The course list for Fall 2022 is shown below. Classes marked with an asterisk have a topic, which are listed below the course list.
For Fall 2022 courses, the modality (i.e., remote, Flex, or in-person sessions) that currently appears in PAWS may change prior to the start of the semester based on CDC guidelines, State of New Jersey guidelines, and/or local health conditions.
Summer 2022 Course List
| Course | Title | Faculty | Session | Dates | Instruction Mode | Subfield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POL 130 101 | International Relations | Potter | 1 | 5/23/22 - 6/10/22 | Online | American |
| POL 110 201 | American Government | Dumas | 2 | 6/13/22 - 7/14/22 | Online | International |
Fall 2022 Course List
| Course | Title | Faculty | Day | Time | Room | Subfield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POL 110 01 | American Government | Willse | M-TH | 11:00 AM - 12:20 PM | SOCI 223 | American |
| POL 110 02 | American Government | Willse | M-TH | 12:30 PM - 1:50 PM | SOCI 223 | American |
| POL 110 03 | American Government | McMahon | M-TH | 3:30 PM - 4:50 PM | SOCI 225 | American |
| POL 110 04 | American Government | McMahon | TH | 5:30 PM - 8:20 PM | SOCI 225 | American |
| POL 130 01 | International Relations | Cho | M-TH | 12:30 PM - 1:50 PM | SOCI 225 | International |
| POL 130 02 | International Relations | Cho | M-TH | 2:00 PM - 3:20 PM | SOCI 225 | International |
| POL 150 01 | Comparative Politics | Chartock | M-TH | 11:00 AM - 12:20 PM | SOCI 225 | Comparative |
| POL 200 01 | Political Analysis | Bowen | M-TH | 9:30 AM - 10:50 AM | BLISS 031 | |
| POL 200 02 | Political Analysis | Bowen | M-TH | 11:00 AM - 12:20 PM | BLISS 031 | |
| POL 250 01 | Politics & Society in Developing Countries | Lowi | T-F | 9:30 AM - 10:50 AM | SOCI 225 | Comparative |
| POL 270 01 | Topics in Political Science* | Burkey | T-F | 9:30 AM - 10:50 AM | SOCI 223 | American |
| POL 270 02 | Topics in Political Science* | Burkey | T-F | 3:30 PM - 4:50 PM | SOCI 223 | American |
| POL 275 01 | Western Political Philosophy | Burkey | T-F | 2:00 PM - 3:20 PM | SOCI 225 | Political Theory |
| POL 305 01 | American Public Policy | Willse | M-TH | 2:00 PM - 3:20 PM | SOCI 223 | American |
| POL 307 01 | Environmental Policy | Potter | T-F | 11:00 AM - 12:20 PM | SOCI 225 | American |
| POL 311 01 | The Presidency and Congress | McMahon | M-TH | 12:30 PM - 1:50 PM | SSB 227 | American |
| POL 320 01 | Law and Society | Dumas | T-F | 9:30 AM - 10:50 AM | BLISS 147 | American |
| POL 321 01 | Constitutional Law I: Institutions and Powers | Dumas | T-F | 11:00 AM - 12:20 PM | BLISS 148 | American |
| POL 345 01 | Human Rights in International Relations | Holom-Trundy | TH | 5:30 PM - 8:20 PM | SOCI 223 | International |
| POL 365 01 | Origins of the US Constitution | Brindle | T | 5:30 PM - 8:20 PM | SOCI 223 | Political Theory |
| POL 390 01 | Tutorial In Political Science* | McMahon | M-TH | 2:00 PM - 3:20 PM | SOCI 241 | |
| POL 390 02 | Tutorial In Political Science* | Lowi | T-F | 2:00 PM - 3:20 PM | SOCI 241 | |
| POL 498 01 | Seminar In Political Science* | Cho | M | 3:30 PM - 6:20 PM | SOCI 241 | |
| POL 498 02 | Seminar In Political Science* | Burkey | T-F | 11:00 AM - 12:20 PM | SOCI 241 |
Major Requirements and Program Planner
Special Topics & Seminars
POL 270-01 & 02: Race and American Democracy
Dr. Max Burkey
Race and American Democracy examines African Americans’ enduring struggle for racial equality. From the movement to end slavery through today’s Black Lives Matter movement, the thought and activism of African Americans has challenged the dominant norms and institutions of political life. By engaging primary texts and documentary films, this course considers the resources Black politics offers for reimagining American democracy.
POL 390-01: American State Politics
Dr. Adam McMahon
The American states have great constitutional authority in our federal system to shape public policy and remain the primary providers of public services in the United States. Since policies are often first experimented on in the states before being enacted at the federal level, as evidenced by the major changes in welfare, education, and health care policies in the last 20 years, the states are often referred to as “laboratories of democracy.” The states are regularly on the front lines of public policy battles, whether it be the term limit movement that swept the western states in the 1990s, anti-abortion legislation, or the expansion of gay marriage rights prior to Obergefell. The diversity in state populations, institutions, and cultures allow the states to pursue different policy agendas long before the federal government can act on an issue. This tutorial will focus on how differences in the political, economic, and social context of the states influence political outputs like public policy, turnout, campaigns and elections, representation, and governance. As a junior tutorial, students will undertake a large independent research project on some aspect of American state politics, and we will devote a significant portion of class time to the art and science of conducting political research.
POL 390-02: Political Violence and Internal War
Dr. Miriam Lowi
This tutorial provides a theoretical, historical, and comparative treatment of political violence within states. We study two types of internal wars: 1) those that are instigated by foreign intervention – such as that in the Ukraine (winter/spring 2022) and in Iraq (2003-07) and, 2) those referred to as “civil wars” in which parties are organized groups within the state, such as in Bosnia (1992-5), El Salvador (1979-92), Syria (2011-present). We explore the causes and objectives of these types of organized political violence, the forms they take, and their various dynamics. Some attention will be given to elucidating the persistence and termination of ‘internal’ wars, as well. We examine and evaluate the rich academic literature on the topic. The tutorial is conducted in seminar format, with a lot of attention to guided discussion and independent research.
POL 498-01: International Security
Dr. Binn Cho
This Senior Topics Seminar examines a subfield of International Relations: International Security. It explores topics such as the causes of war and peace, the “rise” of China, terrorism, covert conflict, nuclear security, and coercive diplomacy and crisis bargaining. With close consultations with the instructor, students will develop an independent research paper on a topic of their choosing. This capstone project requires students to employ political science research methods, including qualitative methods such as case studies. This course will not teach students statistical analyses (e.g. statistical regressions), but students who are familiar with quantitative methods should feel free to employ them in their research. At the end of the course, students will present their project to the class. Developing an independent and rigorous research paper will take significant work, and consequently, this course has required readings only for the first few weeks. The remainder of the course is independent research that is guided by the instructor.
POL 498-02: Race and Ethnic Politics
Dr. Max Burkey
Living in the U.S., it is clear that race matters. In this course, we will explore the different ways in which racial and ethnic identities have come to matter in polities around the world, and the political consequences of varying sets of race and ethnic relations. Politics is about power, fundamentally. Thus, while we discuss the various ways in which race and ethnicity interact with all kinds of power, and focus on the way that formal politics (i.e., the state, political parties, policies and the like) both shape and are shaped by race and ethnicity.
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 250: Politics and Society in Developing Countries
Examines political trends, patterns, and variations in the developing world, drawing examples from countries throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Primary questions include colonialism’s impact the future political, economic and social development, strong versus weak states and regimes, and role of identity politics in these countries. The latter part of the course examines politics in four specific countries: Brazil, India, Nigeria and South Korea.
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 305: American Public Policy
An examination of the policy-making process, the important domestic policies that have resulted, and the evaluation of these policies. The course covers substantive issues of contemporary public policy in such areas as the environment, health care, welfare, the economy, crime, education, and regulation. The course also trains students in the methods of policy analysis with a focus on designing research projects to estimate the causal effects of public policies.
POL 307: Environmental Policy
With a focus on environmental issues, the course offers analytical tools and case studies to understand the making of public policy. The course consists of four sections: tools of environmental analysis, the dynamics of environmental policymaking in the United States; some comparisons to other countries; and global environmental policies.
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 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 rights of the individual, including freedom of expression, freedom of religion, the right of privacy, due process of law, and equal protection of the laws.
POL 345: Human Rights in International Relations
Examines the evolution of human rights movements since World War II and their influence on the behavior of nation states and other transnational actors. Includes discussion of human rights in American foreign policy, and the role of non-state actors such as intergovernmental institutions, multinational corporations, and non-governmental organizations, selected regional and current topics such as: women’s rights, terrorism, self-determination, globalization, and humanitarian intervention.
POL 365: Origins of the U.S. 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.