Spring 2023 Advising Guide

The course list for Spring 2023 is shown below. Classes marked with an asterisk have a topic, which are listed below the course list.

 

Winter 2023 Course List

Course	Title	Faculty	Session	Dates	Instruction Mode	Subfield	Liberal Learning Domain / Civic Responsibility
POL 130 101	International Relations	Cho	Winter 3-week term	1/3/23 - 1/20/23	Online	International	Behavioral, Social or Cultural Perspectives / Global

 

Spring 2023 Course List

Course	Title	Faculty	Day	Time	Room	Subfield	Liberal Learning Domain / Civic Responsibility
POL 110 01	American Government	McMahon	M-TH	9:30 AM - 10:50 AM	SOCI 223	American	Behavioral, Social or Cultural Perspectives
POL 110 02	American Government	McMahon	M-TH	11:00 AM - 12:20 PM	SOCI 223	American	Behavioral, Social or Cultural Perspectives
POL 130 01	International Relations	Cho	M-TH	12:30 PM - 1:50 PM	SOCI 225	International	Behavioral, Social or Cultural Perspectives / Global
POL 150 01	Comparative Politics	Chartock	T-F	11:00 AM - 12:20 PM	SOCI 225	Comparative	Behavioral, Social or Cultural Perspectives / Global
POL 200 11	Political Analysis	Willse	M-TH	9:30 AM - 10:50 AM	SOCI 225		Behavioral, Social or Cultural Perspectives, Quantitative Reasoning
POL 220 01	Judicial Politics & Process	Dumas	T-F	11:00 AM - 12:20 PM	BLISS 152	American	Behavioral, Social or Cultural Perspectives
POL 270 01	Topics in Political Science*	Burkey	T-F	9:30 AM - 10:50 AM	SOCI 223	American	Behavioral, Social or Cultural Perspectives / Race & Ethnicity
POL 270 02	Topics in Political Science*	Burkey	T-F	3:30 PM - 4:50 PM	SOCI 223	American	Behavioral, Social or Cultural Perspectives / Race & Ethnicity
POL 316 01	Public Opinion, Voting, and Elections	Bowen	M-TH	12:30 PM - 1:50 PM	SOCI 223	American	Behavioral, Social or Cultural Perspectives
POL 322 01	Constitutional Law II: Civil Rights and Liberties	Dumas	T-F	9:30 AM - 10:50 AM	BLISS 148	American	Behavioral, Social or Cultural Perspectives
POL 330 01	US Foreign Policy	Cho	M-TH	2:00 PM - 3:20 PM	SOCI 225	International	Behavioral, Social or Cultural Perspectives
POL 365 01	Origins of the U.S. Constitution	Brindle	T	5:30 PM - 8:20 PM	SOCI 223	Political Theory	Behavioral, Social or Cultural Perspectives, Social in Historical Perspective
POL 370 02	Topics in Political Science*	McMahon	M-TH	3:30 PM - 4:50 PM	SOCI 223		Behavioral, Social or Cultural Perspectives
POL 372 01	History of American Political Ideas	Burkey	T-F	2:00 PM - 3:20 PM	SOCI 225	Political Theory	Behavioral, Social or Cultural Perspectives
POL 380 01	International Political Economy	Toloudis	T-F	9:30 AM - 10:50 AM	SOCI 225	International	Behavioral, Social or Cultural Perspectives
POL 390 01	Tutorial In Political Science*	McMahon	M-TH	2:00 PM - 3:20 PM	SOCI 131		Behavioral, Social or Cultural Perspectives
POL 498 01	Seminar In Political Science*	Willse	M-TH	2:00 PM - 3:20 PM	SOCI 241		Behavioral, Social or Cultural Perspectives

 

 

Spring 2023 Graduate Course List

 

Spring 2023 Graduate Courses

Students with 24 or more completed units and a 3.0 GPA or better can take one (or both) of the courses and count them as elective credit toward their Political Science major or general unit requirement to graduate. Contact Susan Scibilia at scibilis@tcnj.edu to register.

Course	Title	Faculty	Day	Time	Room
PUBG 501 01	THE POLICY PROCESS IN THEORY & PRACTICE	Willse,Cadence	M-TH	11:00 AM - 12:20 PM	SOCI 241
PUBG 511 01	PROGRAM EVALUATION & CAUSAL INFERENCE FOR POLICY ANALYSIS	Bowen,Daniel	TH	3:30 PM - 6:20 PM	SOCI 241

 

 

Summer 2023 Course List

Course	Title	Faculty	Session	Dates	Instruction Mode	Subfield
POL 130 01	International Relations	Potter	First 5 Week	6/12/23 - 7/13/23	Online Fully Asynchronous	International

 

 

Special Topics & Seminars

 

POL 270-01 & 02: Politics of the Civil Rights Movement

Dr. Maxwell Burkey

“Politics of the Civil Rights Movement” examines different iterations of civil rights protest in American Politics. Beginning with the Black Freedom Struggle, we will analyze the connective tissue between social movements, exploring how the quest for racial justice has often demanded and inspired activism on other fronts. Students will explore primary texts that speak to the meaning and underlying humanism of resistance politics. 

 

POL 370-02: Politics of Homeland Security

Dr. Adam McMahon

More than two decades after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the pursuit of homeland security remains a powerful vehicle through which the federal government has increased its power. Through an interdisciplinary survey of the field we will examine topics including risk management and analysis, threats to the homeland, strategic planning, and the federal role in countering the terrorist threat to name just a few.

 

POL 390-01: Interest Groups

Dr. Adam McMahon

Interest groups are essential to American government. Through an assessment of both outsider and insider tactics including lobbying at the state and national level, we will examine the role these groups play in public policy formation in the United States.

 

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 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 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 316: Public Opinion, Voting, and Elections

A study of the origins, content, and impact of citizen attitudes on the U.S. political system. Particular attention will be given to the impact of public opinion, along with other factors, on voting and elections.

POL 322: Constitutional Law II: Civil Rights and Liberties (please note, the course number and name were recently updated. The course was formerly POL 321/Civil 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 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 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.

POL 372: History of American Political Ideas

Follows the evolution of ideas of major American political theorists and politicians, concerning the individual, community, and world, to develop a framework for evaluating contemporary political thought and practice.

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 review of primary analytical perspectives, historical developments, and major contemporary institutions and processes bearing on the politics of international economics.