PSC 101
INTRODUCTION TO GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
3, 3/0; SSIF
The nature and scope of political science; ideological foundations of politics; comparative study of the governments of constitutional, totalitarian, and developing systems; the dynamics of politics and functions of political institutions.
PSC 102
INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
3, 3/0; AHIF
Historical development of American government and politics. Conceptual studies of the key transformative phases of institutions (U.S. Constitution, federalism, Congress, the courts, the presidency), politics (political parties, interest groups, media, social movements), political economy (regulation, federal bureaucracy), and political culture (citizenship and identity, public opinion, political behavior).
PSC 103
GREAT POLITICAL ISSUES
3, 3/0; SSIF
Examines great political issues, such as civic engagement, civil disobedience, democracy, freedom, equality, ideology, identity, law, morality, and political obligation, and discusses them in light of their various historical contexts and political implications.
PSC 203
POLITICAL ANALYSIS
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: PSC 102.
Design, execution, and interpretation of research in the field of political science, including quantitative and qualitative research methods, theory building, and constructing and testing hypotheses; data-collection techniques, including survey-research methods.
PSC 204
POLITICAL STATISTICS
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: PSC 102.
Introduction to quantitative political science research methods, univariate and bivariate analysis, statistical inference, sampling, hypothesis testing, measures of association, and tests of statistical significance.
PSC 210
THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY
3, 3/0
The contemporary presidency, constitutional roles, political powers and the factor of personality, the executive and other political and social institutions, problems and prospects for the presidency.
PSC 215
URBAN GOVERNMENT
3, 3/0
Introduction to the political economy of urban areas in the United States; focus on explanation of current urban public policies; public vs. private political power, bureaucracy, citizen organization.
PSC/AAS 218
AFRICAN AMERICAN POLITICAL CULTURE
3, 3/0
Political beliefs, attitudes, and practices that pertain to African American politics in a cultural context; causality and linkage inherent in the reciprocal relationship between African Americans and the American political system.
PSC 220
THE DEVELOPMENT OF AMERICAN CONSTITUTIONAL LAW
3, 3/0
Foundations of American constitutionalism; judicial review and its use throughout history; the Supreme Court’s interaction with Congress, the president, and states; evolving concepts of federalism; development of civil rights and liberties policies.
PSC 225
WOMEN IN AMERICAN POLITICS
3, 3/0; DIIF
Influences of female participation in the American political system; the political behavior of American women; the implications of these influences and behaviors.
PSC 230
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
3, 3/0; SSIF
Elements of national power, religion, global balance of power, and collective security systems; instruments of international politics: diplomacy, propaganda, and war; forces of nationalism.
PSC 240
EUROPEAN POLITICAL SYSTEMS
3, 3/0
The structure and dynamics of politics in major European countries, with emphasis on political behavior and political processes; issues of economic and political integration.
PSC 250
INTRODUCTION TO LAW
3, 3/0
Basics of law, the judicial system, courtroom procedures, distinctions between different kinds of law and the importance of these distinctions. Constitution and rights defined in the Constitution. Responsibilities of attorneys in the judicial system and to their clients. Skills involved in learning and practicing law; writing legal briefs; oral presentation of legal arguments.
PSC 302
International Conflict and Peaceful Resolution
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing; or instructor permission
Key theoretical traditions and research in international and intrastate conflict and conflict resolution through in-depth empirical analysis.
PSC 305
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: PSC 102 or PSC 230.
International public-policy responses to environmental challenges; viewpoints on ecological limits, regulatory responses, and the role of business. Population growth, international climate change, sustainable development, capand-trade approaches to pollution reduction, and the correlation between violent conflict and environmental stress.
PSC 306
POLITICS OF ENERGY
3, 3/0
The energy situation in both the United States and the international community from political viewpoints; U.S. energy policy, process, and strategies within their economic, physical, and political settings; conflict and cooperation among nations over the rational use of energy resources.
PSC 308
International Organizations and International Law
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: Junior/Senior standing or instructor permission.
Political and legal viewpoints of international organizations; political and administrative concepts. Theories concerning international organizations and law such as roles and effects of international organizations and law in foreign policy making, international cooperation and competition.
PSC 309
INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY
3, 3/0
Political and economic dynamics of the global economy; theoretical traditions of international political economy; analysis of international trade, foreign direct investment, monetary policy, debt, technology, and energy; role of international organizations; interdependence and globalization.
PSC 310
AMERICAN POLITICAL PARTIES
3, 3/0
The American two-party system; suffrage rules and the electoral process; shifting patterns of organization, nomination, and finance; the role of party in government; and parties in the future of American politics.
PSC 311
INTEREST GROUPS
3, 3/0
Introduction to the democratic political process, methods and operations of various interest groups; roles of citizens groups.
PSC 312
LEGISLATIVE PROCESS
3, 3/0
State and national legislatures, with emphasis on the determinants of legislative decision making, the committee system, and the policy outputs of the legislative branch.
PSC 315
STATE AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
3, 3/0
Functions of state and local governments, parties, interest groups, and elections; constitutional and governmental structures; intergovernmental relations; decision making, effects of metropolitanization; contemporary issues and problems; future trends and prospects.
PSC 316
URBAN ETHNIC POLITICS
3, 3/0;
The development of ethnic politics in urban areas of the United States. Political development and conflict among major ethnic, racial, and religious groups, including African Americans, Irish, Italian, Jews, Latinos, Native Americans, and Polish. Contemporary patterns of organization, leadership, strategy, political mobilization; key issues examined, such as affirmative action, school desegregation, and welfare reform.
PSC 318
DEMOCRACY AND PEACE: PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES IN THE URBAN EXPERIENCE
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: PSC 101 or PSC 102 or PSC 103.
Development of politics, democracy, and justice from the experience of urban communities, particularly in light of economics, peace, and race issues.
PSC 319
GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER, QUESTIONING POLITICS (GLBTQ POLITICS)
3, 3/0
This course provides a cross-cultural, longitudinal perspective of U.S. GLBTQ movements and interest-based organizations. It examines queer legal theory, human rights, and constitutional issues surrounding GLBTQ rights. The course considers GLBTQ politics in the context of federalism, with examination of federal legislation such as the Defense of Marriage Act and individual state laws with respect to GLBTQ rights.
PSC 320
U.S. CIVIL LIBERTIES
3, 3/0
Legal principles influencing the origin and development of our criminal laws and the way these principles have evolved by court interpretation to accommodate social change and attitudes; the Bill of Rights and due process clause of the U.S. Constitution.
PSC 325
POLITICS OF WELFARE
3, 3/0
America’s mixed system of capitalism and socialism. Major welfare programs, including social security, veterans’ benefits, tax expenditures, food stamps, subsidized education, and military retirement; the costs and benefits of America’s welfare system.
PSC 326
POLITICS AND MEDIA
3, 3/0
The relationship between the mass media and contemporary American politics, its impact on voting behavior, and the role of the media in the presidential and congressional elections.
PSC 327
PRACTICAL POLITICS
3, 3/0
Classroom and extra-classroom experience and interaction with political practitioners; participation in quasi-political organizing, campaigns and elections, and day-to-day operations of government and politics.
PSC 330
AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: PSC 102.
Basic ideas that shape American foreign policy; isolationism, domestic and international pressures, cold war, peaceful coexistence and détente, major problems.
PSC/AAS 333
AFRICAN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
3, 3/0
African international politics vis-à-vis international relations theory, models, and concepts; power; multipolarity; bipolarity; pan-Africanism; North-South debate; approaches to international politics; and state and international organizations as international actors.
PSC 335
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS OF THE MIDDLE EAST
3, 3/0
Patterns of interaction within the Middle East and with other states; problems of security and peace in the region; ideology, nationalism, and economic interests as factors influencing the behavior of the states.
PSC 336
LATIN AMERICA IN WORLD POLITICS
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: Upper-division status.
Politics in the region of Latin America within the context of international relations theory. Development of the Latin American subsystem; major actors and movements within the region, including human rights and democratization; globalization and free trade; the influence of the United States; and the legacy of colonialism and the cold war.
PSC 337
THE POLITICS OF GLOBALIZATION
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: Upper-division status.
Interdependent global political economy; complex process by which governments, corporations, individuals, and information technology are integrated and interconnected on a global scale; costs vs. benefits of globalization.
PSC 340
POLITICS OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
3, 3/0
Major problems of developing countries, political process and its relation to societal transformation; the role of the army and bureaucracy in political development; problems of nation-building and democracy in developing countries; globalization.
PSC 341
GOVERNMENT, POLITICS, AND POLICIES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: Upper-division status.
Government, politics, and policies of the European Union. Origins and development of European integration, European identity, theories of economic and political integration, treaties and law making, institutions and decision making, internal and external policies, and policy making.
PSC 345/HIS 313
POLITICS AND HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE EAST
3, 3/0
Geographic, cultural, and political settings; historical development since the nineteenth century; the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire and Western colonialism; nationalism, independence, and turmoil; Arab-Israeli question; oil and its impact and problems; great power and inter-area politics.
PSC 351
HISTORY OF POLITICAL THOUGHT I
3, 3/0; WCIF
Prerequisite: PSC 101 or PSC 103.
Main problems of political theory examined through the writings of major political thinkers from Plato to Aquinas.
PSC 352
HISTORY OF POLITICAL THOUGHT II
3, 3/0; WCIF
Prerequisite: PSC 101 or PSC 103.
Main problems of political theory examined through the writings of major political thinkers from Machiavelli to Rawls.
PSC 355
AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT
3, 3/0
American political thought from colonial to contemporary time; the development of persistent political values and beliefs, how interpretations and applications of these values and beliefs have changed through different periods; the roots of contemporary American political culture and ideology.
PSC 360
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
3, 3/0
Introduction to public administration: analysis of government administration in its social, economic, and political settings; the role of public administration in formulating public policy; organization and management in public services; personnel and financial management.
PSC 364
AMERICAN PUBLIC POLICY
3, 3/0
Governmental policy, with emphasis on the sources of policy, the policy-making process in national political institutions, and the social impact of policy choices.
PSC 368
COMPARATIVE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
3, 3/0
Introduction to cross-cultural, cross-national, or cross-institutional study of public administration institutions and practices; the administrative systems of European countries and the processes of administrative change in developing countries; the evolution of bureaucracy.
PSC 370
CANADIAN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
3, 3/0
Canadian public administration institutions and processes, and the development of public policy; the federal level; secondary attention to provincial and local administration and policy; similarities and differences with other administrative systems, especially the United States.
PSC 375
RACE, SEX, AND POLITICS OF MYTH AND STORY
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: Upper-division status, successful completion of English basic skills competency requirement.
The institutional and human force of story in race/sex/politics; legitimizing myths of the U.S. political system; limits to the achievement of consensus in group values and politics; standpoints of race/sex/political privilege and disadvantage; difficulties posed to the regime by the refusal of consent; and the transformation and assumption by citizens of self-government.
PSC 389
TOPICS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE
3, 3/0
In-depth study of current issues of substantial political significance, such as public personnel administration, defense policy, computers and political science, environmental policy, political communication, health policy, and human rights.
PSC 390
THE ITALIAN-AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: POLITICS, SOCIETY AND IDENTITY
3, 3/0
Examination of the experience of Italians in the United States from an interdisciplinary perspective beginning with the peak years of emigration (1870-1920) including the culture, society, economy, and government of Italy (push factors) and the promise of America (pull factors). Identity, citizenship, worldview, family structure, expressive culture, politics, economics, crime, and social relations in the Italian-American community.
PSC 410
POLITICAL BEHAVIOR AND PUBLIC OPINION
3, 3/0
Conditions of democratic political behavior, opinion formulation in democratic systems, voting behavior and party affiliation in the United States, mass political behavior and governmental institutions, mass political behavior in selected western European societies.
PSC 415
URBAN PUBLIC POLICY
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: Upper-division status.
Urban problems and government policy responses to them; economic development, poverty, and crime; roles of all levels of government; policy analysis.
PSC 420
CONTEMPORARY CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES
3, 3/0
Recent developments in American constitutional law; comparison of the Warren, Burger, Rehnquist, and Roberts courts; First Amendment liberties and rights; the rights of the accused and criminal due process; equal protection and African Americans; reapportionment and representation; the president and national security.
PSC 450
CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL THOUGHT
3, 3/0
Central problems of political philosophy (such as equality, freedom, justice, and political obligation) as discussed by contemporary philosophers.
PSC 470
SENIOR SEMINAR
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: Senior status.
Selected topics in political science examined and analyzed in depth.
PSC/CRJ/SOC 485
MOOT COURT
3, 3/0; OCIF
Prerequisite: Upper-division status or instructor permission.
Simulation of a trial court or appellate court proceeding involving teams of students acting as prosecutors/plaintiffs’ attorneys, defense attorneys, and witnesses. Students develop case strategy, analyze evidence, integrate legal precedent, prepare a written brief, question witnesses, and present oral arguments to the court in opening and closing statements. Final project is a mock trial presentation held in a formal courtroom setting.
PSC 488
INTERNSHIP
Variable credit
Prerequisites: Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0, upper-division status.
Field experiences that supplement departmental academic offerings; geared to students’ interests. Faculty intern supervisor and department chair permission necessary.
PSC 495
SPECIAL PROJECT
PSC 497
WASHINGTON SEMESTER
16, 0/0
State University of New York’s Washington semester program. Class work, seminars, and internship work; selection based on collegewide competition; contact Political Science Department chair for information and application forms.
PSC 499
INDEPENDENT STUDY
Graduate Courses:
PSC 500
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
3, 3/0
Public administration and related areas of public policy: comparative and historical aspects; public budgeting; agency management; decision making, evaluation, and policy analysis; ethical issues and administrative law.
PSC 590
INDEPENDENT STUDY
3, 0/0
PSC 605
POLITICS OF THE THIRD WORLD
3, 3/0
Dimensions and directions of the politics of the third world: political, economic, and social changes; armament of political authority and human rights and their dependency and interdependency in international systems.
PSC 606
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
3, 3/0
International organization, international law, regionalism, economic development, role of ideologies, relationship of domestic and international politics.
PSC 607
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
3, 3/0
Foundations of the American constitutional system; federalism, separation of powers, and role of the states; political parties, pressure groups, and electoral processes; the president, bureaucracy, Congress, and courts.
PSC 612/HIS 602
CONTEMPORARY MIDDLE EAST
3, 3/0
Characteristic cultural features of the Middle Eastern countries, with emphasis on Islam; interaction with the Western world; cultural and social changes under way; fundamentalism; problems typical of the underdeveloped nations of the world today.
PSC 690
MASTER’S PROJECT
3, 0/0
Research or investigation of a particular problem, planned and carried out by student with consultation and guidance from instructor.
PSC 695
MASTER’S THESIS
3, 0/0
