Course List

Key concepts in policy making, including policy analysis and decision making in complex social and technical settings. Policy process theories and evaluation tools. Concepts of governance including public values, ethics, and variable impacts across communities. Relationships among public policy decision processes and science, technology, and engineering, including disciplinary norms. Pre: Graduate standing.

Analysis of challenges related to power and ethics in the design of political research. Special emphasis on research question formulation, case selection, identification of sources, and qualitative research methods. Pre: Graduate standing.

The purposes, problems, and strategies of political science research, emphasizing concept and hypothesis formulation, operationalization, research design, data collection techniques, data processing, and multivariate data analysis.

The purposes, problems, and strategies of political science research, emphasizing concept and hypothesis formulation, operationalization, research design, data collection techniques, data processing, and multivariate data analysis.

In-depth case-based exploration of roles of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in policy-making. Application of theories, concepts and practices for policy decision-making, including stakeholder engagement, human behavior, and organizational development. Critical examination of ethics, and fostering of reflective practice. Implications of big data and modeling in decision-making. Pre: Graduate standing.

Techniques for translating theory-driven, qualitative concepts into quantitative data-focused modeling to address policy problems. Quantitative and computational tools including statistical inference and hypothesis testing, system dynamics, and economic analysis. Modeling paradigms and common challenges in modeling. Modern data analytic practices, including good collection, storage and visualization techniques. Problem definitions and application to real-world policy-related problems and implementation in modern software packages. Understanding complexity. Critical evaluation of challenges and common pitfalls in quantitative modeling. Pre: Graduate standing.

Seminar for Science, Technology, and Engineering in Policy (STEP) program students. Presentation of research on the intersections of science, technology, engineering, math, and health (STEM-H), public policy, and ethics. Professional development. Research resources and tools. Project management and funding opportunities. Publishing standards and processes across disciplines. STEM-H and policy practitioner engagement. Multidisciplinary communication. May be repeated up to six times, as seminar and presentation topics will change each semester. Pass/Fail only. Pre: Graduate standing.

Selected topics in contemporary political theory, including different models of social science inquiry and the use of basic concepts like power, ideology, rationality, and the state in the study of politics.

Analysis of selected perspectives on politics including: rational choice theory, critical theory, neo-marxism, neo-conservatism, post-industrialism, and post-structuralism.

Gendered constructs and practices shaping women’s incorporation in political institutions in global politics. Effects of women's inclusion on policy outcomes, perceptions of women in power, and patterns of governance. Research techniques (qualitative and quantitative) employed in contemporary studies of women in national level politics worldwide.

Examines theoretical issues in the study of global conflicts. Reviews theories of nationalism, states and territory as factors. Examines dynamics of contemporary conflicts from different regions of globe as case studies illustrating theoretical issues. Reviews role of leaders in conflict processes. Graduate standing.

Overview of the dynamics, policies, governance, and citizenship regimes associated with the phenomenon of transnational migration. The course will emphasize local, national, and supranational examples and comparisons to explore these themes. Graduate standing.

The legislative process in American state and federal governments including recruitment of members, organization and functioning of legislative systems, and relations with both constituents and other branches.

The executive office and bureaucracy of American state and federal governments including recruitment, organization of executive branches, decision making, leadership styles, and relations with other branches.

The American judicial system including recruitment of personnel, uses of the courts, judicial policy, relations with other branches, judicial behavior, and the impact of court decisions.

Approaches to the study of political behavior including political psychology, rational choice, biopolitics, socialization, communication, public opinion, and political participation.

Approaches to policy analysis and program evaluation including the techniques appropriate to various stages of the policy process.

Examines policy developments and practices that move beyond the conceptual divisions and policy operations begun during the 1970s, which largely divided the more natural science- based environmental sciences from social science-based environmental based studies. Mixes the insights of life science, physical science, social science, applied humanities, and public policy into a cohesive conceptual and operational approach to environmental protection in the 21st century. Graduate standing.

Examines applications of information technology in government from the point of view of governments and citizens. Survey of the relationship between e-government e-democracy and of government management techniques. Explores problematic issues related to e-government, such as privacy, the digital divide, and information security.

Place-based identities and intersectional inequalities. Influence of these interrelated dimensions on the study of forced and voluntary migrations within and across national borders, and such discourses as home, belonging, nationhood, and citizenship.

Political patterns and processes of development in selected democracies in Europe, North America, and Asia emphasizing the political problems of contemporary industrial societies and their likely evolution in a post-industrial era.

Political processes and developmental trends in communist and post-communist systems in Russia and other CIS states, Eastern Europe, the Peoples Republic of China, and the Third World. Current economic, political, and social issues and their likely development.

Political structures, economic growth, and cultural frameworks of developing nations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America emphasizing the political and economic challenges of industrial development in a global economy.

Theories of international organizations and relations among nations focusing on research in foreign policy formulation and implementation, international integration, conflict resolution, and global political economy.

In-depth study and critical evaluation of selected complex issues related to information technology, society, governance, and public policy. Focused attention is given to theoretical and methodological foundations of the area of inquiry and to specific domains of policymaking and implementation. Topics will be selected from IT-related issues in such areas of concern as: cities, local communities, nonprofit organizations, governments, and global networks. May be repeated on a different topic. Must meet prerequisite or have permission of the instructor.

Provides an overview of the critical study of security in world politics. Introduces alternative conceptualizations of security to the military-focused, state-centric security/strategic studies. Considers constructivist, post-structuralist and critical theoretic attempts to conceptualize the nature of security. Compares and contrasts these approaches with widely-accepted understandings of security in light of key debates in contemporary security studies.

Examination of the norms, institutions and practices developed by the international community to address systemic global governance problems: genocide, failed states, transnational corruption, displaced persons, AIDS, poverty. Role of United States in World community examined. Power of international organizations versus states. Capacity problems of both. Future of United Nations and global governance considered. Graduate standing.

Covers U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War, the stalemate with the Soviet Union, armament and arms control, containment and deterrence, detente and Reaganism, and the end of the Cold War. Briefly covers events from 1989 to the present. Designed for students with an interest in foreign policy and global affairs. Prereqs or instructors permission.

Examines the key theoretical sources and major practical applications of discourse analysis as a contemporary social science methodology. Origins, major variants, and critical uses of discourse analysis in cultural studies, semiotic methods, policy analysis, and organizational communication techniques also are considered. Graduate standing.

Security examined as an essentially contested concept. Traditional national security and emergent global security discourses and agendas explained. Security institutions and organizations analyzed. Questions of power, identity and representation examined as factors delimiting security conceptions, practices and agendas. Graduate standing.

Course offers a historical and analytical evaluation of U.S. foreign policy after this epochal change especially with regard to the war on terror, geopolitics in the Middle East, and relations with new global powers after the end of the Cold War.

Historical origins, institutional foundations, and theoretical interpretations of cultural, political, and social interaction through computer mediated communication are examined. Particular attention is given to new types of discourse, sources of power, and structures of society at all geographical levels in global computer and communications networks.

Considers the role of the arts in society, including architecture, music companies, or theater productions to heritage sites, science museums, and art galleries. Effective arts policy in revitalizing urban economies also examined. Graduate standing.

Course provides a broad introduction to the key ideas, actors and institutions related to environmental politics and policy in the United States, with some coverage of global issues. It is intended to provide students with basic interdisciplinary knowledge and an intellectual framework for understanding and thinking critically about environmental politics and policy.

Dynamics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Critical issues that underlie the conflict and divide Israel and the Palestinians. Diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the conflict. Pre: Graduate standing.

Comprehensive guide to contemporary conflict resolution. Strategies and approaches for mitigating and resolving conflict. Process of conflict transformation and reconciliation. Pre: Graduate standing.

International mechanisms for development and protection of womens' human rights and their legal, political and cultural dimensions. Methods of strengthening and improving these mechanisms to prevent and respond to womens human rights violations. Pre: Graduate standing.

Development and institutionalization of transatlantic political, economic, and security relations. Bilateral and multilateral cooperation frameworks. Theoretical, historical, civilizational, and cultural approaches to the study of transatlantic relations. Impact of the changing security context, domestic politics, and national interests on the evolution of transatlantic relations and common identity. Political and economic causes of tensions and discord between the United States and its European allies and their impact on European security and world order.

Theories of European integration. History, organizational structure, political dynamics, decision-making mechanisms, and policy-making processes of the European Union (EU). EU’s political system and international actorness. Survey of EU’s major internal and external policies and their impact on transatlantic political, economic, and security relations.

The politics of European economic integration. Organizational structure, decision-making mechanisms, policy-making processes, and policies of major European and transatlantic economic institutions, such as the European Union (EU), the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), the European Economic Area (EEA), the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Domestic politics and their impact on European and transatlantic economic organizations.

Examination of the political and economic development in Europe. Identification and analysis of the factors leading to the transformation of European politics and markets. Exploration of government, parliamentary, electoral, judicial and party systems in Europe. Investigation of the relationship between state and society in Europe. Examination of the impact of political culture and ideologies on political participation and organized political movements. Investigation of the role of the media and public opinion in European politics.

Exploration of European security governance. Scope, evolution, structure, decision-making mechanisms, policy-making processes, policies and operations of major security organizations in Europe, such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the European Foreign & Security Policy (CFSP) and Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP), the Council of Europe (CoE), and the Organization for Security & Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Identification and analysis of the politics and interests affecting their operation.

Application of approaches in political science to critical studies of governance, security, and the environment at subnational, national, and international levels. Advantages and disadvantages of critical approaches to environmental problems. Design of applied research projects in political science and for national and international policymakers.

Critical analysis of geopolitics as spatial discourse about world politics. Examines major concepts in critical geopolitics. Critically reads colonial, fascist, Cold War and post-Cold War geopolitical discourses. Discusses geopolitical knowledge in popular culture. Reviews latest research in the field of critical geopolitics. Graduate standing required.

 Surveys the interface of globalization and security and the changing paradigm of security within global society. Reviews the impact of globalization on traditional understandings of state security and provides an advanced understanding of the emerging challenges and threats to human and state security. May be repeated with a different topic content for a maximum of twelve (12) credits.

Provides a comprehensive guide to the understanding of contemporary power pressures and responses to global economic and financial change along with its political and social repercussions. Reviews the fields of international political economy, demonstrates the various approaches to adherence and resistance to globalization, and explores the dynamics of the relationship between states and markets.

Analysis of selected European political issues. Democracy and populism. Nationalism, fascism and racism. Religion and religious radicalism. Culture and society in European urban and rural areas and its impact on contemporary European politics. Gender politics and attitudes towards women and LGBTQ in Europe. Social foundations and cultural determinants of marginalization of social groups, migrants and refugees. May be repeated three times with different content for a maximum of twelve (12) credits.

Selected political, cultural, religious, economic, diplomatic and security issues pertaining to transatlantic relations. Topics under examination include: impact of religion and culture on transatlantic relations; US-EU relations and European security; the transatlantic partnership and world order.

In-depth analysis of selected European Union (EU) policies. Topics under examination include the EU's Common Foreign & Security Policy (CFSP), Common Security &Defense Policy (CSDP), environmental policy, energy policy, and climate policy. Organizational structures, decision-making mechanisms, and policy-making processes. Governmental and non-governmental actors and policy-making. Analysis of policy results and effectiveness.

In-depth analysis of major issues in European security. Topics under examination include the relations between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU) and their impact on European security; Russia and European security; British foreign and security policy and its impact on European security and transatlantic relations; contemporary threats to European security; and European conflicts and conflict management.

Examination of past and present eras of globalization through various theoretical perspectives. Addresses colonialism and emergence of western models for development of poor countries. Controversies about impacts of current globalization on the nation-state, cultures, ecosystems, and racial/ethnic/gender inequalities. Explores present trends, such as globalization of agriculture and food systems, industrial production, migration, human rights, and anti-globalization resistance. Prerequisite may be substituted for any equivalent 5000 level international course.

Forms of ultra or enhanced democracy outside of state institutions, particularly those developing in third sector organizations, theories of democracy and research on functioning deliberative democracies at the grassroots level, in societal or international institutions. Graduate standing required.

Application of security analysis tools to national security issues. Domestic and international security contexts, actors, and processes. Contemporary challenges to national security such as cyber-threats, terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, pandemics and environmental threats, organized crime, drug and human trafficking, state failure and state- building, and migration.

Contemporary environmental politics. Impact of global climate, economic, and social change on the environment. Political and social repercussions of environmental challenges. Analysis of the dynamic relationships between states and markets in the context of environmental change. May be repeated with different content up to 9 credit hours.