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Political Science > Courses

Courses

Department of Political Science

From the 2012-2013 Millsaps College Catalog

1000 Introduction to American Government (4 sem. hours). A systems analysis of the American political environment and decision-making agencies, including study of federalism, state and local government, political parties, Congress, the presidency, and the judiciary.

1300 Comparative Government (4 sem. hours). General comparative theory applied to developed and developing nations.

2010 American Public Policy (4 sem. hours). Analysis of civil liberties, civil rights, and fiscal, regulatory, social, defense, and foreign policies. Prerequisite: PLSC 1000.

2020 State and Local Politics (4 sem. hours). This course is a survey of the processes of government and politics within and across the states. This is not a course on Mississippi politics, though special consideration will be given to historical examples and current events in our state. The primary focus of the course is a comparative examination of the institutions and politics of state government. Significant time is also devoted to studying the structures and practices of local government. Students gain a special appreciation for the complex relationships between state, local, and national levels of governance. Prerequisite: PLSC 1000.

2030 Women and Politics (4 sem. hours). This course considers the challenges that women face as they participate in the public political world. The current level of political power of women as both citizens and elites is examined. The historical and psychological origins of this power dynamic are also explored. Though special consideration will be given to the U.S. political context, time will also be spent discussing women and politics around the world.

2100 The U. S. Congress (4 sem. hours). This course examines the roles and functions of Congress in American governance. Recruitment is analyzed, as are formal and informal structures and processes, interbranch relations, and legislative reform.Prerequisite: PLSC 1000. Offered in alternate years.

2130 The U.S. Judiciary (4 sem. hours). The nature and functioning of the judicial branch of American government is examined. This course analyzes judicial recruitment and selection, decision making, court organization, and management in courts from the U.S. Supreme Court to the municipal magistrate. Prerequisite: PLSC 1000. Offered occasionally.

2150 Urban/Metro Politics (4 sem. hours). The nature of urban, suburban, and metropolitan governance is examined. Questions of urban policy, the future of cities, and quality of urban/metropolitan management are explored. Policy questions such as community and economic development, housing, growth management and planning, etc. are analyzed. Offered in alternate years.

2200 Economic Policy Issues (4 sem. hours). The course investigates various aspects of the public policy regarding economic issues. Both macro and micro policy issues may be considered. This course is the same as ECON 2200. Prerequisites: ECON 2000 and sophomore standing.

2400 International Relations (4 sem. hours). Consideration of issues, strategies, and theories of international politics, including the concepts of national interest, national defense, imperialism, balance of power, economics, and international cooperation and law.

2500 Political Theory (4 sem. hours). An inquiry into the basic principles of social and political organization, with special emphasis on concepts of government, justice, punishment, family, property, work, and peace. This course is the same as PHIL 2010. Offered in alternate years.

2550 Research Methods in Political Science (4 sem. hours). Examination of the fundamental issues involved in conceiving and executing a research project in the social sciences. Covers the fundamental logic of causal explanation in the social sciences with an emphasis on quantitative methods. Also includes a brief introduction to game theory and case study methods. Prerequisite: MATH 1150 (may be taken concurrently).

2750-2752 Special Topics in Political Science (1, 2, and 4 sem. hours). Areas of interest not covered in regular courses; unusual opportunities to study subjects of special interest.

3120 The U.S. Presidency (4 sem. hours). This course analyzes the institutional nature, roles, and functions of the American presidency. Questions of selection, the nature of leadership and executive power, formal and informal duties of office, evolution of the presidency, and performance evaluation are also explored. Prerequisite: PLSC 1000. Offered in alternate years.

3140 Constitutional Law (4 sem. hours). An analysis, including historical background and philosophical evolution, of Supreme Court interpretations of constitutional provisions relating to the structure of the federal government and relationships
between the different branches and with the states. Prerequisite: PLSC 1000 and junior standing.

3150 Civil Liberties (4 sem. hours). This course examines individual constitutional rights of expression, religion, “fundamental rights” (such as privacy and travel), and equal protection as developed by the U.S. Supreme Court. Constitutional rights of the accused in the U.S. judicial system as developed through Supreme Court cases are studied, as well as the role of the Supreme Court in American government.

3200 Political Parties and Interest Groups (4 sem. hours). Examination of history and current structure and functions of American political parties and interest groups in American politics. Prerequisite: PLSC 1000. Offered occasionally.

3210 Mass Media and Political Communication (4 sem. hours). This course examines the legal environment, history, and content of the press in America. The course covers several aspects of media law including patterns of media ownership and antitrust policy, prior restraint, libel, privacy, and hate speech. Media coverage of various topics such as U.S. elections, crime, foreign affairs, crises, and state and local issues are analyzed.

3220 Political Behavior (4 sem. hours). This course examines political behavior in the American context. It is offered in election years (even years in the fall term) and devotes significant time to considering voting behavior in the current election cycle. Other topics covered in the course include political socialization, political activism and volunteerism, protest behavior, discursive politics, and other forms of political participation. Prerequisite: PLSC 1000.

3230 The Psychology of Public Opinion Research (4 sem. hours). This course examines the measurement and influence of public opinion data in the U.S. context. Students will learn appropriate methods for population sampling, survey construction, and basic analysis of survey data. The course focuses especially on what can be learned from psychology about how to gather and interpret information accurately using survey designs. The course is designed with students of political science and psychology in mind, but it might also be of interest to students of sociology and other social sciences that use survey research. Prerequisite: PLSC 1000 or PSYC 1000.

3240 The Psychology of Political Decision Making (4 sem. hours). This course applies concepts from psychology, economics, and political science to investigate how citizens and political leaders make decisions. Topics to be covered include introductory game theory, group decision making, and behavioral theory. Examples for the course are drawn from both foreign and domestic politics. Prerequisite: PLSC 1000 and PSYC 1000, or permission of the instructor.

3250 Public Administration (4 sem. hours). Theory and application of planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting, and budgeting in public agencies. Prerequisite: PLSC 1000. Offered occasionally.

3260 Political Psychology (4 sem. hours). This course applies concepts from social and cognitive psychology to the study of mass and elite political behavior. Topics to be covered include the development of political attitudes, ideologies, and values; political persuasion, rhetoric, and communications; emotion and politics; mass and elite decision-making; political information processing; and the psychology of prejudice. Examples for the course are drawn from both foreign and domestic politics. Prerequisite: PLSC 1000 and either PSYC 1000 or permission of the instructor.

3300 Western European Government and Politics (4 sem. hours). Examination of politics and government in Western Europe by means of country studies and comparisons. Sections of the course will be devoted to the general topic of European integration and related concepts such as regionalism, functionalism, and integration theory.Prerequisite: PLSC 1300. Offered in alternate years.

3310 African Government and Politics (4 sem. hours). Examination of politics and government in Africa by means of country studies and comparisons. Sections of the course will be devoted to the examination of issues of development and underdevelopment. Prerequisite: PLSC 1300. Offered in alternate years.

3350 The Politics of Race and Ethnicity: A Comparative Perspective (4 sem. hours). Examination of issues of race and ethnicity in selected countries. Sections of the course are devoted to the comparative study of the causes and consequences of ethnic and racial strife, as well as the examination of race- and ethnic-specific policies in selected countries. Prerequisite: PLSC 1300. Offered occasionally.

3400 U.S. Foreign Policy (4 sem. hours). Diplomatic, military, and economic aspects of foreign policy considered within the context of current issues. Prerequisite: PLSC1300. Offered in alternate years.

3410–3412 International Organizations/Model United Nations (2 or 4 sem. hours). Examination of recent trends in the globalization and regionalization of political, social, and economic issues. A substantial part of the course will focus on the United Nations system. Through research and role-play (including participation in model UN situations), the course will examine several different areas of the UN’s work.

3800–3802 Directed Readings in Political Science (1, 2, or 4 sem. hours). Directed readings in political science. (No more than one directed reading course may be included in the list of courses for the major.) 3850–3852 Political Science Internship (1, 2, or 4 sem. hours).

4300 Developing Nations (4 sem. hours). Comparative theory applied to developing nations. Prerequisite: PLSC 1300. Offered in alternate years.

4400 Peace, Conflict Resolution, and International Security (4 sem. hours). This course will focus on issues of peace and international security. The course will seek to stimulate a wider awareness and appreciation of the search for peaceful resolution to strife in all its forms. Prerequisite: PLSC 1300. Offered in alternate years.

4500 Political Sociology (4 sem. hours). This course will employ the political-economy perspective to examine the various political ideologies and the diverse economic systems in the contemporary world. The course will also include an overview of theories of development and underdevelopment and a discussion of social change within both specific societies and the world system. Prerequisite: PLSC 1300. Offered occasionally.

4750-4752 Special Topics in Political Science (1, 2, or 4 sem. hours). Areas of interest not covered in regular courses; unusual opportunities to study subjects of special interest.

4900 Senior Seminar (4 sem. hours). Survey of historical development of the discipline, examination of contemporary issues in major subfields of the discipline, and examination of some examples of current uses of political science knowledge.

4910 Senior Seminar in Public Management (4 sem. hours). This is the capstone course for the interdisciplinary major in Public Management. Students in the course apply the skills they have developed in the Public Management major to help solve existing community problems. Through individual internships or service-learning group project, students will work with public and private community leaders to identify and address a policy challenge. In addition to the internship or service learning fieldwork, the course will meet weekly so that students can discuss their experiences with each other and a supervising faculty member.