL 331 for description. Not open to students with credit for POL 331.

533. International Law and Organizations. Prerequisite: Graduate standing. (3)s. See POL 333 for description. Not open to students with credit for POL 333.

537. Problems in American Foreign Policy Prerequisite: Graduate standing; a course in political science or consent of instructor (3). See POL 437 for description. Not open to students with credit for POL 437.

541. The Welfare State in Comparative Perspective Prerequisite: Graduate standing; POL 100 and one HIS, POL or SOC course numbered 200 or higher; or consent of instructor (3). See POL 541 for description. Not open to students with credit for POL 441.

544. Latin American Politics. Prerequisite: Graduate standing. (3)s. See POL 344 for description. Not open to students with credit for POL 344.

545. European Politics. Prerequisite: Graduate standing. (3)s. See POL 345 for description. Not open to students with credit for POL 345.

549. Politics of the European Union Prerequisite: Graduate standing. (3)s. See POL 349 for description. Not open to students with credit for POL 349.

551. Political and Legal Anthropology. Prerequisite: Graduate standing. (3)s. See POL 351 for description. Not open to students with credit for POL 351.

559. Comparative Revolutions. Prerequisite: Graduate standing. (3)s. See POL 359 for description. Not open to students with credit for POL 359.

COURSES