141. Introduction to American Government:
Theory and Politics (GOVT 2301) - Origins and development of
American and Texas government systems; federalism; civil
liberties and civil rights; interest groups, political parties,
and elections. Meets the state requirement for American
Government.
142. Introduction to American Government:
Structure and Functions (GOVT 2302) - Legislative, executive
and judicial functions in American and Texas governments; public
policy areas such as finance, social services, and foreign
policy; Texas local and county governments. Meets the state
requirement for Texas Government.
300. Contemporary Issues in Political Science
- Analysis of one or more contemporary issues in political science.
With a change in topic, this course may be repeated one time for a
total of six hours credit. 300 (A) indicates international topics and 300
(B) indicates American topics.
301. Judicial Process - Analysis of law and the legal
system; legal training, the bar and legal occupations; the jury
system; criminal and civil procedures. Prerequisites: PSC 141
and PSC 142.
302. Topics in the Development of American
Law - Usually taught as Judicial Behavior topic: judicial
activism and restraint roles, judicial selection, Texas and
federal court structure with emphasis upon the U.S. Supreme
Court. With a change in topic, this course may be repeated one
time for a total of six hours credit. Prerequisites: PSC 141 and
PSC 142.
303. Introduction to Political Science
- Introduction to the discipline of political science
emphasizing political ideas, concepts, institutions and methods
of analysis. Required of all political science majors and second
majors. Prerequisites: PSC 141 and PSC 142.
304. Major Foreign Governments - (A)
Latin America, (B) Europe, (C) Asia, (D) Middle East, (E) Africa
- The government and politics of the principal countries of each
area. Prerequisites: PSC 141 and PSC 142.
306. Political Parties & Interest Groups
- An analysis of the development and characteristics of American
political parties and interest groups and their role in the
political, policy, and administrative processes of government.
Prerequisites: PSC 141 and PSC 142.
313. State Governments - Systematic
and intensive study of state governmental organization,
operation and functions as carried on at the state level
throughout the United States. Prerequisites: PSC 141 and PSC
142.
332. International Politics - Forces
and forms of international politics. Restraints on the struggle
for power, balance of power, morality, law. Problems of world
stability and peaceful change. Prerequisites: PSC 141 and PSC
142.
333. International Political Economy -
A survey of the theoretical and empirical analyses of the
relationship between economics and politics in the formation of
states' economic policies and in international economic
relations. Examination of the effects of national,
international, and transnational institutions and social forces
on the structure and conduct of interstate economics relations;
fiscal, trade, and monetary policies; foreign investment;
foreign aid; and states economic development policies.
Prerequisites: PSC 141 and PSC 142.
334. International Human Rights -
Study the sources of human rights and the evolution of an
international human rights norm. Investigate the struggle
between international human rights and state sovereignty, the
questions of universalism vs. cultural relativism, the
motivations for state sponsored torture and its effectiveness.
Analyze first hand accounts of torture. Prerequisites PSC 141
and PSC 142.
335. Classical Political Thought -
Development and analysis of classical political through from the
pre-Socratic period through the Middle Ages. Prerequisites: PSC
141 and PSC 142.
336. Modern Political Thought -
Development and analysis of political thought from Machiavelli
through the present. Prerequisites: PSC 141 and PSC 142.
337. Theories of Democracy - An
examination and comparison and contrast of the varieties of
democratic theory, including those based on liberalism and civic
republicanism. Traces the development of those theories over
time with emphasis on recent variations, such as libertarianisms
and deliberative democracy. Prerequisites PSC 141 and PSC 142.
338. American Foreign Policy -
Analysis of the formulation and control of United States foreign
policy and the origin and content of contemporary policies;
formulation and application of theories of U.S. foreign policy.
Prerequisites: PSC 141 and PSC 142.
344. Introduction to Public Administration
- Overview of field: public versus private administration,
organization theory, policy analysis, personnel administration,
financial resources management, decision making, challenges in
public administration. Prerequisites: PSC 141 and PSC 142.
345. American Public Policy - A study
of various concepts, theories, and approaches used in the
formulation and implementation of public policy. Prerequisites:
PSC 141 and PSC 142.
346. Public Personnel Administration -
Examines public sector recruitment, selection, and management of
personnel at the national, state, and local levels of
government. Prerequisites: PSC 141 and PSC 142.
397. Topics in International and
Comparative Politics - Analyze selected topic in
International Politics. Maybe be repeated one time with
different topic for a total of six semester credit hours.
Prerequisite: Prerequisite: PSC 141 and PSC 142.
399. Topics in American Politics -
Analyze selected topics in American politics. May be repeated
one time with a different topics for a total of six semester
hours credit. Prerequisite: PSC 141 and PSC 142.
398H. Honors Reading and Research -
2-6 semester hours. A program of reading and research for
individual instruction of the honors student. Amount of credit
to be determined by the scope of the program. Prerequisites: PSC
141 and PSC 142.
402. American Constitutional Law
Structure and Powers - The federal constitutional provisions
concerning organization and powers in the federal system. Major
Supreme Court cases. Prerequisites: PSC 141 and PSC 142.
403. American Constitutional Law
Individual and His Rights - The federal constitutional
provisions concerning the individual and his rights. Major
Supreme Court cases. Prerequisites: PSC 141 and PSC 142.
412. Public Opinion and American Democracy
- A study of the origins, measurement and impact of public
opinion in the practice of American democracy. Prerequisites:
PSC 141 and PSC 142.
413. Campaigns and Elections -
Examination of the behavior of candidates, campaigns and voters
in the electoral process. Topics: the role of the media, the
impact of money, the operation of political campaigns and the
effect of campaign laws. Prerequisites: PSC 141 and PSC 142.
433. American Political Thought - The
development of American political ideologies. Ideas of leading
American political thinkers and movements from colonial times to
the present. Prerequisites: PSC 141 and PSC 142.
441. International Law - The nature,
sources and application of the law of nations. Prerequisites:
PSC 141 and PSC 142.
444. Public Organizational Theory - A
public administrator's perspective of organizational life is
developed by studying and applying traditional and modern
theories of organizations. Suggested background: Prerequisites:
PSC 141, PSC 142, PSC 344.
445. Policy Analysis - Students are
given the tools of analysis that improve government
decision-making and its implementation. These tools are used to
define public problems and evaluate policy solutions.
Prerequisite: Prerequisites: PSC 141, PSC 142, PSC 344 or
consent of instructor.
446. Topics in Public Administration -
Study of selected subject areas in contemporary public
administration. Usually taught as Public Financial Management.
Emphasis on field experiences. With a change in topic, this
course may be repeated one time for a total of six hours credit.
Prerequisite: Prerequisites: PSC 141, PSC 142 and PSC 344 or
instructor approval.
447. The U.S. Congress - Structure,
powers, organization, political control, and procedures of
Congress. Prerequisites: PSC 141 and PSC 142.
448. The American Presidency -
Development, power, organization and influence of the
presidency. Prerequisites: PSC 141 and PSC 142.
449. Urban Affairs - Analysis of urban
setting, growth and change, legal framework, participation and
politics, reform, administration, and finance. Prerequisites:
PSC 141 and PSC 142.
450. Urban Political Problems -
Analysis of such contemporary urban political problems as crime
and law enforcement, transportation, pollution, health,
education, welfare and poverty, housing and urban renewal,
planning and zoning. Prerequisites: PSC 141 and PSC 142.
470. Public budgeting and Financial
Administration - Budgeting processes, types of budgets, the
politics of budgeting, revenue systems, capital improvement
planning, cash management, debt administration, purchasing, risk
management, and financial control as practiced in local
governments. Prerequisites: PSC 141, PSC 142, PSC 344 or
instructor approval.
475. Special Problems - 1-3 semester
hours. Credit to be determined by the amount and difficulty of
the project undertaken. Individual research for advanced
political science students. Prerequisites: PSC 141, PSC 142, 6
semester hours of upper-level political science, and special
permission from department chairman.
476. Special Problems - 1-3 semester
hours. Credit to be determined by the amount and difficulty of
the project undertaken. Individual research for advanced
political science students. Prerequisites: PSC 141, PSC 142, 6
semester hours of upper-level political science, PSC 475 and
special permission from department chairman.
499. Internship in Political Science and
Public Administration - Supervised work with governmental
bodies to gain field experience that augments classroom
training; with approval of the supervising faculty member and
department chair. (1-6 semester hour credit. Prerequisites: PSC
141, PSC 142, junior standing and nine hours of advanced (300
level or above) PSC courses.
