The course list for Fall 2026 is shown below. Classes marked with an asterisk have a topic, which are listed below the course list.
Fall 2026 Course List
| Class | Class Descr | Instructor | Meeting Time Start | Meeting Time End | Class Day | Facility Id | Subfield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POL 110 01 | AMERICAN GOVERNMENT | Willse,Cadence | 12:30 PM | 1:50 PM | T/F | SOCI225 | American |
| POL 110 02 | AMERICAN GOVERNMENT | Willse,Cadence | 2:00 PM | 3:20 PM | T/F | SOCI225 | American |
| POL 110 03 | AMERICAN GOVERNMENT | Healey,William | 5:30 PM | 8:20 PM | TH | SOCI223 | American |
| POL 130 01 | INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | International |
| POL 150 01 | COMPARATIVE POLITICS | Toloudis,Nicholas | 9:30 AM | 10:50 AM | T/F | SOCI225 | Comparative |
| POL 150 02 | COMPARATIVE POLITICS | Toloudis,Nicholas | 11:00 AM | 12:20 PM | T/F | SOCI225 | Comparative |
| POL 210 01 | RESEARCH DESIGN | Chartock,Sarah | 11:00 AM | 12:20 PM | M/TH | SOCI131 | |
| POL 215 02 | GENDER AND POLITICS | Morell,Sara | 2:00 PM | 3:20 PM | M/TH | SOCI225 | American |
| POL 220 01 | JUDICIAL POLITICS & PROCESS | Dumas,Tao | 9:30 AM | 10:50 AM | T/F | SOCI223 | American Counts as an elective for the Law, Politics, and Philosophy minor |
| POL 275 01 | WESTERN POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY | Mongiello,Matthew | 5:30 PM | 8:20 PM | W | SOCI225 | Theory |
| POL 311 01 | THE PRESIDENCY AND CONGRESS | Morell,Sara | 3:30 PM | 4:50 PM | M/TH | SOCI223 | American |
| POL 321 01 | CONSTITUTIONAL LAW I: Institutions and Powers | Dumas,Tao | 11:00 AM | 12:20 PM | T/F | SOCI223 | American Counts as an elective for the Law, Politics, and Philosophy minor |
| POL 325 01 | MOCK TRIAL* | TBD | 5:30 PM | 8:20 PM | W | SOCI223 | American Counts as an elective for the Law, Politics, and Philosophy minor |
| POL 358 01 | LATIN AMERICAN POLITICS | Chartock,Sarah | 2:00 PM | 3:20 PM | M/TH | SOCI223 | Comparative |
| POL 380 01 | INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY | Toloudis,Nicholas | 2:00 PM | 3:20 PM | T/F | SOCI223 | International |
| POL 390 01 | THE POLITICS OF HEALTH AND HEALTHCARE | Holom-Trundy,Brittany | 12:30 PM | 1:50 PM | M/TH | Online | |
| POL 498 01 | THE POLITICS OF PUBLIC EDUCATION* | Willse,Cadence | 3:30 PM | 6:20 PM | T | SOCI131 |
Fall 2026 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.
| Class | Class Descr | Instructor | Meeting Time Start | Meeting Time End | Class Day | Facility Id |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PUBG 502 01 | PUBLIC BUDGETING & MANAGEMENT | Shabazz, Tariq | 5:30 PM | 8:00 PM | T | SOCI241 |
| PUBG 510 01 | QUANTITATIVE METHODS | Bowen,Daniel | 5:00 PM | 7:30 PM | W | SOCI131 |
| PUBG 610 01 | ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY | Moriarty, Sean | 5:00 PM | 7:30 PM | TH | SOCI241 |
| PUBG 670 01 | URBAN POLICY | TBD | 5:00 PM | 7:30 PM | M | SOCI241 |
Special Topics & Seminars
POL 325-01: 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 2026 semester and compete in the tournament in early Spring 2027. 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 390-01: The Politics of Health and Healthcare
Dr. Brittany Holom-Trundy
This tutorial will explore the politics of health and healthcare across the world, examining the ways that both domestic and international institutions, actors, and cultures shape the health policies and outcomes that we see today. Considering health through a human security framework, students will explore how and why healthcare systems differ across countries, the impact of healthcare systems and social determinants of health (SDOH) on health outcomes, and the ways in which these dynamics contribute to or help to prevent pandemics and other global health crises. Employing in-depth analyses of comparative and international relations literature, students will develop an understanding of the politics of health while also learning how to form a research question, summarize relevant literature, design and execute a project using appropriate methods, and assess the contribution of original research.
POL 498-01:The Politics of Public Education
Dr. Cadence Willse
.Education is at the center of some of the most contentious political debates in the United States. Politicians and policymakers – at the federal, state, and local levels – disagree on a wide array of topics: what role should the government play in schooling? How should we organize and fund public education equitably? What role should states have in school curricula, and what topics should be covered? Should schools and teachers be held accountable for student achievement? In this course, we will explore the politics of the K-12 public education system, focusing on key institutions, actors and theories of policy making.
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 210: Research Design
This course provides students with an introduction to social science research methods. The primary goals are to 1) help students become sophisticated consumers political science research, and 2) provide a strong foundation for the independent research they will complete in their senior capstone. Students will engage in readings about research design concepts, as well as academic research that serve as applied examples. There are workshop sessions designed to deepen student’s understanding of research design principles, culminating in a literature review for a research puzzle of interest to them.
POL 215: Gender and Politics
The role of gender in politics is examined in a lecture/discussion format. Topics include research on gender, differences and similarities in political socialization and electoral behavior, gender-related issues in public policy, the role of gender in the decision making of public officials, and the relationship between theories of gender and the actual practice of politics.
POL 220: Judicial Politics & Process
This class is intended for students who are interested in law and politics and serves as a foundational course to prepare students for upper-division political science law classes. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to types and foundations of U.S. law and the organization and jurisdiction of US courts in the federal system, with an in-depth focus on understanding the Supreme Court of the United States. The course is intended to give students a broad understanding of the U.S. judiciary, as well as specific training in reading and briefing cases. The class will also explore how politics and non-judicial actors impact judicial processes.
POL 275: Western Political Philosophy
Selected political questions that have intrigued Western society from time immemorial and theoretical solutions presented by some of the great political philosophers from classical Greece to the modern era.
POL 311: The Presidency and Congress
Problems of the modern American presidency and of the U.S. Congress, with an emphasis upon interrelationships and consequences for the national policy-making process.
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 325: Mock Trial
This is a trial advocacy class where students will practice their roles as attorneys and/or as witnesses in American Mock Trial Association competitions. Students will learn how to prepare for a trial, including how to develop a case theme/theory, opening arguments, introduction of testimonial, physical, and demonstrative evidence, direct and cross examination of witnesses, and closing arguments. Students will also participate in competitions off campus.
POL 358: Latin American Politics
An examination of the contemporary political, economic, and social structures of Latin American countries through a comparative-historical lens. Emphasis is on transformative shifts from state-led economies to free-market (and perhaps back again), from military authoritarian governments to democracies, and from a focus on class identities to a greater role for racial and ethnic identities in politics.
POL 380: International Political Economy
A study of the politics of international economic relations. Economic theories of international trade and finance are presented in the context of their political origins and implications. Includes a review of primary analytical perspectives, historical developments, and major contemporary institutions and processes bearing on the politics of international economics.