Political Science Courses [251-278]

[201-223] [224-250] [251-278] [279-399]

POLS 251. Political Communications. 3 crs. Examination of the verbal and nonverbal communication between people of various states and their impact in international relations.

POLS 253. Black Political Theory and Behavior. 3 crs. An introduction to the major theoretical frameworks in Black politics and their application to substantive problems of political behavior.

POLS 254. Behavioral Research Methods. 3 crs. Presentation of the fundamentals of experimental surveys of aggregate and mixed data type designs and an introduction to computer use. (Once a year.)

POLS 257. Multivariate Data Analysis. 3 crs. Analysis of the General Linear Model in social science research: statistical theory and the matrix approach in multivariate data analysis.

POLS 259. International Law. 3 crs. Examination of the roles, nature, effects, and limitations of international law in contemporary world politics.

POLS 260. Black Electoral Politics. 3 crs. Analysis of black activities in electoral politics, voting trends, party allegiance, and other important factors.

POLS 261. Comparative Administrative Systems. 3 crs. Comparison of administrative practices in the U.S. and abroad. The course’s purpose is to increase the understanding of American public administration by comparing it with the administrative system of other industrialized countries and some developing ones. Special emphasis is placed on relationships between bureaucracies and political regime types.

POLS 262. Contemporary Empirical Political Theory. 3 crs. Examination of a variety of writers and topics and highlights general sociological and psychological theories as related to political analysis.

POLS 263. Seminar in Black Politics I. 3 crs. Advanced Seminar in black politics.

POLS 264. Problems in International Security. 3 crs. An examination of critical political military and economic issues affecting world order with emphasis on the dynamics of East-West relations. (Fall semester only.)

POLS 267. Political Leadership in Africa. 3 crs. A study of the role of political leadership in the development of independent Black Africa, with special reference to the influence of major personalities.

POLS 268. Seminar in Black Politics II. 3 crs. Advanced seminar in black politics. Prereq.: Ph.D. students only.

POLS 269. Problems in African Politics. 3 crs. Seminar on selected problems on African politics, nationalism, integration, military politics, liberation movements, and ideologies.

POLS 273. Africa in World Politics. 3 crs. Study of Africa’s role in the international political system and its relations to the major powers and the less developed nations.

POLS 274. Government and Politics of Southern Africa. 3 crs. This is an exploration of the situation of Southern Africa as a whole, the attitudes of the independent African States, and the reactions of the independent African States, and the international community; especially before and after the apartheid era, and the emergence of a new South Africa as nonracial multiparty democracy after the 1994 election. This course will cover the political economy of South Africa and its role in regional, continental, and global affairs, including the Southern African Development Economic Community (SADEC) as a regional economic community.

POLS 275. Urban Political Economy. 3 crs. An examination of the use of the tools of political economy to examine critical urban problems. Focuses on understanding the general contours of the political economy perspective and applying this general analytic perspective to such problems as the fiscal crisis of cities, urban structure, urban movements, and the crisis in such key areas as housing, education, employment, poverty, transportation, crime, etc.

POLS 276. Political Economy of Latin America and the Caribbean. 3 crs. Readings and analysis of Latin American/Caribbean politics and economics, with emphasis on the impact of economic forces in Latin America. Students specializing in this area may take courses in political science numbered above 012-170 for graduate credit.

POLS 277. Political Economy of Europe. 3 crs. Analysis of interactions between government institutions and economic factors and their effects on the process of integration.

POLS 278. Political Forces in Western Europe. 3 crs. Discussion of the government institutions, political forces, economics, and military dynamics of Western Europe.