Economics, History, and Political Science
Phone: 718.489.3437
The programs offered by the department of Economics, History, and Political Science have a unique and complementary approach to liberal learning. The department provides its majors with a foundational education grounded in the liberal arts tradition of St. Francis College. At the same time, the department interfaces with the general education objectives of the College as it prepares its majors in the necessary cognitive and communication skills essential to their post-collegiate careers and for intelligent participation in our American democratic society. The skills encouraged within the department—articulating significant questions, framing hypotheses, gathering evidence, looking for patterns and relationships, weighing alternative methods and interpretations, and, finally, articulating substantive arguments and conclusions with clarity and persuasion—are proficiencies in high demand in a wide variety of professions.
Mission of the Economics Major
The Economics major provides students with a versatile education that opens the door to a wide range of careers. Economics majors develop a broad set of practical and theoretical skills to understand and critically analyze economic problems, giving students the flexibility they need to advance in today's rapidly changing global economy. In addition to expanding their skills in critical and quantitative thinking, research methods, writing, and presentation, students can choose a more specialized concentration in finance, international economics, or public policy. Graduates are prepared to pursue careers in business, finance, government institutions, and graduate studies in the social sciences, including economics, and other disciplines such as business management, law, and public administration.
Program Student Learning Outcomes:
Economics (B.A.)
- PLO 1: Demonstrate knowledge of essential principles of macroeconomics and their application to real-world situations, including key economic indicators, the functioning of monetary and fiscal policy, business cycles, the causes of inflation, the role of money and the functioning of the financial system, the concept of exchange rates and international trade, and the essential theories in Macroeconomics thinking, especially Keynesian theory.
- PLO 2: Demonstrate knowledge of essential principles of microeconomics and their application to the real-world situations, including supply and demand, elasticity, externalities, market structures, and market failures.
- PLO 3: Identify, access, and use the most important economic databases, gather and analyze economic data.
- PLO 4: Understand and correctly use graphs, spreadsheets, specialized software, and other data analytical methods and tools.
- PLO 5: Understand, contrast, and critically analyze different theoretical perspectives in both the history of economic thought and current economic policy debates.
- PLO 6: Demonstrate general skills in critical thinking, well-developed verbal and writing skills to articulate arguments.
Mission of the History Major
History majors learn to place contemporary events in a larger historical context and better understand viewpoints that differ from their own. They also develop communication, research, analysis, organization, and problem-solving skills prized by employers.
Historical inquiry provides a broad understanding of the institutional and cultural foundations of contemporary civilizations. Studying history helps students become informed citizens, gain an increased understanding of diverse viewpoints, and learn how to use historical context to make knowledgeable decisions about the future. History majors also gain a variety of skills such as planning and organizing projects, gathering and analyzing evidence, and clearly communicating their conclusions that are in high demand in a wide variety of professions.
Program Student Learning Outcomes:
History (B.A.)
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PLO 1: Show an understanding of causation, context, continuity, and change in the study of the past.
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PLO 2: Analyze contemporary problems and civic affairs through the lens of history.
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PLO 3: Utilize both electronic and print research tools to retrieve and analyze historical data from a variety of primary sources, including printed works, manuscripts, artifacts, visual sources, and living witnesses.
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PLO 4: Evaluate various historians' arguments on key topics and have the ability to compare them.
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PLO 5: Demonstrate a familiarity with the history of the United States, Europe, and at least one other region of the world.
- PLO 6: Complete an original history research project utilizing both primary and secondary sources.
- PLO 7: Apply historical thinking in careers such as law, government, business, secondary and higher education, public administration, and public history.
Mission of the Political Science Major
The major of political science teaches students government and politics, as well as the actors, processes and institutions involved in making collective decisions for societies. The major helps students to acquire a specialized knowledge of politics as presented in four subfields of political science (American government, comparative government, international relations and political theory) and introduces students to theoretical frameworks, concepts and methods of inquiry to understand and explain politics. In addition, the major offers opportunities for students to work on their general skills like analytical and critical thinking, writing, presentation, and research. With the specific knowledge basis and skill set that it helps students to acquire, the major prepares students for an active and informed citizenship, and for various meaningful and fulfilling career choices in the areas of government, private business, non-governmental organizations, international organizations, academic studies and professional education (e.g., legal studies and public administration).
Program Student Learning Outcomes:
Political Science (B.A.)
- PLO 1: Compare how politics is organized and governments operate in different contexts.
- PLO 2: Evaluate fundamental ethical and moral values when interpreting political discourses and analyzing political orders.
- PLO 3: Explain political events and phenomena using the established theories and concepts of political science.
- PLO 4: Assemble interdisciplinary skill sets for a political science career.
- PLO5 (American Government Concentration): Describe the American political system and the functioning of the American government.
- PLO6 (Global Politics Concentration): Examine international politics and its economic, cultural, historical, and institutional contexts.
- Economics, B.A. — Concentration in Finance
- Economics, B.A. — Concentration in International Economics
- Economics, B.A.— Concentration in Public Policy
- Economics Minor
- Economics, BA
- History Minor
- History, BA
- Human Rights Minor
- Political Science Minor
- Political Science, BA
- Political Science, B.A. - Concentration in American Government
- Political Science, B.A. - Concentration in Global Politics
On This Page
Economics
ECO-1201 Principles of Macroeconomics (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): MAT-1101 or MAT 1101T or higher;
Macroeconomics; the foundation of economic analysis; national income, employment, and economic growth; aggregate demand and supply, saving, and investment, economic fluctuations; monetary and fiscal policy; the international economy.
Fulfills General Education Requirement: SEH
Typically offered: All Sessions
ECO-2202 Principles of Microeconomics (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): ECO-1201
Microeconomics; markets, the price system, and the allocation of resources; competition, monopoly, monopolistic competition, and oligopoly; government and business; the distribution of income.
Fulfills General Education Requirement: SEH
Typically offered: All Sessions
ECO-2222 Mathematics for Economics and Finance (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): MAT 1101 or higher
The core areas covered in this course include linear algebra, differential calculus and their most common applications in economics and finance. By learning these concepts students will gain the tools and confidence to be better consumers of specialized economic and financial literature, which tend to be couched in mathematical and technical language.
ECO-2301 Hum Rights, Sustainability & Global Fin (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): HIS-1203/PSC-1203 or ECO 1201
This course investigates the connections between human rights, environmental sustainability, and global finance. It will introduce students to cutting edge debates in those fields as well as practical perspectives on ways forward
ECO-2303 Economic Issues Today (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): ECO-1201
An examination of significant economic problems and an application of economic theory to an analysis of their roots and possible solutions. Typical issues include recession, poverty, financial instability, underdevelopment, monopolies, and pollution.
ECO-2306 Money and Banking (3 Credits)
Money and credit; commercial banking; central banking; monetary theory and practice; financial regulation.
Typically offered: All Sessions
ECO-2401 Brazil: Economy, Politics and Business (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): ECO-1201
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.
Typically offered: As Needed
ECO-3304 Political Economy of Development (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): ECO-1201
Empirical and theoretical issues relating to the process of economic development in Third World countries. The measurement of economic growth and the meaning of economic development; the mobilization of economic resources; poverty, unemployment, and unequal income distribution; the debt crisis and development strategies. Discussion of modernization, dependency, and neoclassical theories of economic development.
ECO-3305 European Economies (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): ECO-1201
Cross-listed with: ICS-3305. A study of the European Union, the economies in transition in Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans. Particular emphasis is placed on the question of nationalism and the issues confronting multinational states in Europe today. Prerequisite: ECO 1201. 3 credits. Spring semester; day.
Typically offered: As Needed
ECO-3306 Trckng the Economy & US Monetary Policy (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): ECO-2306
This is a course on the current US economy and the monetary policy formulated and carried out by the Federal Reserve System. It examines the leading economic indicators used by the Fed in assessing the state of the US economy.
Typically offered: Fall Only
ECO-3307 Environmental Economics (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): ECO-1201
The impact of production and consumption decisions on the environment. The principles of sustainable economic development and their implications for policy in both developed and less developed countries.
ECO-3308 Urban Economics (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): ECO-1201
The interaction between private decisions on the location of production and housing and forms of transportation, together with an analysis of the impact of government policy. A critical discussion of the impact of economic crises on cities and states. An analysis of contemporary urban problems such as homelessness, unemployment, racial antagonism, and pollution.
Typically offered: Spring Only
ECO-3309 Labor Economics (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): ECO-1201
The operation of labor markets, including and analysis of wage structure and unemployment. Labor-management relations and their effect on productivity, profitability, and wage levels. Current labor legislation. An evaluation of institutional and radical approaches which challenge traditional neoclassical analysis of labor market dynamics.
ECO-3310 Health Economics (3 Credits)
An introductory study of health economics that explores a variety of health-related issues. On the basis of given scarce resources and using economic tools, this course analyzes the process of the production of health care and its distribution in the United States as compared to other countries. This analysis will include a critical approach to the details of private and public health-care systems.
ECO-3311 The Chinese Economy (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): ECO-1201
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.
ECO-3313 Introduction to Econometrics (3 Credits)
This course provides students with an introduction to the way in which economists make use of data in the analysis of both micro- and macroeconomics issues. Students will learn to apply some of the basis tools of statistics, such as regression analysis, to address both theoretical questions and policy issues.
Typically offered: Fall Only
ECO-3331 Principles of Finance (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): ACC-1001 or ACC-1101,ECO-2202 or ECO-2306,MAT-1105 MAT-1105T MAT-1107 MAT-1107T MAT-1109 or, MAT-2301
Cross-listed with: FIN-3301. Aspects of financing corporate entities in the functioning of the economy; equity financing, capital structure; bond flotation, mergers and takeovers; holding companies; security underwriting and market rights; warrants and options. Use of financial ratios, time value of money, and other techniques of financial analysis.
Typically offered: All Sessions
ECO-3332 Managerial Finance (3 Credits)
Cross-listed with: FIN-3302. Focuses on the efficient management of the financial resources of the firm. Introduction to applications of financial ratios, time value of money and statistical analysis of risk. Presentations also include topics of financial planning, working capital management and capital budgeting. Prerequisite: ECO 3331/FIN 3301 and MAT 1109. 3 credits. Offered as needed. This course will not count as a liberal arts elective.
Typically offered: As Needed
ECO-3333 Investment Analysis (3 Credits)
Cross-listed with: FIN-3312. Quantitative and qualitative methods of analyzing various types of securities such as bonds, stocks and derivatives. Applications of time value of money and statistical analysis of risk are used for valuation and portfolio selection purposes. Prerequisite: ECO 3331/FIN 3301 and MAT 1109. 3 credits. Offered as needed. This course will not count as a liberal arts elective.
ECO-3334 Public Finance (3 Credits)
Cross-listed with: FIN-3334. A study of government budgets and the budgetary process. The role of federal, state, and local governments in the production and the provision of social security. The economic impact of alternative expenditure on income distribution. The impact of government borrowing on financial markets.
ECO-3340 Gender and the Economy (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): ECO-1201
An exploration of the ways in which economic systems are structured by gender. The course revisits economic history, paying particular attention to changes in the gender division of labor, and the gender distribution of production. It will look at economic issues facing women in the world today, in advanced countries such as the United States and in less developed countries. It will also explore the ways in which economic theory is changing as economists work to broaden their perspective and overcome their historical blindness to issues of gender.
Typically offered: As Needed
ECO-3403 International Economics, Trade, and Finance (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): ECO-2306,Junior Standing - 60 credits
Principles, practices, and problems of international trade and finance. The development and current state of regulations and treaties governing international economic relations. International institutions such as the IMF, World Bank, and WTO.
ECO-4406 Development of Economic Thought (3 Credits)
A survey of economic thought principally from the seventeenth century to the present day; mercantilism; physiocracy and the emergence of the science of economics; the Classical School; the rise of socialist protest; marginalism and the neo-classical synthesis; Keynes and post-keynesian economics.
Typically offered: Spring Only
ECO-4411 Concepts in Economic Analysis (3 Credits)
Intermediate micro and macro-economic theory. This course is highly recommended for students who intend to pursue graduate studies.
Typically offered: All Sessions
ECO-4433 Portfolio Management (3 Credits)
Cross-listed with: FIN-4412. The construction and analysis of both individual and institutional investment portfolios; portfolio objectives, strategies, and constraints; economic and non-economic variables impacting portfolios; performance measurement.
ECO-4990 Internship in Economics (1-3 Credits)
Students with significant accomplishments in the major may be granted permission by the chairperson of the Economics Department to serve as an intern in selected workplaces. Assignments depend on availability of suitable internships. The student must maintain a comprehensive daily log of work activities and report regularly to the chairperson throughout the internship.
Typically offered: All Sessions
ECO-4995 Independent Study in Economics (1-3 Credits)
Individual research and study with the approval of the Department of Economics.
Typically offered: All Sessions
ECO-4998 Seminar in Economics (3 Credits)
A thesis seminar primarily for Economics seniors, in which the main project is the writing of a research paper on a topic to be chosen by the student in consultation with the instructor.
Typically offered: Fall Only
ECO-5401 Contemporary Islam: Its Socio-Economic Context (3 Credits)
Cross-listed with: SOC-5401. Islam has the second largest religious following and is the fastest growing religion in the world. The dawn of the 21st century finds an increasing polarization between modernization and Islam. This course will have a basis in historiography, with politics as a backdrop, within the context of social/cultural and economic understanding, it seeks to describe the phenomenon of contemporary Islam.
Fulfills General Education Requirement: SEH, WHG
ECO-5402 New York, New York: From the Great Depression to the Current Downturn (3 Credits)
The history of New York City from the Great Depression to the Current Downturn. Students are required to read The New York Times daily on city matters.
Typically offered: As Needed
ECO-5403 Radical Economic Thought Depression to the Current Downturn (3 Credits)
Mirroring the heterogeneity of modern societies, signed by deep imbalances in the distribution of wealth and power, several radical economic views have emerged and developed historically. In opposition to the standard of the discipline, which promotes the notion that markets, as flawed as they may be, are - by comparison - the most efficient ways to allocate society's resources, these nonconventional economic analyses question the basic socioeconomic conditions on which markets and modern capitalism stand. This course examines the present relevance - the economic-theoretical, political, ethical, and philosophical significance - of two major heterodox schools of economic thought whose key critical insights have never been duly incorporated into the dominant tradition; respectively, the schools associated with the views of Karl Marx and John Maynard Keynes, with the latter including a review of the recently influential Modern Monetary Theory.
Fulfills General Education Requirement: PEM, SEH
Typically offered: As Needed
ECO-6411 Economic Theory and Analysis (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): ECO-2201,ECO-2306
Advanced macro- and microeconomic theory. The course covers such topics as consumer theory, production theory, cost theory, market structure in competitive and monopolistic environments, national income determination using four-sector Keynesian cross models and the IS/LM framework, and finally introductory dynamics and the Harrod Domar and Solow growth models.
Typically offered: All Sessions
ECO-6990 Economics Internship (1-3 Credits)
Graduate students only. Supervised work experience in various fields of accounting--including submission of a written report. Requires approval of the departmental chairperson.
Typically offered: As Needed
ECO-6995 Independent Study in Economics (3 Credits)
Independent research and study in a topic in Economics including submission of a written report. Prerequisites: graduate standing and approval of the department chairperson.
Typically offered: Spring Only
History
HIS-1101 Survey of Western Civilization to 1500 (3 Credits)
A survey of the principal historical events, forces, and movements from the Dawn of Man to the Reformation; ancient, medieval, and early modern developments.
Typically offered: Fall Only
HIS-1200 Understanding the Human Rights (3 Credits)
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.
Fulfills General Education Requirement: WHG
Typically offered: As Needed
HIS-1201 US History 1896 to Present (3 Credits)
The major economic, social, intellectual, and political movements of the twentieth century in the United States.
Fulfills General Education Requirement: WHG
Typically offered: All Sessions
HIS-1202 Topics in U.S. History: the Brooklyn Waterfront (3 Credits)
This course explores the history of the Brooklyn waterfront from the colonial period to the present, using it as a lens to understand key events in American history. It emphasizes primary source research and serves as an introduction to the disciplinary methods in the field of history.
Fulfills General Education Requirement: SEH, WHG
HIS-1302 Survey of World History Since 1500 (3 Credits)
Examines major developments in the economic, political, technological, cultural, and social history of world civilizations from the rise of world trade around the turn of the sixteenth century up until the present. In the process it examines the events, ideas, institutions, and people that have helped make the world what it is today.
Fulfills General Education Requirement: WHG
Typically offered: All Sessions
HIS-2101 Lecture Series, Topic: New York Observed History, Literature and Culture Colonial Times to the Present (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): HIS-1201
An interdisciplinary lecture series with invited scholars exploring selected themes in NYC history, literature, and culture from colonial times to the present. Lectures are open to the public. For credit students attend both lectures and a weekly discussion section. Occasional walking tours of NYC landmarks and neighborhoods are also given.
Typically offered: Fall Only
HIS-2102 Lecture Series, Topic: Christianity (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): HIS-1201 and either PSC 1202 or PSC-1204
Christianity is one of the worlds leading religions. It is fitting that is should be objectively studied to understand its origins, leaders, values and effects.
Typically offered: All Sessions
HIS-2103 Lecture Series: Brooklyn Observed (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): HIS-1201
An interdisciplinary lecture series with invited scholars exploring selected themes in Brooklyn history, politics and culture from colonial times to the present. Lectures are open to the public. For credit students attend both lectures and a weekly discussion section. Occasional walking tours of Brooklyn landmarks and neighborhoods are also given. Prerequisite: Hist.1201.
Typically offered: As Needed
HIS-2104 Lec. Series: American Social Movements (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): HIS-1201
An overview of the major social and cultural movements in the United States from 1830 to the present. Co- taught by faculty of the history and sociology departments , this course will address movements of both the Left and the Right, from 19th century Abolitionism, Women's Rights, and Civil Rights on the Left, to Prohibition and the current resurgence of Tea Party conservativism on the Right. Major nineteenth and twentieth century artistic, architectural and literary movements will also be addressed. Prerequisite: HIS-1201.
Typically offered: As Needed
HIS-2105 Lecture Series: East Asia (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): HIS-1201
A survey of East Asian history from the 19th century to the present with a focus on China, Japan, and Korea. Topics covered will include East Asian responses to Western imperialism during the 19th century and the impact of revolution, international conflict, and modernization on East Asia during the 20th century.
Typically offered: As Needed
HIS-2106 Balkans History (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): HIS-1201
This course is an overview of the social, economic, political, and cultural history of southeastern Europe, starting with the Ottoman conquest in the 15th century and ending with the post communist transitions after 1989. Course emphasizes the Ottoman millet system, village household structure, the practice of multiple religions, the influences that various Euro-Asian empires had on this region, the rise of regional and Mediterranean trading networks, 19th-century national revolutions, pre-World War I modernization without industrialization, the state socialist system, and the challenge of post-socialist European integration.
HIS-2107 Post-WWII U.S. Protest Movements (3 Credits)
This course focuses on post-war movements for social change in the United States. Co-taught by faculty in the history and sociology departments, this course analyzes the shift from traditional New Left movements for social change (civil rights, anti-war, and free speech) to movements focusing on identity (women's rights, Black Power, and gay liberation). This course will also explore recent non-traditional social movements, including battles for marriage equality, against police brutality, violence against women, and mass incarceration, and broadening definitions of sexual, racial, and ethnic identities.
Typically offered: As Needed
HIS-2108 Lect Series: Modern African History (3 Credits)
At the close of the 20th century, The Economist magazine labeled Africa the hopeless continent. This course moves beyond such blanket assessments by exploring the changes that Africans experienced during the colonial and post-colonial periods and the diverse attempts to deal with these challenges. It examines colonial and post-colonial African issues, including the colonial legacy and neocolonialism; conflict and human rights; development, poverty, and the debt problem; healthcare infrastructure; globalization, democracy, and multiparty politics; and how these relate to the world at large.
Typically offered: As Needed
HIS-2201 New York on Location: Walking Tours in The City (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): HIS-1201
One of the best ways to experience New York City is on foot. In multiple wide-ranging walking tours led by their instructor students explore the rich history, architecture, and neighborhoods of New York City. Assigned background reading precedes each site visit. Past locations have included Central Park, Governor's Island, DUMBO, Green-Wood Cemetery, and assorted New York City cultural institutions, museums, and communities.
Fulfills General Education Requirement: SEH
HIS-2202 Ancient History (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): HIS-1201
A study of ancient history from the origin of man to the fall of Rome; contributions made by the ancient world to modern civilization.
Typically offered: Fall Only
HIS-2203 International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): Complete one of the following coures as the prerequisite:,HIS-1201, HIS-1203/PSC-1203, HIS 1302 or PSC-1202
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.
HIS-2301 Medieval History (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): HIS-1201
A survey of the history of the Middle Ages; feudalism, universities, monarchy, the Church, the Hundred Years' War.
Typically offered: Spring Only
HIS-2303 World in the 20th and 21st Century (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): HIS-1201
A study of the evolution of the nation-state system in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Concepts and world events such as imperialism, nationalism, fascism, communism, the Great Depression, the two World Wars, the Cold War, decolonization, and globalization are studied.
HIS-2310 Latin American History (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): HIS-1201
A survey of Latin American history from pre-conquest days to the present.
HIS-2314 Topics in Public History (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): HIS-1201
This course introduces students to many fields of public history through field trips, readings and discussion on best practices, issues, and theories of public history, and engagement in a public history term project. Students will meet public history practitioners in a range of fields, learn about methods, and gain exposure to a range of career opportunities that draw on their academic knowledge of the past. In addition, the students will acquire public history experience by conducting an oral history project with a member of the St. Francis College community that will become a part of a multi-year St. Francis College Oral History Project digital exhibition
Fulfills General Education Requirement: HCE
Typically offered: As Needed
HIS-2335 Political Themes in American Film Consequences, Containment (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): HIS-1201
Cross-listed with: PSC 2335. An examination of the political ideologies in American films dealing with war, government corruption, related conspiracy theories, political figures, electoral campaigns, the incorporation of minorities and immigrants into American society, the media, economics, and foreign policy. Course will focus on the historical narrative presented by the filmmakers and ask whether the films convey history or mythology.
Typically offered: As Needed
HIS-2401 US History Age of Discovery 1789 (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): HIS-1201
A survey from the earliest explorations and discoveries to government under the Constitution; the colonial struggle; the dominance of Great Britain; the Revolutionary War; and the Critical Period.
Fulfills General Education Requirement: WHG
Typically offered: Fall Only
HIS-2402 History of the United States 1789-1896 (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): HIS-1201
A study of the United States as it struggled to set its new government into motion; political, economic, cultural and diplomatic developments in the nineteenth century.
Typically offered: Spring Only
HIS-2403 Modern European History: 1560-1763 (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): HIS-1201
A study of the history of Europe from the end of the religious revolts to the end of the Seven Years' War; the Thirty Years' War; the commercial revolution; the rise of the nation-state; and the age of absolutism and enlightenment.
Typically offered: As Needed
HIS-2404 Modern European History: The Long Nineteenth Century (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): HIS-1201
This course examines European history during what is often referred to as the long nineteenth century, a period that began with the French Revolution in 1789 and ended with the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Many important changes took place in Europe during this period: everything from industrialization and the creation of the modern nation-state to the great expansion of European power around the globe and emergence of new intellectual movements such as romanticism, liberalism, and nationalism.
Fulfills General Education Requirement: SEH, WHG
HIS-3196 Interpreting the 1960s (3 Credits)
Cross-listed with: SOC-3196. This course is designed as an intensive study of the politics, culture, and social movements of the 1960s. In addition to learning about the historical events of the decade, students will be also exposed to the transformative cultural, artistic, and social movements of the period. The course will begin with an exploration of the 1950s as prelude including the early civil rights movements. It will then move onto the Kennedy administration, Freedom Summer, the legislative and policy initiatives of the Great Society, an analysis of the social movements and culture of the second half of the decade, with particular focus on the anti-war, feminist, and Black power movements, and concluding with an assessment of the cultural changes initiated by the counter-cultural youth movements.
Typically offered: As Needed
HIS-3307 Race and Ethnicity in American Life (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): HIS-1201
Examines America's racial and cultural diversity through the historical experiences of major American minority populations: Native Americans, Latinos, African-Americans, Asians, and others. Prerequisite:HIS 1201. 3 credits. Spring semester.
HIS-3308 History of Sexuality (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): HIS-1201
This course explores the global history of sexuality, with an emphasis on cultural and social ideas about sex, gender, and sexuality; the scholarship of sexuality; the relationship between sexuality, politics, and the economy; and how sexuality coincides with other analytical frameworks including class, race, and religion. The course will move from 1500 to the present, and will address the history of sexuality around the world.
HIS-3311 History of the African American (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): HIS-1201
A study of African-American life from 1619 to the present, with emphasis placed on the African-American experience in the United States during the twentieth century.
HIS-3312 Renaissance and Reformation (3 Credits)
Intellectual and religious movements during the transition from the Middle Ages to modern times.
HIS-3315 Women in the Twentieth Century World (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): HIS-1201
This course provides students with an introduction to comparative women's history in the twentieth century. Moving thematically and geographically, the course examines how women both influenced and responded to major political, cultural, and social trends around the world, including efforts for suffrage, moral reform, and peace, the world wars, the Cold War, feminisms, migration, colonialism, and decolonization. Conversations will include particular focus on race, class, religion, nation, and sexuality, and explore how women in various cultures understood and utilized those categories in distinct ways.
Typically offered: As Needed
HIS-3370 History of American Labor (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): HIS-1201
Dedicated to the study of the American worker, this course begins with a study of colonial labor systems, the emergence of nineteeth-century workingmen's parties, and the origin and development of industrial and craft unions. IT also treats working-class culture and the work ethic in American history. American labor leaders and labor ideologies are assessed. Labor-management relations and the federal role in labor-manangement disputes are also studied.
HIS-3407 Survey of United States Foreign Relations (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): HIS-1201
A survey of American diplomacy from 1775 to the present: Manifest Destiny, the Civil War, the United States as a world power, and the United States after two world wars.
HIS-3456 American Cultural History - Colonial Era To Present (3 Credits)
Identifies foundational themes as: place, individualism/community, ethnic identities, race, gender, and popular culture and media. All of these recurring themes will be explored here as we examine the larger intellectual, cultural, and popular forces, conflicts, and mythologies that have shaped American identity and destiny from colonial times to the present: questions of race and ethnicity, national character and exceptionalism, republicanism, egalitarianism, Manifest Destiny, the myth of Rags to Riches, and the American dream. More immediate issues that have commanded national attention in recent decades -- questions surrounding immigration and multiculturalism, and movements for racial and sexual equality -- are also addressed. Because history is interdisciplinary by its very nature, this course will also closely adhere to the methodology employed in by the American Studies program: Students will draw from a variety of primary texts and genres, including fiction and poetry, public policy and political speeches, autobiography and diaries, art and architecture, music and media, and other sources as they explore such wide-ranging topics as citizenship, race and ethnicity, the built environment, migration and labor, and social and cultural movements.
Typically offered: As Needed
HIS-3466 History of Britain (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): HIS-1201
Beginning with the Roman conquest of Great Britain, this course traces the political, economic, and cultural evolution of Britain to the present day. It examines the significant changes brought about by the Anglo-Saxon and Norman conquests, the Wars of the Roses, the English Renaissance and Reformation, and the revolutions of the seventeenth century. The Industrial Revolution, society and culture during the Victorian Era, and the development and decline of the British Empire are also significant units.
Typically offered: As Needed
HIS-3480 New York City in the American Urban Experience. (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): HIS-1201
This course employs an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the American city. Utilizing New York City as a prism through which to study the evolving urban metropolis, it explores selected themes in the American urban development from colonial times to the present. Includes assorted walking tours of city sites and neighborhoods.
Typically offered: As Needed
HIS-3490 Famous Trials: Landmark Legal Cases In American History (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): HIS-1201
Selected legal controversies from the Colonial era to the present are examined against their broader relationship to American culture.
Typically offered: Spring Only
HIS-3501 The Atlantic World (3 Credits)
A survey of the multiple contacts between the societies of Africa, the Americas, and Europe from the time of Columbus through the early nineteenth century. The course examines the effects of European expansion, migration, the creation of a new Atlantic economy, slavery and abolition, cultural and intellectual exchanges among the continents, and the emergence of new independent states during the Age of Revolution.
Typically offered: As Needed
HIS-3998 Historical Methods and Historiography (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): HIS-1201 ,Four courses in HIS numbered 3000 or higher
This course provides a critical introduction to the methods of historical research and writing and to the history of historical writing over time (historiography). Required of all history majors as a prerequisite to their Senior History Project.
Typically offered: Spring Only
HIS-4990 Internship in History (1-6 Credits)
Requisite(s): HIS-1201
Students may intern at approved sites under professional supervision. Internships are available at the national, state, and local governments. In addition, internships are available with the law firms, museums, and historical societies. Internships must be approved by the department Chairperson and are subject to availability.
Typically offered: As Needed
HIS-4995 Independent Study in History (1-3 Credits)
Requisite(s): HIS-1201
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.
Typically offered: As Needed
HIS-4998 Historical Seminar (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): HIS-3998
Advanced instruction in the methods and skills of critical analysis, research, and writing. A research paper is a major requirement of the course. Under the direction of the course instructor, students select a topic suitable for investigation. Students then communicate their results in a clearly presented, properly documented essay.
Typically offered: Fall Only
HIS-5400 Political Themes in American Film Consequences, Containment (3 Credits)
In this course, we will examine the political ideologies in American films dealing with war, government corruption, related conspiracy theories political figures, electoral campaigns, the incorporation of minorities and immigrants into American society, the media, economics, and foreign policy. We will specifically focus on the historical narrative presented to us by the filmmakers. Depending on the film director, the film's argument or stance on a political issue may be either explicit or subtle. We will also ask if these films really convey history or mythology. Films from virtually every era of American History will be studied- from the 1910s to the present. Readings will include, when necessary, biographical information on the individual directors in addition to explaining the historical and political context for each individual film.
Typically offered: As Needed
HIS-5401 Seminar: Amsterdam and New Amsterdam (3 Credits)
The seventeenth-century Netherlands is best remembered today for the great artistic achievement of individuals such as Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Judith Leyster. But this time was a Golden Age for the Netherlands and its vibrant port city of Amsterdam in many other ways as well. During the seventeenth century, this small, waterlogged nation emerged as an economic powerhouse and one of the leading states in Europe complete with a worldwide colonial empire. The Netherlands was also important as a republic in a continent dominated by monarchies, as the first heavily urbanized society in Northern Europe, and as a country that granted broad toleration to religious minorities earlier than any of its neighbors. Open to students in the honors program.
Fulfills General Education Requirement: WHG, SEH
HIS-5404 Cults and Conspiracy Theories in the US (3 Credits)
This course examines how cults and conspiracy theories have both emerged from and influenced life in the United States. Drawing on historical and sociological perspectives, this course offers insight into why individuals are drawn to fringe ideas and how specific historical, social, economic, and cultural contexts fuel particular sorts of cults and conspiracy theories. In exploring this topic, we will also build strong information literacy by examining how leaders and promoters of cults and conspiracy theories use disinformation, mistrust, and fear to build followings. Students will read articles, listen to podcasts, and view documentaries that offer insight into this wide and fascinating field of inquiry.
Typically offered: Fall Only
HIS-5410 Race and Place in Brooklyn History (3 Credits)
This honors course examines the role of race in Brooklyn's history from European contact through the present. Students will read scholarly works on the history of Native Americans, slavery, immigration, and civil rights in Brooklyn, all with an emphasis on the development of the divisions and connections between different groups, neighborhoods, and spaces. Students will also have the opportunity to conduct primary source research at Brooklyn Historical Society and engage with other institutions and events in the broader community.
Typically offered: Spring Only
HIS-5420 New York City American Urban Experience (3 Credits)
This course employs an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the American city. Utilizing New York City as a model for the evolving urban metropolis, it explorers selected themes in the American urban experience from colonial times to the present. Images of the city as portrayed in literature and the popular media are also considered. Guest speakers and walking tours and visits to New York City museums, landmarks and neighborhoods are important methodological components of the course. Open to students in the college honors program only.
Fulfills General Education Requirement: SEH, WHG
Typically offered: As Needed
Political Science
PSC-1000 Introduction to Political Science (3 Credits)
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 introduction to careers and subfields of the discipline to help students identify potential career paths.
Typically offered: All Sessions
PSC-1100 American National Government (3 Credits)
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).
Fulfills General Education Requirement: SEH
Typically offered: All Sessions
PSC-1200 Understanding the Human Rights (3 Credits)
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.
Fulfills General Education Requirement: WHG
Typically offered: As Needed
PSC-2000 Comparative Government (3 Credits)
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.
Typically offered: Fall Only
PSC-2001 Global Citizenship (3 Credits)
This course intends to equip students with the knowledge and competencies of global citizenship-a term used for individuals who have a global mindset, i.e., the perceive, are aware of, and engage with global communities. Global citizens explore the complecities of global and local connections in issues such as global justice, human rights, climate change, and inequalities, among others, and are capable of proposing solutions considering different cultures and multiple points of view.
PSC-2100 International Relations (3 Credits)
The course covers major theoretical approaches 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).
Typically offered: Spring Only
PSC-2200 Public Policy (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): Any 1000 Level PSC course
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.
Typically offered: Spring Only
PSC-2203 International Human Rights & Humanitarian Law (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): Complete one of the following coures as the prerequisite:,HIS-1201, HIS-1203/PSC-1203, HIS 1302 or PSC-1202
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-2401 Brazil: Economy, Politics and Business (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): ECO-1201
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.
Typically offered: As Needed
PSC-2402 Metropolitan Government and Politics (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): PSC-1100
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.
Typically offered: As Needed
PSC-2403 Campaigns and Electoral Behavior (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): PSC-1100
This course covers the essentials of political campaigns, election rules, and electoral politics. It emphasizes the institutions associated with political campaigns and the impact these institutions have on electoral behavior. Knowledge about competitive campaign plan. THe course will incorporate key theories about inter-party and intra-party electoral competition while analyzing the political incentives and tradeoffs which shape the actions of political candidates and determine their success in elections.
PSC-2406 International Relations (3 Credits)
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).
Typically offered: Spring Only
PSC-2408 State and Local Government (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): PSC-1100
This course examines the relationship between state/local governments and the federal government starting with the delineation of authority in the Constitution. It focuses on the basic institutions as well as a broad spectrum of public policy issues that affect governing in the states. The primary objective of the course is to acquaint students witht he complexities of state government and state politics. Upon successful completion of the course students should acquire considerable knowledge about comparative state government and politics in the states.
PSC-2501 Women and Politics (3 Credits)
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 education and familial and reproductive rights.
PSC-2502 Government and Business (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): Sophomore standing
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.
Typically offered: All Sessions
PSC-3001 Politics of Latin America (3 Credits)
This course exposes students to Latin American politics: the historical, social, cultural, economic and international contexts of politics, political development, institutions and democracy in the region.
Typically offered: As Needed
PSC-3002 Politics of Africa (3 Credits)
The course presents a survey of the dynamic politics of Africa, covers historical, cultural, economic and global forces underlying this dynamism, and exposes students to significant variation in political oder, stability, political regimes and institutions and soci-economic development across the region.
Typically offered: Fall Only
PSC-3003 Politics of Asia (3 Credits)
This course exposes students to the politics of Asia: its historical, cultural and international context, regime types and political institutions, political culture, political enemy and public policy in the region.
PSC-3004 Politics of the Middle East (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): PSC-2000
This course presents a survey of the politics of the Middle East, covering a variety of issues in the region's politics like this historical making of the modern Middle East, the people, culture, economy and politics of the region, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the international politics of the region. It also offers select country profiles.
Typically offered: As Needed
PSC-3005 The United Nations (3 Credits)
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.
PSC-3101 United States Congress (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): PSC-1100,ONE 2000 level or higher PSC course
This course is a study of the legislative power in the United States originating with the powers granted in the United States Constitution. Emphasis will be placed on the political dynamics shaping the institution as well as contemporary functions and procedures of Congress. Historical trends of the institution will be addressed to provide context for contemporary legislative politics.
PSC-3102 The American Presidency (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): Complete PSC-1100 (previously PSC-1204),1 course from subject PSC, level 2000 or higher
This course is a study of the executive power in the United States originating with powers granted in the United States Constitution. Emphasis will be placed on the political dynamics shaping the institution as well as contemporary functions and actions of the President. Historical trends of the institution will be addressed to provide context for contemporary executive politics.
PSC-3103 Law and American Judicial Process (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): PSC-1100,One 2000 Level or higher PSC course
This course is a study of the judicial power in the United States originating with powers granted in the United States Constitution. Emphasis will be placed on the political dynamics shaping the institution as well as contemporary functions and actions of the judiciary. Historical trends of the institution will be addressed to provide context for contemporary judicial politics.
PSC-3311 The Chinese Economy (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): ECO-1201
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.
PSC-3317 Africa Government and Politics (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): PSC-2301 or PSC-2406
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.
PSC-3401 Constitutional Law I: Government Structures (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): PSC-1100,ONE 2000 level or higher PSC course
This course examines the structures of American government as laid out by the United States Constitution primarily through a case law approach. This section of constitutional law will focus on the allocation of power among the branches of the federal government, the states and the people. Some fo the topics will include congressional and presidential power, the federal judiciary and the role of federalism. As the first section in constitutional law, this course will tie may of the legal areas to the constitutional theory of the founding generation and provide context for the development of constitutionalism in the United States.
PSC-3402 Constitutional Law II: Civil Liberties (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): PSC-1100 ,One 2000 Level PSC or CJ course
This course examines the rights 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.
Typically offered: As Needed
PSC-3450 Political Science Research Methods (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): Junior standing and either PSC-1202 or PSC-1204
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.
Typically offered: Spring Only
PSC-3500 Political Theory (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): Take one 1000 Level PSC course,Take one 2000 Level PSC course
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 responsibilities? 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.
Typically offered: Spring Only
PSC-3501 Political Themes in Media (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): Take one 1000 Level PSC course,Take one 2000 Level PSC course
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 figures, 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 historical 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.
Typically offered: Spring Only
PSC-3997 Political Science Research Methods (3 Credits)
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.
Typically offered: Spring Only
PSC-4990 Internship (1-3 Credits)
Requisite(s): Any 1000 Level PSC course
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.
Typically offered: All Sessions
PSC-4995 Independent Study (1-6 Credits)
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.
Typically offered: As Needed
PSC-4998 Political Science Seminar (3 Credits)
Requisite(s): PSC-3997
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.
Typically offered: Fall Only