Political Science
Todd Shaw, Chair
The department offers the Bachelor of Arts degree with majors in political science and international studies. Students can pursue either a general or intensive major in either political science or international studies.
Courses
Introduction to theories about global politics. Issues and controversies central to global politics.
Carolina Core: GSS
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning
Concepts and problems involved in human relationship with governments, the nation-state, and political change.
An introduction to the analysis of disputes about the nature of politics and of political ideas such as freedom, equality, and justice.
An introduction to the analysis of contentious public policy questions in contemporary American society, such as welfare, gun control, health care financing, immigration, affirmative action, and/or abortion.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Diversity and Social Advocacy
An introduction to the analysis of key issues in contemporary American politics focusing on the arguments, the groups involved, and the political factors that influence the outcome of the debate.
Interdisciplinary seminar combining the intellectual exploration of ecological perspectives with the physical exploration of the local environment. First-year students only.
Cross-listed course: ENVR 121
Interdisciplinary seminar on designing, researching, and implementing collaborative projects to promote ecological sustainability. First-year students only.
Cross-listed course: ENVR 122
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Community Service, GLD: Research
The formation and development of the national government, its organization and powers. Overlay Course.
Carolina Core: GSS, VSR
The policies and functions of the American national government directed to the public issues and problems of contemporary America.
Conceptions and models, values and pitfalls, strategies and skills of leadership and of leaders in diverse contexts
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Professional and Civic Engagement Leadership Experiences
Examination of linguistic conflict and rights, as well as centrality of language rights to human rights and personal/cultural identity. Basic facts without language related to identify, culture, attitudes, dialects, bilingualism. Case studies (local, national, international) with particular attention to nationalism, language revitalization, language planning.
Cross-listed course: LING 240
Carolina Core: VSR
An overview of major themes in political philosophy such as the nature of politics, obligation, community, representation, freedom, equality, and justice.
Cross-listed course: PHIL 330
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Professional and Civic Engagement Leadership Experiences
The history and development of approaches, methods, and fields of study in political science.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Research
Political theories from the Greeks to the Renaissance.
Carolina Core: VSR
Political theories from the Renaissance to the 19th century.
Carolina Core: VSR
Nineteenth and 20th century political theories.
Carolina Core: VSR
Historical and contemporary power relationships in race, social class, gender, and sexual orientation.
Cross-listed course: SOCY 304, WGST 304
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Community Service, GLD: Diversity and Social Advocacy, GLD: Professional and Civic Engagement Leadership Experiences
Historical development of feminist theory and contemporary debates within feminism.
Cross-listed course: WGST 307
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Diversity and Social Advocacy, GLD: Professional and Civic Engagement Leadership Experiences
International political behavior and institutions.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning
Comparative approaches to political systems, behavior, and institutions.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning
An introduction to the structure and functions of international political and economic organizations. Particular attention to the United Nations and its specialized agencies, and to emerging regional communities.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning
An analysis of how contemporary United States foreign policy is made and conducted.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning
A critical analysis of selected problems of United States foreign policy.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning
Formulation and implementation of contemporary United States defense and security policies.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning
A broad survey of the role and development of public attitudes toward political problems in a democracy. Emphasis on the origins, manifestations, and consequences of public opinion in American politics.
Impact of gender on the distribution of power in society; foundations for intersections of gender, race, social class, and sexuality and their economic, social, and political concomitants.
Cross-listed course: WGST 352
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Diversity and Social Advocacy, GLD: Professional and Civic Engagement Leadership Experiences
Survey of theories of the impact of race, ethnicity, and racism on American politics, and analysis of major policies and racial group experience regarding American citizenship.
Cross-listed course: AFAM 353
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Diversity and Social Advocacy, GLD: Professional and Civic Engagement Leadership Experiences
Critical analysis of film as expression and agent of political cultural, ideology, and change.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Diversity and Social Advocacy
A broad survey of the role of political parties in the American political system. Following an examination of the historical evolution of party systems in the United States, primary attention is given to three aspects of contemporary political parties: the party as an organization, the party as an electorate, and the party as a governing elite.
An analysis of elections and the voting process. Topics include candidate selection, campaigning, and the conduct of elections as well as public opinion, voting behavior, and the role of elections in the democratic political system.
Survey of the role in American politics of mass communications media, including the press and electronic news reporting; influence of mass media on the conduct of political campaigns, political leadership style, and public opinion.
Selected political patterns and trends within the 11 states of the American South. Historical developments with the central focus on Southern politics since 1950.
African-American politics from the colonial period to the present. Emphasis on voting rights and strategies to advance black representation.
Cross-listed course: AFAM 364
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Diversity and Social Advocacy, GLD: Professional and Civic Engagement Leadership Experiences
A study of state-federal relations, relations among states, state constitutions, and the structure and functions of the three branches of government. Emphasis is given to South Carolina.
The mobilization, organization, tactics, and results of group-based politics, including latent interests and the suppression of interests.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Diversity and Social Advocacy, GLD: Professional and Civic Engagement Leadership Experiences
A study of the basic principles and theory of administrative structure, responsibility, and control in relation to policy making in the modern state.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Professional and Civic Engagement Leadership Experiences
Principles and practices of financial administration, including organization, budgeting, assessment, treasury management, and debt.
Types and limits of powers exercised by regulatory agencies; procedural law and remedies against administrative action.
Process of and major approaches to making public policy particularly, in the United States. Case study materials will focus on such major policies as welfare, health care, national security, and resource management.
Contract approved by Instructor, Advisor, and Department Chair is required for undergraduates.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Professional and Civic Engagement Internships
Experiential Learning: Experiential Learning Opportunity
A comparative analysis of the political problems confronting new nations, the political consequences of the breakdown of traditional society and the problems of developing new institutional forms and procedures.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning
Introduction to the development, structure, and functioning of government and politics in Western Europe, the former Soviet states, and other selected industrialized countries.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning
An analysis of the causes of genocide and the application of those insights to explain how genocide has occurred repeatedly at various times and places across the globe.
May be repeated once as topics change.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Community Service
Draws on science fiction to understand the contemporary history of American racial and ethnic politics and to speculate about the significance of race in America’s political future.
Cross-listed course: AFAM 393
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Diversity and Social Advocacy, GLD: Professional and Civic Engagement Leadership Experiences
Note: Prior approval of an individualized contract by the director of undergraduate studies in political science and the instructor who will supervise the project required.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Research
Prior approval of and individualized contract by the director of undergraduate studies in political science and the instructor who will supervise the project required.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Research
Prior approval of an individualized contract by the director of undergraduate studies in international studies and the instructor who will supervise the project required.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Research
Intensive analysis of a particular topic or topics. To be identified by title each semester.
Intensive analysis of particular theorist or theorists. To be identified by title each semester.
Survey of many of the major schools of historic and contemporary African American political thought.
Cross-listed course: AFAM 402
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Diversity and Social Advocacy, GLD: Professional and Civic Engagement Leadership Experiences
An introduction to contemporary theories and practices with focus on Western, especially American, experience.
Major factors that affect the state of contemporary American politics, including the Constitution, the Congress, the courts, the presidency, the states, federalism, political parties, special-interest groups, and the electoral process.
Forms, causes, and consequences of domestic political violence with special attention to revolution.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning
The contributions of the social sciences and social theorists to an understanding of the causes of war.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning
The origin, development, and principles of the international law of peace and the enforcement of these principles, the law of war and pacific settlement of disputes.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning
The growth of law in several areas of increasing international concern: environmental protection, expropriation, outer space, individual rights and obligations, conservation of resources, state responsibility, and terrorism.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning
An introduction to the ideological context of world affairs, with attention to traditional democratic, totalitarian, and Third World "developmental ideologies".
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning
Interaction between science and politics, the making of the national science and technology policy, and the role of public policy in promoting and managing scientific change.
Nationalism and ethnicity as factors in world politics, including the sources, nature, and analysis of conflicts associated with them.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning, GLD: Professional and Civic Engagement Leadership Experiences
Economic problems and policies in international politics including theory of comparative advantage; international economic aid, trade and monetary issues; the United States' role in the international economy; and the functions of international economic institutions.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning
Contemporary international relations among Latin American states, including economic and political security and relations with the United States.
Cross-listed course: LASP 451
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning, GLD: Professional and Civic Engagement Leadership Experiences
Analysis of the development of foreign policies in Russia and other states of the former USSR with special attention to relations with Europe and the United States.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning
Exploration of the ways in which globalization may impact national and international security.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning
Political patterns and forces in the Asia/Pacific region in recent times including the process of decolonization, regional conflicts, great power relations, and economic interdependencies.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning
The institutions, actors, and processes of Japan's contemporary political and economic foreign affairs.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning
The historic and contemporary political and economic processes and structures of one or more regions in Africa, such as North Africa, West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, or Southern Africa.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning
Contemporary international relations among African nations including decolonization, pan-Africanism, and movements of national liberation; Africa's role in the United Nations, relations between African states and the former colonial powers, the United States, and communist countries.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning
Foreign policy-making institutions, processes, and policies of selected powers with special attention to the domestic determinants of foreign policy.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning
Political institutions and processes of the People's Republic of China with secondary emphasis on the government and politics of the Republic of China on Taiwan.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning
Examination of super- and great-power policies toward the Middle East; inter-regional relations and Middle East foreign relations.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning
Nature and functions of the national government and its relations with the states.
Due process and civil liberties.
A study of the growth of law, the law-making function of the courts, the structure and organization of federal and state courts, the procedures involved in civil and criminal cases, and the problems and proposals for reform in the administration of justice.
Introduction to fundamental legal research techniques and strategies applied to controversial court cases in both oral and written forms.
Constitutional and statutory case law dealing with gender equality issues. Topics include abortion, affirmative action, pornography, sexual harassment, fetal protection policies, employment discrimination, and women in the military.
Cross-listed course: WGST 454
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Diversity and Social Advocacy, GLD: Professional and Civic Engagement Leadership Experiences
Analysis of the interaction between the legislative and executive branches within a separation-of-power system.
A study of the structure, organization, powers, functions, and problems of legislative bodies.
Constitutional, statutory and political powers and roles of the American chief executive.
Analysis and discussion of contemporary public policy problems through exposure to campus experts and intensive writing and peer review.
The role of psychology in political attitudes and behavior. Examination of individual psycho-political relationships and aggregate typologies. Particular emphasis on the psychological roots of the need for or the rejection of political authority.
The origins and evolution of the American federal system, focusing on the constitutional, regulatory, and financial entanglements among federal, state and local governments.
Principles and practice of survey research/public opinion polling including sampling, questionnaire design, data collection, coding processing and analysis.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Research
Critical review of theories of community organizing, grassroots activism, and social movements, and examination of contemporary forms of black activism.
Cross-listed course: AFAM 476
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Diversity and Social Advocacy, GLD: Professional and Civic Engagement Leadership Experiences
An analysis of green political thought and environmental movements at the local, state, national, and global levels.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Community Service
Themes in environmental policy in industrialized nations. Analysis of issue framing, the role of the public and private tools, and conflicting perspectives. Incorporates analysis of policy process and public management.
Political processes and institutions of Russia and other independent states of the former USSR.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning
Political processes and institutions of European nations.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning
Focuses on the internal politics of Middle East states; historical and cultural setting of Middle East politics, social institutions, and dynamics of the political process.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning
Political developments, processes, and institutions of the African nations.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning
The development, principles, political thought, and politics of the several Latin American states.
Cross-listed course: LASP 351
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning, GLD: Professional and Civic Engagement Leadership Experiences
Political institutions and processes of Japan.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Global Learning
Working with a faculty mentor, students develop a research project and related search skills.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Research
For intensive majors. Individual instruction in research techniques and supervised thesis preparation.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Research
Quantitative techniques in political science; levels of measurement; problems of description, causation, and inference.
Themes and thinkers in American political history.
The nature of, and relationship between, politics and ethics.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Professional and Civic Engagement Leadership Experiences
A critical examination of utopian and dystopian political ideas.
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
The role government policies have in local and regional differences in economic performance; strategies governments and non-profits use to evaluate economic development policies; topical focus on a range of economic development policies, including land use, infrastructure, workforce development, and education.
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.
An introduction to the institutions, functions, policy-making processes, and politics of American local government.
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.
South Carolina state and local government in the context of South Carolina history and U.S. state and local government.
Intensive study of special topics in Political Science. May be repeated as content varies by title.