The course list for Fall 2025 is shown below. Classes marked with an asterisk have a topic, which are listed below the course list.
Fall 2025 Course List
| Course | Title | Day | Time | Room | Instructor | Subfield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POL 110 01 | AMERICAN GOVERNMENT | T-F | 9:30 AM - 10:50 AM | SOCI225 | Foster,Kathryn | American |
| POL 110 02 | AMERICAN GOVERNMENT | TH | 5:30 PM - 8:20 PM | SOCI225 | Healey, William | American |
| POL 110 03 | AMERICAN GOVERNMENT | T-F | 12:30 PM - 1:50 PM | SOCI225 | Foster,Kathryn | American |
| POL 130 01 | INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS | M-TH | 2:00 PM - 3:20 PM | SOCI225 | Cho,Hyun-Binn | International |
| POL 150 01 | COMPARATIVE POLITICS | M-TH | 12:30 PM - 1:50 PM | SOCI225 | Chartock,Sarah | Comparative |
| POL 200 01 | POLITICAL ANALYSIS | M-TH W |
M-TH: 11:00 AM - 12:20 PM W: 10:00 AM - 10:50 AM |
SOCI131 W: SOCI021 |
Bowen, Daniel | |
| POL 320 01 | LAW AND SOCIETY | T-F | 9:30 AM - 10:50 AM | SOCI223 | Dumas,Tao | American |
| POL 321 01 | CONSTITUTIONAL LAW I: Institutions and Powers | T-F | 11:00 AM - 12:20 PM | SOCI225 | Dumas,Tao | American |
| POL 330 01 | US FOREIGN POLICY | M-TH | 11:00 AM - 12:20 PM | SOCI225 | Cho,Hyun-Binn | International |
| POL 365 01 | ORIGINS OF THE US CONSTITUTION | TH | 5:30 PM - 8:20 PM | SOCI223 | Theory | |
| POL 370 01 | TOPICS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE* | W | 5:30 PM - 8:20 PM | SOCI223 | Devenney, Esme | American |
| POL 370 02 | TOPICS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE* | T | 5:30 PM - 8:20 PM | Kendall 233 | Healey, William | American |
| POL 390 01 | TUTORIAL IN POLITICAL SCIENCE* | M | 3:30 PM - 6:20 PM | SOCI131 | Cho,Hyun-Binn | |
| POL 498 01 | SEMINAR IN POLITICAL SCIENCE* | M-TH | 3:30 PM - 4:50 PM | SOCI241 | Chartock,Sarah |
Fall 2025 Graduate Course List
If you meet the course requirements (20 or more completed units and a 3.0 GPA or better) and would like to enroll in one or two courses, please complete this form. The Political Science Department will register you for the class.
| Course | Title | Faculty | Day | Time | Room | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PUBG 502 01 | PUBLIC BUDGETING AND MANAGEMENT | T | 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM | SOCI 241 | Policy Core | |
| PUBG 510 01 | QUANTITATIVE METHODS FOR POLICY RESEARCH I | Bowen, Daniel | M | 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM | SOCI 241 | Quantitative Methods |
| PUBG 696 01 | PUBLIC POLICY THESIS | independent course | Policy Core |
Major Requirements and Program Planner
Special Topics & Seminars
POL 370-01: Mock Trial Tournament
Students in this class prepare for the Regional Tournament, the first round of the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) annual national tournament structure. More information about the AMTA and the associated competitions can be found here: https://www.collegemocktrial.org/ Students will prepare for the Regional Tournament during the Fall 2025 semester and compete in the tournament in early Spring 2026. Students from all majors can participate in the course, but must be available to participate in the Regional Tournament. The competition occurs annually on a weekend between the last weekend in January or any weekend in February to be determined by the host institution. To prepare for the Regional Tournament, students will learn to: develop opening and closing statements, use affidavits, case law, and evidence to develop case theories and arguments for both sides of a case, prepare a witness for direct and cross-examination, and understand and conduct the pretrial procedure. All interested students must complete this survey before being enrolled in the course.
POL 370-02: Advocacy Communication in the Digital Age
How has the world of advocacy communication been shaped by the rise of social media over the past fifteen years? Where do we see it going in the next five years? Students will be exposed to the developments in a variety of “theaters”, including lobbying communication, political advocacy, AI and disinformation, health advocacy and the practice of medicine, as well as dissemination of policy.
POL 390-01: Security in the Asia-Pacific
Dr. Hyun-Binn Cho
This tutorial examines the major challenges to security in the Asia-Pacific region. These include U.S.-China relations, North Korea’s nuclear program, the South China Sea disputes, and U.S. alliance relations with South Korea and Japan. By the end of the course, students will develop an independent research paper that employs political science research methods.
POL 498-01: The Politics of Social Policy
Dr. Sarah Chartock
This capstone course focuses on the causes and outcomes of social policies in the United States and around the world. In this seminar, we will examine many of the most compelling theories of policy change and will read scholarship that applies such theories to social policy change in a variety of contexts and countries. Students will write their capstone papers on a policy area of their choice, whether that be regarding economic inequality, health care, education, poverty, immigration, or any other area of social policy.
Course Descriptions
POL 110: American Government
Examines the strengths and weaknesses, problems and promise of representative democracy in the United States. Surveys the relationships of citizens to Congress, the president and the courts through political parties, elections, interest groups, and the media. Considers the constitutional framework of government and the rights of the individual against governmental intrusion.
POL 130: International Relations
An examination of contemporary patterns of international interaction and their historic roots with attention to competing theoretical perspectives. Topics studied include foreign policy, international law and organization, and international political economy.
POL 150: Comparative Politics
Introduces students to some of the most important concepts, themes and approaches in the comparative study of politics. Comparative Politics is the study of the domestic or internal politics of particular countries. By comparing the processes, institutions and other political phenomena of one country in relation to others, those engaged in the study of comparative politics isolate the primary causes and consequences of these political phenomena and are thus able to create and test theories of politics around the world.
POL 200: Political Analysis
The course familiarizes students with the basic statistical, conceptual, and technical skills needed for research in political science. Topics include research design, hypothesis testing, statistical methodology common in the social sciences, and practical experience examining and analyzing quantitative data. This course provides students hands-on training with Stata, a commonly used statistical software package. Should normally be completed by the end of the sophomore year prior to taking POL 390.
POL 320: Law and Society
An examination of what law is, the sources of law, and the impact of law on society and the individual. Examines internal aspects of the legal system, such as legal reasoning and the structure of the legal profession, as well as external factors such as the economic system and social structure, in order to illustrate the dynamic relationship between law and the society in which it exists.
POL 321: Constitutional Law I: Institutions and Powers
An analysis of how the U.S. Supreme Court interprets the Constitution, focusing on the issues of how much power the U.S. Congress, president and courts should have and how the U.S. government should interrelate with the state governments.
POL 330: US Foreign Policy
Examines the formulation and execution of American foreign policy in the context of American politics and of the United States’ historic role in the world; some themes considered include the domestic sources of foreign policy and the conditions under which the United States uses force abroad.
POL 365: Origins of the US Constitution
An examination of the political theories, people, social and economic forces, events, and political context that influenced the framing and ratification of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.