Political Science

Admissions

The general regulations of The Graduate School of the University of South Carolina regarding admission, residency, and degree requirements are applicable to all graduate students in the Department of Political Science. In addition to The Graduate School’s application (available online at http://www.gradschool.sc.edu), the department requires that applicants submit materials that will provide evidence of their ability to successfully pursue and complete graduate work.

Admission is open to students with baccalaureate degrees in any field, but it is recommended that students take undergraduate course work in such areas as international studies, political science, history, economics, geography, or public administration. All applicants to the international studies, political science, and public administration degree programs must submit official transcripts of their undergraduate (and graduate) degree programs; scores on the verbal, quantitative, and analytical sections of the GRE; three letters of recommendation; a personal statement; and a resume or curriculum vitae. Applicants whose native language is not English must also submit a TOEFL or IELTS score. Detailed guidelines for all programs can be found at http://www.cas.sc.edu/poli/graduate.html.

Courses

POLI 502 - Methods of Political Analysis (3 Credits)

Quantitative techniques in political science; levels of measurement; problems of description, causation, and inference.

POLI 503 - American Political Thought (3 Credits)

Themes and thinkers in American political history.

POLI 504 - Politics and Ethics (3 Credits)

The nature of, and relationship between, politics and ethics.

Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Professional and Civic Engagement Leadership Experiences

POLI 505 - Utopian Political Thought (3 Credits)

A critical examination of utopian and dystopian political ideas.

POLI 542 - Research in Language Conflict and Language Rights (3 Credits)

Research into the parameters governing linguistic conflicts and language rights issues, involving a close examination of the nexes of language and individual and ethnic identify, culture, dialects, bilingualism. Examination of regional, national, and international case studies, with particular attention to nationalism, language revitalization, and language planning.

Cross-listed course: LING 542

POLI 554 - Law and Society (3 Credits)

The American judicial system, including the decision to resolve disputes by legal means, political influence on the legal system, the social impact of legal rulings, the relationship of the courts to other branches of government, and the applicability of higher law concepts in judicial decision making.

POLI 567 - American Local Government (3 Credits)

An introduction to the institutions, functions, policy-making processes, and politics of American local government.

POLI 569 - State and Local Government (3 Credits)

This course will examine the purpose, structure, and functions of state governments and their local subdivisions. Requires special permission of department. Restricted to social studies teachers.

POLI 570 - South Carolina Government and Politics (3 Credits)

South Carolina state and local government in the context of South Carolina history and U.S. state and local government.

POLI 591 - Special Topics in Political Science (3 Credits)

Intensive study of special topics in Political Science. May be repeated as content varies by title.

POLI 700 - The Political Science Discipline and Profession (3 Credits)

Examines political science as a profession and discipline, reviews teaching techniques and issues, and develops dissertation and original research proposals.

POLI 701 - Theories of Political Inquiry (3 Credits)

A brief overview of the growth of the social sciences and of the history of the American discipline of political science in the 20th century, including an examination of the rise of behavioralism. Study of the principles of neo-positivist political inquiry, including problems of empirical research and research design.

POLI 702 - Institutional and Behavioral Theories of Politics (3 Credits)

Introduction to the institutional and behavioral theories used to explain political phenomena.

Prerequisites: POLI 701.

POLI 703 - Democratic Theory (3 Credits)

Critical study of theories of democracy.

POLI 704 - Political Theory and Feminism (3 Credits)

How contemporary feminist theory has responded to and reformulated traditional theories about the role and nature of women.

Cross-listed course: WGST 704

POLI 705 - Theory of Marxism (3 Credits)

Critical study of the development of Marxist theory.

POLI 706 - Advanced Methods of Political Analysis (3 Credits)

Advanced techniques and approaches to multivariate analysis of empirical data in the context of political problems and events.

Prerequisites: POLI 502 or POLI 515.

POLI 707 - Classics of Political Theory (3 Credits)

Introduction to the nature and tradition of political theory; readings from selected political theorists.

POLI 708 - Women in American Politics (3 Credits)

Impact of gender in American politics; elections, representation, rights, social movements, legal institutions, and public policy. Explores class, race, and sexuality issues within gender.

Cross-listed course: WGST 708

POLI 709 - Qualitative Methods of Political Analysis (3 Credits)

Techniques and approaches to qualitative analysis of political problems and events. Topics include field research, interviewing, case studies, content analysis, archival research, and presentation of data.

POLI 710 - Introduction to International Relations (3 Credits)

An introduction to the field of international relations, including causes of war, world order, international distribution of wealth, durability of state system, and the individual in the world system.

POLI 711 - Directed Research in Political Science (3 Credits)

Political science Ph.D. students will work with a faculty mentor in their primary field to produce an original paper suitable for presentation at a national or regional professional conference.

POLI 715 - International Relations Theory (3 Credits)

Systematic survey, analysis, and comparison of major contemporary theoretical works in international relations.

POLI 717 - Comparative Foreign Policy (3 Credits)

A seminar treating the development, interests, formulation, and conduct of the modern foreign policies of selected states, with special reference to their interactions with other states' policies.

POLI 718 - Revolution and Politics (3 Credits)

An analytical investigation of political violence in the international arena, its sources, internal and external bases, and consequences for political behavior within and among states in the contemporary international system.

POLI 719 - Political and Social Change (3 Credits)

Systematic survey, analysis, and comparison of major contemporary theoretical works on political and social change.

POLI 720 - Political Communication (3 Credits)

The role of communication in creating collective political reality, with particular attention to how governmental, economic, professional, and cultural factors influence media organizations.

POLI 721 - Race and Public Policy| (3 Credits)

A survey of the most recent and state-of-the-art scholarship on race and American policy.

POLI 724 - Religion and Politics (3 Credits)

Religion as a factor in the comparative politics and international relations of states and societies.

Cross-listed course: RELG 724

POLI 725 - International Conflict (3 Credits)

Survey, analysis, and comparison of theory and research findings on the nature, conditions, and causes of international conflict and violence.

POLI 726 - Seminar in Judicial Politics (3 Credits)

An introduction to the academic literature on American courts and judicial politics.

POLI 727 - Models for Understanding Political Institutions (3 Credits)

A survey of the literature on empirical and game theory methods.

Prerequisites: POLI 502 and POLI 706.

POLI 728 - Judicial Politics in Europe and the Common Law World (3 Credits)

A comparative study of courts of Europe and the and the common law courts of modern democracies (especially Australia, Canada, India, and the United Kingdom). US state courts will also be examined from a comparative perspective.

POLI 729 - Courts in Developing Countries (3 Credits)

A comparative study of courts, judicial process, and judicial behavior, and the role of courts in politics focusing on the common law and civil law courts of Latin America, Africa, and Asia.

POLI 731 - Government and Politics of Latin America (3 Credits)

This course examines the nature of democracy and democratic transitions, the relationship between economic and political development, and the causes and effects of different economic development strategies in Latin America.

POLI 732 - International Law (3 Credits)

Study of the role of law in international relations, emphasizing both substantive and theoretical problems relating to development of systems of law in such areas as war, protection of human rights, outer space and oceans, and international commerce.

POLI 733 - International Organization (3 Credits)

Examination of theoretical and substantive problems relating to the development and functioning of international intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations.

POLI 734 - Economics of International Politics (3 Credits)

Study of the international political significance of economic issues relating to monetary reform, trade, aid, and economic development.

POLI 735 - International Cooperation (3 Credits)

Approaches to the study of international cooperation, including international integration, community formation, regime formation, interdependence, international institutionalization, and global governance.

POLI 736 - Public Opinion and Political Attitudes (3 Credits)

Examines the determinants, content, and consequences of citizens' political beliefs and attitudes with attention to political culture, ideology, issue dynamics, and popular support for democratic principles.

POLI 737 - Nationalism and Politics (3 Credits)

Proseminar on the politics of nationalism from both the political sociology and international relations perspectives.

POLI 740 - Formulation and Conduct of United States Foreign Policy (3 Credits)

Study of the constitutional bases, institutions, instruments, and decision-making processes of U.S. foreign policy.

POLI 741 - Contemporary United States Foreign Policy (3 Credits)

Analysis and interpretation of the substantive problems of contemporary U.S. foreign policy.

POLI 742 - Problems in National Security (3 Credits)

Continuing problems and competing strategies involved in formulating a national security strategy for the U.S. Issues include the defense structure and budget; the National Security Council and the decision-making process; the volunteer Army and the role of the military in society; nuclear weapons and arms control.

POLI 745 - Russian Foreign Policy (3 Credits)

Study of the foreign policy of Russia and the other states of the former Soviet Union, including consideration of historical developments, institutions, capabilities, and strategic objectives.

POLI 746 - Chinese Foreign Policy (3 Credits)

A seminar on the Chinese tradition in foreign policy and the foreign policies of the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China, emphasizing the impact of domestic Chinese affairs on their foreign relations in the post-World War II period.

POLI 747 - Japanese Foreign Policy (3 Credits)

A seminar on the foreign policy of Japan with emphasis on the post-World War II period and on the analysis of Japanese objectives and capabilities in international relations.

POLI 749 - International Relations of the Middle East (3 Credits)

Foreign policies and international relations of the Middle East, focusing on relations within the region and with the West and Soviet bloc.

POLI 751 - Policy Analysis 1 (3 Credits)

Introduction to the theory and practice of policy analysis.

POLI 752 - Policy Analysis II: Advanced Policy Analysis (3 Credits)

Overview of methods used to evaluate public policies.

Prerequisites: POLI 771 or equivalent.

POLI 753 - Capstone Seminar in Public Administration (3 Credits)

Critical issues in public administration; term project integrating the material from other courses in the analysis of a contemporary problem. Field work and applied project required.

Prerequisites: 30 credit hours MPA program.

POLI 754 - Public Accountability and Ethics (3 Credits)

An examination of the legal, political, professional, and organizational accountability demands made on administrators; the interplay of these demands with the needs for ethical decision making and integrity.

POLI 755 - Grants Administration (3 Credits)

Analysis of grant and contract functions in government agencies; proposal writing; legal and fiscal requirements of grants administration.

Cross-listed course: EDRM 800

POLI 756 - Introduction to Planning and Politics in the United States (3 Credits)

Overview of contemporary planning in the United States at local, state, and national levels, with emphasis on the politics of planning at the local level of government. Includes theory of planning, history, problems in the planning process, and implementation of planning.

POLI 757 - Health Politics (3 Credits)

Analysis of issues and forces affecting health delivery through the public sector; major models of political decision making; and current health legislation.

Prerequisites: HSPM 700 and HSPM 782.

POLI 758 - The State and Economic Life (3 Credits)

A study of the relation of government to the economy in the modern world, including theories of the economic functions of the state.

POLI 759 - Information Systems and Public Administration (3 Credits)

The development and uses of information systems in local, state, and federal administrative agencies with emphasis on the management of information systems in the public agency environment; the problems of interagency and intergovernmental relations; the politics of technological innovation; privacy, confidentiality, and security and information policy; and the role of information technology in democratic government.

POLI 760 - American Government and Politics (3 Credits)

Advanced survey of the institutions and processes of the American political system.

POLI 761 - American National Government for Professionals (3 Credits)

Fundamental institutions, processes, values, and policies of the U.S. political system. Designed for master's and non-degree students in education, public administration, and business administration.

POLI 762 - Politics of the Budgetary Process (3 Credits)

Analysis of the political, economic, and social influences on the budgetary process.

POLI 763 - Legislative Process and Behavior (3 Credits)

The structure, organization, powers, functions, and problems of legislative bodies in America; the behavior of members of those bodies, with emphasis on the United States Congress.

POLI 764 - Problems of the Presidency (3 Credits)

A seminar on the problems of the contemporary presidency. Various approaches to the study of the presidency will be used as a means to uncovering and examining some of the major problems connected with the role of the president in the American system of government. Leading exponents of various approaches will be read and discussed.

POLI 765 - Political Parties and Interest Groups (3 Credits)

Intensive examination of contemporary development of political organizations in the United States.

POLI 766 - Electoral Behavior (3 Credits)

Examination of electoral behavior, including historical patterns in electoral history and forces affecting individual voting behavior such as partisan and class loyalties, political socialization, political attitudes, and candidate appeals. The role played by elections in the larger political system.

POLI 767 - State Government (3 Credits)

State government problems and policy issues. Emphasis on the modernization of government institutions and comparative state politics.

POLI 768 - Local Government Administration (3 Credits)

Administration of local government from the perspective of the professional administrator. Emphasis on the growth of the manager form of local government and the role of local government administrators with regard to policy making, management, and the delivery of services.

POLI 769 - Environmental Policy and Management (3 Credits)

An examination of issues related to environmental policy making, implementation and management.

Cross-listed course: ENVR 802

POLI 770 - Perspectives on Public Administration (3 Credits)

The study and practice of public administration in the United States.

POLI 771 - Public Data Analysis (3 Credits)

Problems of gathering and using public data for public administrators and policy analysts. Includes problems of research design and data gathering, interpretation, and use in the analysis of public problems.

Prerequisites: POLI 502.

POLI 772 - Contemporary Administrative Organization (3 Credits)

An examination of the problems, processes and theories of communication, decision making, agency planning, and control in administrative agencies.

POLI 773 - Human Resources Administration in Government (3 Credits)

Organization, techniques, and theories of personnel management; interpersonal relations in organizations; personnel change and development; changing conditions in the public service.

POLI 774 - The Public Policy Process (3 Credits)

An examination of the public policy process, including the role of public officials in the process and constraints on its outcomes.

POLI 775 - Financial Administration (3 Credits)

Organization and techniques of governmental financial management; budgetary theories, intergovernmental financial relations.

POLI 776 - Policy Formation and Program Planning (3 Credits)

Conceptual and analytic issues in formation and planning of public policies and programs, including problem identification, goal setting and criteria formulation, forecasting, prospective evaluation research, and modeling of programmatic cost and outcomes.

POLI 777 - Policy Evaluation (3 Credits)

Conceptual and analytic issues in policy and program evaluation, including problem definition, goal setting and criteria formulation, design of evaluation research, indicator design, treatments of uncertainty, and special problems raised by constraints of the political context.

POLI 778 - Practicum in Public Administration (3 Credits)

Selected problems in public administration. May be repeated or taken simultaneously as topics vary. Variations will be announced in the schedule of classes by title.

POLI 779 - Public Administration Internship (3 Credits)

CL: 2020.

POLI 780 - Theories of Comparative Politics (3 Credits)

Survey, analysis, and comparison of major contemporary theoretical works in comparative politics.

POLI 781 - Government and Politics of Japan (3 Credits)

Explores the key institutions, actors, and processes of contemporary Japanese domestic politics.

POLI 782 - Problems in Chinese Government and Politics (3 Credits)

The Chinese political tradition as it has merged with Communist theory and practice with special attention to problems of regionalism, localism, and central planning.

POLI 783 - Dynamics of Middle East Politics (3 Credits)

The comparative politics of the Arab countries and inter-Arab relations. Comparative analysis is used to study common political problems (authority, participation, integration) and political structures. Aspects of inter-Arab relations analyzed include: Arab unity, the Israeli conflicts, and East-West competition.

POLI 784 - Government and Politics of Europe (3 Credits)

Proseminar in European politics. Themes include party systems and voting behavior, parliamentary politics, public policy, democratization and privatization in Central and Eastern Europe, and research on the European Union.

POLI 785 - Contemporary Russian Politics (3 Credits)

An examination of current domestic issues in Russia and other states of the former Soviet Union, focusing on the institutions, processes, and results of policy decisions.

POLI 786 - Comparative Political Institutions (3 Credits)

Survey of theoretical and empirical work on democratic political institutions.

POLI 789 - Master of International Studies Internship (3-6 Credits)

Internships in various public, non-profit, and private organizations and agencies under joint supervision of agency personnel and departmental internship program director. Master of International Studies students only.

Prerequisites: Contract approved by departmental internship program director.

POLI 790A - Independent Readings in Political Science (1-3 Credits)

CL: 2020.

POLI 790B - Independent Readings in International Studies (1-3 Credits)

CL: 2020.

POLI 791 - Selected Topics in American Politics (3 Credits)