POLITICAL SCIENCE COURSES

POL 111. AMERICAN GOVERNMENT  4 sh

American Government serves as an introduction to the national political system including the legislative, executive and judicial branches; the Constitution; political parties; interest groups; public opinion and public policy issues. Offered fall and spring.

POL 112. NORTH CAROLINA STUDENT LEGISLATURE  1 sh

This is an experiential course which promotes active participation in the NCSL, debate of public issues and organizational involvement at the university and state-wide level. Offered fall and spring.

POL 114. MODEL UNITED NATIONS  1 sh

Through experiential learning activities, students gain insight into the workings of the United Nations, diplomacy and international politics. Offered fall and spring.

POL 116. LOCAL GOVERNMENT SIMULATION  4 sh

This course examines the structure and functioning of local governments and applies that understanding in a simulation of local government issues in which students assume the roles of city council members, planning commission members, organizational leaders, business owners, citizen groups and the media. Offered winter.

POL 141. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS  4 sh

This course gives students a basic appreciation for our world and examines political issues such as the role of power and international law in the international system and economic, social and cultural features of the world. Offered fall and spring.

POL 220. RESEARCH METHODS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE   4 sh

This course introduces methodologies used in political science research. It focuses on concept formation, research design for problem solving and the measurement of data and data analysis. Political Science and Public Administration majors should take this course in their sophomore year. Offered fall and spring.

POL 222. STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS  4 sh

This course focuses on the structure and functioning of the state and local government and their roles within the American federal system. Offered fall and spring.

POL 224. ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND LAW  4 sh

This course focuses on the policy processes and institutional settings for environmental policy formation and governmental action. It deals with the role of the courts, Congress and federal agencies in the development, implementation and evaluation of environmental policy. Offered spring.

POL 231. PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION  4 sh

This course introduces the student to the complexities of administering government activities and emphasizes the basic principles of organizations, decision making, fiscal management, personnel management and other forms of action in the public sector. (Cross-listed with PUB 231.) Offered fall and spring.

POL 261. COMPARATIVE POLITICS  4 sh

This introduction to the central concepts of comparative politics and to the major types of contemporary political systems may include Britain, Germany, Japan, Nigeria, China, Mexico and the post-Soviet independent states of Eurasia. Offered spring.

POL 300. INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL THOUGHT  4 sh

In a critical introduction to the great political thinkers, discussion spans from Plato to Rousseau. Offered every third semester.

POL 303. DEMOCRATIC THEORY  4 sh

This course  examines conceptions, models and themes of democracy around the world using a comparative approach with special emphasis on models of democracy as they developed in the U.S. Offered every third semester.

POL 304. THEORISTS OF NON-VIOLENCE  4 sh

Non-violent alternatives to violence in resolving interpersonal and intergroup conflicts will be explored in light of the various Eastern and Western moral and religious traditions and the thought of such thinkers as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr. and others. Offered every third semester.

POL 321. PUBLIC OPINION POLLING  4 sh

The goal of this course is for students to learn how to supervise a public opinion poll and apply survey research theory to the Elon Poll. Students participate as interviewers in several polls and learn survey design, computer programming, analysis of poll data and how to write about survey results. Offered fall.

POL 322. NORTH CAROLINA POLITICS AND POLICY  4 sh

This course examines North Carolina’s politics and public policy development from a broad historical perspective, analyzes how state government formulates and administers legislation and explores contemporary policy issues facing the state.

POL 323. CONSTITUTIONAL LAW  2 sh

Using a case study approach, this course focuses on American Constitutional structures: separation of powers, judicial review and federalism.

POL 324. CIVIL LIBERTIES  2 sh

The focus of this course is on individual rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.

POL 325. THE PRESIDENCY  4 sh

A study of the contemporary presidency emphasizing the organization of the office, its relationship to other structures in American politics and its role in the policy-making process. Offered every other year.

POL 326. THE CONGRESS  4 sh

Topics of study cover the policy-making process in Congress, focusing on party leadership, the committee system and the relationship between the Congress and the presidency, interest groups and the executive branch. Discussion also includes congressional reform proposals. Offered every other year.

POL 328. PUBLIC POLICY  4 sh

This study of public policy-making emphasizes policy content and focuses on the stages and options in the process, especially the complex relationships between the branches and levels of government within the structure of federalism. Students trace the development of selected public policy positions and focus on options available to contemporary decision makers. (Cross-listed with PUB 328.) Offered fall.

POL 329. POLITICAL BEHAVIOR  4 sh

This course focuses on political life from a micro-perspective by examining how political attitudes and behaviors are learned and how they affect our political choices, especially in regard to political socialization and electoral behavior. Offered every other year.

POL 334. GIS APPLICATIONS FOR ADMINISTRATION AND PLANNING  4 sh

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is an indispensable tool in public policy research, analysis and implementation. Students will develop expertise in the use of GIS software through the use of case studies, specific research projects and practical applications of this new technology in both the public and nonprofit sectors. (Cross-listed with PUB 334.) Offered every other year.

POL 335. ETHICS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR  4 sh

The course seeks to develop awareness of the responsibilities associated with discretionary power; to develop an understanding of the ethical standards, values and virtues associated with civil service and to build skills in using moral imagination and ethical reasoning to assess and deal effectively with ethical dilemmas that arise in public service. (Cross-listed with PUB 335.) Offered fall.

POL 342. U.S. FOREIGN POLICY  4 sh

This course covers the foreign relations, foreign policy process and international politics of the United States. Offered every other year.

POL 343. INTERNATIONAL LAW AND ORGANIZATIONS  4 sh

This course focuses on the role of international law and organizations in determining patterns of international behavior with special attention to the United Nations. Offered every other year.

POL 344. INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY  4 sh

This course addresses environmental issues that cross national boundaries, such as global warming, natural resource scarcity, waste disposal and issues of international trade and the environment. It is useful for students of International Studies and Environmental Studies as well as Political Science.

POL 345. INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM  4 sh

This course examines the genesis, typology and impact of international terrorism on nation states and the international community. It also explores the variety of approaches used, especially by the United States, to deal with international terrorism. Offered fall and spring.

POL 359. POLITICAL COMMUNICATIONS  4 sh

This examination of political communications processes uses a comparative perspective and emphasizes the role of media in the U.S., Europe, Eurasia and developing countries.

POL 363. POLITICS OF ASIA  4 sh

This exploration of the politics of Asia after World War II analyzes political and economic processes in the cases of Japan, China and newly industrializing countries.

POL 364.  POLITICS OF EUROPE 4 sh

This course explores the politics of Eastern and Western Europe since World War I.

POL 365. POLITICS OF EURASIA  4 sh

This course analyzes the rise and fall of the Soviet Union as a political entity and studies the newly independent countries of the former Soviet Union in some depth.

POL 366. MIDDLE EAST POLITICS  4 sh

This course studies Middle Eastern political dynamics and institutions, contemporary issues and problems of selected Middle Eastern and North African countries.

POL 367. POLITICS OF AFRICA  4 sh

This course focuses on nation building and major factors influencing contemporary politics in selected African states. It emphasizes the legacy of colonialism/independence struggles, traditional loyalties, the political/social/economic origins of conflict/coalitions/coups, political participation, institutionalization/control, the destabilizing influences of class/ethnic/elitist/racial differences and African states in the world order.

POL 368. LATIN AMERICAN POLITICS  4 sh

Central America and Mexico receive emphasis in this study of the political dynamics, governmental structures and contemporary issues of selected countries of Latin America.

POL 375. POLITICAL SCIENCE IN LONDON  4 sh

POL 376. WASHINGTON CENTER SEMINAR  1-4 sh

Students learn first hand from speakers, on-site visits and other experiential opportunities in Washington, D.C., and other locations through the Washington Center. Course requirements include readings, writing assignments and collaborative work dealing with a wide variety of topics. Prerequisite: permission of department. Offered every semester.

POL 382. CAMPAIGN MANAGEMENT  4 sh

This course provides a practical study of how to run an election campaign with attention to setting up, staffing and financing a campaign office, organizing events, media relations, campaign technology, polling, advertising and getting out the vote. Students spend significant time as an intern for a candidate of their choice and reflect on their experience. Offered fall of even-numbered years.

POL 428. COMPARATIVE PUBLIC POLICY  4 sh

Focusing primarily on various countries in Europe and Eurasia, with comparisons to the United States, this course examines the differences in the formation and implementation of a variety of public policies. It also explores differences in political culture, economic structure, political institutions and national approaches to domestic social policies and how those differences impact the policy process and policy content. (Cross-listed with PUB 428.) Offered fall. 

POL 431. POLICY ANALYSIS AND PROGRAM EVALUATION  4 sh

Two aspects of the public policy process are covered in this course. Policy analysis focuses on the formulation stage of the policy process and attempts to isolate both the intended and many unintended effects of public policy. Program evaluation determines the degree to which a program is meeting its objectives and considers problems and side effects. Prerequisite: POL 220 or permission of instructor. (Cross-listed with PUB 431.) Offered spring.

POL 433. URBAN POLITICS  4 sh

Advanced study in areas of the Urban Politics field centers on varying topics to be decided by the instructor. Selections might include urban management, urban public policy, urban problems, etc. Prerequisite: POL 222 or permission of instructor. (Cross-listed with PUB 433.)

POL 461. SENIOR SEMINAR IN POLITICAL SCIENCE  4 sh

The capstone experience for senior Political Science majors involves close review of the discipline’s conceptual approaches to the study of political issues, discussion and development of research strategies. Students must also present a work of original scholarship. Prerequisite: senior majors only. Offered fall and spring.

POL 481. INTERNSHIP IN POLITICAL SCIENCE  1-16 sh

Work experience in a partisan, nonprofit, business, governmental or legal setting requires students to establish experiential goals and to reflect on the learning experience. Offered on an individual basis when suitable opportunities can be arranged.

POL 485. WASHINGTON INTERNSHIP IN POLITICAL SCIENCE  1-12 sh

Work experience in a partisan, nonprofit, business, governmental or legal setting in the Washington, D.C., area, requires students to establish experiential goals and reflect on the learning experience. Offered on an individual basis when suitable opportunities can be arranged.

POL 491. INDEPENDENT STUDY  1-4 sh

POL 492. TOPICS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE  4 sh

This advanced course explores significant contemporary issues or developments within the discipline. Prerequisite: POL 111 or permission of the instructor.

POL 499. RESEARCH  1-4 sh

This course is an opportunity for students to undertake an empirical or theoretical study of a topic in Political Science in collaboration with a departmental faculty member. Research projects may include a review of research literature, developing a research design, data collection and analysis, and a presentation or report when the study is completed. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. A research proposal form completed by the student in conjunction with the faculty member is required for registration. Students may register for one-four hours of credit per semester and may register for more than one semester of research for a total of eight hours of research credit toward the major. Students must have a minimum 2.5 GPA and have completed 28 semester hours of undergraduate work.