This course presents an entry level overview of the discipline of political science. The material will focus on the basic theories, concepts, methods, and enduring questions of political science. The course will address all four sub-fields of political science: American politics, comparative politics, international relations and political theory. Students gain a foundation of knowledge and analytical skills necessary to understand modern politics in a historical context. 3 Credits
3 Credits

This course is a basic course in the structure, principles, and functions of American political institutions through which the people of the United States govern themselves. The federal government is emphasized, and the course examines the following topics: The American Presidency, Congress, the Supreme Court, executive power, legislative power, civil liberties, elections, politics, voting theories, constitutional law, public opinion, ideology, social cleavages and forecasting elections. 3 Credits
3 Credits

This courseis a basic course in the structure, principles, and functions of American political institutions through which the people of the United States govern themselves. The federal government is emphasized. 3 Credits
3 Credits

This course is an introduction to the study of political science and comparative politics. This course introduces students to comparative politics and the study of domestic political institutions, processes and citizen/governmental interactions across national boundaries. Important themes, in the course include, the vibrancy of democracy, political parties, elections, civic duty, political institutions, electoral institutions, civil unrest, revolutions, power, and the interactive concepts of ethnicity, religion and socio-economic status. Several different nations will be studied, including Germany, France, England, Japan, Israel, Egypt, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Netherlands, Russia, Poland, and Norway. This course is very ideal for students who are interested in foreign politics, institutions, cultures and are curious about studying abroad. 3 Credits
3 Credits

This course examines the international political system. The course emphasizes examining international actors such as the United Nations and other inter-governmental organizations. Ideal for students who are interested in global events and foreign cultures, this class spends a great deal of time applying international relation theories to contemporary global issues, and explores many theoretical concepts such as human nature, ethnicity, religion and other human factors that aide us in explaining global conflict. The concepts of national interest, power, and constructs of the nation-state paradigm, as well as the social, economic and political factors of contemporary conflicts in the world, as they interact with large international actors and nation states, are covered. 3 Credit Course
3 Credits

Course description unavailable, please contact Academic Services. Please try again at a later time 1 Credits
1 Credits

This course is a basic introduction to the judicial process, with specific emphasis on federal criminal procedure. Students will learn the methods that the government uses to detect, investigate, apprehend, prosecute, convict, and punish criminals. It will cover the most common crimes prosecuted in American courts, including homicide, sexual assault, and theft, and common defenses, including insanity and self-defense. The course will first give an overview of criminal law and the American court system, and will then proceed to go through the constitutional provisions of criminal procedure chronologically as they occur in real life. The criminal justice system depends on the successful handling of evidence, and the last part of the course will emphasize the rules for the admissibility of evidence and the safeguards the Constitution provides for criminal defendants. 3 Credits
3 Credits

This course covers critical and canonical contributions in the field of political theory. Emphasis is placed on political reasoning and critical thinking, and questions of the purpose of government and law, justice, civil society and disobedience, and equality are addressed. Classical, modern and American thinkers will be covered chronologically. 3 Credits
3 Credits

This course examines the origins and development of our nation's basic law, the Constitution of the United States of America. It blends the historical, legal and philosophical perspectives on our country's founding document, beginning with the intellectual and historical background through the drafting of the Constitution. Topics to be covered in the first part of the course include: the convention debates, the contributions of the framers, the ratification debates, and the Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers. This is followed with the historical development of political practices under the Constitution and various theories of the Constitution. The last section of the class provides an examination of various areas of Constitutional Law.
Prerequisites: POLS1020 and COSK2220 or COSK2225 3 Credits
3 Credits

The American Presidency is one of the most visible, important, and powerful institutions in the world. This class will focus on the presidency as an institution within the American political system, but will also contextualize the office by paying attention to the officeholders. The presidency consists of two main subjects, the man who holds the office and the office itself. A classic normative question often posed when discussing the presidency is, does the presidency make the man, or does the man make the office? Furthermore, some scholars suggest that the Office is Noble, not the Man. This course will explore the many different functions of the president, both as head of State and head of Government; presidential power, its ebb and flow; the president?s interaction with other political institutions, i.e. the Congress and the Supreme Court; how presidents are elected; the presidency and public opinion; several theories related to the presidency, and finally both the presidency as a political institution within a political system and the actors who serve as presidency. One of our main focuses of the class will be presidential rhetoric.
Prerequisite: HIST1100, HIST1200 or POLS1020 3 Credits
3 Credits

This course is an analysis of the development and objectives of United States foreign policy. Special attention is focused on Far Eastern, Middle Eastern, and Latin American policies, the involvement in world wars, the end of the policy of isolation, and the expansion of the American role in foreign affairs since 1945. This course is usually offered only in the winter term.
Prerequisite: POLS1040 3 Credits
3 Credits

Political parties and elections are essential to the structure of every modern democratic state. Though originally the American political system excluded parties, they quickly became integral to the US political order. This class studies their theoretical foundation, historical development, functions and organization. It introduces students to psephology, the study of elections, including realignment theory and critical election theory, theories of voting behavior, turnout, and civic duty. Students analyze contemporary approaches in the study of elections and produce their own approach.
Prerequisites: POLS1020 and COSK2220 or COSK2225 3 Credits
3 Credits

This course will focus on and analyze case law tracing the development of civil liberty litigation throughout American history, with emphasis on the First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments. It teaches how to brief case law and analyze difficult constitutional questions. Students will gain a better understanding of the complexity of the American legal system and the American concept of liberty.
Prerequisite: POLS1020 or POLS1025 3 Credits
3 Credits

This course examines city and state government and politics in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The political and legal structure of city and state government in Pennsylvania is examined, as well as interest groups, public opinion, political parties, campaigns and elections. Major current local and state issues are covered as well. 3 Credits
3 Credits

Course description unavailable, please contact Academic Services.

3 Credits

This class introduces students to the Israeli political system, including its main political actors and institutions, domestic and foreign policy, political history and culture, and the conflict with the Palestinians. It also looks at how Israel is shaped by social cleavages regarding religion, ethnicity, language and social class.
Prerequisite: POLS1040 3 Credits
3 Credits

This course will provide in-depth exploration and analysis of selected topics in political theory. Topics will focus on a specific theme indicated by course title listed in that semester's schedule of courses.
Prerequisite: POLS1020 60+ credits 3 Credits
3 Credits

This is the capstone course for political science majors. Building upon the content knowledge achieved in prior coursework, this course provides students with an opportunity to work with a faculty mentor and the seminar director to complete and present a research project. Topics to be explored include the evaluation of existing research, selecting and refining a research topic, utilizing databases in the social sciences, research methods, and writing a research report. Students will conduct an approved research project, write a report, create PowerPoint slides and present their project to the class
Prerequisites: SOSC3800, 90 credit hours and permission of the Department Head 3 Credits
3 Credits

This course allows students to obtain practical, real world experience through the opportunity to work in a government, government affairs, political or law office or campaign which is consistent with the student?s career goals. Successful completion of the course requires 120 hours of supervised professional activity, as well as completion of academic requirements established by the department.
Prerequisites: 90 credits and permission of the Department Head 1 Credits
1 Credits

These three one-credit courses allows students to obtain practical, real world experience through the opportunity to work in a government, government affairs, political or law office or campaign which is consistent with the student?s career goals. Successful completion of the course requires 120 hours of supervised professional activity, as well as completion of academic requirements established by the department.
Prerequisites: 90 credit hours and permission of the Department Head 2 Credits
2 Credits

These three one-credit courses allows students to obtain practical, real world experience through the opportunity to work in a government, government affairs, political or law office or campaign which is consistent with the student?s career goals. Successful completion of the course requires 120 hours of supervised professional activity, as well as completion of academic requirements established by the department.
Prerequisites: 90 credit hours and permission of the Department Head 3 Credits
3 Credits

Course description unavailable, please contact Academic Services.

5 Credits