Political Science (PSC)
PSC 101 INTRODUCTION TO GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
3, 3/0; SS23
The nature and scope of political science; ideological foundations of politics; comparative study of the governments of constitutional and developing systems; the development and adaptation of democracy; the dynamics of politics and functions of political institutions. Offered every semester and summer.
PSC 102 INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
3, 3/0; AH23
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). Offered Every Semester.
PSC 104 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
3, 3/0; SS23
Elements of national power, religion, global balance of power and collective security systems; instruments of international politics: diplomacy, propaganda, and war; forces of nationalism. Offered at least once a year.
PSC 189 TOPICS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE
1-3, 1/0
In-depth examination of rapidly changing disciplinary issues, topics, or practices in government and politics; offered occasionally.
PSC 203 POLITICAL ANALYSIS
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: PSC 101 or 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. Offered every semester and summer.
PSC 204 POLITICAL STATISTICS
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: PSC 101 or PSC 102 and PSC 203. Introduction to quantitative political science research methods, univariate, bivariate and multivariate analysis, statistical inference, sampling, hypothesis testing, measures of association, tests of statistical significance and model assumptions. Offered every semester and summer.
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. Offered at least once a year.
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. Offered fall only.
PSC 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. Offered fall only.
Equivalent Course: AAS 218
PSC 221 JUDICAL PROCESS AND POLITICS
3, 3/0
Detailed examination of the structure of American courts; the procedures and operating norms of judges, lawyers, and litigants; the impact of law on society, and alternative approaches to dispute resolution. Offered occasionally.
PSC 223 SOCIAL JUSTICE THROUGH THE LAW
3, 3/0
Focus on diversity, social justice, public interest, and the law. Investigation of the legal profession’s role to advance diversity and social justice along with analysis of structural factors contributing to inequality. power, racism, sexism, social class, and wealth. Analysis of means individuals can work for social justice. Offered occasionally.
PSC 225 WOMEN IN AMERICAN POLITICS
3, 3/0; DI23
Influences of female participation in the American political system; the political behavior of American women; the implications of these influences and behaviors. Offered occasionally.
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. Offered occasionally.
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. Offered every semester and summer.
Equivalent Course: PSC 350
PSC 302 INTERNATIONAL CONFLICT AND PEACEFUL RESOLUTION
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing. Key theoretical traditions and research in international and intrastate conflict and conflict resolution through in-depth empirical analysis. Offered occasionally.
PSC 305 ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: PSC 102 or PSC 104. 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, cap-and-trade approaches to pollution reduction, and the correlation between violent conflict and environmental stress. Offered occasionally.
PSC 308 INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND INTERNATIONAL LAW
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing. Political and legal viewpoints of international organizations; political and administrative concepts and theories concerning international organizations and law such as roles and effects of international organizations and law in foreign policy making, international cooperation, and competition. Offered occasionally.
PSC 309 INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: PSC 101 or PSC 102. A political analysis of the global economy. Emphasis on learning and using different theories of international political economy to explore contemporary global economic issues such as trade, trade agreements, monetary policies, and the impact of international finance organizations. Offered occasionally.
PSC 310 AMERICAN POLITICAL PARTIES
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: PSC 101 or junior or senior standing or instructor permission. The American party systems: two-party competition and third party challenges; suffrage rules and electoral processes; changing patterns of party organization, nomination, campaigning, and finance; party identification and voter behavior; the role of parties in governing; parties and the future of American politics. Offered spring only.
PSC 312 LEGISLATIVE PROCESS
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: PSC 101 or junior or senior standing or instructor permission. State and national legislatures with emphasis on the determinants of legislative decision making, the committee system, and the policy outputs of the legislative branch. Offered spring and summer only.
PSC 315 STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: PSC 101 or junior or senior standing or instructor permission. 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 317 U.S. CONSTITUTIONAL LAW
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or instructor permission. Foundations of American Constitutionalism; judicial review and its use throughout history; the Supreme Court's interaction with Congress, the president, and the states; evolving concepts of federalism; development of governmental regulation of private property and contracts; the evolution of the principles of constitutional due process and equal protection. Offered fall only.
PSC 319 GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER, QUESTIONING POLITICS
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: Prerequisites: PSC 101 or junior or senior standing or instructor permission. 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. Offered fall only.
PSC 320 U.S. CIVIL LIBERTIES
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or instructor permission. 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 United States Constitution. Offered spring only.
PSC 321 CIVIL PROCEDURE
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing or instructor permission. Imparts knowledge of, interest in and an appreciation for the civil litigation process in the federal and state court systems of the United States and provides students with a guided tour of the litigation process including but not limited to: pre-complaint actions, subject and personal jurisdiction, complaints and answers, pre-trial motions, discovery, dispositive motions, trial preparation and organization, jury selection and appeal decisions. Offered occasionally.
PSC 323 NEW YORK STATE GOVERNMENT AND BUDGET
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: PSC 102 or ECO 201 or instructor permission. Course covers fiscal federalism, economic climate, NYS budget components and processes, contemporary policy issues, political parties, interest groups, and NYS government institutions. Offered every spring.
Equivalent Course: ECO 323
PSC 327 PRACTICAL POLITICS
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: PSC 101 or junior or senior standing or instructor permission. 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. Offered occasionally.
PSC 330 AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: PSC104. Basic ideas that shape American foreign policy; isolationism, domestic and international pressures, cold war, peaceful coexistence and détente, major problems. Offered once a year.
PSC 333 AFRICAN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
3, 3/0
Prerequite: PSC 101 or PSC 104. 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.
Equivalent Course: AAS 333
PSC 335 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS OF THE MIDDLE EAST
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: PSC 101 or PSC 104. 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. Offered occasionally.
PSC 337 POLITICS OF GLOBALIZATION
3, 3/0; GA23
Prerequisites: Upper-division status; PSC 101 or PSC 102. 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. Offered once a year.
PSC 338 POLITICS AND HISTORY OF MODERN TERRORISM I
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: Upper-division status or permission of instructor. Politics and history of terrorism from the French Revolution until the end of the Cold War. The first of a two-part course sequence. Broad definitions of terrorism including tyrannicide, state terror, and counterinsurgency. Narrow definitions do not include state actors. Questions of geopolitical, socioeconomic and cultural causation. Current methodology and empirical research of terrorism. Typology of terrorism including historical analysis of racist, nationalist, anarchist and socialist organizations. Focus on controversies about state response regarding legal rights, proceedings, and immigration. Addressing political, social and cultural issues. Offered annually each fall semester. Offered fall semester.
Equivalent Course: HIS 347
PSC 339 POLITICS AND HISTORY OF MODERN TERRORISM II
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: Upper-division status or permission of instructor. History and politics of terrorism from the Cold War until today. The second of a two-part course sequence. Definitions of terrorism. Questions of geopolitical, socioeconomic and cultural causation. Current methodology and empirical research of terrorism. Typology of terrorism. Focus on controversies about state response regarding legal rights, proceedings, immigration and addressing political, social and cultural issues. Offered annually each spring semester.
Equivalent Course: HIS 348
PSC 340 POLITICS OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
3, 3/0; GA23
Prerequisite: PSC 101 or PSC 104. 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; and globalization. Offered once a year.
PSC 341 GOVERNMENT, POLITICS, AND POLICIES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: PSC 101 or PSC 102 or PSC 240. 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. Offered occasionally.
PSC 344 COMPARATIVE DEMOCRACY
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing or instructor permission. Examines the history and development of democracy with strong emphasis on comparing and analyzing various forms of democracy found throughout the Western and Non-Western world in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Offered occasionally.
PSC 345 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. Offered occasionally.
Equivalent Course: HIS 313
PSC 350 INTRODUCTION TO LEGAL THOUGHT
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: PSC 102 and upper-division status. Main concepts, theories, and issues of legal thought from the perspective of political science; includes political theories on the nature of law, concepts and independent variables in political legal theory, boundaries to political choice, and issues of social and political justice.
PSC 351 HISTORY OF POLITICAL THOUGHT I
3, 3/0; GA23
Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or instructor permission. Main problems of political theory examined through the writings of major political thinkers from Plato to Aquinas. Offered fall only.
PSC 352 HISTORY OF POLITICAL THOUGHT II
3, 3/0; GA23
Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or instructor permission. Main problems of political theory examined through the writings of major political thinkers from Machiavelli to Rawls. Offered spring only.
PSC 355 AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or instructor permission. 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
Prerequisites: PSC 101 or junior or senior standing or instructor permission. 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. Offered fall only.
Equivalent Course: PAD 360
PSC 364 AMERICAN PUBLIC POLICY
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: PSC 101 or junior or senior standing or instructor permission. Governmental policy with emphasis on the sources of policy, the policy-making process in national political institutions, and the social impact of policy choices. Offered fall only.
PSC 368 COMPARATIVE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: PSC 101 or junior or senior standing or instructor permission. 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. Offered spring only.
Equivalent Course: PAD 368
PSC 375 RACE, SEX, AND POLITICS OF MYTH AND STORY
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing or instructor permission. 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. Offered spring only.
PSC 389 TOPICS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: PSC 101 or junior or senior standing or instructor permission. 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. Offered occasionally.
PSC 390 THE ITALIAN-AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: POLITICS, SOCIETY, & IDENTITY
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: PSC 101 or junior or senior standing or instructor permission. 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 398 LEGAL RESEARCH AND WRITING
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: CWP 102; PSC 250, or Instructor Permission. An introduction to the rules and techniques of legal research and writing. Discovering through electronic and bound legal sources law and applying it to specific legal situations. Students will then communicate their results through generally accepted legal techniques: oral presentation, the legal memo, the legal brief.
PSC 399 RESEARCH SKILLS
3, 3/0; IN23, RE23
Prerequisites: PSC 204 and junior or senior standing; or instructor permission. Preparation to study selected topics in political science through in-depth research and for written and oral presentation of research findings. Offered every semester.
PSC 410 POLITICAL BEHAVIOR AND PUBLIC OPINION
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: PSC 101 or junior or senior standing or instructor permission. 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. Offered occasionally.
PSC 415 URBAN PUBLIC POLICY
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: PSC 101 or junior or senior standing or instructor permission. Urban problems and government policy responses to them; economic development, poverty, and crime; roles of all levels of government; policy analysis. Offered occasionally.
PSC 420 CONTEMPORARY CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or instructor permission. 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. Offered occasionally.
PSC 421 DISCRIMINATION AND THE U.S. CONSTITUTION
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or instructor permission. The role the equal protection clause plays in prohibiting and allowing discrimination in the United States. The development of equal protection jurisprudence throughout the past century and a half. The reach and potentialities of equal protection analysis: fundamental rights, suspect classes, expansion and retrenchment. Offered occasionally.
PSC 426 MEDIATION
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: Instructor permission. Detailed examination of mediation theory and practice; the role of the mediator; the types of disputes most suited for mediation; the place of mediation in the American legal landscape; survey of other forms of alternative dispute resolution, challenges and controversies concerning their use. Offered occasionally.
PSC 430 UN AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: PSC 104 or instructor permission. Provides an overview of the United Nations, including history, structure, objectives, and politics. Students learn practical skills by participating in Model UN simulations and conducting independent research on the UN. Offered spring only.
PSC 450 CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL THOUGHT
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or instructor permission. Central problems of political philosophy (such as equality, freedom, justice, and political obligation) as discussed by contemporary philosophers. Offered occasionally.
PSC 470 SENIOR SEMINAR
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: PSC 203, PSC 204, PSC 399; and junior or senior standing and instructor permission. Selected topics in political science examined and analyzed in depth. Offered spring only.
PSC 485 MOCK TRIAL
1-3, 1/0
Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of instructor. 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. Offered every semester.
PSC 488 INTERNSHIP
1-15, 0/0
Prerequisites: PSC 203, PSC 204, PSC 399; and junior or senior standing and instructor permission. Field experiences that supplement departmental academic offerings; geared to students' interests. Faculty intern supervisor and department chair permission necessary. Offered every semester and summer.
PSC 495 SPECIAL PROJECT
3, 0/0
Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing or instructor permission.
PSC 497 WASHINGTON SEMESTER
1-16, 0/0
Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing or instructor permission. State University of New York's Washington semester program. Class work, seminars, and internship work; selection based on college-wide competition; contact Political Science Department chair for information and application forms. Offered every semester and summer.
PSC 499 INDEPENDENT STUDY
1-12, 0/0
Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing or instructor permission.