Department of Political Science Fall 2016 Course Listings and Summaries Last updated 3/21/2016
1 HUM 3121 (3 hours) Russia/Soviet Union Interdisciplinary examination of the culture, history, geography, economy, political system and society of Russia and the former Soviet Union. Clips from Russian films are used as well as excerpts from the great variety of Russian music from Russian folk songs to post-soviet rock music hits. The literature read in this course includes a saint s life, a 12 th century epic, a folk tale; stories by Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, and Chekhov; and a very short, but powerful, poem by Anna Akhmatova. Instructor: Basom Meeting Time/Location: Section 01: MWF 11:00-11:50; SAB 15 Section 03: MWF 1:00-1:50; SAB 15 Fulfills: LAC requirement 2B. HUM 3124 (3 hours) China This is a Liberal Arts Core course on China that meets the requirement of the Non-Western Cultures component of Category 2: Civilizations and Cultures. It is designed to acquaint students with the essential aspects of China: geography, history, culture, religions, gender, family, demography, ethnic minority, economic development, social changes, and political system. Reading material and lectures lay a solid foundation for understanding China s past and present and for realizing progress it has made and challenges it is facing. Instructor: Yu Meeting Time/Location: Section 01: MWF10:00-10:50; SAB 15 Section 02: MWF 11:00-11:50; SAB 115 Fulfills: LAC requirement 2B. HUM 3128 (3 hours) Africa This course is an exciting exploration of the dynamics and features of contemporary African cultures. Drawing on his vast research and visiting experience to all the regions of Africa, Prof. Agbese provides an engaging environment for students to using cultures as a prism for understanding and appreciating modern Africa. The course starts off by situating modern African cultures within the context of the continent s geography and history and it discusses various aspects of African cultures such as marriage, family and kinship; African beliefs on religions, mystical powers and death and dying; Africa s socio-economic and political structures that shape cultural behavior. The course also discusses and evaluates African aesthetics such as art, music and literature. Its comprehensive analysis of contemporary Africa makes this course the next best thing to living on the continent. Instructor: Agbese Meeting Time/Location: Section 01: T/Th 8:00-9:15; SAB 15 Section 02: T/Th 9:30-10:45; SAB 15 Fulfills: LAC requirement 2B. UNIPoliticalScience 2016FallCourseGuide
2 POL AMER 1014 (3 hours) POL AMER 1048 (3 hours) Introduction to American Politics Examination of the structure, organization, and powers of the institutions of American government and how citizens are linked to government through such things as political parties, interest groups, and elections. Students will become familiar with politics as a resolution of conflict over the competition for resources, and learn to evaluate Constitutional principles as they have been put into practice over time. This course will develop students ability to navigate the political system as a citizen and encourage their active participation in the political process; help students be better informed about politics and better consumers of political information; and develop students analytical, research, critical thinking, and writing skills. Instructor/Meeting Time/Location: Section 01: Moore; T/Th 8:00-9:15; TBA Section 02: Moore; T/Th 9:30-10:45; TBA Section 03: Moore; T/Th 11:00-12:15; TBA Section 04: McNeal; MWF 11:00-11:50; SAB 23 Section 05: Holmes; T/Th 11:00-12:15; SAB 25 Section 06: Holmes; T/Th 2:00-3:15; SAB 25 (Honors) Fulfills: LAC requirement 5B. Required for Political Science major/minor; Public Administration major; Political Communications major; Politics and Law minor. Introduction to Public Administration Public Administration is both a field of study and a field of practice, so in this course we cover both. Rather than focusing on the big political questions of the world (though those DO come up), we will concentrate on how the government actually works. How do unelected government workers--bureaucrats--influence policy? How do the laws passed by elected officials actually enter the lives of ordinary Americans? And further, what are the different ways that we can organize and manage these areas to make government work most effectively? This course will expose students to the lesser-known parts of government, giving them working knowledge of the pieces involved in government administration. It will also improve their analytical thinking skills, as we break down various administrative theories and apply each to real-world situations. Instructor: Neiman Meeting Time/Location: T/Th 9:30-10:45; TBA Public Administration major. UNIPoliticalScience 2016FallCourseGuide
3 POL AMER 2131 (3 hours) American State Politics Why study state and local governments? There are roughly 88,000 distinct units of state and local government in the U.S. and they have a greater impact on personal lives then the federal government. Unfortunately, despite their influence on our day-to-day lives, these units of government do not attract the same interest that is given to the national government. As a result, voter turnout for state and local elections is meager, state and local political parties are poorly organized and only about half the states have competitive elections (they are essentially a one party state). In this class, the goal is to introduce the students to 50 of these local units (the states) with a primary focus on the impact that these units of government have on individual lives. Instructor: McNeal Meeting Time/Location: MWF 12:00-12;50; SAB 25 Fulfills: Elective requirement in Political Science major; Public Administration major; Political Communications major. POL AMER 2147 (3 hours) Law and Courts Examines the institutions, processes and actors of the U.S. trial courts and a variety of political issues related to the civil and criminal justice systems. During the first few weeks of the semester we will examine the nature of the American judicial system by exploring various sources of law and studying the role of the courts within our constitutional system. We will then investigate the various actors in the legal system lawyers, judges, and litigants with an eye toward explaining their importance within and influence upon the system. The course then turns toward examination of how these components of the legal system operate to settle both criminal and civil conflicts. Along the way we will tackle many controversial political issues relating to the courts, including the impact of race and class within the justice system, racial profiling, sentencing policy, the death penalty, and tort reform. Instructor: Peters Meeting Time/Location: MWF 1:00-1:50; SAB 25 Fulfills: Elective requirement in Political Science major; Politics and Law minor. POL AMER 3112 (3 hours) Campaigns and Elections Systematic examination of structure and functions of modern electoral campaigns for national, state, and local offices. Instructor: Holmes Meeting Time/Location: T/Th 9:30-10:45; TBA Political Communications major UNIPoliticalScience 2016FallCourseGuide
4 POL AMER 3114 (3 hours) Legislative Politics Legislative Politics will examine the U.S. Congress as an institution in American government and also as the representative body of We the People. We will explore how Congress makes policy and how the two bodies in Congress function. We will explore the theories, the process, and the current events pertaining to Congress. There is no better way to study Congress than to become a member and engage oneself in simulating the actual institution's functions. Therefore, a large portion of this class will be devoted to simulating the actions of a member of the House of Representatives. Through this exercise you should come to: 1. Understand the nature and complexity of the legislative process 2. See the realities of power, partisanship, and politics in the workings of the U.S. House of Representatives 3. Realize the importance of bargaining and compromise in our system of government. 4. Learn the responsibilities of a member of Congress Instructor: Hoffman Meeting Time/Location: MWF 11:00-11:50; SAB 25 Prerequisite(s): POL AMER 1014 Fulfills: Elective requirement in Political Science major and Political Communications major. POL AMER 3141 (3 hours) Constitutional Law This course acquaints students with the framework of the U.S. government's powers under the Constitution, with special focus on separation of powers, checks and balances, and federalism. We approach this task by analyzing the decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court that have sketched the boundaries of the government's powers, paying attention along the way to the legal, political and environmental influences upon the Court. Along the way we will discuss many of today s most controversial constitutional issues, including presidential-congressional relations, war powers, and the balance of power between the federal and state governments in issues like health care and immigration policy. Instructor: Peters Meeting Time/Location: MWF 12:00-12:50; SAB 227 Prerequisite(s): POL AMER 1014 or POL AMER 2147 or POL AMER 3146 required. Politics and Law minor. UNIPoliticalScience 2016FallCourseGuide
5 POL AMER 4142 (3 hours) Juvenile and Family Law Associate Juvenile Judge Daniel Block of the First Judicial District of Iowa will be teaching this course. As part of the course, students will observe an Iowa district court proceeding, learn from current events as well as familiarize themselves with topics related to juvenile justice and family law in Iowa. During the semester long course the student will develop "real life" understanding of juvenile delinquency, child abuse, adoption, marriage and dissolution issues. Judge Block uses many diverse techniques to engage students on these emotional topics including: power points, hand-outs, guest lecturers and humor. Instructor: Block Meeting Time/Location: M 5:00-7:50; SAB 115 Prerequisite(s): Junior standing required. Fulfills: Elective requirement in Political Science major; Politics and Law minor. POL AMER 4153 (3 hours) Public Organizations The U.S. government is made up of a large, complex web of organizations. Through much of history, the study of these organizations has treated them as pretty similar to private organizations, however this may not be the case. In this class we will focus on the theory and behavior of public organizations in four areas: 1) Organizational design 2) Individuals in public organizations, 3) Public organizations in the political environment, and 4) Interorganization relations. Students will strengthen their writing skills, as they analyze the content and rigorously apply it to case studies and current events. They will come out of the course with a fuller understanding of the institutions, actors, and dynamics in public organizations. Instructor: Neiman Meeting Time/Location: T/Th 11:00-12:15; SAB 125 Prerequisite(s): POL AMER 1014 and POL AMER 1048 required. Junior standing required. Public Administration major. UNIPoliticalScience 2016FallCourseGuide
6 POL AMER 4173 (3 hours) Public Policy Process How is policy made? The policy process is a multistage cycle consisting of pre-decision activities (problem identification, agenda setting and policy formulation); decision (policy adoption) and post-decision processes (implementation, evaluation and policy changes). The stages do not flow neatly from one stage to another instead the process is messy with stages that overlap. In this class, we will explore this process through examining the impact of political actors, political institutions (including federalism, checks and balances and separation of power ) as well as other factors. In addition, we consider how and why their influences vary across different policy arenas. Instructor: Larimer Meeting Time/Location: T/Th 12:30-1:45; SAB 227 Prequisite(s): POL AMER 1014 and POL AMER 1048 required. Junior standing required. Public Administration major. POL COMP 1040 (3 hours) Comparative Politics This course is organized around questions that political scientists have asked repeatedly over the years: Why are some countries democracies and others are not? How do we explain transitions to and away from democracy? Why do some countries have many political parties and others have only a few? How do governments form? Throughout the semester you will make many comparisons across disparate contexts and attempt to use such comparisons to evaluate claims made about the political world. In doing so, you will learn about the similarities and differences among countries and about the conditions under which some claims about the political world apply or do not apply. In order to answer the questions central to this course, you will be introduced to a variety of methods used to study comparative politics that can be applied in upper level courses and beyond. Instructor: Wittrock Meeting Time/Location: T/Th 12:30-1:45; SAB 15 Fulfills: Required for Political Science major/minor; International Affairs minor. POL COMP 3135 (3 hours) Politics in Europe Examination of the development of European political institutions, issues, and policies. Social democracy, the European Union, and challenges to democracy are addressed. Instructor: Basom Meeting Time/Location: MWF 9:00-9:50; SAB 25 Fulfills: Elective requirement in Political Science major; International Affairs minor. UNIPoliticalScience 2016FallCourseGuide
7 POL GEN 1020-01 (3 hours) Contemporary Political Problems Analysis of selected contemporary political issues. This course addresses the relationship between governmental actors and economic actors. It explores the question: what kind of political economic system or specific policies are most likely to achieve political ideals such as freedom, equality, and the pursuit of happiness? The course then addresses more specific political economic problems, such as the food economy and child poverty. Instructor: Kogl Meeting Time/Location: MWF 1:00-1:50; SAB 115 Fulfills: LAC requirement 5C. blog.tifwe.org POL GEN 1020-02 (3 hours) Contemporary Political Problems This course focuses on the international level of contemporary political problems, and it has two main components: global changes and the U.S. world role in the rapidly changing world. Global changes include the transformation of the international system into a truly multipolar world with power becoming more diffused than in the past, increasing concentration of national wealth in the hands of the few, environmental degradation, increasing water stress, intensifying nationalism, transnational terrorism, and others. The course will also discuss debate among the leading international relations thinkers about how the U.S. world role should be adjusted in light of the above-mentioned changes. Instructor: Yu Meeting Time/Location: MWF 2:00-2:50; SAB 35 Fulfills: LAC requirement 5C. POL GEN 2010 (3 hours) Analyzing Politics aei.org What do political scientists understand about politics and world affairs that others don t and how do they know it? In this highly collaborative and interactive course, you will learn how to study politics how to ask good questions and how to design research to find their answers. I believe that the best way to accomplish this is to actually do political science. There will be minimal lecturing. Instead, you ll be in the driver s seat, applying these newfound research skills to discover more about questions that interest you. You ll work together with your classmates to form mini think tanks to investigate areas of common interest. Within these think tanks, you ll get feedback from one another and work together to further your research. This course will meet in the CAT Classroom (http://www.uni.edu/provost/cetl/cat-classroom) which will facilitate the collaborative nature of the course. Instructor: Peters Meeting Time/Location: MWF 10:00-10:50; BAR 1043 Fulfills: Required for Political Science major/minor; Public Administration major; Political Communications major. UNIPoliticalScience 2016FallCourseGuide
8 POL GEN 3111 (3 hours) Introduction to Quantitative Methods in Political Science What does this graph mean? Political science, is, by definition, a science and as such is based on empirical research. But how do we know if the data we are being told about is an appropriate representation of reality? The purpose of this course is to give students the necessary tools to study politics using quantitative methodology. Emphasis will be placed on the use of quantitative estimation techniques commonly used by political scientists but which are also applicable to all aspects of social behavior. Students will get hands on training in collecting and analyzing data using statistical software, and come away from the course with a solid foundation for analyzing and interpreting the findings of others. By the end of the class, students should be able to interpret the accompanying graph without much hesitation and in a manner that is useful for non-political science majors. Instructor: Larimer Meeting Time/Location: T/Th 9:30-10:45; SAB 109 Public Administration major. POL GEN 3184 (3 hours) Senior Seminar: Politics and the Ideology of Wealth As a seminar course, we will survey a broad scope of the literature that examines the intersection of political and economic ideologies on wealth. Because we will be studying ideologies, we will apply our discussions to both the domestic and international contexts. We will read both classical and modern perspectives from across the ideological spectrum. As a Senior Capstone course, students will produce a term paper that stands as the culmination of their Political Science education. Instructor: Warby Meeting Time/Location: MWF 2:00-2:50; SAB 201 Prerequisite(s): 24 credits in Political Science required. Department permission required. Fulfills: Required for Political Science major. POL INTL 1024 (3 hours) International Relations In this course we study and try to understand how countries and other international entities - such as corporations and non-profit groups - interact with each other and why they behave as they do. We will explore questions such as Why are there wars? How is International Law made? What's so good about international trade? and How do we protect the global environment? The course looks for patterns of behavior and focuses on the actors involved, their particular interests, and the atmosphere in which they are operating to help identify the why and what of international politics. Instructor/Meeting Time/Location: Section 01: Renfro; T/Th 11:00-12:15; SAB 115 Section 02: Renfro; T/Th 12:30-1:45; SAB 115 Section 03: Warby; MWF 9:00-9:50; SAB 134 Section 04: Warby; MWF 10:00-10:50; SAB 134 Fulfills: LAC requirement 5C. Required for Political Science major/minor; International Affairs minor. UNIPoliticalScience 2016FallCourseGuide
9 POL INTL 3145 (3 hours) International Organizations Description of international governmental and nongovernmental organizations, and analysis of their roles in international politics. Instructor: Agbese Meeting Time/Location: T 6:00-8:50; SAB 23 Fulfills: Elective requirement in Political Science major; International Affairs minor. POL THRY 1050 (3 hours) Introduction to Political Theory: Freedom, Justice and Power Introductory course that explores some of the ideals that guide political practice, addressing questions such as: How do we know what is just, and how can justice be achieved? What does it mean to be free? What is the nature of power? Can we avoid it? If not, what can be done to control it? Instructor: Kogl Meeting Time/Location: MWF 12:00-12:50; SAB 115 Fulfills: Required for Political Science major/minor. Truththeory.com POL THRY 3160 (3 hours) Classical Political Theory The nature of justice, arguments for and against democracy, the foundations of political knowledge, and the nature of political communities, as understood by the thinkers of classical Greece. Instructor: Kogl Meeting Time/Location: MWF 10:00-10:50; SAB 227 Fulfills: Elective requirement in Political Science major. UNIPoliticalScience 2016FallCourseGuide
10 POLITICALSCIENCE?FALL2016COURSES Dept Crs. Sec Course Name Hrs. Start Time End Time Days Instructor Bldg Room HUM 3121 01 Russia/Soviet Union 3 11:00 a.m. 11:50 a.m. MWF Basom SAB 015 HUM 3121 03 Russia/Soviet Union 3 1:00 p.m. 1:50 p.m. MWF Basom SAB 015 HUM 3124 01 China 3 10:00 a.m. 10:50 a.m. MWF Yu SAB 015 HUM 3124 02 China 3 11:00 a.m. 11:50 a.m. MWF Yu SAB 115 HUM 3128 01 Africa 3 8:00 a.m. 9:15 a.m. TTh Agbese SAB 015 HUM 3128 02 Africa 3 9:30 a.m. 10:45 a.m. TTh Agbese SAB 015 POL AMER 1014 01 Intro. to American Politics 3 8:00 a.m. 9:15 a.m. TTh Moore TBA TBA POL AMER 1014 02 Intro to American Politics 3 9:30 a.m. 10:45 a.m. TTh Moore TBA TBA POL AMER 1014 03 Intro. to American Politics 3 11:00a.m. 12:15 p.m. TTh Moore TBA TBA POL AMER 1014 04 Intro. to American Politics 3 11:00 a.m. 11:50 a.m. MWF McNeal SAB 023 POL AMER 1014 05 Intro. to American Politics 3 12:30 p.m. 1:45 p.m. TTh Holmes SAB 025 POL AMER 1014 06 Intro. to American Politics 3 2:00 p.m. 3:15 p.m. TTh Holmes SAB 025 POL AMER 1048 01 Intro. to Public Administration 3 9:30 a.m. 10:45 a.m. TTh Neiman TBA TBA POL AMER 2131 01 American State Politics 3 12:00 p.m. 12:50 p.m. MWF McNeal SAB 025 POL AMER 2147 01 Law and Courts 3 1:00 p.m. 1:50 p.m. MWF Peters SAB 025 POL AMER 3112 01 Campaign and Elections 3 9:30 a.m. 10:45 a.m. TTh Holmes TBA TBA POL AMER 3134 01 Legislative Politics 3 11:00 a.m. 11:50 a.m. MWF Hoffman SAB 025 POL AMER 3141 01 Constitutional Law 3 12:00 p.m. 12:50 p.m. MWF Peters SAB 227 POL AMER 4142 01 Problems/Juvenile & Family Law 3 5:00 p.m. 7:50 p.m. M eve Block SAB 115 POL AMER 4153 01 Public Organizations 3 11:00 a.m. 12:15 p.m. TTh Neiman SAB 125 POL AMER 4173 01 Public Policy Process 3 12:30 p.m. 1:45 p.m. TTh Larimer SAB 227 POL COMP 1040 01 Comparative Politics 3 12:30 p.m. 1:45 p.m. TTh Wittrock SAB 015 POL COMP 3135 01 Politics in Europe 3 9:00 a.m. 9:50 a.m. MWF Basom SAB 025 POL GEN 1020 01 Contemporary Political Prob 3 1:00 p.m. 1:50 p.m. MWF Kogl SAB 115 POL GEN 1020 02 Contemporary Political Prob 3 2:00 p.m. 2:50 p.m. MWF Yu SAB 035 POL GEN 2010 01 Analyzing Politics 3 10:00 a.m. 10:50 a.m. MWF Peters BAR 1043 POL GEN 3111 01 Intro. to Quant. Methods in PS 3 9:30 a.m. 10:45 a.m. TTh Larimer SAB 109 POL GEN 3184 01 Sr. Seminar: Politics and the Idealogy of Wealth 3 2:00 p.m. 2:50 p.m. MWF Warby SAB 201 POL INTL 1024 01 International Relations 3 11:00 a.m. 12:15 p.m. TTh Renfro SAB 115 POL INTL 1024 02 International Relations 3 12:30 p.m. 1:45 p.m. TTh Renfro SAB 115 POL INTL 1024 03 International Relations 3 9:00 a.m. 9:50 a.m. MWF Warby SAB 134 POL INTL 1024 04 International Relations 3 10:00 a.m. 10:50 a.m. MWF Warby SAB 134 POL INTL 3145 01 International Organizations 3 6:00 p.m. 8:50 p.m. T Agbese SAB 023 POL THRY 1050 01 Intro: Freedom, Justice, Power 3 12:00 p.m. 12:50 p.m. MWF Kogl SAB 115 POL THRY 3160 01 Classical Political Theory 3 10:00 a.m. 10:50 a.m. MWF Kogl SAB 227 UNIPoliticalScience 2016FallCourseGuide