Political Science (PSC)

A survey of the discipline of political science with a focus on basic skills, key concepts, and analytical tools for success in the major. An introdcution to careers and subfields of the discipline to help students identify potential career paths.

The course offers a survey of American national government, its constitutional basis (the constitution, federalism, civil rights and liberties), its institutional structure (the branches of government), its underlying political processes (political parties, interest groups, media and elections), and its issue concerns (domestic and foreign policies).

This course will examine significant violations of human rights within their historical context. The evolution of human rights as entities within a global political thought and practice will provide philosophical context. There will be a specific focus on human rights law and moral pressures concerning the relief, remedy, and prevention of injustices to victims of society from diverse perspectives. Students will be encouraged to rely on reasonable evidence and critical thinking when studying these historical controversies, rather than on biased accounts or emotional arguments. Each of these topics will be carefully studies to identify root causes and sources of problems and then to retrace the pathways of movements and policies that were developed to address them and improve societies.

The course introduces students to domestic politics and governments of wide-ranging countries. Identifying different aspects of politics at the domestic level (e.g., institutions, interests, and identities), the course focuses on prominent countries around the world like Britain, Germany, France, Russia, China, Japan, Mexico, Iran, and South Africa.

The course covers major theoretical approcahes to International Relations (IR). It reviews various topics in international security (like conflict, the use of military force and terrorism, and international organizations, law and human rights) and in international political economy (like trade, money and business, international integration, environment and population, the North-South gap, and international development).

A survey of public policy from the values informing democratic policymaking to the basics of cost-benefit and other tools of policy analysis. The course will integrate various social science disciplines to address the institutional arrangements for making public policy decisions, the role of various actors-including nonprofit and private-sector professionals in shaping policy outcomes, and the fundamentals of analytic approaches to public policy.

This introductory course surveys the history of international human rights and humanitarian law both from a theoretical perspective as well as a case law perspective.

PSC 2304 State and Local Government Historical background and constitution-making structures and operations of both levels with an emphasis on the politics of local government in New York City and the New York State government; federalism; federal-state-local intergovernmental relations.

This course will examine Brazil's recent economic development, its social and political consequences, as well as the practical details of doing business in Brazil. Major political, social, and cultural developments in Brazil during the 20th and 21st centuries will be discussed, as well as issues like investment opportunities, foreign trade, regulatory environment, banking and finance, labor relations, general accounting practices, and taxation. The program is led by an SFC faculty member and taught in English by FACAMP instructors, a partner institution in Campinas, Brazil, for two weeks during the summer.

This course will examine the evolution of major metropolitan issues, agencies, and forms of government. Municipal governments dramatically impact the day-to-day lives of citizens. City governments impact policy areas from education and public safety to transportation, and they also address basic needs: making sure the trash gets taken out, the water runs, and that people are safe from crime. However, cities face serious limitation and political constraints when they choose to act. The course will include field trips to visit local governments and metropolitan agencies in the New York metropolitan area.

The nature of law and its role in society, the politics of the administration of justice, selection of judges, criminal and civil procedures, judicial and jury decision making, courtroom operations, etc.

Post-World War II international politics viewed through concepts (sovereignty, national interest, power) and the instruments for the conduct of foreign policy (diplomacy, war, global economics, world organizations, and international law).

This course examines the evolution of Congress, the principles on which it is based, its method of operation, its stuggles, and its place in America's future.

A study of the historical evolution of the Presidency from the eighteenth century to the present, emphasizing both the institution and the characters of the men whom held office.

This course is a study of American identity politics. American political parties have been a part of the political process from the beginning, yet most voters identify less with parties today than they do with ideology. This course will explore electoral theories, such as Critical Elections and Responsible Parties, as well as comparing multi-party systems with a two-party system. The course will also focus on how America's economic history has affected political identity

This course analyzes women in American political life. It also examines the transforming impact that women's actions have on the political process and American political life and how politics impact on women in society in the cases of the rights of women in empowerment and educaiton and familial and reproductive rights.

This course teaches about government-business relations with a specific focus on the United States: Its early origin, evolution and general context, business influence on government, and the impact and relevance of various government policies for business.

This course exposes students to th politics of Asia: its historical, cultural and international context, regime types and political institutions, political culture, policial enemy and public policy in the region.

This course introduces students to the most important multilateral international organization in contemporary world politics: the United Nations (UN). Specifically, students learn about the origin and history of the UN, its structure, main bodies and agencies, and also challenges and opportunities that the UN faces in the 21st century.

Contemporary government systems of representative nations of the Caribbean, Central, and South American regions. The course combines a standard approach (governmental structures and operations) with special emphasis on particularly applicable topics (elite-mass relationship, political instability, economic development, inter-hemispheric politcs).

This course discusses the Chinese model of economic development focusing on its transformations since 1978, the changing relation between China and the United States, and consequences of China's rise as a global player.

An analysis of the particular variables that have impacted the development of the African states, many of which are designated Least Developed or Developing countries. These states share the legacies of geographic impediment, colonialism, one-party government, military dictatorship, socioeconomic underdevelopment, and intrastate conflict.

This course examines the rightes and liberties granted to Americans as laid out by the United States Constitution primarily through a case law approach. This section of constitutional law will focus on those rights incorporated into the Bill of Rights and made applicable to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment. Emphasis will be given to freedoms granted by the First Amendment - freedom of speech, through, belief, and associate. The basic rights granted to individuals by the US Constitution will be discussed in depth as well as their implications and limits.

This course will investigate, through the study of Supreme Court opinions and the theories underlying those opinions, the meaning of the American Constitution. The course will include the role of the Court in interpreting and enforcing the Constitution; separation of powers; the powers of Congress, the President, and the Courts; federal-state relations; and the expansion of national governing powers.

This course focuses on the conceptual and methodological processes used to test hypotheses, to gather data, to determine proper tests, and to evaluate the results. In addition, the development of research designs, the explanation of elementary statistics, and the utilization of software programs for statistics as a tool for theory testing are emphasized. Open only to Junior and Senior Political Science majors.

This course will explore influential thought concerning some of the biggest questions regarding society and the proper type of political regime. The course analyzes the greatest debates in political theory such as - What is the purpose of government? What is human nature? What is the good life? And how should we balance individual freedoms with communal responsibilites? To answer theses questions, students will be taught different frameworks of political thought and asked to utilize these frameworks to assess the ethics and morality of each approach.

This course will explore influential political themes in entertainment media. The entertainment industry engages with topics directly relevant to politics and political ideology. Some of the most famous and influential works deal with war, government corruption, conspiracy theories surrounding political figues, electoral campaigns, economics, and foreign policy. This course will focus on the narrative presented to us by the entertainers. Depending on the producer, the media's argument or stance on a political issue may be either explicit or subtle. Their goal may be to simply educate or stir the audience to action. We will discuss whether these works really convey histrocial reality, create mythology, or both. The course will engage with the political impacts of influential works, their reception, and the impact these political themes have on politics.

This course introduces students to basic concepts and skills for research in the field of political science and prepares them for thesis writing in their senior years. Students learn the stages of research: identifying questions, assessing existing literature, identifying the best research tools for those questions, identifying existing data resources, creating a research design for gathering new quantitative and qualitative data, analyzing and weighing different forms of data and drawing defensible conclusions.

Students may intern at approved sites under professional supervision. Internships are available with the national, state, and local governments. In addition, internships are available at the United Nations, law firms, museums, and historical societies. Internships must be approved by the department chairperson and are subject to availability.

This course is for students who have a special subject interest not available among the published catalogue offerings. It is usually limited to students with 3.0 indices or above. Students who believe they qualify must meet with the department chairperson. After approval of the project, the student will seek a departmental professor and they will draw up a contract specifying the nature of the work. A paper is usually required in this course.

This course provides general guidance and practical support to political science seniors in writing their senior thesis on a topic of their own choices in one of the subdisciplines of political science.