Political Science (POLS)
POLS 100 | POWER AND JUSTICE
Units: 3-4 Repeatability: No
Core Attributes: First Yr Integration (LC Only), Social/Behavioral Inquiry area
This course focuses on theories of political organization, action, and analysis. Readings emphasize primary sources of political thought—from Ancient Greece to modern America—to investigate fundamental problems of political life. How should power be distributed and what ends should it serve? How do diverse political communities define and seek justice? How do they balance other fundamental values, such as liberty and equality? How can these questions help us understand who wins, who loses, and why it matters? These questions and more will guide our investigation of the relationship between power and justice in theory and practice.
POLS 120 | INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN POLITICS
Units: 3
Core Attributes: First Yr Integration (LC Only), Social/Behavioral Inquiry area
This course offers students a fundamental overview of American politics by analyzing the origin, development, structure, and operation of all levels of the American political system. This course also examines how politics are practiced in the United States in order to analyze the uniqueness of the American political system.
POLS 130 | INTRODUCTION TO THE POLITICS OF RACE AND ETHNICITY
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
Core Attributes: Social/Behavioral Inquiry area, Domestic Diversity level 1
What is the role of race and ethnicity in U.S. politics? Are we post-racial yet? The course surveys the impact of race and ethnicity on social, economic and political issues in the United States. We will examine the political experience and engagement of Native Americans, Black Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, and White Americans in both a historical and contemporary context. We will also investigate the potential for colorblindness as an approach to American politics.
POLS 150 | INTRODUCTION TO COMPARATIVE POLITICS
Units: 3
Core Attributes: First Yr Integration (LC Only), Social/Behavioral Inquiry area
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the study of comparative politics. Comparative politics is the study of the domestic politics of other countries. This course offers a fundamental overview of the major issues in comparative politics, such as, state formation, political regimes, political culture, civil society, political economy, governing institutions, electoral institutions, and other forms of political representation and participation.
POLS 170 | INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Units: 3-4
Core Attributes: First Yr Integration (LC Only), Social/Behavioral Inquiry area
This course examines major theoretical approaches in the discipline of international relations. Students are introduced to the study of the causes of war and the conditions of peace, international law and organizations, international political economy, great power politics, and foreign-policy decision making. The course also explores issues such as global poverty, economic development, human rights, and the environment as they affect international politics.
POLS 200 | TOPICS IN POLITICAL THEORY
Units: 3
This course will offer lower division students an opportunity to take a course in a more specialized area of political thought. Topics may include "American Political Thought," "Political Thought in Literature," : Discourse & Democracy," and "Conservative Political Thought" and others.
POLS 220 | TOPICS IN AMERICAN POLITICS AND PUBLIC LAW
Units: 3-4 Repeatability: No
Core Attributes: First Yr Integration (LC Only), Social/Behavioral Inquiry area
This course will offer lower division students a close look at a particular element fo the American political system. Topics may include "The Presidential Election," "The Vote," and "Money in American Politics" and others.
POLS 250 | TOPICS IN COMPARATIVE POLITICS
Units: 3-4
Core Attributes: Social/Behavioral Inquiry area
This course will offer lower division students the opportunity to examine specialized topcs in comparative politics. Topics may include "Political and Social Change in South Africa and the United States," "Democratization in Comparative Perspective," "political Change in the 21st Century" and others.
POLS 270 | TOPICS IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Units: 3
This course will offer students a closer look at specialized topics in the international political system. Topics may include "Indigenous Peoples and the Environment," "Rising Powers and the Future of American Global Predominance," "War and Peace in the Twenty-first Century," "Twenty-first Century Global Challenges," and "Political Borders: Cooperation and Conflict Along Interstate Boundaries" and others.
POLS 300 | DEMOCRATIC THEORY
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
This class is an investigation of the virtues and vices of democracy. Course texts will be comprised of works in Ancient political thought, modern and contemporary democratic theory, and works of literature, By working to interrogate and analyze such texts, we will, hopefully come to a greater understanding of the attractions, harms, shortcomings, and potential of democracy in new and more fully developed ways.
POLS 301 | POLITICAL THOUGHT:ANCIENT TO MODERN
Units: 3
This course examines the formation and development of political ideas, from Greek political philosophy through the late Middle Ages. Emphasis is placed on the relationship between theory and practice in political life.
POLS 302 | POLITICAL THOUGHT:MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY
Units: 3-4
Non-Core Attributes: Writing-Pre F17 CORE
This course examines political ideas in the modern and contemporary Western tradition. Emphasis is placed on the relationship between theory and practice in political life.
POLS 303 | LIBERAL POLITICAL THOUGHT
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
This course investigates the history of liberalism, its foundational principles, its changing features, and the contemporary criticisms of and alternatives to liberalism from the likes of communitarians, republicans, and feminists.
POLS 304 | AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
Through self-conscious interaction with the history of political thought, concern for practical solutions, and attentiveness to particularities of their own circumstances, Americans have crafted a tradition of political thought distinct in both form and content from that of their European forebears. This course explores the varieties of political thought in the United States, highlighting the diversity of perspectives on political life and institutional design throughout American history.
POLS 305 | BLACK POLITICAL THOUGHT
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
Core Attributes: Domestic Diversity level 2
The course traces and examines how black political thinkers and activists have responded to central political questions in the United States and their relationship to the broader African Diaspora. We will explore major ideological trends and political philosophies, as they have been interpreted and applied by black thinkers. Key themes include the relationship between racial identity and questions of liberation, faith, and national belonging.
POLS 306 | CONSERVATIVE POLITICAL THOUGHT
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
Through the careful critical study of some of the most thoughtful and influential works of conservative political thought over the past two centuries, this class will explore the idea of conservatism and the varieties of conservative thought. The texts have been chosen primarily for the high quality of their writing and argument, rather than for any particular relevance to the most familiar manifestations of conservative ideology. Our goal in this class will be to take conservatism seriously as an idea—rather than merely an ideology—and expand our conceptions of what conservatism can mean far beyond the reductive picture we get in contemporary politics.
POLS 307 | FEMINIST POLITICAL THEORIES
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
Core Attributes: Domestic Diversity level 2
In this course we will explore foundational texts and concepts alongside issues with which feminist theorists around the world have been grappling, both historically and in the present. As you will discover, there is no unitary feminist theory. There is overlap, but there are also marked differences among the approaches that feminists have taken in their pursuit of social change, and with the goal of establishing a more just social order. As we work through the course, we will explore the strengths and limitations of the approaches we encounter, looking at their emergence and implications and exploring how they help us understand and confront our own gendered existence. Above all, we will examine the intersectional workings of power and their impact on political subjectivity, belonging, becoming, and activism in one’s communities.
POLS 308 | POLITICS AND LITERATURE
Units: 3
This course explores the political content of selected classical, modern, and contemporary literature. Emphasis is placed on concepts such as authority, power, freedom, equality, organization, obligation, and the ways these concepts have been treated by different authors.
POLS 309 | SEX, POWER, AND POLITICS
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
Core Attributes: Domestic Diversity level 2
This course offers an analysis of gender in politics from historical as well as theoretical perspectives. Topics examined include: gender power, leadership, and governance; social, economic, and political factors explaining women’s political status and participation in relation to men’s; and the women’s movement as a political movement.
POLS 310 | THE PRESIDENCY
Units: 3
This course focuses on the American presidency as an institution. The class examines the origins of the president’s domestic and international powers, how those powers have grown and changed over time, and how they are both enhanced and limited by other actors in the political system.
POLS 312 | CONGRESS
Units: 3
This course examines the history, organization, operation, and politics of Congress. Nomination and election, constituent relations, the formal and informal structures of both houses, relations with the executive branch, and policy formulation are discussed. Students participate in a simulation of the House of Representatives.
POLS 313 | PARTIES AND INTEREST GROUPS
Units: 3
This course examines the origin, nature, structure, and operation of American political parties, interest groups, and social movements, and their roles in the political process.
POLS 314 | CAMPAIGNS AND ELECTIONS
Units: 3
This course analyzes how rules and laws affect the roles that parties, candidates, voters, and other political actors play in elections. It also investigates the behavior of political actors during elections by examining campaign strategy, staffing, polling, advertising, turnout, and symbolic communication. Its main emphasis is on American federal elections, but also considers elections in a comparative context and sub-national elections in the United States.
POLS 315 | POLITICAL PSYCHOLOGY
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
Prerequisites: POLS 100 or POLS 120 or POLS 130 or POLS 150 or POLS 170
The goal of this course is to introduce you to some of the major topics in political psychology. While it is a subdiscipline in and of itself, political psychology research helps to inform all areas of political science. Why do people think the way they do about politics? What is the role of emotion in our decision-making? How often are our perceptions disconnected from reality, and how could we even identify such a disconnect? What types of personalities seek political office? How do political leaders decide whether to go to war? As we dive into these topics we will also discuss different methodologies political scientists and social psychologists use to approach these kinds of questions.
POLS 316 | STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
This course explores the theory and practice of governmental administration at the national, state, and local levels, and the development and implementation of legislation, with special attention to California. This course examines the political functions of state and local governments, including the extent to which the national political atmosphere interacts with state and local politics and policymaking.
POLS 317 | ASIAN AMERICAN POLITICS
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
This course examines the political experiences of Asian American people in the United States, including people of Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Korean, Vietnamese, and other people who identify as Asian American and Pacific Islanders. Key topics include theories of migration; resettlement, organization, and political identity; integration, socialization, and historical treatment; and differences in levels and types of political participation among Asian American people.
POLS 318 | BLACK POLITICS
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
Core Attributes: Domestic Diversity level 2
The course traces and examines the political efforts of Black Americans to gain full and equitable inclusion into the American polity. Key topics include identity, ideology, movement politics, electoral participation, institutions and public policy.
POLS 319 | POLITICS OF RACE AND ETHNICITY
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
Core Attributes: Domestic Diversity level 2
The course surveys the impact of race and ethnicity on social, economic and political issues in the United States. We will examine the diverse issues and strategies deployed by racial and ethnic groups in the United States to gain more equitable treatment.
POLS 320 | WAR POWERS IN THE AMERICAN CONSTITUTIONAL SYSTEM
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
This course focuses on the war powers that the Constitution grants to the Congress and the president. Particular attention will be paid to the ways in which that balance has evolved over time from the founding to the present day.
POLS 321 | CONSTITUTIONAL LAW AND AMERICAN GOVERNMENT:FEDERALISM AND SEPARATION OF POWERS
Units: 3
This course begins with an examination of the early development of American constitutional law, including the Articles of Confederation, the Constitutional Convention, and the Federalist Papers. Students also explore the development of Supreme Court doctrine regarding judicial review, conflicts among the three departments of government in domestic and foreign affairs, and the ongoing struggle to define the responsibilities of state and federal governments.
POLS 322 | CONSTITUTIONAL LAW: CIVIL RIGHTS AND LIBERTIES
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
This course examines constitutional law and politics, with a focus on civil rights and individual liberties. Topics include free speech, racial and sexual discrimination, church and state, privacy, voting rights, and the rights of the accused. (Note: POLS 321 is not a prerequisite for this class).
POLS 323 | JUDICIAL BEHAVIOR
Units: 3
Non-Core Attributes: Writing-Pre F17 CORE
This course explores judicial politics and decision-making, with particular emphasis on judges, lawyers, and juries. Topics include judicial selection and appointment, the limits of judicial power, the roles that lawyers play in our legal and political systems, and the development of trial by jury.
POLS 326 | COMPARATIVE LAW
Units: 3
This course presents a cross-national, historical, and comparative analysis of constitutional, administrative, and criminal law. Subject countries vary, but include representative judicial systems within the Civil Law, Common Law, and Socialist Law traditions.
POLS 327 | INTERNATIONAL LAW
Units: 3
This course examines the theory and practice of international law, including efforts to create effective legal means to define, proscribe, and punish war crimes, crimes against humanity, and terrorism. We discuss the negotiation, ratification, and enforcement of treaties and study multinational legal institutions such as the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, and the International Criminal Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda.
POLS 329 | LAW OF THE SEA
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
This course introduces students to the study of regimes of the sea including fisheries, pollution control, and coastal management zones. The politics of ocean regulation are examined with particular attention to law of the sea negotiations.
POLS 330 | THINKING LIKE A POLITICAL SCIENTIST
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
Core Attributes: Quantitative reasoning comp
This course introduces students to the various stages of the research process, including conceptualizing a research question, identifying hypotheses and relevant and credible data sources (both quantitative and qualitative), thinking through the ethical considerations of research involving human subjects, and interpreting findings. Students learn to develop efficient research strategies to evaluate empirical relationships from a theoretically informed perspective.
POLS 331 | INFORMED CITIZENSHIP
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
Core Attributes: Quantitative reasoning comp
What does it mean to be a thoughtful, well-informed citizen of a democracy? What distinguishes a mere news consumer from a truly informed citizen? How can thinking like a political scientist give us essential tools for engaging with media and politics? How much quantitative literacy do non-expert citizens need to critically analyze politics in a data-driven world? To address these vital questions, we will explore historical and contemporary texts, cases, and controversies to learn how the tools of political science analysis, and of liberal arts education generally, might help develop strategies for critical thinking and information literacy in the 21st century.
POLS 332 | POLITICS AND DATA SCIENCE
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
Core Attributes: Quantitative reasoning comp
Students in this course will learn to understand the most common statistical techniques (e.g. linear regression, estimating causal effects through experiments) used in political science and acquire the skills necessary to use these techniques and interpret their results. Students will download and clean datasets actually used in published research, replicate selected analyses and write short papers evaluating the inferences defended in the published research. Students will learn to visualize data, make controlled comparisons, test for differences and relationships, interpret results, and make predictions. This course is strongly encouraged for students writing an honors thesis that employs quantitative data, those interested in careers in government, non-profit work, public policy, lobbying and interest groups, data science, as well as those interested in graduate school or law school.
POLS 340 | PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
Units: 3
This course explores the theory and practice of governmental administration at the national, state, and local levels, and the development and implementation of legislation.
POLS 342 | PUBLIC POLICY
Units: 3-4
This course examines the political and administrative processes through which public policy is formulated, adopted, implemented, and evaluated.
POLS 343 | EDUCATION, CITIZENSHIP AND POLITICS IN SOUTH AFRICA
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
Core Attributes: Advanced Integration, Global Diversity level 2
Non-Core Attributes: Community Engagement
This is a study abroad course in South Africa examining the historical, political and educational challenges faced by the post-Apartheid democracy. Students have opportunities to engage with South African communities, specifically the village of Makuleke. Cross-listed as SOCI 375.
POLS 344 | POLITICS OF U.S. CITIZENSHIP AND MIGRATION
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
Core Attributes: Domestic Diversity level 2
Migration is one of the most important forces in society today –re-shaping cities, suburbs, rural areas, and nations, altering racial dynamics, influencing families, education, culture, labor markets, and politics. Migration debates are linked to disputes over borders (both literal and figurative), what it means to be a citizen, what newcomers should have to do to become one, the equality of opportunity for minorities, the consistency of our logics of race and ethnicity, and the status of the nation in the global community. Some of the topics we will address are: the ethics of immigration and citizenship, the evolution of immigration policy, the assimilation and incorporation of recent migrants, political rhetoric and public opinion on immigration, and the future direction of immigration policy.
POLS 346 | FOOD AND POLITICS
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
Core Attributes: Global Diversity level 2
Prerequisites: POLS 120 or POLS 150 or POLS 170 or EOSC 300 or EOSC 303
This course will consider food systems through the intersecting lenses of politics, sustainability, race/ethnicity, and culture. Using case studies (both real and fictional) from various political, cultural, and historical contexts, we will examine human relationships with food. We will focus in particular on issues such as: the role of food in cultural traditions; the influence of ethnocultural norms on food cultivation, preparation, and consumption; the intersection of food, culture, and environmental sustainability; and the depictions/influence of popular culture and the arts on socio-ecological food systems.
POLS 347 | CULTURE & ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
Prerequisites: POLS 120 or POLS 150 or POLS 170 or EOSC 300 or EOSC 303
This course will consider human responses to the natural world, and the role that cultural influences play in shaping political discourses around the environment. Using case studies from across human history, we will examine human relationships with their environment, focusing on issues such as the sacredness of nature; resource use, degradation, and scarcity; disease and other environmental health factors; and how popular culture and the arts depict and influence the socio-ecological nexus.
POLS 348 | INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
Core Attributes: Global Diversity level 2
From environmental injustices in California, to the construction of mega-dams in the Amazon, to debates over fishing rights in New Zealand, struggles between indigenous groups and forces of development and globalization are on the rise. At the same time, stereotyped popular perceptions about the relationship between native peoples and the environment often further these inequalities. Although a global system of indigenous rights has been created in recent decades, its impact has been limited, and serious concerns about its long-term potential remain. Through case studies, an interactive negotiation simulation, and in-class research presentations, we will explore the interplay between indigenous peoples, natural resources, and human rights through a variety of disciplinary lenses.
POLS 349 | POLITICS AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
Prerequisites: POLS 120 or POLS 150 or POLS 170 or EOSC 300 or EOSC 303
This course examines the decision-making processes through which modern societies attempt to cope with environmental and natural resource problems. Students investigate both American and international environmental issues, and consider the historical and theoretical bases of current environmental policies and initiatives.
POLS 350 | THEORIES OF COMPARATIVE POLITICS
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
This course examines the major theoretical approaches to comparative politics as well as the political histories of individual countries. It is designed to introduce students to a variety of themes central to this field, including state-society relations, state capacity, the role of institutions, nationalism, cultural/ethnic pluralism, political culture, and democracy.
POLS 351 | TOPICS IN POLITICS AND SOCIETY
Units: 3 Repeatability: Yes (Can be repeated for Credit)
Core Attributes: Global Diversity level 2
Prerequisites: POLS 120 or POLS 130 or POLS 150 or POLS 170
This course provides an in-depth examination of the interplay between politics and society in country/region x. The first part of the course focuses on the country’s origins and the impact of colonial legacies on its political trajectory. We will also study the process of state consolidation and how ideology, identity, and the distribution of power influenced the country’s social and political development. The next part of the class examines the contemporary political system and state-society relations with particular attention to how the marginalization of some groups (particularly those with intersecting class/race/ethnicity/gender/sexuality identities) shape political attitudes, behavior and outcomes. The last part of the class investigates some of the significant policy challenges facing the country, including: economic development, rule of law, and foreign relations.
POLS 352 | COMPARATIVE POLITICS OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Units: 3
This course examines concepts and theories of development and assesses their utility in understanding political, economic, and social change in Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia. Particular emphasis is placed on issues such as: state building; the bureaucracy; civil-military relations; national identity; economic development; and democratization.
POLS 353 | POLITICS AND RELIGION
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
This course offers an introduction to the study of the role of religion in sociopolitical change. The course deals with the theoretical literature on the subject and focuses on the salient cases in the various religious traditions and regions of the world.
POLS 355 | POLITICS IN EUROPE
Units: 3-4
This course offers a survey of the political cultures, institutions, and processes of the United Kingdom, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, and other West European countries. The development of a more integrated European community is also discussed.
POLS 357 | POLITICS IN LATIN AMERICA
Units: 3
This course examines the dynamics of political and economic change in 20th-century Latin America. There is particular emphasis on the causes and consequences of cyclical economic development and recurrent waves of democratization and authoritarianism.
POLS 358 | POLITICS IN SOUTH ASIA
Units: 3
This course is designed to introduce students to the study of contemporary South Asian politics by examining historical as well as contemporary issues relating to socio-economic change, political development, regional relations, and international links. The course focus is primarily on India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, but the politics of Nepal and Sri Lanka are also considered.
POLS 359 | POLITICS IN THE MIDDLE EAST
Units: 3
This course offers an introduction to the study of the politics of the Middle East and North Africa. The complex issues of regional conflicts with international significance and the forces shaping the internal development of the modern Middle East are explored.
POLS 360 | POLITICS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
Units: 3
This course provides an introduction to Sub-Saharan African political systems and the relationships that exist between governments and their citizens in this region. We examine some of the main factors that shape contemporary African politics, including the legacy of colonialism, the rise of authoritarian states, ethnic, national, and racial conflict, and political and economic reform.
POLS 361 | POLITICS IN SOUTH AFRICA
Units: 3
This course is designed to examine the major issues and challenges facing South Africa today. The goal of the course is to introduce students to contemporary South African politics and to situate the current political challenges into the broader historical context. We will analyze the processes of democratic consolidation, state building and nation building since the end of apartheid in 1994.
POLS 363 | POLITICS IN FRANCE
Units: 3
This course examines contemporary French politics. We begin by constructing an historical and ideological foundation for the course, we then move to recent institutional and electoral practices, and we finally analyze a variety of foreign and security policies, including relations with the United States, members of the European Union, and countries throughout the world.
POLS 365 | POLITICS IN RUSSIA
Units: 3
This course examines the development of the political institutions and culture of Russia since the collapse of Communism, with a focus on the role of the Presidency, the Parliament, political parties, and the public in shaping the life of the Russian Federation.
POLS 366 | POLITICS IN MEXICO
Units: 3
This course provides an overview of the contemporary Mexican political system. The primary focus is on the breakdown of the dominant party system in the late 20th century and the subsequent recalibration of executive-legislative relations, decentralization of power, and emergence of democratic political culture and competition.
POLS 368 | POLITICS IN CHINA
Units: 3
This course examines politics and political issues in the People’s Republic of China from the mid-1800s to the present. Throughout the course students assess factors such as China’s traditional political, social, and economic systems, ideology, and current policy-making structures that shape China’s policies in order to understand contemporary Chinese political issues.
POLS 370 | THEORIES OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
This course analyzes the major theoretical perspectives in the field of international relations by reflecting upon the writings of the most important scholars in the discipline. Students study the mainstream realist and liberal approaches and explore theoretical alternatives to these paradigms. The relationship between theory and practice is also examined.
POLS 371 | AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY
Units: 3-4 Repeatability: No
Core Attributes: First Yr Integration (LC Only), Social/Behavioral Inquiry area
This course provides an in-depth exploration of the challenges and opportunities facing American foreign policy in the 21st century. Students examine the historical legacy and internal and external constraints on foreign policy decision making. Students also study theoretical approaches in the discipline of international relations and discuss their relevance to an empirical analysis of American foreign policy.
POLS 374 | U.S.-LATIN AMERICAN RELATIONS
Units: 3
This course explores the history of economic and political relations between the U.S. and Latin America to understand the basis of contemporary U.S. policy. Topics examined include military intervention, drug trafficking, immigration and trade policies, and relations with Cuba.
POLS 376 | U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY
Units: 3
This course examines contemporary U.S. security policy, including military technology, nuclear strategy and arms control, recent U.S. military interventions, biological and chemical weapons, domestic security politics, the defense industry and budget, and terrorism.
POLS 377 | REGIONAL SECURITY
Units: 3
This course examines security dynamics in selected regions of the world (e.g. Europe, East Asia, Latin America, Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East). We address issues ranging from military technologies to diplomatic relations, political economy, and transnational challenges like drug trafficking and terrorism.
POLS 378 | TRANSNATIONAL CRIME AND TERRORISM
Units: 3-4
Non-Core Attributes: Writing-Pre F17 CORE
This course focuses on how the law enforcement community has responded to the unprecedented increase in crimes and terrorist acts that cross international borders. The course examines those factors that have led to this increase in transnational crime and terrorism, the types of crimes that pose the greatest threat to lawful societies, the responses that have been developed to combat transnational crime, and the extent to which transnational crime threatens the national security interests of the United States and the world community.
POLS 379 | INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL BOUNDARIES AND BORDER POLICIES
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
This course provides an examination of the theoretical and empirical literature on international boundary dynamics and border policies related to diplomacy, migration, trade, economic development, crime, and terrorism. This course may also consider boundary negotiations over contested interstate borders.
POLS 380 | THEORIES OF INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
Core Attributes: Advanced Integration
International Political Economy (IPE) offers an advanced integrative overview of philosophical, historical, political, social, and economic approaches to the global economy. That is, this course builds on theoretical work in the field of IPE by integrating the perspectives of moral philosophers, historians, sociologists, and experts in other fields to explore the connections between IPE and other disciplines. In the process, the course explores concepts in micro-and macro-economics, the development of advanced industrial and lesser developed countries, and the role of international economic institutions, actors, and processes. The course also examines special topics, such as international financial crises, inequality, and aid. Guiding questions include: 1) How do economic constraints shape the choices of individuals, groups, firms, and states? 2) In what ways can / should states shape markets, and vice versa? 3) What can and should be done to redistribute wealth within and across different societies?.
POLS 381 | MIGRATION & IMMIGRATION POLITICS AND POLICY
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
Core Attributes: Global Diversity level 2
This course examines trends regarding migration and immigration policy. The course devotes special attention to the United States as the world’s leading immigrant receiving country, as well as other major migrant sending and receiving countries. In the process, the course touches on several complex and contentious issues, including citizenship and naturalization, the rights of migrants and refugees, the problem of unauthorized migration, border security and interior enforcement, anti-immigrant sentiment and immigrant advocacy, the cost and contributions of migrants and immigrants, crimes committed by and against immigrants, the inclusion and exclusion of new immigrant groups, and the consequences of migration and immigration for the affected countries and communities.
POLS 382 | INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS
Units: 3
This course explores contending approaches to human rights, the role of institutions and organizations in setting human rights agendas, and human rights problems and policies in international politics.
POLS 383 | INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Units: 3-4
This course provides an introduction to the study of international organizations in world politics. The focus is on the United Nations and other selected organizations.
POLS 400 | POLITICAL IDEAS & IDEOLOGIES
Units: 1-3 Repeatability: Yes (Can be repeated for Credit)
Core Attributes: Advanced Integration
For this course, students draw upon multidisciplinary perspectives to explore how political ideas and ideologies shape our understanding of the world in a collaborative seminar tied to a series of public events co-sponsored by Pi Sigma Alpha (the Political Science Honors Society). The course brings together interdisciplinary scholarly research, political engagement, and discourse across ideological perspectives to help students interact substantively with the history of ideas to better understand both their political community and themselves, while learning what it means to be an engaged scholar whose research informs their approach to their political community (and vice versa). This course may be taught by a single instructor or team-taught by multiple instructors.
POLS 430 | FIELD SEMINAR IN CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT
Units: 1
Non-Core Attributes: Experiential
Students attend a three-day seminar on California government and politics in the California State Capitol building in Sacramento. The seminar is offered only during the spring semester at the end of February. Students attend seminar presentations featuring elected state legislators, legislative and executive staffers, journalists, lobbyists, and academic experts on current issues confronting California.
POLS 434 | WASHINGTON, DC: THE PRESS AND THE PRESIDENCY
Units: 3
This course provides an analysis of U.S. politics and decision-making as seen through an extensive evaluation of the U.S. press and the U.S. presidency. Students meet during the first two weeks in Washington, D.C., during intersession.
POLS 435 | WASHINGTON, DC: DIRECTED STUDY IN POLITICAL SCIENCE
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
This course requires students to complete a research paper while interning in Washington, D.C. The paper will address an issue in political science that relates to the internship experience.
POLS 436 | WASHINGTON, DC: INTERNSHIP IN POLITICAL SCIENCE
Units: 3,6 Repeatability: Yes (Can be repeated for Credit)
Non-Core Attributes: Experiential
Students work 35-40 hours a week in Washington, D.C., at an internship related to political science. The internship must be approved by the Department of Political Science and International Relations. Students receive 6 units of credit, of which 3 units may apply toward the major.
POLS 437 | WASHINGTON, DC: CLASS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
This political science course is taken in Washington, D.C., during the internship. The course must be approved by the Department of Political Science and International Relations.
POLS 444 | SPECIAL TOPICS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE
Units: 3-4 Repeatability: Yes (Can be repeated for Credit)
Special topics courses offer an examination of a topical issue affecting politics in the United States. The course number may be repeated for credit provided the topics of the courses are different.
POLS 448 | INTERNSHIP IN POLITICAL SCIENCE
Units: 1-6 Repeatability: Yes (Can be repeated for Credit)
Non-Core Attributes: Experiential
This course involves participation in a governmental office at the local, state, or national level. Students are required to complete a research paper under the supervision of the instructor. This course is open only to junior or senior political science or international relations majors with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Students may not enroll in more than 6 internship units, and only 3 units may be used toward the major.
POLS 449 | INDEPENDENT STUDY IN POLITICAL SCIENCE
Units: 1-3
This course involves advanced individual study in public policy, american politics, public law, political behavior, or political theory. This course is open only to junior or senior Political Science or International Relations majors with a grade point average in political science courses of 3.3 or higher. Approval of instructor and department chair is required, and substantial prior coursework in the area is expected.
POLS 480 | MODEL UNITED NATIONS
Units: 1
This course involves a simulation of the decision-making process of the United Nations. Students participate in at least one conference per semester where they have the opportunity to represent an assigned country and compete against other universities. This course may be repeated once for credit.
POLS 485 | WASHINGTON, DC: DIRECTED STUDY IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Units: 3
This course requires students to complete a research paper while interning in Washington, D.C. The paper will address an issue in international relations that relates to the internship experience.
POLS 486 | WASHINGTON, DC: INTERNSHIP IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Units: 3,6 Repeatability: Yes (Can be repeated for Credit)
Non-Core Attributes: Experiential
Students work 35-40 hours a week in Washington, D.C., at an internship related to international relations. The internship must be approved by the Department of Political Science and International Relations. Students receive 6 units of credit, of which 3 units may apply toward the major.
POLS 487 | WASHINGTON, DC: CLASS IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Units: 3
This international relations course is taken in Washington, D.C., during the internship. The course must be approved by the Department of Political Science and International Relations.
POLS 491 | ADVANCED TOPICS WRITING SEMINAR
Units: 3 Repeatability: Yes (Can be repeated for Credit)
Core Attributes: Advanced writing competency
This course is designed to allow for a more advanced consideration of a topic chosen by the professor. In this class, students will engage in significant practice writing and editing their own work according to the standards for an upper division undergraduate political science class. The course number may be repeated for credit provided the topics of the courses are different. The course will satisfy the Core requirement for Advanced Writing.
POLS 492 | SPECIAL TOPICS IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS--STUDY ABROAD
Units: 3 Repeatability: Yes (Can be repeated for Credit)
Core Attributes: Social/Behavioral Inquiry area
Non-Core Attributes: International
Special Topics courses--Study Abroad offer an examination of a topical issue affecting the domestic politics of foreign countries or foreign policy and international relations, while taking a course in a study abroad program. This course number may be repeated for credit provided the topics of the courses are different.
POLS 494 | SPECIAL TOPICS IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Units: 1-4 Repeatability: Yes (Can be repeated for Credit)
Special topics courses offer an examination of a topical issue affecting the domestic politics of foreign countries or the international political system. This course number may be repeated for credit provided the topics of the courses are different.
POLS 495 | SENIOR CAPSTONE SEMINAR
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
Core Attributes: Advanced writing competency
Prerequisites: POLS 330
This course is required for Political Science and International Relations majors. There are four main objectives for this course. First, it provides an opportunity for students to synthesize, integrate and apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired while pursuing the PS or IR major. Second, it provides an opportunity to produce an original research paper or equivalent creative project. Third, it provides students with the opportunity to present their conclusions with faculty, peers, and members of the community. Finally, this class aims to help students improve their writing and communication skills.
POLS 498 | INTERNSHIP IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Units: 1-6 Repeatability: Yes (Can be repeated for Credit)
Non-Core Attributes: Experiential
This course involves participation in an internship related to international relations. Students are required to complete a research paper under the supervision of the instructor. This course is open only to junior or senior political science or international relations majors with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Students may not enroll in more than 6 internship units, and only 3 units may be used toward the major.
POLS 499 | INDEPENDENT STUDY IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Units: 1-3 Repeatability: Yes (Can be repeated for Credit)
This course involves advanced individual study in international relations or comparative politics. This course is open only to junior or senior political science or international relations majors with a grade point average in Political Science courses of 3.3 or higher. Approval of instructor and department chair is required, and substantial prior coursework in the area is expected.