Survey the basic principles, terminology, and methods of political science in this course, which combines a historical study of the discipline's greatest thinkers with an analysis of contemporary issues.
Examine the major texts and figures in the history of political thought, including Plato, Machiavelli, and Rousseau. Topics of analysis include power, justice, rights, law, and issues of governance.
Survey the governments and politics of several contemporary societies in the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East by exploring political leadership, representative mechanisms, legal processes, and the extra-institutional behaviors of voting culture, ethnic conflict, and corruption.
Learn about the structure and processes of the U.S. political system: its constitutional foundations, the electoral process, political participation, the Congressional decision-making process, the executive branch, and federal courts.
Examine the role that ethical, cultural, religious, and moral principles play in the formulation and execution of public policy by lawmakers and other public officials. Topics include domestic and international policy, justice, equality, fairness, individual liberty, free enterprise, charity, and human rights.
Explore the contemporary debates and controversies around global justice, including topics like human rights, national and cultural boundaries, distributive justice, global inequality and poverty, environmental devastation, and violence against women and children.
