The course list for Spring 2025 is shown below. Classes marked with an asterisk have a topic, which are listed below the course list.
IMPORTANT LINKS
Academic Advisement Information & tips to prepare for registration
Spring 2025 Course List
| Course | Title | Day | Time | Room | Instructor | Subfield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POL 110 01 | AMERICAN GOVERNMENT | M-TH | 11:00 AM - 12:20 PM | SOCI223 | Willse,Cadence | American |
| POL 110 02 | AMERICAN GOVERNMENT | T-F | 11:00 AM - 12:20 PM | SOCI223 | 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 | SOCI223 | 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 | Morell, Sara | |
| POL 320 01 | LAW AND SOCIETY | T-F | 2:00 PM - 3:20 PM | SOCI223 | Dumas, Tao | American |
| POL 322 01 | CONSTITUTIONAL LAW II: Civil Rights and Liberties | T-F | 11:00 AM - 12:20 PM | SOCI225 | Dumas,Tao | American |
| POL 351 01 | POLITICS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION | M-TH | 12:30 PM - 1:50 PM | SOCI223 | Toloudis, Nicholas | Comparative |
| POL 370 01 | THE ELECTION: WHAT HAPPENED?* | M-TH | 2:00 PM - 3:20 PM | SOCI223 | Morell, Sara | American |
| POL 370 02 | INTRODUCTION TO URBAN PLANNING* | M-TH | 9:30 AM - 10:50 AM | SOCI223 | Foster, Kathryn | 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* | TH | 2:00 PM - 4:50 PM | SOCI131 | Foster, Kathryn |
Spring 2025 Graduate Course List
If you meet the course requirements (24 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 501 01 | THE POLICY PROCESS IN THEORY & PRACTICE | Willse,Cadence | M | 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM | SOCI 241 | Policy Core |
| PUBG 503 01 | MICROECONOMICS & PUBLIC POLICY | O'Grady,Trevor | W | 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM | SOCI 131 | Policy Core |
| PUBG 511 01 | PROGRAM EVALUATION & CAUSAL INFERENCE FOR POLICY ANALYSIS | Bowen, Daniel | T | 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM (blended class, meets on alternating weeks for in-person & asynchronous class with PUBG 512) | SOCI 131 | Quantitative Methods |
| PUBG 512 01 | QUANTITATIVE METHODS FOR POLICY RESEARCH II | Bowen, Daniel | T | 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM (blended class, meets on alternating weeks for in-person & asynchronous class with PUBG 511) | SOCI 131 | Quantitative Methods |
| PUBG 670 01 | PUBLIC POLICY, CRIME, AND JUSTICE | Leigey,Margaret | M | 5:30 PM - 8:20 PM | SOCI 241 | Policy Elective |
| PUBG 670 02 | TRANSPORTATION POLICY | Healey, William | T | 5:30 PM - 8:20 PM | SOCI 241 | Policy Elective |
| PUBG 696 01 | PUBLIC POLICY THESIS | independent course | Policy Core |
Major Requirements and Program Planner
Special Topics & Seminars
POL 370-01: The Election: What Happened?
Dr. Sara Morell
This course will be an opportunity to learn about and reflect on the most recent Presidential election, combining current events with relevant social science literature. Each week will take on a different aspect of our political system, from campaign ads, to money in politics, to selecting a Vice President. The course will combine relevant political science literature on the topic, with contemporary news analysis and campaign materials that are specific to the 2024 election.
POL 370-02: Introduction to Urban Planning
Dr. Kathryn Foster
A general introduction to the theory, issues, problems, and practical realities of city planning in the United States. Also discusses urban planners; the role they play in the urban environment; and how their roles have changed in response to changing political, economic, cultural, and environmental factors.
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: Place and Politics
Dr. Kathryn Foster
How does politics shape place? How does place shape politics? The subfields of political geography and geopolitics illuminate such wonders, from strategic disputes over the South China Sea to gerrymandering in North Carolina Congressional Districts. In this Senior Seminar, we incorporate place into our qualitative or quantitative analyses, recognizing that every political science topic—international, comparative, or domestic—happens in place.
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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 R, 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 322: Constitutional Law II: Civil Rights and Liberties
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 351: Politics of the European Union
This course explores the historical foundations, consequences, and scope of European political and economic integration since 1948. We will examine the historical trajectory that the European Union has followed over the past 70 years, how national political considerations have shaped the direction and pace of European integration, the variety of policies that the EU implements, and some of the ways that the EU has impacted the policies and economies of its member states. We will also consider the challenges faced by the European Union: the dilemmas generated by the single currency, the ongoing refugee crisis, and the potential fragmentation of the Union.