DUAL-DIPLOMA PROGRAMS POLITICAL SCIENCE COURSES - FALL 2011
SUBJECT
COURSE
NUMBER
PLSC
113
PLSC
117
COURSE
COURSE DESCRIPTION
REFERENCE
NUMBER
10328
An introduction to political systems in both the developed and developing
world. The course will focus on key political structures and the
determinants of political behavior, including constitutions, ideologies,
elections, legislatures, courts, and executive-legislative relations. Country
cases will be used as examples and discussed in the context of thematic
issues. Emphasis will be on learning to understand and analyze the
politics of diverse countries and political systems as expressions of
common motivations shaped by history and context. Multi-disciplinary
thinking-including the examination of the interaction of politics, history,
sociology, and economics-will be encouraged. A student earning credit for
PLSC 113 may not earn credit for PLSC 118 or SOC 118.
Course appropriate for first year students.
94716
Introduces major topics in the study of world politics including the role of
power in international relationships; the importance of the state in the
international arena; sources, causes, and consequences of war;
international political economy; international diplomacy and institutions;
and current global conflicts. Also introduces students to the social
scientific approach to understanding these issues.
Course appropriate for first year students.
Page 1 of 18
DUAL-DIPLOMA PROGRAMS POLITICAL SCIENCE COURSES - FALL 2011
SUBJECT
COURSE
NUMBER
PLSC
300
PLSC
327
COURSE
COURSE DESCRIPTION
REFERENCE
NUMBER
10366
Explorations of the sources of public opinion and political behavior
through primarily psychological theories about personality, cognition,
attitudes, learning, social influence and group dynamics. Topics covered
include public opinion, political obedience, political tolerance, political
communication and persuasion, political involvement and protest, group
cooperation and conflict, and decision making.
Open to Political Science, PPL, Dual Diploma majors. Freshman and others
admitted only with permission of instructor.
10369
This course will examine the actors and processes that shape US Foreign
policy. The goal of this course is for students to become comfortable
assessing and evaluating arguments found in the literature, as well as
developing a better understanding of contemporary issues confronting US
foreign policy makers. To accomplish this goal students will become
familiar with the various international and domestic influences that
contribute to shaping US foreign policy. Students will also examine how
the influence of such forces differs across various issue areas. The course
will focus primarily on understanding the evolution of US foreign policy
over the course of the 20th century and into the present.
Open to Political Science, PPL, ENVI, Dual Diploma majors. Freshman and
others admitted only with permission of instructor.
Page 2 of 18
DUAL-DIPLOMA PROGRAMS POLITICAL SCIENCE COURSES - FALL 2011
SUBJECT
COURSE
NUMBER
COURSE
COURSE DESCRIPTION
REFERENCE
NUMBER
97518
Examines the decisions of the United States Supreme Court dealing with
individual rights and civil liberties. The cases dealt with include those
governing the right to privacy, the rights of the criminally accused and
discrimination, among others. No previous knowledge of the courts or
constitutional law is assumed.
Open to Political Science, PPL, ENVI, Dual Diploma majors. Freshman and
others admitted only with permission of instructor. Prerequisites: PLSC
111 OR PLSC 382M
PLSC
333
PLSC
358
10372
This course covers political and economic transformation and
development in the states that emerged in the wake of the Soviet
collapse. There will be four primary areas of focus: the Soviet collapse,
heterogeneity among successor states, parties and elections, and the
political economy of the economic reform.
Open to Political Science, PPL, Dual Diploma majors. Freshman and others
admitted only with permission of instructor.
PLSC
372
94090
Academic credit for a formal seminar taken in conjuncton with a
structured, off-campus internship program (e.g., SUNY Brockport's
Washington Program, New York Assemby of Senate Internship Programs).
Prerequisites: political science major; three related courses in political
science; junior standing at the start of the internship; and an overall GPA
of 3.0. Corequisites: PLSC 392 and PLSC 394.
Page 3 of 18
DUAL-DIPLOMA PROGRAMS POLITICAL SCIENCE COURSES - FALL 2011
SUBJECT
COURSE
NUMBER
PLSC
380B
PLSC
380Q
COURSE
COURSE DESCRIPTION
REFERENCE
NUMBER
97519
This course is an introduction to international political economy, the
study of the interaction between politics and economics, government and
market. We will explore how political processes impact economic decisionmaking and how economic forces influence political decisions and
outcomes. More specifically, the course will focus on such topics as:
theories of political economy, foreign economic policies, international
monetary policy, globalization and international trade, international
organizations (the World Trade Organization the World Bank, and the
International Monetary Fund); multinational corporations (MNCs),
economic development, and economic power. A special goal of this
course will be to teach students how to critically assess and evaluate
economic policies and a variety of concrete issues in the contemporary
political economy environment.
Open to Political Science, PPL, Dual Diploma majors. Freshman and others
admitted only with permission of instructor.
97520
This course examines how violent conflict arises, how it is resolved, and
how sometimes it is avoided altogether. The focus is on interstate and
intrastate war. The course will simultaneously explore historical material
and theories of conflict behavior.
Open to Political Science, PPL, Dual Diploma majors. Freshman and others
admitted only with permission of instructor.
Page 4 of 18
DUAL-DIPLOMA PROGRAMS POLITICAL SCIENCE COURSES - FALL 2011
SUBJECT
COURSE
NUMBER
PLSC
380Y
COURSE
COURSE DESCRIPTION
REFERENCE
NUMBER
97521
Starting with the third wave of democratization, we have seen
remarkable democratic movements in all regions of the world, including
the once communist Eastern Europe and marginalized Africa. However,
human right abuses, corruption, restrictions on freedom of speech,
poverty of millions of citizens still continue unabated in many of these
newly democratic countries. Even if electoral democracy has prevailed,
challenges to democratic consolidation, such as the weakness of civil
society, civil-military relations, threats of economic reforms, institutional
weaknesses have created new variants of democracy that widely diverge
from our understanding of Western democracy. In this class, we will
examine the concept of democracy and hinge upon the measurement
problems in the literature; we will study core theories on
democratization, with an emphasis on how each views the causes and
consequences of transition and lastly we will cover the challenges to
democratic consolidation, picking case studies that will reflect
Page 5 of 18
DUAL-DIPLOMA PROGRAMS POLITICAL SCIENCE COURSES - FALL 2011
SUBJECT
COURSE
NUMBER
PLSC
382M
PLSC
387F
COURSE
COURSE DESCRIPTION
REFERENCE
NUMBER
93839
In this course students will be introduced to the theories underlying
American criminal law as well the essential principles. We will be
exploring some of the explanations for criminal punishment and the
students will learn to apply legal rules to factual situations. We will also
examine and discuss other salient issues in contemporary criminal justice,
public policy, and legal discourse. This course has three primary aims: (1)
that the student attains a basic understanding of criminal law and the
rationales underlying criminal punishment, (2) that the student attains an
ability to critically analyze legal case law and apply legal principles to
factual situations, and (3) that the student can discuss legal and policy
issues in a disciplined and cogent manner.
Open to Political Science, PPL, ENVI, Dual Diploma majors. Freshman and
others admitted only with permission of instructor.
97522
This course will trace the evolution of major themes and issues in feminist
political theory from their classical "male stream" roots. While it is
undeniable that feminist political theory has made original and pathbreaking discoveries on its own, it is also true that feminist political
theory has been largely shaped both by and against the political theories
that preceded or coincided with it. In addition, this course will trace the
genealogy of major debates within feminist political theory and explore
the shortcomings as well as the unexplored possibilities in classical
political theory.
Open to Political Science, PPL, Dual Diploma majors. Freshman and others
admitted only with permission of instructor.
Page 6 of 18
DUAL-DIPLOMA PROGRAMS POLITICAL SCIENCE COURSES - FALL 2011
SUBJECT
COURSE
NUMBER
PLSC
389K
PLSC
389L
COURSE
COURSE DESCRIPTION
REFERENCE
NUMBER
97523
Power and political participation in Africa. The colonial background and
its political consequences. The pre-colonial continuities in post-colonial
politics. Class versus ethnicity in African politics. The one-party versus
the multiparty state. Can there be a “no-party state”? Socio-cultural
versus socio-economic ideologies. The gender question in African
politics. The soldier and the state. The politics of HIV/AIDS. The African
political experience in a global context. Africa’s Triple Heritage, the role of
Islam, and the politics of counterterrorism. Africa and globalization.
Barack Obama’s America and Africa after the Cold War.
Open to Political Science, PPL, Dual Diploma majors. Freshman and others
admitted only with permission of instructor.
97525
Since the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development, environmental issues have been a major social and political
issue in developed and developing countries, affecting internal political
agendas and external relations, and generating diverse domestic and
global social movements focused on ownership, control of access, and the
institutional context of decision-making about how land, water and other
natural resources are used. Examples include land struggles of indigenous
peoples, formation of green political parties, and activism on behalf of
animal rights, among others. This course will explore the social origins
and impacts of movements and organizations shaped by environmental
concerns, with an emphasis on their conflicting and converging goals,
tactics, strategies, ideologies and constituencies.
Open to Political Science, PPL, ENVI, Dual Diploma majors. Freshman and
others admitted only with permission of instructor.
Page 7 of 18
DUAL-DIPLOMA PROGRAMS POLITICAL SCIENCE COURSES - FALL 2011
SUBJECT
COURSE
NUMBER
PLSC
414
PLSC
415
COURSE
COURSE DESCRIPTION
REFERENCE
NUMBER
96310
Advanced seminar devoted to the decision making on the Supreme Court,
with classroom simulations of the agenda-setting process and decision
making on the merits. Students will conduct original legal research of
their own as they prepare for the classroom simulations and produce
simulated legal memoranda.
Open to juniors and seniors only (Political Science, PPL, ENVI, Dual
Diploma majors).Others permitted by petition. Prerequisite: PLSC 331 OR
PLSC 333 OR PLSC 382M AND junior or senior standing.
97527
Examines the structure and functions of American political parties, their
electoral and policy-making roles and their adaptations to changing legal
environment. Readings and discussions will focus on the role that parties
play in modern American politics at both the individual and governmental
level.
Open to juniors and seniors only (Political Science, PPL, ENVI, Dual
Diploma majors).Others permitted by petition.
Page 8 of 18
DUAL-DIPLOMA PROGRAMS POLITICAL SCIENCE COURSES - FALL 2011
SUBJECT
COURSE
NUMBER
PLSC
426
PLSC
485T
COURSE
COURSE DESCRIPTION
REFERENCE
NUMBER
97529
American democracy promises to deliver fair and effective representation
to all citizens. Equal voting rights are a prerequisite for making good on
this promise. This seminar will trace the legal and political maneuverings
that have taken place over two critical issues: (1) extensions of the
franchise – granting women, African Americans, Latinos, and Native
Americans their right to vote, and (2) assurances that all votes will be
accorded equal weight – ensuring that malapportionment,
gerrymandering, and other manipulative techniques do not unduly
interfere with providing effective representation.
Open to juniors and seniors only (Political Science, PPL, ENVI, Dual
Diploma majors).Others permitted by petition.
97531
Introduces students to major topics in the comparative political economy
of industrialized democracies with an emphasis on the trade-off between
equality and efficiency. Pays specific attention to institutions and the
different arrangements between social coalitions, governments, and
firms. We will then concentrate on changes in the strategies of firms,
labor unions, and governments resulting from involvement in a global
market.
Open to juniors and seniors only (Political Science, PPL, ENVI, Dual
Diploma majors).Others permitted by petition.
Page 9 of 18
DUAL-DIPLOMA PROGRAMS POLITICAL SCIENCE COURSES - FALL 2011
SUBJECT
COURSE
NUMBER
PLSC
486E
PLSC
486H
COURSE
COURSE DESCRIPTION
REFERENCE
NUMBER
94711
This advanced undergraduate seminar focuses on the interaction
between international economic integration and interstate conflict.
Proponents of free trade argue that the exchange of goods and services
benefits all and will lead to more peaceful relations among states.
Skeptics point out that trade and investment may also be used as
weapons, for example in the form of economic sanctions. Moreover,
states may clash over the control of natural resources. We will explore
these arguments and assess how well they are supported by evidence.
Students will have the opportunity to critically evaluate historical and
current cases of foreign policy-making.
Open to juniors and seniors only (Political Science, PPL, ENVI, Dual
Diploma majors).Others permitted by petition.
97533
This class will examine the impact the U.S. rivalry with the Soviet Union
between 1945 and 1990 had on American political life. In addition to
reading historical and social science research on the topic, students will
examine changing American practices and attitudes on many political
issues by watching a series of movies on these issues. The issues to be
covered include military service, foreign aid, interventions, and internal
security, among others.
Open to juniors and seniors only (Political Science, PPL, ENVI, Dual
Diploma majors).Others permitted by petition.
Page 10 of 18
DUAL-DIPLOMA PROGRAMS POLITICAL SCIENCE COURSES - FALL 2011
SUBJECT
COURSE
NUMBER
PLSC
486N
PLSC
389N
COURSE
COURSE DESCRIPTION
REFERENCE
NUMBER
97535
The course explores international institutions (broadly defined) that have
emerged in different issue-areas around the world, by closely examining
each institution in its own right from a historical perspective and by
comparing them with one another along different dimensions. The
course also reviews major theories that have informed the study of
institutions and the debates about their contemporary relevance.
Open to juniors and seniors only (Political Science, PPL, ENVI, Dual
Diploma majors). Others permitted by petition.
97526
The institutional setting that defines the rules of the political game in
Israel is complicated, mostly unstructured, based on many veto players
and agenda setters, showing a constant conflict between the dynamics of
change and stagnation. The players in this setting (individuals and
organizations alike) maneuver within political, social and economic crises,
while trying to mitigate a society characterized with overlapping and crosscutting cleavages. Using the conceptual toolbox brought forth by rationalchoice institutionalism, this course studies the players interacting in the
Israeli case (voters, activists, party elites, parties, members of Knesset and
their factions, government ministers, premiers and judges) and the rules
of the game that guide them (historical traditions, social identities, the
basic laws and the electoral method). This analysis uses rational-choice
institutionalism concepts, comparative data and in-depth empirical study
(qualitative and quantitative) of the Israeli case.
Page 11 of 18
DUAL-DIPLOMA PROGRAMS POLITICAL SCIENCE COURSES - FALL 2011
SUBJECT
COURSE
NUMBER
PLSC
485H
PLSC
340
COURSE
COURSE DESCRIPTION
REFERENCE
NUMBER
97530
Despite impressive achievements in terms of economic growth, low
unemployment and continuous prosperity, Israel's political-administrative
system has shown on-going weakness in policy design and
implementation. This is manifested through elected governments being
replaced every two years on average, decreasing levels of popular
support for the government and its organizations, increasing level of
delegation of authorities from elected politicians to bureaucrats and
implementation of policies mostly if the bureaucrats desire them. The
actual effect of all these factors is the lack of governments' ability to
design and implement policies recognized as critical by Israel's political
mainstream regarding social inequality, structural reforms and the ArabIsraeli conflict. We will study the Israeli case using empirical findings from
comparative research regarding the interaction between politicians and
bureaucrats, analytical models brought forth by public choice theory as
well as qualitative and quantitative data
96303
Examines the nature and dynamics of public opinion in American politics
with a focus on the major trends in public opinion since World War II.
Students examine different approaches to measuring and understanding
what drives public opinion. Moreover, they focus on the effects of public
opinion on the political process, including public policy and elections.
Open to Political Science, PPL, ENVI, Dual Diploma majors. Freshman and
others admitted only with permission of instructor.
Page 12 of 18
DUAL-DIPLOMA PROGRAMS POLITICAL SCIENCE COURSES - FALL 2011
SUBJECT
COURSE
NUMBER
PLSC
389E
PLSC
181A
COURSE
COURSE DESCRIPTION
REFERENCE
NUMBER
97582
This course is designed to introduce Korean politics to students who are
interested in understanding Korea, a divided country whose political fate
has tightly been interwoven with American foreign policy. While the
primary focus will be placed on examining the politics of contemporary
period, this course will survey how the tumultuous history of modern
Korea has contributed to the complexities of present political conditions,
both in the north and the south. The course is structured to understand
the questions of Japanese colonialism, the Korean War and national
division, economic growth under military dictatorships, political
democratization in the late 1980s, the intricacy of inter-Korean relations,
and the US involvement in the politics of the Korean peninsula. To
facilitate students’ understanding of these complexities, this course
incorporates readings, movies, and documentaries that depict the
turbulent political experiences Korea underwent over the last several
decades.
94934
This is an interdisciplinary course which has two main objectives. The first
is to serve as an introduction into Latin America, emphasizing its history,
politics, economics, and culture. First, we begin Latin America in its ‘PreColumbian era’ while shifting into the ‘Colonial/Columbian Period of
Colonization’ focusing heavily at how colonial legacies have shaped the
region’s political, economic, and cultural development. As such, an array
of Latin American facets/components of history including but not limited
to
state
formation,
race/ethnicity,
gender
relations,
religions/epistemologies, and new social movements will be focused on.
Page 13 of 18
DUAL-DIPLOMA PROGRAMS POLITICAL SCIENCE COURSES - FALL 2011
SUBJECT
COURSE
NUMBER
PLSC
101
PLSC
481R
COURSE
COURSE DESCRIPTION
REFERENCE
NUMBER
10026
Writing Emphasis Course: This course is a broad survey of some of the
major themes in African and African Diasporic experiences over the
course of time. It centers on movements, systems, and ideas that have
transcended national, continental and oceanic boundaries-including
culture and identity, politics, religion and art, slavery and emancipation,
colonialism and nationalism. The methods of organization are thematic
and chronological.
Overall, the course is an introduction to the making of the African world,
from the standpoint of black experiences globally.
96314
This course will explore some of the pressing legal issues that today
confront American institutions of higher education. The course will focus
upon how courts have attempted to balance the sometimes competing
rights / responsibilities of institutions, faculty / staff and students. Issues
to be explored include: first amendment rights of students, academic
freedom of faculty, search and seizure issues in residence halls,
affirmative action in admissions, regulation of athletics, privacy issues,
religious freedom on campus, rights of students with disabilities and
institutional liability for student behavior.
Open to seniors only (Political Science, PPL, ENVI, Dual Diploma
majors).Others permitted by petition.
Page 14 of 18
DUAL-DIPLOMA PROGRAMS POLITICAL SCIENCE COURSES - FALL 2011
SUBJECT
COURSE
NUMBER
PLSC
380V
COURSE
COURSE DESCRIPTION
REFERENCE
NUMBER
96926
To help juniors, seniors, and graduate students understand the growth of
the international community under law, this course examines issues of
criminality by states and their leaders as presented first at the Nuremberg
and Tokyo international war crimes trials and various national military
commission trials held at the end of World War II.
It seeks to probe issues of political justice and problems arising from the
grant of immunity for officials and states engaged in violations of
international criminal law and international humanitarian law. We focus
on cases from World War II, the Vietnam War, and the two major U.S.
wars and occupations of the post-cold war era, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Format: This is a Composition course with weekly discussion of short
(1.5 p.) reports on assigned readings plus three assessed essays (8 pages
each) and opportunity to rewrite. Final grades are calculated on the basis
of the three papers plus the quality of class preparation and participation.
Page 15 of 18
DUAL-DIPLOMA PROGRAMS POLITICAL SCIENCE COURSES - FALL 2011
SUBJECT
COURSE
NUMBER
PLSC
281F
COURSE
COURSE DESCRIPTION
REFERENCE
NUMBER
93557
This class will teach you how to form arguments, different styles of
argumentation, how to speak in public, and about U. S.-Sino international
relations in the areas of trade, human rights, weapons non-proliferation
and Taiwan. You will also learn how to debate abiding to the CrossExamination Debate Association and the National Debate Tournament's
rules. Ultimately, the course allows students to compete two to a team
against each other, proposing what the U. S. federal government should
do in response to a given topic area. Traditionally, it requires teams to
think of and research policy proposals, causing an in-depth knowledge of
issues surrounding any given situation. In recent years, more alternative
approaches have been taken by some debaters that call for individual, not
governmental, action to solve problems. Prior knowledge of U. S. -Sino
relations or philosophy is helpful but not needed since the course will
provide all background information necessary to debate.
Page 16 of 18
DUAL-DIPLOMA PROGRAMS POLITICAL SCIENCE COURSES - FALL 2011
SUBJECT
COURSE
NUMBER
PLSC
281F
PLSC
382L
COURSE
COURSE DESCRIPTION
REFERENCE
NUMBER
93560
This course offers an expansive view from the Renaissance from its origins
in Italy to the first stirrings of the Enlightenment in the Netherlands. A
study of the history of civilization, the course will relate cultural change to
economic, social, political and religious developments. There will be
special emphasis on the paradox of Italy's cultural influence and its
political fragmentation, and upon the symbiotic relationship with other
parts of Europe (chiefly western). The theme of study is the way in which
changing (and not always evolving) views of the classical tradition have
come to define our sense of "ancient", "medieval" and "modern" history.
Format: Two lectures per week. Examinations: One mid-term and one
final. Paper: One essay of c.2,000 words.
Corequisites: N/A
Reading: Clark, CIVILISATION; THE VIKING PORTABLE RENAISSANCE
READER; Burke, THE RENAISSANCE; Dickens, THE AGE OF HUMANISM
AND REFORMATION; Holmes, RENAISSANCE; ASTON, PANORAMA OF THE
RENAISSANCE; Burckhardt, THE CIVILISATION OF THE RENA
93707
This course is designed to familiarize students with issues pertaining to
women who come in contact with the U.S. criminal justice system. It
focuses on the inter-relationship between gender, ethnicity, race, class
and sexual orientation/preference and on how these influence the causes
for which women are arrested and incarcerated, the punishment they
receive, the treatment they face once institutionalized and their
responses to imprisonment. Required films/documentaries will
complement required readings. Some required films/videos will not be
available outside class times. You are, therefore, expected to be in class
when they are scheduled to be shown.
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DUAL-DIPLOMA PROGRAMS POLITICAL SCIENCE COURSES - FALL 2011
SUBJECT
COURSE
NUMBER
COURSE
COURSE DESCRIPTION
REFERENCE
NUMBER
Not: 400 Level courses are open to 4th year students ONLY!
Page 18 of 18